[Mtnduey]

Ok, I've been around the block a few times, but I cant seem to find the street marked "I gotta put Honda/Acura fluid in my diff & tranny b/c they know my car best."

Castrol & Valvoline do just fine for many other cars, some even much more complex than the Legend. I wouldn't be suprised if one of them actually made the Honda/Acura stuff. My Honda mechanic buddy has always said to use Castrol, and if its not available go with Valvoline. I've always used Castrol & Valvoline for all my other cars & project toys in the past, and used Silkolene for my Motorcycles, so why in the world should I use Honda stuff? Its more expensive and the two I mentioned earlier make products that meet or exceed the standards Honda shoots for.

That said, I was "Thinking" just thinking mind you, about going to a Synthetic blend for the Diff fluid. There are plenty avail by Castrol & Valvoline, but I'm a bit hesitant b/c of the mileage on the car. I was thinking of maybe just regular and not syn-blend might be the way to go b/c of the 139k miles on it.

So how about the tranny fluid? Both Castrol and Valvoline make their own stuff for it that meets/& or exceeds the Honda standards. Anyone here have personal feedback to add?

I'd really like to know b4 I meet my buddy at the shop Friday and have him drain & fill em for me. Granted he will get me the Honda/Acura stuff at dealer cost if I want to go that route, but I'd honestly prefer Castrol or Valvolene. I've just had better luck with it.

tks

 

[LPB]

For the differential, my local Honda and Acura dealer uses Castrol. I have only changed my diff fluid once as it is a major pain to properly refill. This month I have had to have the diff seal replaced so I am set for now. Better check yours, mine was seeping at 84k miles.

The transmission fluid, on the other hand, is STRONGLY recommended to be either Honda or Dexron to which SmartBlend has been added. Conduct a search of past posts. From personal experience, when I first switched from Dexron (which the HELM recommends) to Honda A/T fluid, the shift quality was pronounced. A significant difference. The vehicle had 49k miles at that time and I had changed the A/T fluid (using Dexron) a couple of weeks previously. Since this switch several yrs ago, I continue to use only Honda fluid and now change it (3.5 qts) every 3k miles when I change my oil. Look at the magnet on the A/T drain bolt when you remove it and then decide whether change intervals should be increased. IMO, the added cost of the Honda A/T fluid is negligible when considering maximizing the life of the A/T.

 

[Mtnduey]

Thats a good point. I'll have to look more into the Honda fluids I think since I really dont know much about em. This is my first time to ever have an Automatic car so I'm not used to ATF fluid except for my Jeeps Transfer Case hehe so thats really my extent in ATF experience.

Anyone know good/bad/ugly on using Synthetic Fluids in our Diff? Blend or other is my question. Castrol and Valvoline both have semi and full synthetic diff (gear) oils available, along with the normal kind.

It really sucks that I'm laid up like I am and unable to do my own under car maintenance. I'd like to just redo the seals on both tranny & diff then go with a 3x drain on each using the Honda stuff and then replacing with most likely with Synthetic Blend Diff fluid, and maybe some Synthetic Blend Tranny. If I dont like how it drove compared to the last change I can always go back to Honda.

Perhaps the way to be fore now is just call around and find a good deal on a simple drain and fill on both tranny and diff. If I can wake up at a decent time I'll try and do that today, er, yeah its today already, hehe.

ANYBODY AT ALL HAVE EXPERIENCE GOING TO SOME FORM OF SYNTHETIC TRANNY & OR DIFF FLUID????

tks

 

[ChrisK]

The only thing I remember Gill, or resident Honda/Acura tranny expert rebuider saying was the Honda ATF uses a high silicone base that the tranny is designed to use. Adding that SmartBlend product should in effect make the Dexron that high silicone base product. If you don't remember Gill, he worked for a tranny rebuilding company that rebuilt transmissions for many of the Honda/Acura dealers and other independent shops throughout the nation. He recomended we only use Honda ATF and and coined the 3X drain and fill technique.

 

[stevieray]

PB, I'm getting ready to get my diff deal replaced next week by my indie Acura tech. Mind telling me how much you dropped at the dealer to have yours done? Thanks---

 

[Sean L]

Having the diff fluid changed at an independent Acura shop cost me around $65. He charges the same thing for trans fluid change, but I am doing that myself at $12 a pop since it's a simple 3.5 qt drain and refill process.

 

[stevieray]

Thanks, Sean but I need to have my diff seal replaced which involves dropping the subframe and then the diff/tranny. Think it'll be more than $65---I'll probably want to :vomit:

 

[LPB]

PB, I'm getting ready to get my diff deal replaced next week by my indie Acura tech. Mind telling me how much you dropped at the dealer to have yours done? Thanks---

Here in Massachusetts, Acura of Auburn, $558.81. Took just less than 6 hrs (was told 2 Techs worked on it). $10 seal, the rest labor.

 

[stevieray]

That's about what I expected---thanks! Did you notice yours dripping fluid particularly after you'd driven it hard? Just curious...

 

[bigdad]

the seal is a common failure at 80-100k miles....Acura dealer wanted $550 ($8 seal, the rest labor!), but I had a certified independent Acura/Honda specialist shop do it for a shade over $300 (in Atlanta where there are a lot of choices for shops, lots of Acuras). The leak would be worse after freeway driving (fluid gets hotter and leaks easier I guess) and you could smell and sometimes see smoke when you stopped, as the oil would blow onto exhaust/manifold. Not something you can readily do yourself without hoist and trans stand...took a half day for my guy to do it.....lol

 

[Mtnduey]

Well, just found a Japanese specialist auto shop that is gonna charge me $25 for the Tranny drain and fill & $25 for the Diff drain and fill. So that works for me

 

[legend man]

i got a little over 160k on my car and i haven't seen any trany leak yet. so i guess i'm pretty lucky. knock on wood

 

[jose3030]

the seal is a common failure at 80-100k miles....Acura dealer wanted $550 ($8 seal, the rest labor!), but I had a certified independent Acura/Honda specialist shop do it for a shade over $300 (in Atlanta where there are a lot of choices for shops, lots of Acuras). The leak would be worse after freeway driving (fluid gets hotter and leaks easier I guess) and you could smell and sometimes see smoke when you stopped, as the oil would blow onto exhaust/manifold. Not something you can readily do yourself without hoist and trans stand...took a half day for my guy to do it.....lol

Talk about a lot of labor for a simple dumb seal.

:eek2: