[jdpenn]

How do you change the MTF tranny fluid in a 5 speed manual Insight? Do you need a 'turkey baster' to get the fluid back in the tranny after draining it? There is no tranny dip stick or fill hole, correct?

 

[InsightfulBob]

I've been wondering if I could do this myself. But what I do know is that the drain hole and fill hole are seperate. Another thing the drain cap should have a magnet to attract loose metal particles, keep them out of the gears, and show how much wear your tranny has.

 

[b1shmu63]

With the car on a level surface, clean the area around the plugs of dirt before removing them. Use a three eigths drive for the square holed bolt. Use a small (spare) kitchen funnel with a little wire or an openned paper clip to hold it in place, and a section of clear vinyl hose for refilling. Drain from the lower bolt-plug. Fill to the level of the top bolt-plug. Put a pan underneath to catch drips. Get an extension light so you can see what you are doing. Have a roll of paper towels handy. Use ONLY Honda MTF. Save the old fluid for analysis if you like. New compression washers and a torque wrench are not a bad idea as is checking for leaks the day after.

 

[Dougie]

How do you get it up in the air and level at the same time? What if you do this with the front end on ramps?

 

[InsightfulBob]

Why only Honda MTF?
You could use ramps and jack-stands.

 

[b1shmu63]

Don't use Diesel oil when cooking pasta. :wink: Others have tried synthetics etc. with poor results. Honda MTF is a rather specific formulation.

Sure, use ramps to get prepared, but have the car level when you do the filling to get the correct amount in there.

Oil changes are a pain if you are just trying to save some cash, but if you love your car they are an excellent opportunity to inspect and learn.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

See:

Could the wrong tranny oil cause this
http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... hp?p=39343

For details about Honda MTF vs. other choices.

And:

Oil & Fuel
http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... hp?p=35689

THe above found using the forum search feature any using MTF as the query.

HTH!

 

[akachan]

how often should MTF be changed?

I am the 2nd owner, I've put 30k miles on my baby, the car has 45k miles on a new clutch, should I assume the MT fluid was changed along with the clutch? What mileage interval should the MTF be changed? Where is the MTF drain? Any filters / gaskets? or just drain old and pour in new? Car has 185k total miles, thanks all

 

[Eli]

I wouldn't necessarily assume the fluid was changed with the clutch. You would hope it was, but it's not technically part of a clutch job.

The drain interval on the MTF is 30k miles I believe.

 

[akachan]

going to drain mtf , how?

which bolt is the mtf drain? the "backwards" one? just like on any import automatic transmission? so, I am assuming I just remove the drain plug bolt and let the fluid drain....

then refill with new Honda manual tranny fluid. How do I refill? Is there a place to pour it in from on top? If no, I have a siphon pump. Should work, eh?

what is the capacity when I go to refill? one quart? 0.5 litre? etc..

It's been 30k miles since I bought the car and in last 1k it's been noticeable that shifting into gears is getting 'grindy'...thx all

 

[MN Driver]

I drained mine after I bought it to be sure no metal or other stuff would come out and it was clean. Mine took 1.5 quarts before it started to dribble back out the fill hole. A piece of advice for any drain and fill type situation, take the fill bolt off first and develop your plan of how you will refill it BEFORE you drain it. I used a funnel that has a 2 foot long tube that is about 1/4" diameter and stuck the end of it in the transmission and made sure everything was all set to go before draining, then I lifted the front of the car with a jack and pulled the drain bolt, let it drain until it was down to drips, put the plug back in, lowered the front so the car was level and filled it until it started to dribble a bit out of the fill hole and I screwed the bolt back on with my fingers, raised the car again and tigetened the bolt and gave it a test drive. I'm using Amsoil product code MTF and it does the job well for me, most here seem to prefer sticking to the Honda specific brand.