Honda Car Forum

How hard is it to flush and fill my transmission fluid? (2003 CR-V). The
manual says: "Always use Honda ATF-Z1. If it is not available, you may use
a Dexron III automatic fluid as a temporary replacement. However, continued
use can affect shift quality...To thoroughly flush the transmission the
technician should drain and refill it with Honda ATF-Z1, then drive a short
distance. Do this three times. Then drain and refill the transmission a
final time. WOW! DO ALL DEALERS DO THIS?

Nino

Nino NoSpam wrote:
> How hard is it to flush and fill my transmission fluid? (2003 CR-V). The
> manual says: "Always use Honda ATF-Z1. If it is not available, you may use
> a Dexron III automatic fluid as a temporary replacement. However, continued
> use can affect shift quality...To thoroughly flush the transmission the
> technician should drain and refill it with Honda ATF-Z1, then drive a short
> distance. Do this three times. Then drain and refill the transmission a
> final time. WOW! DO ALL DEALERS DO THIS?
>
> Nino
>
>
if they're any good, yes. this is the voice of experience speaking:
"follow those instructions to the letter - the people that wrote the
manual knew what they were doing."

Aren't you also supposed to warm it up and run it slowly through ALL
gears like 5-10 times for each cycle?

Also, for the flushing part, can i use the cheap stuff, Dexron?
thanks.

Kevin

FunkyKev wrote:
>
> Aren't you also supposed to warm it up and run it slowly through ALL
> gears like 5-10 times for each cycle?
>
> Also, for the flushing part, can i use the cheap stuff, Dexron?
> thanks.
>
> Kevin
-
---------------------------------

Good question,

If all your tranny fluid fell out, you could refill with Dexron to get
to the Honda dealer where you'd buy about 10 quarts of Z1 to displace
the Dexron.. The manual says to "drive a short distance between refills,
three times". I drive it a week then do it again, and drive it a week
and do it again.

The stuff you 'flush' with ends up staying in there, so it has to be
Honda z1.

'Curly'

So Curly, then does it take you 3 weeks to complete it? I spoke to a Honda
technician, he told me they don't do it three times. He just does it once.

"'Curly Q. Links'" <motsco__@interbaun.com> wrote in message
news:44A50F38.657E8982@interbaun.com...
> FunkyKev wrote:
>>
>> Aren't you also supposed to warm it up and run it slowly through ALL
>> gears like 5-10 times for each cycle?
>>
>> Also, for the flushing part, can i use the cheap stuff, Dexron?
>> thanks.
>>
>> Kevin
> -
> ---------------------------------
>
> Good question,
>
> If all your tranny fluid fell out, you could refill with Dexron to get
> to the Honda dealer where you'd buy about 10 quarts of Z1 to displace
> the Dexron.. The manual says to "drive a short distance between refills,
> three times". I drive it a week then do it again, and drive it a week
> and do it again.
>
> The stuff you 'flush' with ends up staying in there, so it has to be
> Honda z1.
>
> 'Curly'

Nino NoSpam wrote:
> So Curly, then does it take you 3 weeks to complete it? I spoke to a Honda
> technician, he told me they don't do it three times. He just does it once.

if i'm just after a quick change, i do it once. but if i just bought
the vehicle used, and i'm not 100% certain of its history, /or/ it's
exhibiting the classic symptoms of having been polluted with non-honda
fluid [HARSH shifting], then i'll flush 3 times.

/definitely/ use honda fluid though. i've tried ordinary dexron, and
trust me, it's not the same.

>
> "'Curly Q. Links'" <motsco__@interbaun.com> wrote in message
> news:44A50F38.657E8982@interbaun.com...
>
>>FunkyKev wrote:
>>
>>>Aren't you also supposed to warm it up and run it slowly through ALL
>>>gears like 5-10 times for each cycle?
>>>
>>>Also, for the flushing part, can i use the cheap stuff, Dexron?
>>>thanks.
>>>
>>>Kevin
>>
>>-
>>---------------------------------
>>
>>Good question,
>>
>>If all your tranny fluid fell out, you could refill with Dexron to get
>>to the Honda dealer where you'd buy about 10 quarts of Z1 to displace
>>the Dexron.. The manual says to "drive a short distance between refills,
>>three times". I drive it a week then do it again, and drive it a week
>>and do it again.
>>
>>The stuff you 'flush' with ends up staying in there, so it has to be
>>Honda z1.
>>
>>'Curly'
>
>
>

Thanks, just a few more questions before I start:

1.) Do I just undo the transaxle fluid drain plug, and let it drain? For
how long? How many liters of fluid do I need? (Since I bought my vehicle
new, I'm just going to do it once.) Chilton's manual recommends adding 1/3
of the fluid, cycling the shifter, and then adding 1/2 pint at a time, until
the level is correct. Is this good advice?

