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About checking tranny fluid for a 5spd.

19K views 61 replies 16 participants last post by  tomagotchii 
#1 ·
Ok, i just got my car and i dont know where to look,and i dont have a civic hand book.
Where the hell do i check it at??
The i looked in all the normal plces but thre is no stick there??
 
#2 ·
there's no stick for clutch fluid. Its a small res near the power steering fluid....I maybe wrong.....but I don't feel like going in the rain and looking
 
#3 ·
Zex your talking about the cluth fluid, hes askin about tranny......In Mt transmissions its not a stick its a bolt u loosen and inside dip your finger to see the level of the fluid.

If u just got the car be good to yourself and just change it.
 
#4 ·
Leon21 said:
Ok, i just got my car and i dont know where to look,and i dont have a civic hand book.
Where the hell do i check it at??
The i looked in all the normal plces but thre is no stick there??
Here, look at this pic...
You check it by pulling the plug out of the 'fill hole' and sticking your finger in there. It should look like you've been dating Oprah... :D
 
#7 ·
Re: Re: About checking tranny fluid for a 5spd.

BlackDeuceCoupe said:
Here, look at this pic...
You check it by pulling the plug out of the 'fill hole' and sticking your finger in there. It should look like you've been dating Oprah... :D
So basially what??
Just unscrew the fill plug screw and dip my finger inside??
 
#8 ·
Re: Re: Re: About checking tranny fluid for a 5spd.

Leon21 said:

So basially what??
Just unscrew the plug and dip my finger inside??
Yep, just like dating Oprah!

Actually, if it's truely full, you should see a little oil drooling out of the hole when you pull the plug. If it isn't, stick your 'little pinkie' in her and use it like a dipstick. Not very high-tech, I know, but that's the way it is...
 
#9 ·
I think i am lost becuase my tranny doesnt even look like that on the passenger side.I guess an lx is different.
 
#10 ·
Leon21 said:
I think i am lost becuase my tranny doesnt even look like that on the passenger side.I guess an lx is different.
Hmm... sorry if I'm being too rudimentary, but you do realize that you need to get under the car to check the tranny oil, right??? You can't do it from above. The black and orange thingie is the axle if that helps you find it...
 
#11 ·
*bangs head on keyboard* yb u0 wwj wk 087jh tnvtuvpw9t

Ok now i understand,that makes more sence now.
So that pic was taken from underneath the car?
 
#12 ·
Leon21 said:
*bangs head on keyboard* yb u0 wwj wk 087jh tnvtuvpw9t

Ok now i understand,that makes more sence now.
So that pic was taken from underneath the car?
Yep, and the 'fill plug' is toward the firewall.
 
#13 ·
if its not full, what oil do you recommend BDC?
 
#14 ·
CivicSiBeast said:
if its not full, what oil do you recommend BDC?
If you don't know what's in there, drain it and put in new fluid. I change my gear oil every 15000 miles.

The only oil to use, IMHO, is Red Line synthetic oil. I use Red Line MTL in the winter and Red Line MT-90 in the summer. It's a about $8.00/qt and a CiViC takes 2-quarts. Here's a pic:
You can also use Honda OEM tranny fluid, but I don't recommend it 'cause it's just regular old dinosaur juice. If you're in a pinch you can actually use any API GL-4 gear oil. Whatever you do, don't use API GL-5 gear oil or motor oil; they'll ruin your tranny.

Red Line is the best...
 
#16 ·
White93Civic said:
Everything I've read recommends just using regular 10W-30 motor oil. Why will the motor oil ruin your transmission? Does it gunk it up or something? Thanks for the info.
10W30 motor oil is not well suited for transmission use because of two factors - shear stability and improper coefficient of friction. In other words, it's not made for trannies, it's made for engines. It doesn't lubricate gears, brass synchros and bushings very well, and what small amount of lubrication it does provide doesn't last very long. Consider it for use in emergencies only. That's what my CiViC manual says and Honda Corp is telling the truth here for once...

OEM tranny oil is okay, but it's dino juice. Red Line is the best. It's synthetic and will make your tranny last forever...
 
#18 ·
hydramatic99 said:
BDC, would a synthetic 10w30 be an ok choice?
Yes, in an emergency. Motor oil is motor oil, and gear lube is gear lube. You shouldn't run gear lube in a motor, or motor oil in a gear box. Honda CiViC's use a transaxle design. That is, they have transmission gears and differential gears mixed together in a common gear box. Using the correct lubrication is critical to their longevity.

Yes, I know that trannies and differentials are supposed to use different lubes, so whichever oil you stick in there is technically a compromise. That's why you need to use a GOOD API GL-4 gear lube ONLY, which is made for transaxles. API GL-5 lube, which is made for differentials, will eat your tranny and so will motor oil, which, of course, is made for motors.

Sure, Red Line MTL/MT-90 synthetic gear oil costs around 8 bones a quart, but you only need 2-quarts to fill a CiViC transaxle. That's $16.00 to have the world's best gear lube in your ride.

I hope this is making sense. You can't go wrong with Red Line. Using Honda MTF, motor oil or GL-5 gear lube is just like waiting for a time-bomb to go off inside your tranny. Red Line oil is cheap compared to the price of replacing your transaxle, you know?
 
#20 ·
pushVTEC said:
How long u think a tranny would last with 1 qt of fluid in it?
I see you wear your hat backwards [sig pic] so you're probably kinda confused, but why would you ask a question like that? What's that got to do with this discussion???
 
#22 ·
pushVTEC said:
Just a simple question? adn we are talking about transmission fluid... so why not ask a tranny fluid related question?
Im gonna look really stupid if your being sarcastic, what your asking is just like asking how long would my engine last with very little engine oil, well is it really good for it? and how would anybody really specifically know?
 
#24 ·
pushVTEC said:
Jesus christ, lets all flip out about a little question. If it's so dumb and obvious why don't u answer it and stop being asses about it?
Its never good to run your car when it's low on any required fluid. "How long will it last if its low?" That I can't answer, but it will make it wear out much faster, and it could even lock up.

BDC is right in saying synthetic fluids such as redline products are better then motor oil. However, I am going to stick with the OEM fluid from Honda. In the Si's Honda uses synthetic fluid, and I want to stick with it.
 
#26 ·
kommon_sense said:
What is the advantage of using the redline tranny fluids?
Using synthetic oil in your ride is the single best thing you can do for its longevity. In other words, when you use synthetic oil, basically all wear ceases. Mobil 1 ran a BMW on rollers for 1,000,000 miles, took the engine apart and there was practically zero wear. I think one rod bearing was slightly out of spec.

The same 'no wear' situation applies to trannies, and Red Line synthetic gear oil is generally considered the best there is. I buy it at a racing shop where guys spend more on their [top fuel] blocks than I did for my CiViC! Red Line is the only oil they sell there, if that tells you anything....

If you want to read the scoop on Red Line gear oil:

http://www.redlineoil.com/products.htm

in the "SELECT A PRODUCT" box, choose "MANUAL TRANS"


If you want to read about the 1,000,000 BMW test:

http://www.mobil.com/cgi-bin/bld_frameset.cgi?CONTENT=/maff/world/uk/automotive/p6.htm

You can't go wrong with Mobil 1 in your engine and Red Line in the tranny...
 
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