I've got a 1997 4cyn EX with 130K+ miles. Don't think I have ever had the tranmission fluid changed. Is it like a standard filter and fluid change or more involed?

 

Look inside the car & tell us how many pedals are on the floor.

Either way it's pretty easy. No filter. Just drain & fill. Probably multiple times for an automatic trans.

 

Sorry, it's an automatic, 2 pedals to be exact.

 

OK...

Drain plug is quite a ways forward of the axle line, & you can see by putting your head down on the ground in front of the right-front tire. Look for a plug with a square hole - you use a 3/8" socket extension without any socket. There's really no other plug/bolt that has a recessed-square hole. The plug doesn't face downwards, it faced towards the right side of the car.

Fill through the dipstick tube. Something less than 3 quarts. Use Honda ATF cause everyone says Dexron make it shift poorly.

The torque converter doesn't drain, so each time you drain & fill 3 quarts that's only about 1/3 of the total fluid. If it comes out dirty, you'll have to play a game of diluting the dirty stuff by draining & filling 3 times or more.

Don't just trust 3-quarts. After the last fill, use the dipstick to verify it's properly filled. Honda (unlike everyone else) wants you to check the transmission dipstick with the engine warmed up but NOT running.

Eventually you'll want to do a single drain/fill at some interval where it never gets that dirty. Maybe every 25k miles?

 

Should I drain it with a cold engine or let it warm up?

 

I usually drain it warm so the dirt is mixed up. Don't really know whether that's NECESSARY.