Thanks a million!

Nino
"jim beam" <nospam@example.net> wrote in message
news:8vidnVwa6O5qtDjZnZ2dnUVZ_tGdnZ2d@speakeasy.ne t...
> Nino NoSpam wrote:
>> So Curly, then does it take you 3 weeks to complete it? I spoke to a
>> Honda technician, he told me they don't do it three times. He just does
>> it once.
>
> if i'm just after a quick change, i do it once. but if i just bought the
> vehicle used, and i'm not 100% certain of its history, /or/ it's
> exhibiting the classic symptoms of having been polluted with non-honda
> fluid [HARSH shifting], then i'll flush 3 times.
>
> /definitely/ use honda fluid though. i've tried ordinary dexron, and
> trust me, it's not the same.
>
>>
>> "'Curly Q. Links'" <motsco__@interbaun.com> wrote in message
>> news:44A50F38.657E8982@interbaun.com...
>>
>>>FunkyKev wrote:
>>>
>>>>Aren't you also supposed to warm it up and run it slowly through ALL
>>>>gears like 5-10 times for each cycle?
>>>>
>>>>Also, for the flushing part, can i use the cheap stuff, Dexron?
>>>>thanks.
>>>>
>>>>Kevin
>>>
>>>-
>>>---------------------------------
>>>
>>>Good question,
>>>
>>>If all your tranny fluid fell out, you could refill with Dexron to get
>>>to the Honda dealer where you'd buy about 10 quarts of Z1 to displace
>>>the Dexron.. The manual says to "drive a short distance between refills,
>>>three times". I drive it a week then do it again, and drive it a week
>>>and do it again.
>>>
>>>The stuff you 'flush' with ends up staying in there, so it has to be
>>>Honda z1.
>>>
>>>'Curly'
>>
>>

Nino NoSpam wrote:
> Thanks, just a few more questions before I start:
>
> 1.) Do I just undo the transaxle fluid drain plug, and let it drain? For
> how long? How many liters of fluid do I need?

what vehicle? the drain and fill spec is in the service manual.

> (Since I bought my vehicle
> new, I'm just going to do it once.) Chilton's manual recommends adding 1/3
> of the fluid, cycling the shifter, and then adding 1/2 pint at a time, until
> the level is correct. Is this good advice?

no. with a honda, you just drain & fill. if you drain and leave for
say 20 minutes on level ground, simply refill with the amount of fluid
per the service manual spec.

i'd ignore pretty much anything the chilton says. those books are
generic garbage, full of mistakes, and their service language is written
for old detroit hydraulic-control autos with planetary gears, not honda
solenoid-control autos with standard gears. invest in the honda service
manual from helm.com. it's the single most useful tool you'll ever
purchase for your honda.

