DIY: Gearbox oil/fluid change (b16a1)

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!


Aim:
Service/Replace gearbox fluid in a b16a1 gearbox (y1 trans?) [And i know wynode already has a gearbox removal DIY that tells how to do this but i thought I would create a thread specifically for fluid changes to promote discussion :p]

Required:
2ish litres of honda MTF gearbox fluid (i purchased 3L just in case)
drain bolt washer
filler bolt washer
WD40 or something similar
Car ramps or jack and jack stands
1/4" drive ratchet
17mm spanner/socket and maybe extensions
Tubing and funnel
Phillips head screwdriver
Pliers

Steps:
Replacing the fluid in a gearbox is similar to doing a oil change for the engine. There is a gearbox drain plug/bolt and a filler plug.

1) Put your car on ramps or jack it up and locate the gearbox drain and filler bolts.
http://home.iprimus.com.au/suban/dxs/art1/1.jpg
http://home.iprimus.com.au/suban/dxs/art1/2.jpg

2) Unbolt the top bolt, the filler bolt with a 17mm spanner. This can be a hard bastard, so a hammer onto the spanner and some WD may be needed. Be sure to have a bucket or something to catch the fluid that will come out. Eventhough this is the filler bolt, because the car is on an angle fluid will come out of it. Then place a ratchet onto the bottom drainage bolt and let all the fluid flow out.

3) Now pop the hood and remove the intake pipe.For my b16a all that was needed was to undo the clamp to the throttle body, unclip and pull out the two airlines to the intake and slide the pipe off the induction box.
http://home.iprimus.com.au/suban/dxs/art1/3.jpg

4) Wait untill most of fluid has drained from the gearbox, and then get the new washer and the drain plug and bolt it back into the gearbox tight.

4) Now get your rubber tubing, I used some left over 9mm silicone vac hose, and drop it down through the engine bay. then put one end into the filler hole and have the other end attached to a funnel.
http://home.iprimus.com.au/suban/dxs/art1/4.jpg

5) Now either roll your car off the ramps in Nuetral with the engine off or jack down your car. Do this so your car is level so you can get the correct ammount of fluid into the gearbox.

6) Now make sure the hose is in the filler hole and poor fluid into the funnel and let gravity take it into the gearbox. It may take a while for the fluid to drain down.
http://home.iprimus.com.au/suban/dxs/art1/5.jpg
7) Now either watch under the car or keep an eye on the filler whole. When fluid begins comming out of the filler hole you know you are done. My car took around 2.1 litres. So then bolt in the filler bolt with the new washer from the top of the engine bay so the car is still level.. get a skinny mate to help you ;).
http://home.iprimus.com.au/suban/dxs/art1/6.jpg

8) You may wish to then put your car back on ramps or jack it back up. I was able to do the bolt a little tighter from under the car.

9) Be happy

Other comments
There are other methods to filling the gearbox, such as removing the VSS and pouring it through there. I found this way the least hassle though. Fairly easy task and only cost the max of 40 bucks using gen honda parts :thumbsup::cool:

nice write up.
just a quick noob question, is the process pretty much the same for an auto transmission eg. 98 accord V6?

going to try and attept it this weekend if i can :s ... is there anything else i will need, new washers, filters etc..

thanks again for the great DIY.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dray_Templar

nice write up.
just a quick noob question, is the process pretty much the same for an auto transmission eg. 98 accord V6?

going to try and attept it this weekend if i can :s ... is there anything else i will need, new washers, filters etc..

thanks again for the great DIY.

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Not the same for a AUTO FWD. You dont need anything else except a oil pan and a funnel of sorts ~ like the one DXS shows here.

All you do is drop the drain bolt , let the fluid flow out. Once it stops , replace the drain bolt and take out the dipstick (on the gearbox). Fill this up with the recommended amount , and test the level with the dipstick gauge.


BTW check my thread below on how to make the filler and fill easy :)
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=58596

thanks a heap bennjamin you a life saver :)

Great info! Unlike changing engine oil, the transmission oil only needs to be changed every 40000kms if you follow the maintenance schedule or more regularly if you like to take care of your ride.

