Changed Transmission Fluid. Piece of Cake!

[atoyota4x4]

Changed my tranny oil tonight. Filled it back through the dip stick hole. Everything worked out great. I drained just shy of a gallon of fluid out for those curious. That Honda oil is exspensive I think I will look at buying it online if possible for next time.

[jestmaty]

Good job! Why through the dipstick hole?

I have change mine twice and I just fill at the filler bolt. I don't remember what year yours is.

And.... a gallon sounds about right for a drain/fill procedure

[atoyota4x4]

Filled through the dip stick hole because I have an 03 with the recall to the transmission. I didn't want to fool with trying to pull that oil jet pipe thing out and doing damage.

[jestmaty]

Originally posted by atoyota4x4
Filled through the dip stick hole because I have an 03 with the recall to the transmission. I didn't want to fool with trying to pull that oil jet pipe thing out and doing damage.

Oh.... I was really drunk when I read and posted a reply.

You'll save yourself a 'ton o' money if you try to do most of your own maintanence.

[john802]

Originally posted by atoyota4x4
Filled through the dip stick hole because I have an 03 with the recall to the transmission. I didn't want to fool with trying to pull that oil jet pipe thing out and doing damage.

It's easy to remove the oil jet pipe by removing the holding bolt & lift the jet upward.

[Gatorade]

OK. New to the board and have seen a few refrences to filling but no one mentions where the drain bolt is or what you do to drain it. Is it similar to the rear differential drain and fill procedure? I am trying to get away from the dealers for most of these maintanance issues.

[jestmaty]

Originally posted by Gatorade
OK. New to the board and have seen a few refrences to filling but no one mentions where the drain bolt is or what you do to drain it. Is it similar to the rear differential drain and fill procedure? I am trying to get away from the dealers for most of these maintanance issues.

Best way to describe the location is this....

The drain 'bolt' is pretty much under the driver's feet. Of course underneath the car.... It has a recess in it to slip in a 3/8" drive to loosen it up. Lefty loosey...

Make sure you get the fill bolt loose BEFORE you drain, just in case you run into a problem loosening the filler bolt. Pretty much all the '03's and some of the '04's had a recall and modification to the tranny via the fill hole. On those years, they have to fill in the dipstick tube.

Mine was made in May '04 and didn't have the mod done at the factory, so I fill mine up via the fill hole, not the dipstick hole.

Just like changing engine oil..... drain/notice how much you took out/fill that much back in. Use only Honda ATF fluid.

Do that 3 times to get a full flush of all the old fluid. Drive a couple of miles between each drain/fill. If you only do it once, you leave a lot in the tranny and torque converter.

Should take about 12 quarts if I remember correctly to do it 3 times. Fluid is $4-$5 per quart. $50 - $60 total.

The dealer charges more than that and I'm sure they only do it once.

Good luck, it really is easy..... I'm due to do mine next weekend ( my 3rd time to do a tranny flush ) at 45,000 miles. Cheap insurance because I use my Pilot to tow frequently.

[Tuck & Jack]

So for an '05 EX-L, through the fill hole is fine?

[jestmaty]

Originally posted by Tuck & Jack
So for an '05 EX-L, through the fill hole is fine?

http://hondapilot.org/forums/showthr...ght=white+bolt

Look down the thread a bit.... I took a picture of the tranny filler bolt.
If you see yours on your 05, double check the owner's manual and then fill 'er up through that hole. I just am not sure about the 05s fill procedure.

[NJGuy]

Originally posted by Tuck & Jack
So for an '05 EX-L, through the fill hole is fine?

yes, it's fine.

Do that 3 times to get a full flush of all the old fluid. Drive a couple of miles between each drain/fill. If you only do it once, you leave a lot in the tranny and torque converter.

Instead of driving a few miles in between the refills and drains, I usually put my pilot on jackstands and put it in drive & reverse for a few minutes, occasionally giving it a bit of gas. I turn off the VSA and disengage the parking brake before doing this. I figure that this lets all of the fluid in the transmission circulate. From what I've read through the threads on this site, the manual says to "drive a short distance" in between fills & drains, but I find it easier to do it this way. I also put my Pilot on the jackstands because I do tire rotations at the same time as transmission fluid changes.

[ndnboy]

Has anyone here just drained the fluid, plugged and refilled vs flushing 3 times?? Seems like alot of $$ to spend to flush out, why is that needed? Will just refilling work??

[jestmaty]

Originally posted by ndnboy
Has anyone here just drained the fluid, plugged and refilled vs flushing 3 times?? Seems like alot of $$ to spend to flush out, why is that needed? Will just refilling work??

Yep!! That is what I have started doing now.

It is very $$ and time consuming to the the 3X for a full flush. I interpret the OM as stating that a flush is only necessary when some other fluid has been put in the tranny instead of Honda ATF.

I tow a boat and pop up camper a LOT with my Pilot and really pay attention to the condition of the fluid when I drain it.

So far... the fluid had come out clean and doesn't smell. The only thing I find is some sludgy stuff on the magnetic drain plug. But even then, it's not excessive.

Save yourself money and just have 4-5 quarts of fluid handy when you drain and fill it one time. People have reported getting anywhere from 3.5 quarts per drain up to 4.5 quarts (like I did last week) when draining the tranny fluid.

[ndnboy]

just called local dealer, $6.99 per qt, is that good? Do you suggest sticking with Honda ATF or suggest other brand??

Thanks

[NJGuy]

Originally posted by ndnboy
just called local dealer, $6.99 per qt, is that good? Do you suggest sticking with Honda ATF or suggest other brand??

Thanks

Most people on this board would recommend the Honda ATF over any other brand. I've read on various forums that Hondas usually perform best when using the Honda brand of fluids. This is based on anecdotal evidence and no real scientific testing.

I think that's what a dealer typically charges per quart of ATF on their shelves. I've ordered my Honda ATF off the internet where it's cheaper but shipping is usually not included. I also ordered other parts at the same time to make the most of the shipping charges.

[ndnboy]

Originally posted by NJGuy


I've ordered my Honda ATF off the internet where it's cheaper but shipping is usually not included. I also ordered other parts at the same time to make the most of the shipping charges.

any sites to recomm when it comes time to ordering online vs dealer prices on any/all items??