Flush ATF at 40k?
 

Just wondering if I should - bringing it in for an oil change tomorrow and figured I probably should change the ATF - its at 40k and hasn't been c hanged before on an 04 Civic.

Should I do it or wait longer? They want $70 for the flush from Monro Muffler&Brake....figured I'd get it done there because I have a $12 oil change coupon for there as well.

Thanks,
-Ming

drain and fill it asap. a friend of mines had the same 04 civic vp AT and he changed it at 45k, the oil didnt come out nicely. its a simple drain and fill, no flushing. honda auto transmissions will fail if flushed

er, they will?

I thought its like drain and fill 3x...isnt that the same as flush?

Most kwik-E-lubes like to sell flushes rather than pan drop fluid and filter changes for one reason only... liability... if they flush it through the cooler lines or fittings, they can claim they have done NO mechanical work on the transmission and therefore are not liable for it failing....

when does the manufacture recommend to change the atf??

Can't remember the miles, but it says that or every 3 years.

Maybe I should just wait until the summer and learn how to just do the pan drop?

I mean..if I don't spend the 70 on the ATF flush, then...new snowboard! :)

So I guess I'll hold out a bit and sometime in the spring my friends dad can show me how to go about doing this....hm.

i must agree w/ civic94...drop the pan and change the fluid, YESTERDAY! get a haynes manual, a knowlegeable friend, or ask a tech. by any means DO IT.

i do not know hondas, but it is not difficult w/ the cars that i've serviced. it's just a little messy and somewhat time consuming.

good luck!

yea clean out the magnet prolyl goign to be ALOT of litle burrs and filings on it since its the first change (all the burrs and flakes from the gears breaking in)

I don't know about '04s, but '88-'00 Civic transmissions don't have pans. Just a drain plug and dipstick hole to refill.
In my '91 trans, the filter is just a mesh screen. You have to remove the main chunk of the transmission case (which requires removing a clutch pack and such) to get to the magnet, and then go even further, removing the main and counter-shafts and disassembling the valve bodies to get to the filter screen.
In all likelyhood, you just need to remove the drain bolt (if it's round with a square hole in the middle, just plug a 3/8" ratchet into it as if it were a socket), drain the fluid, reinstall the bolt and refill via the dipstick hole. Check your owners manual for the drain/refill volume.