>
> Thanks a million!
>
> Nino
> "jim beam" <nospam@example.net> wrote in message
> news:8vidnVwa6O5qtDjZnZ2dnUVZ_tGdnZ2d@speakeasy.ne t...
>
>>Nino NoSpam wrote:
>>
>>>So Curly, then does it take you 3 weeks to complete it? I spoke to a
>>>Honda technician, he told me they don't do it three times. He just does
>>>it once.
>>
>>if i'm just after a quick change, i do it once. but if i just bought the
>>vehicle used, and i'm not 100% certain of its history, /or/ it's
>>exhibiting the classic symptoms of having been polluted with non-honda
>>fluid [HARSH shifting], then i'll flush 3 times.
>>
>>/definitely/ use honda fluid though. i've tried ordinary dexron, and
>>trust me, it's not the same.
>>
>>
>>>"'Curly Q. Links'" <motsco__@interbaun.com> wrote in message
>>>news:44A50F38.657E8982@interbaun.com...
>>>
>>>
>>>>FunkyKev wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Aren't you also supposed to warm it up and run it slowly through ALL
>>>>>gears like 5-10 times for each cycle?
>>>>>
>>>>>Also, for the flushing part, can i use the cheap stuff, Dexron?
>>>>>thanks.
>>>>>
>>>>>Kevin
>>>>
>>>>-
>>>>---------------------------------
>>>>
>>>>Good question,
>>>>
>>>>If all your tranny fluid fell out, you could refill with Dexron to get
>>>>to the Honda dealer where you'd buy about 10 quarts of Z1 to displace
>>>>the Dexron.. The manual says to "drive a short distance between refills,
>>>>three times". I drive it a week then do it again, and drive it a week
>>>>and do it again.
>>>>
>>>>The stuff you 'flush' with ends up staying in there, so it has to be
>>>>Honda z1.
>>>>
>>>>'Curly'
>>>
>>>
>

what vehicle? the drain and fill spec is in the service manual

I have a 2003 CR-V. According to the manual I need 3.1 liters. Is this
correct? Will I have to buy 4 liters of ATF-Z1. Finally, I have one more
question regarding my brakes. I drained and filled them using Dot 3 (Napa
for ABS system) Is this good enough, or should I have used
authentic Hondas Heavy Duty Brake fluid?

Thanks!
"jim beam" <nospam@example.net> wrote in message
news:No2dnZkjYu8b1jjZnZ2dnUVZ_tqdnZ2d@speakeasy.ne t...
> Nino NoSpam wrote:
>> Thanks, just a few more questions before I start:
>>
>> 1.) Do I just undo the transaxle fluid drain plug, and let it drain?
>> For how long? How many liters of fluid do I need?
>
> what vehicle? the drain and fill spec is in the service manual.
>
>> (Since I bought my vehicle new, I'm just going to do it once.) Chilton's
>> manual recommends adding 1/3 of the fluid, cycling the shifter, and then
>> adding 1/2 pint at a time, until the level is correct. Is this good
>> advice?
>
> no. with a honda, you just drain & fill. if you drain and leave for say
> 20 minutes on level ground, simply refill with the amount of fluid per the
> service manual spec.
>
> i'd ignore pretty much anything the chilton says. those books are generic
> garbage, full of mistakes, and their service language is written for old
> detroit hydraulic-control autos with planetary gears, not honda
> solenoid-control autos with standard gears. invest in the honda service
> manual from helm.com. it's the single most useful tool you'll ever
> purchase for your honda.
>
>>
>> Thanks a million!
>>
>> Nino
>> "jim beam" <nospam@example.net> wrote in message
>> news:8vidnVwa6O5qtDjZnZ2dnUVZ_tGdnZ2d@speakeasy.ne t...
>>
>>>Nino NoSpam wrote:
>>>
>>>>So Curly, then does it take you 3 weeks to complete it? I spoke to a
>>>>Honda technician, he told me they don't do it three times. He just does
>>>>it once.
>>>
>>>if i'm just after a quick change, i do it once. but if i just bought the
>>>vehicle used, and i'm not 100% certain of its history, /or/ it's
>>>exhibiting the classic symptoms of having been polluted with non-honda
>>>fluid [HARSH shifting], then i'll flush 3 times.
>>>
>>>/definitely/ use honda fluid though. i've tried ordinary dexron, and
>>>trust me, it's not the same.
>>>
>>>
>>>>"'Curly Q. Links'" <motsco__@interbaun.com> wrote in message
>>>>news:44A50F38.657E8982@interbaun.com...
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>FunkyKev wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>Aren't you also supposed to warm it up and run it slowly through ALL
>>>>>>gears like 5-10 times for each cycle?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Also, for the flushing part, can i use the cheap stuff, Dexron?
>>>>>>thanks.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Kevin
>>>>>
>>>>>-
>>>>>---------------------------------
>>>>>
>>>>>Good question,
>>>>>
>>>>>If all your tranny fluid fell out, you could refill with Dexron to get
>>>>>to the Honda dealer where you'd buy about 10 quarts of Z1 to displace
>>>>>the Dexron.. The manual says to "drive a short distance between
>>>>>refills,
>>>>>three times". I drive it a week then do it again, and drive it a week
>>>>>and do it again.
>>>>>
>>>>>The stuff you 'flush' with ends up staying in there, so it has to be
>>>>>Honda z1.
>>>>>
>>>>>'Curly'
>>>>
>>>>
>>

Nino NoSpam wrote:
> what vehicle? the drain and fill spec is in the service manual
>
> I have a 2003 CR-V. According to the manual I need 3.1 liters. Is this
> correct?

if that's what it says in the honda manual...