Dray_Templar, don't forget to use new crush washers! It'll save you having to do the bolt up donkey kong tight and prevent any leaks. On the D-series tranny it's drain plug 39Nm (29lbsft) and 44Nm (33lbsft) on the filler plug if you're anally retentive like me and everything needs to be done up right.

On a completely different note, Dxs, that blue bar underneath your engine connecting your lca mount points together, what is that and what does it do?

Looks like it's a front lower tie bar.

It's for cars with an independant suspension, and helps to strengthen the subframe.

It'll help your handling through corners, as well as reduce torque steer and wheel hop. (In a FWD, anyhow)

thats good DIY il try dis weekend, thanks

Quote:

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Originally Posted by muhhan

Great info! Unlike changing engine oil, the transmission oil only needs to be changed every 40000kms if you follow the maintenance schedule or more regularly if you like to take care of your ride.

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nah 40,000km is quiet long.. average is 20,000km but i change mine every 10,000 to keep it in good nick.

Agreed, 40000kms is what interval a grandma would get it changed cos that's what the maintenance manual says, unless the grandma enjoys spirited street driving and track days! :p Kind of like how regular oil change is scheduled for 7500kms but I dare say most people change it every 5000kms here. No harm done changing it more regularly, for sure.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by muhhan

Dray_Templar, don't forget to use new crush washers! It'll save you having to do the bolt up donkey kong tight and prevent any leaks. On the D-series tranny it's drain plug 39Nm (29lbsft) and 44Nm (33lbsft) on the filler plug if you're anally retentive like me and everything needs to be done up right.

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thanks muhhan, as always ozhonda members are the best :)

just a Quick one was told that Mitsubishi's Auto Tranny fluid is 98% the same as honda's, and seems to work as well as honda's , and can be used in a pinch when honda's, isn't easily available. let me know what you guys think

cheers and thanks again ppl

awesome. :thumbsup:

funny too :p

i think my gearbox hasnt been flushed in ages...

with flushing... how should i go about it??? just keep on filling up the fluid a few times and getting any shit out???

finally did the tranny fluid change, brake pads, oil and oil filter the other week :)

also got myself one of these http://www.haynes.com.au/images/42014_sml.jpg

great investment i think.. anyway found out there is an ATF filler bolt/hole for the tranny fluid.. but broke 2 socket extension bars trying to undo it :s so had to fill up throw the dipstick :(

Just wanna thank you guys again for all your help on the subject.

Just wanted to give kudos for this DIY, i followed it on the weekend to change my gearbox oil using the redline good-stuff on my b16a2 and it all went smoothly and was piss easy because the photos were clear. Thanks again for writing this up!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by efini7

Just wanted to give kudos for this DIY, i followed it on the weekend to change my gearbox oil using the redline good-stuff on my b16a2 and it all went smoothly and was piss easy because the photos were clear. Thanks again for writing this up!!

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how does the gears feel on ur car now, is ur problem solved??

The gears are very smooth, change smooth also, the biggest thing i notice is backing off the accelerator under compression while in gear the car decelerates very smoothly, its hard to explain but its something i noticed.

I didnt get a chance to drive the car properly and for long enough to check if it has fixed the problem completely as i was in a hurry to get somewhere after i did the change but i will update you on that.

yep the gearbox oil change has fixed the problem, redline gear oil rules!

I changed my '98 ITR LSD gearbox fluid with Motul FF-LSD Type 2 75W90 oil (green color fluid). The gearbox takes approx. 2.1-2.2 liters when the gearbox is at room temperature.

This is a very good guide for people like me with minimal hands-on mechanical experience. Loosening both the nuts are tough and definitely needs a breaker bar.

When old fluid is drained, metallic dust and metal particles are visible at the bottom of the oil tray. I think the old Honda MTF has been in there for about 20,000km. Guess it's all wear and tear.

