baldy74

I've read through many posts in the past about this, but I still had a few questions. (Sorry, but search is down).

I hear a lot about replacing with other tranny fluids, but is this ok (ie. fall under the specs the car manual gives)? Also, I live in Colorado, and I drive the car in the winter (when the roads are cleared up), and wasn't sure if these alternate fluids are ok to use when driving in the cold as well as during the summer.

I just had the clutch replaced under TSB about 5K miles ago, so fluid should be pretty clean. The next time I get my oil changed I'll definitely have them check the level, but I was just wondering if anyone knew of any way to get rid of the notcy/still feeling I get on all of my shifts.

The only way it seems to go away is when shifting slowly with a pause (I'm assuming its allowing the synchros to link up). But I want to be able to shift fast when needed without it being notchy. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

TIA, guys.

xviper

One man's "notchy" may be another man's smooth. Depends what you are used to (or not used to) and what your expectations are. Another Calgary owner remarked about his tranny being notchy for the first while after he got it. I test drove his car on several occasions and found his tranny to be perfect. If you are not grinding any gears, I would say give it some more time to get used to it. This tranny, as with any tranny, has its own idiosyncratic shift pattern feel.
As for fluid, my climate is somewhat similar to yours. I've always had the Honda MTF in mine and it feels just fine. A bit stiff on cold mornings but what tranny isn't. The same fellow whose car I test drove had me put the GM syncromesh in for him. After a couple weeks of driving in the chilling Calgary weather, he didn't like it and I changed it back to the Honda stuff. He's been happy with it ever since.

baldy74

just to clarify - when you get a clutch replaced, do they have to drain/replace the tranny fluid? If so, would the dealer automatically put in Honda MTF (is this standard) or would they fill it with something else - ie. is MTF the standard fill for our cars by the dealer?

xviper

It is not necessary (unless I'm missing something here) to disturb the tranny fluid on a clutch job as the tranny pretty much comes out intact. But if they looked at your mileage and the car's age, they might have thought it was due and changed it. If it was at a Honda dealer, they would use their own fluid (Honda MTF). Your work order would list materials used. Check to see if it said anything about MTF.

The Unabageler

check your clutch cylinders and fluid too. if they aren't working properly, then your clutch may not fully disengage and it will be harder to shift.

baldy74

I just checked my work order and it says the fluid was replaced with Honda MTF, and this was at 14500, and now I'm at 18,000+. If I were to take it into the dealer again, would they look at this under warranty or would they charge me to look at it/fix it?

xviper

[QUOTE]Originally posted by baldy74
[B]I just checked my work order and it says the fluid was replaced with Honda MTF, and this was at 14500, and now I'm at 18,000+.

FormerH22a4

I think the notch is normal if you shift fast. I've learned the nuiances of the tranny. With a split pause it is pretty much butter smooth when the tranny is fully warm. If I do it fast, I'll feel a notch. Unless I am gunning it, I normally shift with that pause, makes the driving experience better when you have smooth shifts.

Oh, I am the guy xviper is talking about