Edit: I checked the service records and I have changed ATF at 15K and 30K, yet it is a long while. Until July 2013, I never had issues with the car other than cold-starts winter especially. If i started the car and let it sit idling for 2 minutes, it would run great!


I am trying to find ATF-Z1 before I schedule a drain and refill X 2 times.
My question is, will this be enough?
Will this cause issues?
Should I do a FLUSH - on a couple of threads, there are stern warnings not to do a flush but a drain and refill...how do I keep track of the low/high levels...people have complained about under/overfilling causing problems?

Please help.

The reason for writing this thread today is:
==========================

This past march, the distributor just gave up. I walk out, put the keys in, crank no start. $700 later, I have finally smarted up. I am beginning to hear every whine, creaking noise and taking notice.

Last week, on a very hot day, same problem. gas tank was literally empty and due to go to the gas staton for a fillup. Crank no start...I knew it couldnt be the distributor, it was brand new. I kept the car cranking for 5-6seconds and it started. However, on an uphill, on the right lane of the highway, pressing the gas pedal had no response...I pulled over to the side and after a couple of seconds, pressed the gas pedal again and it started driving normal...it started fine a couple of times in that day. The following morning, the same damn problem, crank but no start. I removed the fuel pump fuse and put it back in again - lo and behold, the car started...one odd thing though - the idle of the honda accord is 1500RPM. I found it had sunk to 800-900 rpm. I didnt have any pick up in the lower gears...at 2000-2500RPM, things were just fine. The car has been starting fine...the fuel pump pressure is great...so, I know it is not the distributor or the fuel pump. Can it be bad gas? or does it have something to do with the idle air control?

Should I dump a can of Techron in the fuel tank and see if it improves things?

Is it normal for the engine to rev when I am shifting from P->R->...D4. I am curious to know what the idle rpms are when the transmission is at P, R and D4.

Please write...

UPDATE:
---------
for those who dont want to read the entire thread:
1. drain refill of ATF-DW1 is running great - If I recollect, the car didnt have ATF fluid changed since 30K miles. The odometer reads 128K now. The mechanic accidentally put Valvoline Maxlife and code P1839 popped up. I repeated 3 drain refills of DW1 and also replaced the 3rd clutch pressure switch.
2. Replaced Evap Bypass solenoid, Canister Vent Valve(Honda) and Canister Set(Honda) - on the third try we found out it was the canister vent valve that was leaking...since I couldnt pry the canister vent valve free, replaced both the valve and set. this is how I fixed my P1457 code.

 

Sounds like you need to diagnose the problem still. How many miles are on the spark plugs? How many miles on the distributor cap and rotor?

Does the check engine light turn on while driving? Does the D4 light start flashing while driving?

 

spark plugs - stock (126000 miles)

brand new distributor, cap and rotor - mar 2013.

CEL is not on.

D4 stays firm during driving.

For hondas, I read somewhere that the fuel filter is in-tank ( am i saying it correctly?)

 

Replace the spark plugs. Get the NGK brand PZFR5F-11 spark plugs that most auto parts stores carry. I think they should be changed every 90K miles, take a look in your owner's manual.

If you took the car to a shop and they decided to install a distributor without changing the spark plugs, then I would consider a different shop.

 

you won't find the ATF-Z1, it has been replaced by DW-1.

 

Update:

My car woes continue.

I took the car to my mechanic and had the spark plugs changed. In addition, he cleaned the throttle body, IAC and dumped a can of techron into the gas tank. He may have bumped the idle up. One thing which I have since learned is, that the ILP (Idle learn procedure) was never done...The car was running rich, very high idle and a day after picking the car up, I found the CEL light turn ON and codes P1457, P1457 show up. A couple days later, P420 showed up as well.

I took the car back to the mechanic - To compound my problems, there was a ATF leak (hose from transmission to radiator had rotted) and my mechanic added 3 Quarts of Valvoline Max ATF. The rotted hose was replaced, he drove it for 30 miles without the lights turn on. He also performed the ILP. On a OBD2 scanner, the mechanic showed me the voltages switching for both the O2 sensors.

I drove the car back home and drove it for 100 miles and the CEL came back on. At autozone, I checked there were 2 codes P1457, P1457 (pv). BTW, P0420 (Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 1)) has not come back (yet). I never fill my gas-tank to the brim (It is highly unlikely the charcoal canister can be oversaturated). It is not the gas-cap (it would be code P1456). I bought a gas cap at Autozone and replaced it as well. I dont know what the second code pv means. The mechanic informed that it may be either the "purge canister solenoid" or the "vent solenoid". This is the EVAP system and i have seen a couple of Youtube videos (scannerdanner's solenoid) and have some understanding of the canister system. Without throwing a lot of money, how can I say whether its the purge solenoid or vent solenoid? any ideas?

Another thing that has started bothering me is - the ATF drain/fill...this evening as I was driving home maybe I was doing 60-65mph and the car jerked violently and was fine thereafter. Yesterday morning, as I was driving to work, I slowed at lights which had turned green and tried to acclerate and the same thing...this time though I could feel the car shifting.

I have read threads on DW1 vs MaxLife...Is this related to Maxlife transmission fluid? Should I switch to DW1? or is this to be expected because the car is getting used to the new transmission fluid? please help

 

can the jerking or violent shifting be due to the fact that I may be running a little low on transmission fluid - given that I was leaking some transmission fluid and the mechanic informed me that he put 3 quarts in?

Or is it Valvoline MaxLife instead of DW1?

Would I be able to recover if I did DW1 for the next drain/refill?

please help

 

I don't konw what engine you have, but if your year specs DW-1, then I would start draining and filling with DW-1 to get that Valvoline out of the system. If you have radiator cooling lines you might consider a full fluid exchange through the return line, to get 99% of the old fluid out.

I have a 96 F22b1 4-cyl and from the forums came to the conclusion that if you don't use DW-1 you're heading for trouble.

 

I have a 2000 honda accord se 4 cyl LEV - it came with ATF-z1. But, I dont know what ATF fluid was used on subsequent services.

I was planning to do DW-1 if not for the transmission fluid leak and emergency.

Would an immediate 3 qt drain/refill work? or should I do it 3 times all within one day or within a few weeks of each other?

 

when you do a drain/fill, how much fluid do you get out? The norm is supposedly about 2.5 qts. When I do it on my F22B1 engine I get 2 - 2.25 out. The capacity is somewhere around 6 qts, so in each drain/fill you are getting maybe 40% out and leaving 60% in. Compound that three times ... .6 x .6 x .6 = .216, or 21% old fluid still left. So the problem with these partial drain/fills is that you always leave old fluid in the system.

I would say to get as much valvoline out of there asap, so the d/fs all within one day. In fact if after the first or second the tranny still shifts funny, just drive it around for a 5-10 minutes, make sure you go through all gears so the fluid works itself through the system.