PURPOSE: To flush out as much automatic transmission fluid as
possible, short of taking it to a shop and having it completely flushed out with their vacuum/pressure machine. Also, a little easier and a little more thorough than doing 2 or 3 drains.
Cost of professional complete flush: $50-70. *Acura does not recommend a vacuum/pressure flush. Instead, they do a triple-flush (doing a drain and refill 3 times), which costs $151. A single drain and fill is $59.
Cost of DIY semi-flush: ~$30
TOOLS:
#10 socket, ratchet (3/8"), pliers, flathead screwdriver.
OPTIONAL TOOLS:
hose pliers.
SUPPLIES:
(6) feet of 1/2" O.D., 3/8" I.D. clear silicon hose (should be less than 1$/ft at home depot).
(2) empty 1-gallon milk containers (or measure and mark 1 gallon out of 2 plastic containers).
(1) 1.5" screw hose clamp.
(9) quarts of Honda ATF (3.92/each list, 2.59 with G2 Club discount (THANKS SCOTT!)- $24 total, or whatever fluid you prefer).
(1) oil container.
(1) oil funnel.
OPTIONAL SUPPLIES:
(2) shop towels, or large rags in case of spillage
(2) latex gloves
PROCEDURE:
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Park car on level surface (or know of one available close by, you will need to check the fluid level afterwards). It is best to perform the procedure while fluid is still hot/warm.
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Disconnect oxygen sensor and unscrew the #10 bolt on the bracket it was connected to. set the sensor aside. (in the pic i’ve removed the female connector and bent that part of the bracket due to my aftermarket o2 sensor being shorter).
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Loosen the clamp on the transmission return hose and lower it a few inches. The return hose is the one on the right. You may have difficulty lowering the clamp, I had to remove the entire screw and separate the clamp with force. Be careful not to lose the tiny washer at the end of the screw.
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Wrap a towel around the hose to absorb any fluid and disconnect the hose from the nipple. You may have to use the pliers (hose pliers would be best) to pull the hose down from the nipple.
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Put the hose clamp on the return hose and plug one end of the clear hose into the return hose. It should go in about 1/4". Slide the clamp up to the very top and gently tighten it with the screwdriver. Let the connection rest on the towel.
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Put the other end of the clear hose into one of the milk containers until it goes down a little more than halfway. Fill up the other container with 4 quarts of ATF. Pull the transmission fluid dipstick out, wipe it clean, then set it aside. Replace the dipstick hole with the oil funnel.
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Start the engine, then quickly go check to see that the return hose isn’t leaking, and that fluid is being pumped out into the container. Immediately begin to fill the tranny with new fluid. When the old fluid container reaches 2 quarts, stop filling the funnel and let the remaining drain down so you can set the funnel down without it spilling. When the old fluid container reaches about 3 quarts, quickly shut off the engine.
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If you weren’t able to refill the tranny with the equal amount of fluid, do so now. Take the hose out of the used fluid container and set it aside. Empty the used fluid into your oil bin. Put the hose back into the used container.
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Repeat procedure #7-8 two more times, but with the 3rd purge only pump out 1.0-1.5 quarts. You have the option of continuing to pump until you see the fluid is coming out clearer and clearer until it almost matches the new fluid, however you must have extra bottles of new ATF to compensate.
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Remove the funnel and put the dipstick back in. Remove the clear hose from the return line and plug it back into the return nipple. Replace the clamp and tighten it down. If you removed the screw like I did, you may have to squeeze the clamp together with the pliers. I grabbed one side of the clamp with the pliers and pushed the middle U-bend with my other thumb, then grabbed the other side of the clamp and did the same. Now there is room to put the screw back in with the washer on the end.
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Replace the bracket and oxygen sensor. Start the car and let it run for a minute or two. Then go check the dipstick and refill as necessary*. If you aren’t on a level surface, drive to one and refill there.
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Readjust your foil header heatshield. No wait, that’s just me. Congratulate yourself on a job well done, a pretty penny saved, and go for a drive and see if you can tell the difference!
CONCLUSION/NOTES:I got the idea from a friend on hybrid garage. Another friend from here on g2ic suggested I refrain from doing this, as there are check valves that shouldnt be run dry. So by somewhat combining each of their ideas, I came up with this method to use the engine’s pumping action as well as to keep the valves lubricated.The test drive proved successful. The gears seemed to shift smoother, but that could just be the good ol’ butt dyno again.
Anyways, I was able to flush out 9 quarts of fluid, barely spill a drop, spend only enough for the fluid (i had everything else lying around), and best of all, didn’t even need to jack up the car!
*notes on how to check the dipstick:
Originally posted by smeltjr
[B]I cleared this up with a contact who is a honda master tech with his own shop. Appears from his website that tranny repair and rebuilding are his bread and butter (i bought a reman oil pan from him and got to talking)
The proper way to check the level of auto trans fluid, according to him, is in accordance with the OWNERS MANUAL-not HELMS. He said to put dipstick in just till the first part of the rubber stop on the dipstick hits the filler tube and not to push the plug all the way in. If you push the plug all the way in and show “full” you are probably about a pint low. He also stated that you NEVER want to overfill. If anyone cares his site is at
Hope this helps (wait…this was my question to begin with). [/B]
update 03.05.03:
well its been about 4 months and things have been fine and fluid levels are good too. as for the flushing, i was thinking that the next time i do it, im gonna have another hose and container to suck in the fluid at the same time it gets sucked out. that way less air will get in and it should be like how the machines do it with very little new and old fluid mixing. should take a lot less new fluid to make the mixture clean. also should address the internal valves getting dry issue.
update 02.09.05:
just did a flush on my DC. this time i pumped out 2 qts the first cycle, then pumped out 3 qts and filled in 3qts at the same time for the 2nd cycle, then 5qts/5qts for the 3rd cycle, then finally added the remaining 2 qts. from the first cycle.
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