Transmission fluid flush and fill?

How hard is it to flush and fill my transmission fluid? (2003 CR-V). The
manual says: "Always use Honda ATF-Z1. If it is not available, you may use
a Dexron III automatic fluid as a temporary replacement. However, continued
use can affect shift quality...To thoroughly flush the transmission the
technician should drain and refill it with Honda ATF-Z1, then drive a short
distance. Do this three times. Then drain and refill the transmission a
final time. WOW! DO ALL DEALERS DO THIS?

Nino

 

if they're any good, yes. this is the voice of experience speaking:
"follow those instructions to the letter - the people that wrote the
manual knew what they were doing."

 

Aren't you also supposed to warm it up and run it slowly through ALL
gears like 5-10 times for each cycle?

Also, for the flushing part, can i use the cheap stuff, Dexron?
thanks.

Kevin

 

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Good question,

If all your tranny fluid fell out, you could refill with Dexron to get
to the Honda dealer where you'd buy about 10 quarts of Z1 to displace
the Dexron.. The manual says to "drive a short distance between refills,
three times". I drive it a week then do it again, and drive it a week
and do it again.

The stuff you 'flush' with ends up staying in there, so it has to be
Honda z1.

'Curly'

 

So Curly, then does it take you 3 weeks to complete it? I spoke to a Honda
technician, he told me they don't do it three times. He just does it once.

 

if i'm just after a quick change, i do it once. but if i just bought
the vehicle used, and i'm not 100% certain of its history, /or/ it's
exhibiting the classic symptoms of having been polluted with non-honda
fluid [HARSH shifting], then i'll flush 3 times.

/definitely/ use honda fluid though. i've tried ordinary dexron, and
trust me, it's not the same.

 

Thanks, just a few more questions before I start:

1.) Do I just undo the transaxle fluid drain plug, and let it drain? For
how long? How many liters of fluid do I need? (Since I bought my vehicle
new, I'm just going to do it once.) Chilton's manual recommends adding 1/3
of the fluid, cycling the shifter, and then adding 1/2 pint at a time, until
the level is correct. Is this good advice?

Thanks a million!

Nino

 

what vehicle? the drain and fill spec is in the service manual.

no. with a honda, you just drain & fill. if you drain and leave for
say 20 minutes on level ground, simply refill with the amount of fluid
per the service manual spec.

i'd ignore pretty much anything the chilton says. those books are
generic garbage, full of mistakes, and their service language is written
for old detroit hydraulic-control autos with planetary gears, not honda
solenoid-control autos with standard gears. invest in the honda service
manual from helm.com. it's the single most useful tool you'll ever
purchase for your honda.

 

what vehicle? the drain and fill spec is in the service manual

I have a 2003 CR-V. According to the manual I need 3.1 liters. Is this
correct? Will I have to buy 4 liters of ATF-Z1. Finally, I have one more
question regarding my brakes. I drained and filled them using Dot 3 (Napa
for ABS system) Is this good enough, or should I have used
authentic Hondas Heavy Duty Brake fluid?

Thanks!

 

if that's what it says in the honda manual...

i don't use honda. just make sure it meets spec and that it gets
flushed every year if you live in a wet climate, every two years if dry.

 

Hello Jim, When I drained my transmission fluid, it looked golden instead
of red, like the new stuff. Also, I drained 4.1 liters instead of 3.1. I
hope I drained the right stuff. What do you think?

Nino

 

was it definitely the transmission? normally, fluids are dyed to
differentiate them in the event of leakage. atf is /always/ red afaik.

regarding the correct quantity, check the dipstick. check the owners
manual for the correct procedure here - detroit transmissions require
the vehicle to be idling, my honda is dipped with the motor stopped.

 

When I did the flush and refill 4 times it took only 3 hours. Drive it
around for a bit between flushes. But it was the right thing to do.
You should not do the "power" flush on your Honda/Acura transmission.

dan