ATF Unknown Change Record
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lord rigatoni
New member
looks good, as long as your trans isnt shifting hard, making weird noises , or low on ATF. if it is, then change the ATF. id likely change it in a few thousand miles just to have it on record and to give you a baseline for when you need to change it next. its a cheap and easy process, doesnt take too long to do.
I would be hesitant if the fluid smells burnt. Kinda hesitant cause I lost an Acura trans after I did a drain and flush, it lasted another 30k miles before it was undriveable. I was talking with a friend who works on trans for a living and told him my experience with my Acura. He said it all depends on how the fluid looks and smells.
lord rigatoni
New member
thats crazy bro. from my experience, you typically dont want to change it out if the fluid is really dirty since the dirty fluid has more friction which is usually the only thing keeping the trans from slipping or not going into gear at all. if the fluid has still mostly retained its original color, you should be able to change it with no problems but then again im no trans expert lol
That's an old wives tale that hasn't been proven to be true at all. If your fluid is that dirty with loose friction material then your transmission is already on the way out because there is less friction material remaining on the clutches
brillo_76
Elite Member
I agree with bad luck. Mostly those extreme dirty fluid transmissions are on their last leg with major damage. So the damage is already done to it.
Exchange the fluid out clean the magnets and replace the filter. This way the fluid is lubricating your transmission again instead of sand blasting it as all the debris are in the fluid . Exchanging the fluid is always the best thing to do at regular intervals.
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Exchange the fluid out clean the magnets and replace the filter. This way the fluid is lubricating your transmission again instead of sand blasting it as all the debris are in the fluid . Exchanging the fluid is always the best thing to do at regular intervals.
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RandyBobandy
New member
It was likely on its last legs, according to a former Acura tech I know those transmissions have a change interval of somewhere around 30k miles and don’t hold very much fluid, like 4 quarts.
I did a fluid change on a TSX at around 200k and the fluid was black and very burnt, still going strong at near 300k
Trans was hitting at it's shift points fine and solid prior. No slipping beforehand. No issues. I just did the drain flush as a pm.
Maybe it's just was a coincidence, as I never had the trans disassembled to find out what was the true actual cause of failure was.
But that's why we are here. Here to learn from each others experience and exchange ideas. I'm always open to learning something new and from a different angle.
Maybe it's just was a coincidence, as I never had the trans disassembled to find out what was the true actual cause of failure was.
But that's why we are here. Here to learn from each others experience and exchange ideas. I'm always open to learning something new and from a different angle.
RandyBobandy
New member
Others might disagree but in my opinion if a transmission fails shortly after changing out the old neglected fluid the failure was due to it having old burnt fluid for so long, and the recent change is just coincidence. IMO changing the fluid can only help prolong the life of the transmission
19963.4lsr5
New member
Plus it’s easy. We have a drain plug most others don’t have. Pull the plug and drain it and add 1 gallon of fresh ATF.
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phattyduck
Elite Member
That fluid looks like it has been regularly changed, though not brand new. No worries on continuing a normal drain+fill schedule.
-Charlie
96RedRunner
Senior Member
I just exchange all 3 gallons at once. I do it with the Brillo Bucket transmission fluid exchanging system.......
I like this route now after doing it couple times on newest Runner, so so maintainence history. Drain n fill not worth the trouble.
I plan to flush the tranny using a method on YouTube. Now I gotta decide if I want to change the filter as well. I will check the fluid again and smell if it smells burnt - but to my knowledge, I didn't smell anything bad. Just smelled like regular transmission fluid.
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thegipper
New member
I would drop the pan and replace the filter (get an OEM one, some of the aftermarket filters are junk). I'm seeing more and more transmission issues popping up on here because of plugged filters, it's cheap insurance.
The fluid looks like it's been changed before so that's good.
The fluid looks like it's been changed before so that's good.
brillo_76
Elite Member
Basically its a oil pump and 2 buckets. works great for all vehicles as you can see what comes out and what goes in. If interested on mine. Search the forum its there. I just got carried away and have a 3/4 to 1 inch pump that i use as I kept burning up the cheap Chinese pumps. ;-)
96RedRunner
Senior Member
Many ways to skin a cat, I did the exchange with trans pump after 3 D & F's in 20k mi.
Seeing what comes out with fluid important more so with 200k by PO, filtered the fluid with paint filters.
brillo_76
Elite Member
Yes it is. And why I use clear houses and graduated buckets. So I know how how much came out and how much went in.
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Yes. I was filtering my spent fluid with metal coffee meshes. Hard to see what's in the spent fluid when the material sinks to the bottom of the bucket full of trans fluid.
96RedRunner
Senior Member
So I know how how much came out and how much went in.
Was paying attention to this at first, wasn't consistant over 26 qts of fluid for whatever reason. Same in same out would vary on stick had to adjust either way.
