DIY Manual Transmission Fluid Change and Are They Different By Model Year?

MtnBikeAZ1

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My car shifts well, but after reading the rave reviews about AMSOIL Synthetic Manual Synchromesh Transmission Fluid posted by AMIRZA786 in his excellent thread Changed MTF to Amsoil Synchromesh, I am Happy! I thought I would give it a try. While this isn't a difficult DIY job, I'm posting the instructions for two reasons: 1. Help others learn their way around under the hood. 2. Are these MT's different? In AMIRZA786's post, he mentions needing two sizes of crush washer. A 20mm Washer, Drain Plug and a 6mm Washer, Sealing.
When I changed my MTF, I didn't find a need for the 6mm washer. The fill cap on the top of the transmission and the drain plug on the bottom are identical in size and the drain plug on the bottom uses the 20mm washer.
Did anyone that did this themselves need the 6mm washer? I'm just curious if there are variations in the 10th Gen MTs.
Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Manual Transmission Fluid Change and Are They Different By Model Year? MTF Washer Suggested


Tools used: (Not shown in this picture are the oil drip pan and long neck funnel)
Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Manual Transmission Fluid Change and Are They Different By Model Year? fullsizeoutput_beba


Instructions:
1. Loosen the fill plug in the top of the transmission (its to the left of the airbox) using a 3/8" square drive. I used 15" of extensions and a breaker bar.

Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Manual Transmission Fluid Change and Are They Different By Model Year? MpoL4daNSqWwDxAaOMMs5Q


2. Say hello to your gears! (The MT is not full of oil, 2 quarts is all that's required. I drained exactly 2 quarts from mine).
Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Manual Transmission Fluid Change and Are They Different By Model Year? r1YvHoyqRJCLqqmRQZsEjQ


3. Put the car on ramps/lift/jack it up to get underneath.

4. Remove belly pan. There are 10 fasteners.
Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Manual Transmission Fluid Change and Are They Different By Model Year? CXJe4ZFYS+OZj5VJnjpD3A


5. Position drip pan. I put some boards under mine to raise it up so there would be less of a mess from splashing.

6. Remove the drain plug. Located just to the right of the rear motor mount. Used breaker bar with 3 inch 3/8" square drive. Its identical to the fill plug removed from the top.

Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Manual Transmission Fluid Change and Are They Different By Model Year? JfTFmshDTxiIgGKB2uXWjQ


7. Let the MTF drain fully.

8. Put a new 20mm washer on the drain plug. In the picture below, the top plug is the fill plug (no washer) and the bottom one is the drain plug with washer.

Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Manual Transmission Fluid Change and Are They Different By Model Year? fullsizeoutput_beef


9. Replace the drain plug with washer and tighten. If anyone has the spec torque value, please post.

10. Fill the MT with 2 quarts of MTF.

Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Manual Transmission Fluid Change and Are They Different By Model Year? kc+2PNzQRemTDOR7lksz%Q


11. Replace the fill plug and tighten. If anyone has the spec torque value please post.

12. Done! Clean up and enjoy the smooth shifting!
 

amirza786

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My car shifts well, but after reading the rave reviews about AMSOIL Synthetic Manual Synchromesh Transmission Fluid posted by AMIRZA786 in his excellent thread Changed MTF to Amsoil Synchromesh, I am Happy! I thought I would give it a try. While this isn't a difficult DIY job, I'm posting the instructions for two reasons: 1. Help others learn their way around under the hood. 2. Are these MT's different? In AMIRZA786's post, he mentions needing two sizes of crush washer. A 20mm Washer, Drain Plug and a 6mm Washer, Sealing.
When I changed my MTF, I didn't find a need for the 6mm washer. The fill cap on the top of the transmission and the drain plug on the bottom are identical in size and the drain plug on the bottom uses the 20mm washer.
Did anyone that did this themselves need the 6mm washer? I'm just curious if there are variations in the 10th Gen MTs.
MTF Washer Suggested.jpg


Tools used: (Not shown in this picture are the oil drip pan and long neck funnel)
fullsizeoutput_beba.jpeg


Instructions:
1. Loosen the fill plug in the top of the transmission (its to the left of the airbox) using a 3/8" square drive. I used 15" of extensions and a breaker bar.

MpoL4daNSqWwDxAaOMMs5Q.jpg


2. Say hello to your gears! (The MT is not full of oil, 2 quarts is all that's required. I drained exactly 2 quarts from mine).
r1YvHoyqRJCLqqmRQZsEjQ.jpg


3. Put the car on ramps/lift/jack it up to get underneath.

4. Remove belly pan. There are 10 fasteners.
CXJe4ZFYS+OZj5VJnjpD3A.jpg


5. Position drip pan. I put some boards under mine to raise it up so there would be less of a mess from splashing.

6. Remove the drain plug. Located just to the right of the rear motor mount. Used breaker bar with 3 inch 3/8" square drive. Its identical to the fill plug removed from the top.

