Honda Car Forum

In the Haynes manual they reference Honda Manual Transmission Fluid
(MTF) for replacement. Can I assume that an equivalent might be 10W 30
motor oil?

"imola23" <imola23@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1131492756.962987.317200@o13g2000cwo.googlegr oups.com...
> In the Haynes manual they reference Honda Manual Transmission Fluid
> (MTF) for replacement. Can I assume that an equivalent might be 10W 30
> motor oil?

No.

Never put motor oil in your transmission. Go to Honda !

"imola23" <imola23@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:1131492756.962987.317200@o13g2000cwo.googlegr oups.com:

> In the Haynes manual they reference Honda Manual Transmission Fluid
> (MTF) for replacement. Can I assume that an equivalent might be 10W 30
> motor oil?
>



Not any more. In the interest of preventing damage to the catalytic
converter, oil makers have reduced the zinc content of motor oils.

Unfortunately, this zinc is one of those things that was used to help
protect the engine, and your gears.

Honda MTL is a similar viscosity to 10W-30, but is heavy in anti-wear
additives (which explains its stink). It's not meant for use in engines, so
they don't have to worry about $1,000 catalytinc converters.

Use the MTL. Tranny replacements are rather expensive compared to Genuine
Honda MTL.

--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

What year of Honda?

"imola23" <imola23@hotmail.com> wrote
> In the Haynes manual they reference Honda Manual Transmission Fluid
> (MTF) for replacement. Can I assume that an equivalent might be 10W 30
> motor oil?
>

97 5 speed manual.

1997 Civic 5 speed.

In my 1991 Civic, I have used the owner's manual recommended 10w-30 oil all
its life. However, there is a caveat to this. Some evidence on the net
indicates that the constituents of 10w-30 were changed in the last ten years
or so to improve its effectiveness as an engine oil, but also making it
deleterious to transmissions. The evidence is chatter, nothing
authoritative. Maybe there is an authoritative citation on the subject
somewhere, but I haven't seen it yet.

The best I turned up (with direction from another) was an Australia Honda
site,
http://www.honda.com.au/buying+a+honda/parts/ , which says: "Honda MTF Plus
Manual Transmission Fluid has been specifically formulated for use in all
Honda manual transmissions. MTF Plus is designed to provide smoother
shifting operation at all temperatures over the life of the fluid."

There are anecdotal reports of better shifting resulting from the Honda OEM
MTF.

I intend to use the Honda OEM MTF at the next change. I think it's worth a
gamble of only a few bucks more every few years, assuming the OEM stuff
can't make things worse than the 10w-30.

"imola23" <imola23@hotmail.com> wrote
> 1997 Civic 5 speed.

imola23 wrote:
> In the Haynes manual they reference Honda Manual Transmission Fluid
> (MTF) for replacement. Can I assume that an equivalent might be 10W 30
> motor oil?
>

I would get manual transmission specific fluid, either from a Honda
dealer or Redline MTL (available at many better auto parts stores).

10W-30 MIGHT do in a crisis, but is not ideal. You don't need much, so
cost shouldn't be a big factor.

John

TeGGeR® wrote:

>
> Not any more. In the interest of preventing damage to the catalytic
> converter, oil makers have reduced the zinc content of motor oils.
>
> Unfortunately, this zinc is one of those things that was used to help
> protect the engine, and your gears.
>
> Honda MTL is a similar viscosity to 10W-30, but is heavy in anti-wear
> additives (which explains its stink). It's not meant for use in engines, so
> they don't have to worry about $1,000 catalytinc converters.
>
> Use the MTL. Tranny replacements are rather expensive compared to Genuine
> Honda MTL.
>

TeGGer, any experience with Redline MTL? It is a full synthetic
designed for manual transmissions and also has a viscosity similar to
10W-30. Lots of people use it and report good results. I presently run
it in my classic Volvo which originally specified 10W-30 motor oil and
I love how the car shifts with the Redline stuff.

John