Easy DIY ATF Fluid Change PICs

[orcking]

One suggestion is not to overfill
drive the car for a while..
preferably on highway for at least 15 miles . Shut it off, wait for 60 seconds and check dipstick.
fill in small increments.....
and test again...

[Armystrong]

Originally Posted by evarsallona

"GOOD JOB"

Thanks YOU! For posting your thread with your DIY, ATF change,
Good instructions and pictures,
it made my change easy

You are very welcome. I will be taking on this task when my new 2013 Honda Pilot has a few thousand miles so I will update this DIY with 2013 pictures. No worries all the pictures will remain but I may add more.

[MrMoe]

Did you quys torque the bolt when reinstalling it?

[MrMoe]

Great pics by the way.....

[SeaPilot]

Originally Posted by MrMoe

Did you quys torque the bolt when reinstalling it?

I just did it like the Germans do and made it guddenteit. If you are not comfortable with tightening bolts by feel, tightening to torque might be a good idea. The torque value would probably be somewhere around 40 lb-ft.

[MrMoe]

Originally Posted by SeaPilot

I just did it like the Germans do and made it guddenteit. If you are not comfortable with tightening bolts by feel, tightening to torque might be a good idea. The torque value would probably be somewhere around 40 lb-ft.

Thanks!

[BigWhite]

Armystrong, you mentioned you will be doing an ATF drain/fill at every oil change, in your case how often do you do an oil change? ( mileage/type of oil )

[Armystrong]

I have always used Mobil 1 Fully Synthetic motor oil.... 5W-20 in my Honda Accord and I will be using the 0W-20 in the Pilot. My change intervals are at 6,000 miles. When I go out to by the 5qt single container Mobil 1 fluid from Walmart for $25.00 I also stop by Napa to get the Napa Gold (WIX) oil filter and by Honda to get the 3qts of DW1 fluid. BTW, I perform all my own maintenance and in 12 years not once have I had any issues or had to take in any of my Honda vehicles in for service. So some may say draining and filling the ATF every time I change the oil is overkill but it has worked for me and prevented me from costly repairs. It's only $18 more for my assurance of always having clean fluid.

I will be changing my routine somewhat to using Valvoline Import Multi-Vehicle ATF since it is a fully synthetic ATF as opposed to the semi synthetic DW1. Since the 2013 owners manual allows for "equivalent" and I have the blessing from Freedom Honda service department, I will be using Valvoline Import ATF from here on out. Just a superior fluid than DW1 and it is $2 cheaper a quart than DW1.



Performance Levels:
Recommended for use in GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai and other imported vehicles
Suitable for use in:
Ford MERCON® and MERCON®V applications
GM DEXRON®-II and DEXRON®-III applications
BMW LT 71141, ETL-7045E and M-1375.4 applications
Nissan/Infiniti Nissan ATF, Matic D, Matic K and Matic J applications
Mitsubishi Diamond SP-II and SP-III applications
Subaru ATF-HP
Hyundai/ KIA SP-II, SP-III and SP-IV applications
Toyota/Lexus Type T, T-III and T-IV applications
Honda/Acura ATF-Z1 (except in CVTs) applications
Mercedes Benz NAG1 applications
Volvo passenger car applications

[BigWhite]

I see, wonder if I can use 0W-20 instead of 5W-20 Mobil1 FS in my 2011 during the winter months. I have not used full synthetic yet, I've been using Gastrol GTX and changing it about every 3K. I also do all of my oil changes in my cars and always have been, never tackled the ATF or VTM-4 fluids yet but I will once the weather warms up here in the next month or so, I bought it when it had 27K on it and previous owner done all maintenance at dealer so I am assuming that the VTM-4 and ATF have been changed? I don't know but will have to have dealer look into, not sure if they can pull detail at the local delaer since I am now in a different state than where the vehicle was first purchased from. BTW, on my BMW I use BMW Full Synthetic and don't drive it past 5K miles in between as the oil still comes out looking real black, same in the Pilot at the 3K interval, I realize color is not everything but hate the fact of driving it more after knowing that it's so dark!

[94eg!]

Color is NOT indicative of condition when it comes to oil. If you're worried about oil condition, get some UOA tests done, and see how much further they recommend you push the oil. For the small cost of a UOA from Blackstone, it could save you quite a bit of money in oil changes.

BTW: I probably wouldn't bother with 0w20 unless you live ultra deep-freeze or only drive extremely short trips (less than 5 miles each warm-up cycle). It's an oil made to get good economy, not provide outstanding protection. Most people still recommend running 5w30 instead of 5w20 in Hondas to increase longevity. The reason is Honda never changed their bearing clearances, only the CAFE requirements for MPG has changed. If you want your engine to last, consider running 5w30.

[BigWhite]

Originally Posted by 94eg!

Color is NOT indicative of condition when it comes to oil. If you're worried about oil condition, get some UOA tests done, and see how much further they recommend you push the oil. For the small cost of a UOA from Blackstone, it could save you quite a bit of money in oil changes.

BTW: I probably wouldn't bother with 0w20 unless you live ultra deep-freeze or only drive extremely short trips (less than 5 miles each warm-up cycle). It's an oil made to get good economy, not provide outstanding protection. Most people still recommend running 5w30 instead of 5w20 in Hondas to increase longevity. The reason is Honda never changed their bearing clearances, only the CAFE requirements for MPG has changed. If you want your engine to last, consider running 5w30.

5W-30 for the summer would be good . If doesn't hurt to switch between the two


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

[94eg!]

If your gonna run a good synthetic oil, there shouldn't be any reason to change oil more than once a year (unless you drive a crazy amount). Honda even says regular oil is good for 7,500 to 10,000 miles between changes. I've got ~11k miles on Redline 5w20 oil and I will be changing it at the 1 year mark. I'm switching to 5w30 to see if the Pilot will consume less oil and loose mpgs.

And while it doesn't hurt to change viscosity, it's ideal to always run the same oil. This keeps the additives from competing with eachother. At teh very least stick to the same brand.

[Armystrong]

Some good point made by 94eg. Funny you mention a different weight of oil. The reason I say that is because I changed my mind and bought 5W-20 for both the Accord and Pilot. It's readily available at Walmart for just over $23. That is outstanding for Mobil 1 synthetic. As far as change intervals my decision at 6,000 miles or alittle further depends on how I have driven the Accord/Pilot for that time period.

[bewing]

At what point is it not good to change the ATF? I just bought a 2011 Pilot with 39K miles on it. To my knowledge, the fluid has not been changed. I know at some point you can do more harm than good with a change. Thanks for the input.

[94eg!]

The only thing is it harms your wallet. If you do a drain & fill only once, your only changing ~33% of your ATF. So no harm done doing it a little more often than average (every other oil change).