Manual Transmission Fluid: Check &/or Replacement

Disclaimer: The following is provided as a GUIDE ONLY, and neither myself nor Ozhonda take any responsibility for the outcomes of someone else doing the following. You follow these steps at your own risk!


Check and change the manual transmission on your Front-wheel-drive Honda. You should change your manual transmssion fluid at least every 40,000km or 2 years. The guinea pig in this DIY is my 2000 VTi-R Civic Coupe (EM1)

Difficulty Level: Easy as.

Materials:

1. Trolley jack and 4 jack stands
2. the correct amount of manual transmission fluid (check ur user's manual)
3. Breaker bar/Ratchet + socket and spanners correct size 4 ur Honda.
4. A small funnel, duct tape and 1000mm of tubing.
5. (optional) New fill plug and drain plug washers.

Step 1: First, loosen the wheel nuts on the driver's side wheel and then jack the car up at the front AND rear. The car needs to be level for proper drainage of fluid. Take of the driver's side wheel for ease of access.

[IMG]http://i51.tinypic.com/2rfpy69.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i52.tinypic.com/rsem9t.jpg[/IMG]

Step 2: Now you can access the transmission oil fill and drain plugs. Undo the fill plug (a long 17mm spanner is what I used), and, if checking the fluid level you can now shine a torch in the hole to make sure the level is fine. It should be all the way up up to the fill hole. Put an oil pan under the car in case any fluid spills out.

[IMG]http://i52.tinypic.com/29y4kll.jpg[/IMG]


[IMG]http://i51.tinypic.com/2qdczrc.jpg[/IMG]

Step 3: Now it's time to undo the drain plug. Position the oil pan to catch the used fluid. It will piss out so have it placed where it looks like the fluid will shoot. In my car, the plug was a 1/4 inch drive bolt. The washer on this bolt should also be replaced.

[IMG]http://i54.tinypic.com/2duidsx.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i53.tinypic.com/99ngn9.jpg[/IMG]


Step 4: Take a rest. Have a smoke or a cup of tea and let it all drain out properly. While you wait, you can make a fill tool using a funnet, some duct take and a metre of tubing. When it's drained, re-install the drain plug and washer.

[IMG]http://i53.tinypic.com/k315kl.jpg[/IMG]



Step 5: Use the tool to refill the tranny fluid as in the pictures. When it is full, it will piss out of the fill hole. Re-install the fill plug and washer to torque specs.

[IMG]http://i52.tinypic.com/33eih42.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i54.tinypic.com/2sacsif.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i56.tinypic.com/2qtwgux.jpg[/IMG]

Step 6: Replace the wheel and do the wheel nuts up finger-tight. Lower the car front and rear and torque up the wheel nuts.

That's it.

nice. rep point for mike

Good Work mate nice clear pics and descriptions :thumbsup:

Incase anyone needs to know the torque spec for drain plug and oil filler plug for the D16, B16/B18 and IIRC K20 are all the same torque listed below.

Drain plug = 39 nm
Oil filler plug = 44 nm

Thanks for the torque specs.

I never use the torque wrench for this job, after changing oils so many times over the years I just torque it by feel.

A note to make is that you shouldn't overtighten, so noobs should use a torque wrench.

Nice work, pretty much exactly how I did mine :thumbsup:

For the lazy amongst us (like myself), park your car on a downward slope and just jack the front of the car up until level. For added safety, it's usually a good idea to support with another jack or two. Saves getting out the axle stands.