I have a 98 Accord EX-L sedan with 142,000 miles. I've been really good with making sure stuff like the oil, tires, filters, and plugs were well taken care of. However, when it came to stuff like the power steering fluid and transmission fluid, I wasn't as disciplined.

I'm getting rid of my 94 Civic and the Accord will become my daily commuter vehicle.

I've never changed the transmission fluid in the Accord. The manual says to change it at 90k miles. I'm wondering if I should change it? I've heard recommendations that if you never changed it and have high mileage, then don't change it all. The reasoning I've been given is that the fluid now carries a certain amount of metal "grit" that serves to provide friction for the gears to catch. If you change the fluid, you risk removing that grit and the gears will no longer catch and you may have to repair/replace your transmission.

Obviously, replacing the trannie is not something I want to do at this point (especially since the car is running great.) I want to really give the car a "maintenance overhaul" to ensure it hits 200k with minor or no issues (and of course be more disciplined with all the maintenance. )

Should I change the transmission fluid? Is there a real concern with making the trannie inoperable by changing the fluid at this point?

 

Yeah, ummmmm that grit being in the tranny oil i believe is a bad thing. That tells me that there is excessive wear on the system and would cause more problems by increasing the grinding of the gears. The purpose of having oil is to reduce the friction that exists because of heat that is created through the rotating parts.

I could be wrong but any added friction to the system would be detrimental.

 

I have to admit that I don't quite understand how a transmission could degrade to the point where the grit keeps it working. I wonder if that is on older manual transmission cars or what?

What should good transmission fluid look like when I check it?

 

http://www.atra.com/consumers/bulletins/cb-111.pdf

gives you the break down of the colors that it goes through on each condition..... if that makes sense you need adobe acrobat to read

 

just change it with honda ATF and youll be fine. you are kinda right in one direction though. the transmission has worn a certain way and the specific viscosity of the oil in it right now fits just perfect. but some new oil should shift smooth also. the shifts will feel a little different.....more solid.. but it wont make it break....it will extend the life of the transmission.

 

lightshow,

When you say it will shift differet, more solid...are you implying that a more solid shift is a better and good thing? Or is it a bad thing? I'm not sure if I understand what you are saying.

 

Yeah Ive been wanting to change my transmission oil too cus i havent gotten it done, the gears start to give that little bump after every gear change, I was going to do it once but my back then rip-off mechanic told me he didnt recommend me unless i took it to a transmission place where they do a "flush out" on the tranny cus when they put in new oil, the oil might reach certain parts of the tranny or something like that. Im considering tranny oil change this coming weekend... anyone have feed back?

 

I agree with lightshow.....change it with Honda ATF but DON'T let them talk you into flushing it. Were it me I would change it again in 5,000 miles then every 15K thereafter. If yours has a filter it should be changed also.

 

Well, I got the trans fluid drained and changed (no flush). I actually asked the dealer if I should flush the fluid all out. The repair manager said that Honda doesn't recommend flushing it out.

Why is a flush not recommended?

The car seems to shift smoothly (at least as smoothly as my 2005 Odyssey). Also, something peculiar. I checked the trans fluid in my Accord and the 2005 Odyssey. The Odyssey has 13k miles on it. Strangely enough, the Accord trans fluid is the same color as the Odyssey fluid. The only difference was the Accord trans fluid was slightly thicker. The odor was the same...no detectable burning smell.

So is that a good thing or bad thing (for the Odyssey)? The color was reddish with a slight a touch of very light brown.

 

sounds like your transmission is in good condition. the brown means that its dirty and needed to be changed.