After changing to fresh Motul oil, 2nd to 3rd gear appears to crunch a lot less. Regular and high-rpm quick gear shifts are alot smoother and more direct. Great stuff...

i'd recommend that if you have not changed your gear oil for a long time it might be good to flush the gear oil out with something to break it in. The reason is that you gearbox does not have a filtering system and if there are still alot of metal pieces in it do a second gear oil change.

eg. use some cheaper oil drive for about a week and then change it. Hopefully you would have picked up most of the metal bits which cause wear and tear and the occasional crunch.

Afterwards just change the gear oil more frequently. I know that Spoon recommends everytime you change you oil, but i think every second time should be fine for a daily driver

i'd say this diy would be much the same for y8 gear box? i need to do mine aswell!

anyone??

yes it would be bery simmliar, if not the same :thumbsup:

just a noob question where would a get the honda fluid nd washers from??
thanks

From any Honda dealerships' Parts Department.

Do you guys reckon this would be similar to the H22A4 Manual Tranny?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Petronas

Do you guys reckon this would be similar to the H22A4 Manual Tranny?

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should be the same process for all hondas
i've done both d-series and b-series and they both very much similar

Nice write-up.

My gears are bit rough these days and fifth is bit crunchy so I'll have to give this a go this wkend.

Done this a couple of times since reading late last year. Gave the gearbox a good flush and now the crunching is almost gone. Anyone tried the NULON gearbox lube? Tried it couple of times and couldn't really feel much difference. Any1?

best to use Honda MTF..

bump this shit

where the fk do u all get these numbers from????????????

gearbox oil change evry 40k kmz?? every 20k kmz? som1 even said do it with every engine oil change???????

what are u driving on the track evry day? ive never heard of any1 changing gearbox oil so frequently.......

just quoting my service manual, they dont bother changing gear box oil until 120k kmz....let alone evry 40k kms or less...

manual said 40 for hard driving in snow and towing or stop go traffic daily, not sometimes not every blue moon, it meant daily

some syd ppl could fit into this but brisbane ppl hardly, we dont have 3hr traffic jams thro parramatta lol

I do 40 as on my weekend my goal is to test Hondas reliability... lol

and its piss easy to change the fluid :)

but im sure honda being a jap brand build their cars expecting them to whore their way through traffic at least 3/4 of their lives

ok maybe 120 is a stretch, but 80 is still very reasonable imo....

dad has had the same gear box oil in his auto explorer for 150k kmz, lol

noob Q, just wondering - how many bolt should you replace? i know that there are 2 bolts (drain bolt washer & filler bolt washer) coz i noticed that my mechanics never replace the bolts - everytime i replace my gbox oil..??

btw is it better to invest on those spoon, mugen magnetic bolt?? are they worth buying?


**also how much are the oem drain bolt washer & filler bolt washer cost? is it only sold at honda dealers?

cheers.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by siir

noob Q, just wondering - how many bolt should you replace? i know that there are 2 bolts (drain bolt washer & filler bolt washer) coz i noticed that my mechanics never replace the bolts - everytime i replace my gbox oil..??

btw is it better to invest on those spoon, mugen magnetic bolt?? are they worth buying?


**also how much are the oem drain bolt washer & filler bolt washer cost? is it only sold at honda dealers?

cheers.

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replace the two washers everytime you do a change (filler hole and drain hole)

I dont see the magnetic ones being worth much hey, more a marketing gimmick, but I have thought about it in the past... Ive run a magnet thro my old oil on a few occasions and nothing has ever attached to it.

buy the washers at Honda $2 for both :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EK1.6LCIV

replace the two washers everytime you do a change (filler hole and drain hole)

I dont see the magnetic ones being worth much hey, more a marketing gimmick, but I have thought about it in the past... Ive run a magnet thro my old oil on a few occasions and nothing has ever attached to it.

buy the washers at Honda $2 for both :)

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thx heaps man..
$2 for both.. thats cheap :P :thumbsup:

I've got the magnetic drains on both, and you will be surprised at how much crap they do collect... worthwhile in my own opinion

I'll try this one day
i hope this helps with my gear cruching from 3rd to 4th on high speeds.

thanks...great write up!

Well done ,thanks

Do I have to clean some other parts before actually replacing the oil?