ATX fluid and Power Steering fluid replacement

[deeps]

Need to replace both Power Steering fluid and the ATX fluid in my 03 Accord Euro Luxury.

Is this easy to do on the Euro, or should I leave it to the experts?

I've done it before on my old Corona, and it was a matter of undoing the bolt for the Transmission drain, draining out all the transmission fluid, and putting the bolt back, and filling it up again.

Do I need to drop the whole tray and change a filter too? How much will that cost from Honda

What about Power Steering fluid?

[xxb4xx]

Hey dude, much the same as the old Toyota, just drop the fluid and refill, should be dextron III I guess (check the specs in your book)

as for power steering, just the good old Castrol fluid is what mine gets.. Exact same car as yours, but I have the 6spd

[deeps]

Pretty sure it needs the Honda fluid itself, which is fine, i'm happy to pay a little extra for it.

I haven't done the power steering fluid before, how do I go about changing it?

Also with the transmission, I heard there was some filter that they change? Is this true?

[bennjamin]

Please use ONLY Honda power steering fluid. Other fluids may cause issues/failures.

[gee-aye-dee]

other fluids arent likely to cause issues. genuine fluid will keep your warranty in tact though. and also if you want the transmission fluid changed properly you will need to get the whole system flushed professionally as the pan on the bottom only holds about 1/3 of the fluid the rest is actually inside the box. but if you diy-ing which will do if your fluid isnt that dirty you will need to actually take the pan off and get a gasket and filter kit for the box so you can replace those aswell.

[aaronng]

Hey dude, much the same as the old Toyota, just drop the fluid and refill, should be dextron III I guess (check the specs in your book)

The auto transmission fluid needs to be Honda ATF. Even the Castrol website says to use the Honda's own auto transmission fluid.

[deeps]

but if you diy-ing which will do if your fluid isnt that dirty you will need to actually take the pan off and get a gasket and filter kit for the box so you can replace those aswell.

Is this hard to change?

[xxb4xx]

The auto transmission fluid needs to be Honda ATF. Even the Castrol website says to use the Honda's own auto transmission fluid.

The funny part of this is, Castrol probably still make the oil for Honda anyways.. Just bottle it differently, kinda like tap water and mount franklin..

[aaronng]

The funny part of this is, Castrol probably still make the oil for Honda anyways.. Just bottle it differently, kinda like tap water and mount franklin..

No, more like Coca-Cola and Sprite. Made by the same company, both are for drinking but one tastes different to the other. If you only drink Coke and was really thirsty, you might drink a glass of Sprite but would go back to Coke as soon as you could.

If you can find the same Honda fluid that is made by whatever 3rd party company for Honda, then use it by all means. I have done this for GM special ATF which was made by Mobil. However, the aftermarket branded ATF that you see being sold on the shelves are mostly Dexron fluids. Honda's current ATF is not a Dexron type fluid.

Even the manual for the old Accords said that you could use Dexron fluid temporarily if there is no Honda ATF available in an emergency and to flush it and fill with Honda ATF as soon as possible. There is a difference.

[Fredoops]

*revive*
instead of starting a new thread I think this one will suffice.

I heard a lot of people in the states prefer the Redline D4 ATF over the Honda, they claiming Redline is Ester based (aka proper synthetic) rather than the mineral based Honda OEM ATF-Z1 so the auto tranny will run cooler.
- anyone have any experience with them?

I got the below post from another forum:

Lubeguy
Rookie Author Trenton

Posts:1
Points:120
Joined:May 2009
Message Posted: May 2, 2009 10:02:29 PM


FACT: Honda DOES NOT make its own ATF fluid.

FACT: Consumers believe in Honda's marketing and swear that the special Z1 ingredient in Honda ATF is so exclusive... blah blah blah that your tranny would die with anything that is aftermarket...even if it is labeled Z1 compatible.

FACT: Honda's ATF additive package is supplied by NEWMARKET (NYSE: NEU) for OEM factory fill and service fill. This is also the same OEM supplier for GM's Dexron 6 ATF and Ford's Mercon LV, as well as supplier for Mobile, Quakerstate, Pennzoil, Castrol, Amsoil and Shell. It is a $1.5 Billion+ fuel&oil additive business. In fact, it developed these ATF for the auto manufacturer, hence the truth that autos don't make their own lubricants. There are a lot of industry open secrets and this is one that most consumers don't know.

FACT: It is OKAY to use aftermarket Z-1 compatible ATF. The only difference is IF you ever have a warrenty problem, you go to the oil manufacturer rather than Honda. I have used Castrol multivehicle ATF, Valvoline high-milage ATF and Mobile 1 ATF (new formula), all of which have specifically stated that they are Honda Z1 compatible in a late model 5sp-auto Pilot w/o any issues whatsoever! No funny shifts, clunks, shrudder, etc... In fact, these Non Honda fluids shifts silky smooth!

Aftermarket lubricants that are labeled OEM equivalent or compatible are labeled as such because of marketing agreements with the auto manufacturer. The autos own the exclusive trademark, therefore only HONDA can label its Z1 as genuine Honda and AC DELCO's Dexron 6 is genuine while the Castrol Dex 6 is just an equivalent or compatible fluid. The bottom line is that the same additive manufacturer supplies OEM and the aftermarket. If it says it is compatible then it is okay to put it in your slushbox. They do a lot of lab tests with real vehicles running on rollers all day long so they are experts when it comes to what works and doesn't work from your tranny to your fuel system.

FACT: Amsoil, very popular among some car owners, DOES NOT manufacture its own oil. It buys additive packages with the characteristics it wants and base oil from companies like NEU, and then markets its own blend as the best lube on earth It is able to make oil that exceeds most aftermarket oil because it overloads the additive packages so every bottle of AMSOIL lasts longer, runs cooler, less wear than even Mobile 1.