Manual Transmission Oil Change

[too]

What is the weight of the factory oil? I can't seem to find this information anywhere.

I had an old Civic and it took regular 5W-30 motor oil, not the standard gear oil 75W-90. So I'd like to be sure. They sell Honda manual transaxle oil, but they don't put the weight on it.

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[pwschuh]

Not sure, but why are you considering changing the oil in the MT on a CIVIC X?

 

[too]

I'm a fan of full synthetic oil and would like to see if it'll shift better. Once in a while, I get a grind going into reverse.

 

[Bjorn 1349]

Are you talking about transmission fluid or engine oil? I see "manual transmission oil change" in the title but I don't know if you mean trans fluid or oil. How many miles do you have on the car?

Honda makes ATF and MTF. Is this your first Honda? They spec different things/weights/additives than most other manufacturers. Toyota does this also. You should use Honda fluids unless you have a really good reason not to.

Even if you just go to pep boys or auto zone and look at the fluids there will usually be a separate product on the shelf that says for Honda & Acura cars. They generally use very specific fluids.

On previous gen Civics people have tried things like royal purple, redline, and Amsoil MTF but had noticeably worse and grindy shifting than with the OEM fluid. Are you having shift issues? An SS clutch line can improve pedal feel quite a bit until bushings become available for the actual shifter unit itself.

Direct from Honda:

If Honda MTF is not available, you may use an SAE 10W-30 or 10W-40 viscosity motor oil with the API Certification seal that says ‘‘FOR GASOLINE ENGINES’’ as a temporary replacement. However, motor oil does not contain the proper additives, and continued use can cause stiffer shifting.




EDIT: For engine oil, check your user manual in the glove box. It should tell you what oil to use and it should also say on the oil cap itself. Most recent Hondas have switched to 0-W20 for better cold start protection.

 

[NorthernEX-T]

If he wants to upgrade or whatever to synthetic, just look at the manual and see what specs it calls for and then look into a good brand like AMSOIL or redline and see if they make one that works.

By the way there are bushing upgrade kits available, but I'm too lazy to look them up, Google should help you find them.

 

[too]

Manual Transmission Fluid. I saw that they don't call for any MTF fluid specifications, but say to use only Honda's.

Hence, my question. Gear oil, manual tranny oil are generally pretty thick, 75W-90 etc....the "temporary replacement" calls for a really light engine oil.

 

[SteveGG]

I'm a fan of full synthetic oil and would like to see if it'll shift better. Once in a while, I get a grind going into reverse.

Reverse is obviously not synchro, so engaging will not be smooth if the car is moving at all or if you were idling in neutral with foot off clutch. When I drove a MT, I got in the habit of first going into a synchro gear even just partially then quickly into reverse, but only when completely stopped.

 

[Design]

Honda is one of the few companies that still build their transmissions in-house. Honda MTF is by far the best fluid for the MTs. There are a few that also like GM Synchromesh. But Honda MTF is $6-7 a qt at the dealer. Stick with tried and true.

 

[KDiggityDog76]

On previous gen Civics people have tried things like royal purple, redline, and Amsoil MTF but had noticeably worse and grindy shifting than with the OEM fluid.

This is not exactly true. There are plenty of posts from people on 9thgencivic who actually prefer the shifting qualities of the sorts of oil you mention (I cannot speak to prior generations before 9ths). There is some food for thought in this thread:
http://www.9thgencivic.com/forum/ma...ansmission-fluid-change-si-manual-tranny.html
Regarding the use of something like Amsoil MTF in Honda transmissions:
There is a reasonable concern regarding the use of some transmission oils that meet the GL5 spec for being able to handle the extreme pressure demands of hypoid gears in synchromesh transmission like ours. The oils that meet the GL5 standard have a lot of additive that can degrade yellow, softer metals like brass which are abundant in synchromesh transmissions. Our transmission oils only need meet the GL4 spec and do not have as much of the brass-degrading additive. Regarding Amsoil in particular, as long as you stick with Manual Synchromesh Transmission Fluid 5W-30 and not one of their other gear oils that meets the GL5 spec, you should be fine. Hope this helps.

 

[JS2000]

What is the weight of the factory oil? I can't seem to find this information anywhere.

I had an old Civic and it took regular 5W-30 motor oil, not the standard gear oil 75W-90. So I'd like to be sure. They sell Honda manual transaxle oil, but they don't put the weight on it.

Honda MTF2 has a viscosity that is approaching a 20 weight oil if that helps, it has been thinned out over the years from the original MTF that was closer to a 30 weight oil.

I've run Amsoil's MTF in my Hondas for a while and have been happy with it, it is a synthetic fluid with a tad bit more viscosity than Honda MTF2, so right around a 30 weight oil, with good cold weather properties and it doesn't shear as fast as other non-synthetic fluids.

 

[planedoc]

Manual Transmission Fluid. I saw that they don't call for any MTF fluid specifications, but say to use only Honda's.

Hence, my question. Gear oil, manual tranny oil are generally pretty thick, 75W-90 etc....the "temporary replacement" calls for a really light engine oil.

One thing I would like to explain, gear oil ratings, as in 75w-90, are the same viscosity as motor oil of half the number. So 80w gear oil is the same viscosity as 40w motor oil. While motor oil and gear oil have completely different additive requirements, the viscosities are not all that much different.

 

[SteveGG]

One thing I would like to explain, gear oil ratings, as in 75w-90, are the same viscosity as motor oil of half the number. So 80w gear oil is the same viscosity as 40w motor oil. While motor oil and gear oil have completely different additive requirements, the viscosities are not all that much different.

What's the number all about if not viscosity ? Different scales and methods for motor and engine oils ?

 

[planedoc]

What's the number all about if not viscosity ? Different scales and methods for motor and engine oils ?

Different scales for motor and gear oil ratings yes

 

[anthonyc]

If it's a 7th gen Civic (01-05) then a fluid change won't help with the reverse issue, that's just how those cars are. It has something to do with the mechanism that prevents someone from throwing the car in reverse while it is moving forward.

The trick is to hold the shifter in reverse, then start releasing the clutch. It will pop right in when the clutch starts to bite.

 

[old sparks]

Different scales for motor and gear oil ratings yes

https://bobistheoilguy.com/viscosity-charts/

planedoc, you must be an AME/AMT? You know your oil...

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