Manual Transmission Fluid Change - Photos???

Hi, I was wondering if anyone knew a place online where I can find
photos of a manual transmission fluid change. Seems like a simple
request, but I've been unable to find it anywhere. When looking at
the Honda Service Manual, it has an exploded Trans Housing view and an
underside view of the trans, but there's no correlation between the
two, as they are from completely different perspectives (the exploded
trans view looks to be from the top down and the bolt view seems to be
from the bottom up...). The Owner's Manual isn't much more help. All
of these drawings are inconclusive as far as where to expect to find
the bolts.

I'm smart enough to know that the trans is on the passenger side and
that I should be looking just behind the axle, other than that,
though, it's anyone's guess and I really don't want to remove the
wrong bolt.

Can anyone point me toward an online view of the location of the
filler and drain bolts?

My thanks, in advance,

Brian

PS - If there's a simple tutorial on how to get under the car and add
the fluid without jacking the car up, that'd be welcome, too!

What year and model?

Use www.bkhondaparts.com for drawings that often help. E.g.

http://www.bkhondaparts.com/billkay/... tch=&hidIrno=

Buy some clear rubber hose at Home Depot or Lowe's for
filling the tranny.

You need new washers for the drain and fill bolts.

Scroll down at the following site for a really good photo:
http://honda-tech.com/zerothread?cmd=print&id=851521

On Nov 14, 9:28*am, "Elle" > wrote:
> What year and model?

Sorry, thought I'd sent that - it's a 2002 Civic EX Coupe.

Brian

wrote in news:739d58c8-ca21-49ee-904e-
:

> Hi, I was wondering if anyone knew a place online where I can find
> photos of a manual transmission fluid change. Seems like a simple
> request, but I've been unable to find it anywhere. When looking at
> the Honda Service Manual, it has an exploded Trans Housing view and an
> underside view of the trans, but there's no correlation between the
> two, as they are from completely different perspectives (the exploded
> trans view looks to be from the top down and the bolt view seems to be
> from the bottom up...). The Owner's Manual isn't much more help. All
> of these drawings are inconclusive as far as where to expect to find
> the bolts.
>
> I'm smart enough to know that the trans is on the passenger side and
> that I should be looking just behind the axle, other than that,
> though, it's anyone's guess and I really don't want to remove the
> wrong bolt.
>
> Can anyone point me toward an online view of the location of the
> filler and drain bolts?
>
> My thanks, in advance,
>
> Brian
>
> PS - If there's a simple tutorial on how to get under the car and add
> the fluid without jacking the car up, that'd be welcome, too!




You MUST raise the car. There is simply not enough room if you leave it
on the ground. Plus the car __MUST__ be level when you perform the
procedure, so simply hoisting one wheel won't do it.

Look at the flat, vertical transmission surface that points towards the
right front wheel. Towards the very bottom there is a round-headed bolt
that has a square hole in it. That's the drain bolt. Immediately above
that is a 19mm hex-headed bolt. That's the fill hole. The hole is big
enough that you can stick your fingertip in there to feel for the oil
level, exactly like on a 1908 Ford Model-T.

Use a pick of some sort to remove any and all crud from the square hole
in the round bolt. You want to make certain the 3/8" drive on your
ratchet seats snugly and does not slip! Do NOT round off that square
hole!

Auto parts places sell cheap pumps that screw into a gallon jug. They
look sort of like the pumps you find on jugs of hand soap, or the
ketchup dispensers at McDonalds. These pumps come with hoses that go
into the new oil supply and into the tranny fill bolt hole.

Be CLEAN about this, and work out of some sort of pan that will catch
your inevitable leakage. You can use the cheap pump assemblies with the
quart Honda MTF bottles, except that you need to use three hands to
comfortably control everything that needs to be controlled without
having the hose end fall out of the fill hole. I get away with two
hands, with some fiddling. Fill until it runs out of the fill hole, then
put the bolt back. It's about 2.5 quarts or so. Make certain the
spillage is from the tranny being full, and not from the hose being not
fully inserted!

They do tell you that you need a new washer each time. But my parts man
(ordinarily excellent and valuable) kept ordering me the wrong part each
and every time I asked, so I gave up and just kept re-using the original
ones. Both original washers are still on the car. Both have been removed
and replaced each and every year for seventeen years. Neither leaks.

