Tranny Fuild

[HondaLuxury]

hey, this may be a little off topic, but i am going to ask anyway. I just bought an '88 Prelude. I'm sure that the transmission is almost identicle. It has generic red transmission fluid in it. I have heard that this fluid can damage the transmission. i was wondering if this is true... thanks a lot

[Lester Lugnut]

Pure BS !

Honda 3G automatic trannies will run just fine on Dexron-III. It sounds as if that's what you are running.

Some claim that Honda Transmission Fluid is superior. It might be, but the owners manual in 3G cars simply says Dexron-II which later became Dexron-III.

[Einstein]

Honda's ATF is red too. You really can't tell what's in there by color.

[DBMaster]

Dexron (III is all you will see now) is the same thing as Mercon. If you go synthetic it will most likely be labeled "universal" ATF.

I couldn't tell you what advantage using Honda ATF would provide. I have used Mobil 1 synthetic ATF in mine for ten years now and it still shifts like the day the car rolled off the lot.

[AccordEpicenter]

Umm on domestics like Fords and Chevys, its usually a bad thing to do if it hasnt been changed on a regular basis but the hondas you SHOULD change regularly.

[DBMaster]

As a former owner of a 72 Pontiac with a Turbo 400 transmission I am telling you that old wives' tale is wrong. When I got the car my dad hadn't changed the fluid and filter for 70,000 miles. I had to change it out a couple of times within a few days of each other because the tranny was stuck in second gear. This was when the car had about 90,000 miles on it.

Changing the fluid and filter yearly after that fot me to 212,000 miles on the same transmission which was functioning great and shifting smoothly when I sold the car.