have dealer do it?

Tranny oil change. Switching to Redline MTL instead of the crap Honda puts in.

Should I get dealer to do it?

Usually I would be inclined to just do it myself....but I don't have ramps or jack+stands, nor do I feel like finding a funnel long enough, alternatively don't have any kind of pump system to fill 'er up, and my garage is too small to work in (in apt.).

Soooo.....any good reason not to have them do it?

Think they'll flush it with a quart before filling, at my request? Or just take the 3 quarts and put 2 in?

b

[94_AcCoRd_EX]

Hmm... usually if I want something done outside "OEM spec" I'd either do it myself or have a speed shop do it. Do you have any local garages that you trust? I'd take it to one of those before I took it to Honda.

Be careful when taking it to a shop, or even the dealership. If you can, be there to watch what they do. We bought a 2000 Si from the Honda dealership here, and when they took it in the shop to check all the fluids and stuff, they took the air filter from the factory air box. We never thought to look there, assuming it would be there. We went to take it off about a week after we got it to put an AEM cold air on it, and discovered it missing. That's really crappy service if you ask me. We know a few of the guys who work there, and they tell us stories of people coming in for oil changes who bring their own good oil. It gets puts on a back shelf and you get the crappy stuff. And sometimes when you come in for a new belt, or something like that, it doesn't get replaced, but the new belt or part will get taken and used for their side jobs. Just be careful....

[pdiggitydogg]

my dealership is full of idiots...but we all know that
Id do it myself or take it to a reputable shop (and yeah watch em do it)

Yeah any auto shop can be shady like that.....so far I haven't found any obvious reason not to trust this dealer, but I'm not really sure if they're fully trustworthy or not. I highly doubt they'll let me hang out in the shop and watch them do the change.....and I kinda question whether they'll really use my Redline or not.

My brother has worked in places that were bad and he's worked in some that are good.....it's hard to tell as a normal customer without the inside scoop.

b

[AzCivic]

aaaaahhhhhhh, don't use Redline MTL!!!!

[ChrisCantSkate]

honda manual tranny fluid is the best stuff for our trannies. thats what i use. not the redline gunk

[AzCivic]

there's alot of talk of GM's synchromesh on other forums, seems to be a good alternative to OEM Honda. People say they have less grinds when shifting when using it.

[GT40FIED]

Syncromesh is the best stuff out there for manual trannies (who'da thunk GM would've done something right?). As for where to get it done...I'm a big fan of independent tranny shops. All the ones I've ever seen have done great work. Last time my friend took a car to a dealership for non-OEM work he got totally screwed. He was trying to get rocker arms replaced with some 1.7:1 roller rockers (Ford's stock are stamped steel 1.6:1). After the car got back the valvetrain was chattering and when we pulled the valve covers we discovered USED (probably disgarded) stamped steel 1.6:1 rockers. They kept his $250 new ones and stuck some old throw away rockers on there. Needless to say, lawsuits ensued.

actually synchro mesh doens't work at all in honda tran's, the Honda Manual Trans fluid is the BEST thing out there for honda transmissions.

and in my trans i use Royal Puple Max gear in my scooby. the honda fluid rocks, don't use anything but honda, and FWIW redline is garbage.

jeremy

[ebpda9]

actually the only good service i received from honda was when buying parts. those guys are always giving me a price break, mostly cause i am there 3 days a week lol.

See I've asked the Redline MTL question here before and nobody bit with an opinion on it....but now that people are pitching in....

So why is everybody so against Redline, and also why so pro Honda MTF?

Quite frankly I don't like the Honda MTF that much, I'm just not impressed. My gearbox is way too inconsistent for my liking. I haven't changed the fluid yet (Redline or changed to more H MTF).

I've had some recommendations from people using Redline MTL in their late-model Preludes with much satisfaction. One has been running for 35k with it. That's why I was planning on changing to Redline.

Unfortunately I've already got the oil, but I can sink the cost and get something different.

b

no offense, but nothing short of a new shifter linkage is going to make yours accords shifter feel any better. YOu need to be more concerned with the bearings and synchros. REdline doens't work in subaru trans, definitely won't work well in your trans. hmm35k with redline, change the honda stuff every 30k and you'll be seeing 150k and no problems in the trans.

[AzCivic]

Originally posted by spoogenet
See I've asked the Redline MTL question here before and nobody bit with an opinion on it....but now that people are pitching in....

So why is everybody so against Redline, and also why so pro Honda MTF?

Quite frankly I don't like the Honda MTF that much, I'm just not impressed. My gearbox is way too inconsistent for my liking. I haven't changed the fluid yet (Redline or changed to more H MTF).

I've had some recommendations from people using Redline MTL in their late-model Preludes with much satisfaction. One has been running for 35k with it. That's why I was planning on changing to Redline.

Unfortunately I've already got the oil, but I can sink the cost and get something different.

b

i guess you didnt do a search, try the civic forum.

[AzCivic]

Originally posted by HndaTch627
actually synchro mesh doens't work at all in honda tran's, the Honda Manual Trans fluid is the BEST thing out there for honda transmissions.

and in my trans i use Royal Puple Max gear in my scooby. the honda fluid rocks, don't use anything but honda, and FWIW redline is garbage.

jeremy

it doesnt work at all!? damn all those people running it better hear this cause they think they're driving around switching gears.