I was gonna take pictures this year on account of several requests via
private email, but when I did the fluid change this year a storm was
brewing, so I just wanted to get it done before the skies broke (no
garage, you see). Maybe next year...

--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

"Tegger" > wrote
> You MUST raise the car. There is simply not enough room if
> you leave it
> on the ground. Plus the car __MUST__ be level when you
> perform the
> procedure, so simply hoisting one wheel won't do it.

My experience on both these points has been different. But
for the record, I am kinda slim and small (woman-size).

> They do tell you that you need a new washer each time. But
> my parts man
> (ordinarily excellent and valuable) kept ordering me the
> wrong part each
> and every time I asked, so I gave up and just kept
> re-using the original
> ones. Both original washers are still on the car. Both
> have been removed
> and replaced each and every year for seventeen years.
> Neither leaks.

The smaller bolt's washer is identical to the oil pan
washer. The larger one is easily obtained from the dealer.
They should be changed for the same reason the oil pan gets
a new washer at every change: To help prevent overtorquing
due to a bad seal which then tends to strip threads.

I know you know this. It's for the archives yada.

Brian,

When you figure out how to do this simple "fluid" change, use Honda MTL
fluid. It is the best stuff for our cars.

dan

wrote:
> Hi, I was wondering if anyone knew a place online where I can find
> photos of a manual transmission fluid change.

"Elle" > wrote in news:NuoTk.7100$Oq2.1339
@newsfe08.iad:

> "Tegger" > wrote
>> You MUST raise the car. There is simply not enough room if
>> you leave it
>> on the ground. Plus the car __MUST__ be level when you
>> perform the
>> procedure, so simply hoisting one wheel won't do it.
>
> My experience on both these points has been different. But
> for the record, I am kinda slim and small (woman-size).



I'm a big hulking man, six foot two and 180 lbs.
No, kinda skinny, actually. My ribs are noticeable in photos.
I look at the pictures and ask my wife, "Am I really that skinny?" She
says yes.

Maybe /you/ can do all this with the car on the ground, but I've found
it just about impossible. Maybe it's easier on the Civic.


>
>> They do tell you that you need a new washer each time. But
>> my parts man
>> (ordinarily excellent and valuable) kept ordering me the
>> wrong part each
>> and every time I asked, so I gave up and just kept
>> re-using the original
>> ones. Both original washers are still on the car. Both
>> have been removed
>> and replaced each and every year for seventeen years.
>> Neither leaks.
>
> The smaller bolt's washer is identical to the oil pan
> washer.



I did /not/ know that. Neither does my parts guy, apparently. And he's
been with this dealership since 1986.

Next time I'm at the dealership I will ask him to look at both to see if
we can locate that same part number.



> The larger one is easily obtained from the dealer.


Not mine! The parts guy calls up the diagram, clicks on what /both/ of
us are certain is the washer for that bolt, and voila! Wrong part
arrives. Several times. Neither of us understands this.



> They should be changed for the same reason the oil pan gets
> a new washer at every change: To help prevent overtorquing
> due to a bad seal which then tends to strip threads.
>
> I know you know this. It's for the archives yada.
>


Yeah I do know this. And I do replace the oil pan washer with a new one
at every change.

But I must say, it is passing strange that neither tranny bolt has
stripped in seventeen years (that's 17 R&R's), and neither is leaking
after that same length of time.


--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

Tegger wrote:
> But I must say, it is passing strange that neither tranny bolt has
> stripped in seventeen years (that's 17 R&R's), and neither is leaking
> after that same length of time.
>
>
You're just good. Like me. We just know what feels right.

dan

"Tegger" > wrote
> Maybe /you/ can do all this with the car on the ground,
> but I've found
> it just about impossible. Maybe it's easier on the Civic.

Maybe.

I admit most of the time I put the car on ramps for a manual
tranny oil change. I guess it was just once or twice I did
it without lifting it in any way. It was not too awful.

>> The smaller bolt's washer is identical to the oil pan
>> washer.
>
>
>
> I did /not/ know that. Neither does my parts guy,
> apparently. And he's
> been with this dealership since 1986.

bkhondaparts.com gives part number 94109-14000 for both the
oil pan washer and the drain plug washer (14 mm for both).

> But I must say, it is passing strange that neither tranny
> bolt has
> stripped in seventeen years (that's 17 R&R's), and neither
> is leaking
> after that same length of time.

Maybe 'cause tranny oil is not changed as often as engine
oil?