> Will I have to buy 4 liters of ATF-Z1.

good.

> Finally, I have one more
> question regarding my brakes. I drained and filled them using Dot 3 (Napa
> for ABS system) Is this good enough, or should I have used
> authentic Hondas Heavy Duty Brake fluid?

i don't use honda. just make sure it meets spec and that it gets
flushed every year if you live in a wet climate, every two years if dry.

>
> Thanks!
> "jim beam" <nospam@example.net> wrote in message
> news:No2dnZkjYu8b1jjZnZ2dnUVZ_tqdnZ2d@speakeasy.ne t...
>
>>Nino NoSpam wrote:
>>
>>>Thanks, just a few more questions before I start:
>>>
>>>1.) Do I just undo the transaxle fluid drain plug, and let it drain?
>>>For how long? How many liters of fluid do I need?
>>
>>what vehicle? the drain and fill spec is in the service manual.
>>
>>
>>>(Since I bought my vehicle new, I'm just going to do it once.) Chilton's
>>>manual recommends adding 1/3 of the fluid, cycling the shifter, and then
>>>adding 1/2 pint at a time, until the level is correct. Is this good
>>>advice?
>>
>>no. with a honda, you just drain & fill. if you drain and leave for say
>>20 minutes on level ground, simply refill with the amount of fluid per the
>>service manual spec.
>>
>>i'd ignore pretty much anything the chilton says. those books are generic
>>garbage, full of mistakes, and their service language is written for old
>>detroit hydraulic-control autos with planetary gears, not honda
>>solenoid-control autos with standard gears. invest in the honda service
>>manual from helm.com. it's the single most useful tool you'll ever
>>purchase for your honda.
>>
>>
>>>Thanks a million!
>>>
>>>Nino
>>>"jim beam" <nospam@example.net> wrote in message
>>>news:8vidnVwa6O5qtDjZnZ2dnUVZ_tGdnZ2d@speakeasy .net...
>>>
>>>
>>>>Nino NoSpam wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>So Curly, then does it take you 3 weeks to complete it? I spoke to a
>>>>>Honda technician, he told me they don't do it three times. He just does
>>>>>it once.
>>>>
>>>>if i'm just after a quick change, i do it once. but if i just bought the
>>>>vehicle used, and i'm not 100% certain of its history, /or/ it's
>>>>exhibiting the classic symptoms of having been polluted with non-honda
>>>>fluid [HARSH shifting], then i'll flush 3 times.
>>>>
>>>>/definitely/ use honda fluid though. i've tried ordinary dexron, and
>>>>trust me, it's not the same.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>"'Curly Q. Links'" <motsco__@interbaun.com> wrote in message
>>>>>news:44A50F38.657E8982@interbaun.com...
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>FunkyKev wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Aren't you also supposed to warm it up and run it slowly through ALL
>>>>>>>gears like 5-10 times for each cycle?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Also, for the flushing part, can i use the cheap stuff, Dexron?
>>>>>>>thanks.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Kevin
>>>>>>
>>>>>>-
>>>>>>---------------------------------
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Good question,
>>>>>>
>>>>>>If all your tranny fluid fell out, you could refill with Dexron to get
>>>>>>to the Honda dealer where you'd buy about 10 quarts of Z1 to displace
>>>>>>the Dexron.. The manual says to "drive a short distance between
>>>>>>refills,
>>>>>>three times". I drive it a week then do it again, and drive it a week
>>>>>>and do it again.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>The stuff you 'flush' with ends up staying in there, so it has to be
>>>>>>Honda z1.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>'Curly'
>>>>>
>>>>>
>
>