results from fluid changes
07-18-2005, 05:32 AM
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results from fluid changes
Thanks to the great write-ups from Xviper, I did the fluid changes on the three components. Here are my thoughts and results. I have 23k on MY03
Clutch:
The fluid in there was nasty. Bleeding it brought back the clutch pedal to be a lot firmer. It was a pain to stick the mini tube onto the drain nipple and kept falling out when you turn the drain valve, but with patience and persistence, anyone can do it. I used a turkey baster to remove the dirty fluid from top, but I highly recommend using a syringe. The baster doesn't hold the fluid well.
Valvoline synthetic DOT 3 /4 used.
Tranny:
I used Xviper's recommendation of impacting the fill bolt on initial contact with a rubber mallet and it worked wonders on both the tranny and the differential.
Surprisingly, the old fluid was in very good condition - like apple juice.
Replaced with MT90. My gears were smooth to begins with, but I wanted to check the condition. With MT90 in the tranny, shifting feels the same mostly but shifting to 2nd from time to time feels a bit stiffer.
I used a gear oil pump from Pepboys for $10 that made the job quick.
Differential:
The old fluid was nasty, black and sludgey. Sometimes I wonder what Honda uses to replace the gear oil since they don't even carry 90w oil that they recommend.
I replaced with Mobil 1 75w 90 synthetic. I gonna check again maybe at 30k to see the condition its in.
Overall,
Now I have some peace of mind since the mechanic a couple of weeks ago grinded the crap out of my gears trying to pull it into the shop. Gladly, no metals shavings found. Changing these fluids out definitely improved my driving experience (it feels faster and smoother) and doing the work myself assures me the quality that the S2000 deserves.
Thanks again to Xviper and the people involved in the threads or else I would never have the confidence and knowledge to do anything to my S.
I get to save a heck of a lot of money and get to know my car better.
Next: brake caliper paint...
Clutch:
The fluid in there was nasty. Bleeding it brought back the clutch pedal to be a lot firmer. It was a pain to stick the mini tube onto the drain nipple and kept falling out when you turn the drain valve, but with patience and persistence, anyone can do it. I used a turkey baster to remove the dirty fluid from top, but I highly recommend using a syringe. The baster doesn't hold the fluid well.
Valvoline synthetic DOT 3 /4 used.
Tranny:
I used Xviper's recommendation of impacting the fill bolt on initial contact with a rubber mallet and it worked wonders on both the tranny and the differential.
Surprisingly, the old fluid was in very good condition - like apple juice.
Replaced with MT90. My gears were smooth to begins with, but I wanted to check the condition. With MT90 in the tranny, shifting feels the same mostly but shifting to 2nd from time to time feels a bit stiffer.
I used a gear oil pump from Pepboys for $10 that made the job quick.
Differential:
The old fluid was nasty, black and sludgey. Sometimes I wonder what Honda uses to replace the gear oil since they don't even carry 90w oil that they recommend.
I replaced with Mobil 1 75w 90 synthetic. I gonna check again maybe at 30k to see the condition its in.
Overall,
Now I have some peace of mind since the mechanic a couple of weeks ago grinded the crap out of my gears trying to pull it into the shop. Gladly, no metals shavings found. Changing these fluids out definitely improved my driving experience (it feels faster and smoother) and doing the work myself assures me the quality that the S2000 deserves.
Thanks again to Xviper and the people involved in the threads or else I would never have the confidence and knowledge to do anything to my S.
I get to save a heck of a lot of money and get to know my car better.
Next: brake caliper paint...
07-18-2005, 06:47 AM
#2
There's nothing like doing your own work, and you get the added peice of mind that nothing was stripped or cross-threaded, not to mention that the right fluids went into the right places. A good precaution for everyone whether Do it Yourself or not is to keep the area (Garage/driveway) where you park your car as clean as possible, and just take a quick glance there daily for fluid spots. Might one day save you from buying a new engine or transmission.
ALL the DIY threads on this site are excellent (Under The Hood, Sub-forum 'Technical' FAQ's- deserves special mention IMO, but the DIY's in ALL the forums are a great resource) I've been doing my own maintenance for 25 years and I still find new shortcuts and car-specific tips that save time and effort. Thanks to everyone who contributes!
Cheers, Mike
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