Originally posted by HndaTch627
no offense, but nothing short of a new shifter linkage is going to make yours accords shifter feel any better. YOu need to be more concerned with the bearings and synchros. REdline doens't work in subaru trans, definitely won't work well in your trans. hmm35k with redline, change the honda stuff every 30k and you'll be seeing 150k and no problems in the trans.

None taken. Please define "won't work well." My one friend with the Lude loves it, much smoother shifting he claims. He's been using Redline for quite some time now, used it in his Civic when he AutoX'd it back in the day (late 80's Civic).

If a new shifter linkage is the only way to make my shifting feel any better, why do so many people claim the Redline MTL made their shifts feel much smoother and took out notchiness, especially in cold weather?

I'm not trying to be at all argumentative about it, it's just that I've read quite a few positive reviews around the web from people using it on Hondas. No I haven't searched the Civic forum, because I don't own a Civic....so I don't frequent the Civic section. But I'll go check it out now. I've seen 1 negative review on the web where a guy claimed it'll promote syncro wear.

I'm not sure if you are/were a Tech for Honda (from your name).....but in case you are or were or just know the answer anyways, perhaps you can riddle me a little of this.

My transmission is very inconsistent. As a general rule, it's smoother when it's hotter, but that's not always the case. I can go a whole day or a whole week where every shift is super smooth. I can go a whole day or a whole week where every shift is stiff, notchy, and almost feels grindy (but not really grindy and no noise). Sometimes I can go from 1 shift to the next where it changes, or 1 light to the next where it changes. Sometimes the gear feels "grippy" leaving 1st or 5th, other times it just slides right out as if it wants to go to neutral position. There's 2 simple answers I have. 1 is that the oil isn't doing it's job, 2 is that the tranny is fubar.

Now for #2 I've had 2 different dealerships take it out for a spin and they claim it feels like any other Accord tranny to them. Of course, it always feels normal when a tech looks at it, and it can be difficult to notice little differences when you don't drive it daily. For #1, I got the car with 8k on it. Of course I have no clue what the previous owner did to the tranny.....but if I were to assume that it were treated well, then I'd say 8k is real quick for tranny oil to go bad. I could also assume the worst......there's 22,8k on it right now.

b

[ebpda9]

i used the redline colant aditive and now all my damn gaskets are leaking. i have to fill the coolant like 2 quarts every week or so.

[AzCivic]

Originally posted by spoogenet
why do so many people claim the Redline MTL made their shifts feel much smoother and took out notchiness, especially in cold weather?
b

read this one statement over in your mind and figure out what having "smoother" shifts with the tranny COLD means.

i am and prolly always will be a tech for honda, have you checked/lubed the shift linkage at the pivot point on the trans?? it kinda sounds like a binding linkage to me or a bad bushing in the linkage. I have some of the same complaints as you with my trans in my car, some days it feels great, others it feels like garbage. it finally came down that i had a bad bushing in one of the linkage couplers, changed em and wow what a differance, have you put in a short throw or anything??

redline is great for bearings, but it tears up sychros because it is just so slick, maybe it doesn't have such an adverse affect in a 2wd car where it's easier for the driveline speed to increase/decrease rapidly but for the most part i would never use it. i would just stick the manufacturer reccomended fluids for a street driven car.

as for the synchromesh: it's not reccomended for honda transmissions, in older trans it prolly works fine, but the newer trans's uses triple cone synchro's with clutch packs versus bronze blocker rings on certain gears.

I haven't actually checked anything with the tranny yet. So far you are the first person to give me any ideas of where to look and/or what to look for.

So since you're being helpful, mind helping me a little more?

What all will it take to check the linkage for any problems? Is it going to be something I'll need to get the dealer doing, or is it a job that I can do? I'd rather do it myself, but if it requires any serious tools that the average Joe would never have.....then I can't do it.

Also how long a job would it be to take apart to the point of checking, and reassemble? Unfortunately I can only usually be out of a car for at most 1 day on a weekend.....

b

well for me pulling and dissassembling that trans will take me all of prolly 2 hours, but if you want to check everythign by the book you are adding about 3 hours to that list. I can't remember if the linkage is calbe or mechanical so i'll look at the manual tonight.

Jeremy

I've got the book at home too, I just haven't gone through that part yet.

I assume you take apart from the inside? Like removing the console and all that jaz? Doesn't that require removing some or all of the dash panelling too?

AFAIK it's cable rather than mechanical linkage. Hence all the crappy short-shift adapters rather than true short shifters....

And to answer your earlier question, no I don't have a SSA.

b

yeah i thought they were cable. actually i wouldn't worry about checking inside the vehicle, i would check the actual mechanism points on the trans where the linkage connects. make sure it moves freely and isn't siezed at all/

Jeremy

And my guess is that I do that from under the vehicle?

If so, that's probably going to be a slight issue.....currently I only have ramps. One of these days I'll have a jack with stands, but it still doesn't get the front end up very high to do much work under there.

b

[pdiggitydogg]

Craftsman SUV jack
and a set of stands from anywhere for less than $30

youre set

[GT40FIED]

Originally posted by pdiggitydogg
Craftsman SUV jack
and a set of stands from anywhere for less than $30

youre set

Absolutley. I bought one for my truck since my regular jack didn't support enough to lift it safely (it only supports 2 tons...truck weighs 4,400lbs.). Then I tried it on the Mustang...it's a tight fit getting it under but it lifts a LOT quicker and higher. Just throw your stands under there and you're good to go.