Hello,

I drive a '94 Accord LX MT, and I was thinking of having the transmission fluid flushed. I did some reading and it seems that some would advise against doing so? I'm a little confused because the manual says to "Replace" at specified intervals, but apparently Honda does not recommend doing a flush? So what does it mean to "replace" the fluid then?


In any event, any thoughts on this is greatly appreciated.


Cheers!

 

A few comments:

• Flushes are generally only done on automatic transmissions, that said, not one manufacturer in the world recommends them. Said another way, transmission flushes are to be avoided as they are simply profit centers and can be very harmful to the internals of a transmission.
• As you have a manual transmission, you will not be able to perform a flush on it.
• Follow the service manual and simply replace the gear oil.

 

cukaracha - Shipo^^^ is correct.
5 spd fluid changes are simpler than the A/T flush. I do mine ~30,000 miles (a bit early admit).
Honda sells their own Honda Manual Transmission Fluid (gear oil) which is currently in my car. Like it.
I've also used Pennzoil Synchromesh (AutoZone) and motor oil. In your cold Michigan weather, the Pennzoil product will shift slightly better.
Don't use the auto parts store commonly available GL-5 rated gear oil (which is a differential oil).

It's just remove the drain plug, drain old fluid, 3 minutes later replace the plug; then open the fill plug and fill (via hand pump usually) till it runs back out fill plug hole when car is level, then replace fill plug. No filter, no flush; plain jane simple.
'Level' is the hard part for a home garage mechanic, ramps don't do level. So I take my fluid (Honda 5 spd will be 3 qts or less) to local drive-in oil change place and sweet talk them into a tranny drain/fill along with engine oil change. None of these oil change places ever carry the proper 5 spd fluid, so be alert. If something happens, like your own fluid gets spilled, have them finish the job with 10W-30 engine oil.

Depending on the guy on duty it's usually $25 or $30 additional (my fluid) where I live.

Cautions:
1- If guy is young he may never have changed 5 spd tranny fluid so they don't know which plugs to remove! Be prepared to go under the car with them to help them figure out which plugs.
2- In the remote chance the tranny fluid has never been changed, the fill plug, as it comes from factory, may be super tight - can you spell breaker bar for leverage?

 

Excellent! Thanks for the info!

I'm thinking of running a hose from the top of the engine down to the fill hole (that way I won't need a pump). What size should the external diameter of the hose be such that it can slot snugly into the fill hole?

 

You don't want it to fit snugly as you won't know when the transmission case is full.

 

5/8" OD clear vinyl tubing should work, is inexpensive and common at hardware stores. Just as long as it is not too large, it doesn't need to be exact; only to be able to fit in the fill hole.

 

Perfect! Thanks again!!