JfTFmshDTxiIgGKB2uXWjQ.jpg


7. Let the MTF drain fully.

8. Put a new 20mm washer on the drain plug. In the picture below, the top plug is the fill plug (no washer) and the bottom one is the drain plug with washer.

fullsizeoutput_beef.jpeg


9. Replace the drain plug with washer and tighten. If anyone has the spec torque value, please post.

10. Fill the MT with 2 quarts of MTF.

kc+2PNzQRemTDOR7lksz%Q.jpg


11. Replace the fill plug and tighten. If anyone has the spec torque value please post.

12. Done! Clean up and enjoy the smooth shifting!
That is awesome, thanks for posting step by step instructions! You mentioned the 6mm crush washer, yes, you really don't need it as a lot of people skip using the overflow plug. The Civic X community gets credit because I myself did not know about Amsoil Synchromesh until some talked about it, I just spread the word because I saw lots of complaints regarding shifting and transmission performance, and this is an easy fix to better enjoyment of the Civic (all Civics) and Accord manual transmissions
 
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MtnBikeAZ1

MtnBikeAZ1

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Not really sure where that 6mm washer would go. On my receipt from Hondapartsnow, notice how the 20mm and the 14mm (which is the oil pan drain plug crush washer) are listed as fitting my car, but the 6mm isn't. Anyway, I'm happy for the advice about AMSOIL and its well worth the price/effort to change it for the improved shifting.

Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Manual Transmission Fluid Change and Are They Different By Model Year? fullsizeoutput_bed6
 

WOPSiWOT

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ricoxg

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This is awesome, you should post this in the tutorials/DIY section!

Also, are you suppose to reset the maintenance minder? If so,how?
 
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MtnBikeAZ1

MtnBikeAZ1

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Great timing on this thread. I had a couple of bottles of Syncromesh sitting in my garage and had been meaning to get on to this job. Had a minute to myself today and the pictures were very helpful. Thanks.

Drain and fill plug 32 lbs/ft btw: https://www.civicx.com/attachments/torque-specs-si-and-type-r-docx.142409/
Thanks for posting the link to the torque specs, that's excellent! I didn't notice any type of "liquid gasket" on my filler plug. Did you find any on yours when you changed your MTF?

Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Manual Transmission Fluid Change and Are They Different By Model Year? MTF Torque Specs
 
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MtnBikeAZ1

MtnBikeAZ1

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This is awesome, you should post this in the tutorials/DIY section!

Also, are you suppose to reset the maintenance minder? If so,how?
The maintenance minder is only for the oil change. For MTF, just keep a record in your owners manual or on your computer/phone of when you did it and the mileage.
 

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Hey, thanks. Will it drain fully/refill correctly while up on ramps or does it have to be level?
 
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MtnBikeAZ1

MtnBikeAZ1

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Hey, thanks. Will it drain fully/refill correctly while up on ramps or does it have to be level?
Agree, ramps work fine that's what I use. I measured the original fluid and 2 quarts came out. I added in 2 quarts of AMSOIL. Also, notice in my picture above that when you open the filler cap, it's not "full" meaning that gear that can be seen isn't covered in MTF - its not supposed to be so don't add more than 2 quarts. I just mention it because a slight lean to one side or toward the back isn't going to make much difference since the interior is not filled with MTF.
 


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Greetings from Toronto!

I have been regularly following this Civicx forum and it has been really informative thanks to you guys :) I don't know about States but here in Ontario, dealerships and local mechanic shops charge you an arm and a leg when you go for regular maintenance.

I have 2016 Honda Civic LX auto transmission which is a pretty basic economical car but not so cheap when you go out to get maintenance done. Honestly, you don't even know what the dealership is doing with your car behind the doors because they don't let you in to their shop because of so called 'Safety concerns'! :) That's why I started following this forum and started watching DIY youtube videos and started doing regular maintenance on my own.

So far I have been doing engine oil and filter replacement, engine air filter replacement, cabin air filter replacement. Recently, I finished driving 80 thousand KMs without any major issues. My car shows 'A 3' maintenance minder which is 'Transmission fluid replacement'. I have watched a few videos on youtube and read this thread to gain some knowledge and I think I'm confident enough to do this on my own.

Is it hard to do for a first timer ? Please, advice.

Thank you in advance,







QUOTE="MtnBikeAZ1, post: 603735, member: 23877"]My car shifts well, but after reading the rave reviews about AMSOIL Synthetic Manual Synchromesh Transmission Fluid posted by AMIRZA786 in his excellent thread Changed MTF to Amsoil Synchromesh, I am Happy! I thought I would give it a try. While this isn't a difficult DIY job, I'm posting the instructions for two reasons: 1. Help others learn their way around under the hood. 2. Are these MT's different? In AMIRZA786's post, he mentions needing two sizes of crush washer. A 20mm Washer, Drain Plug and a 6mm Washer, Sealing.
When I changed my MTF, I didn't find a need for the 6mm washer. The fill cap on the top of the transmission and the drain plug on the bottom are identical in size and the drain plug on the bottom uses the 20mm washer.
Did anyone that did this themselves need the 6mm washer? I'm just curious if there are variations in the 10th Gen MTs.
MTF Washer Suggested.jpg


Tools used: (Not shown in this picture are the oil drip pan and long neck funnel)
fullsizeoutput_beba.jpeg


Instructions:
1. Loosen the fill plug in the top of the transmission (its to the left of the airbox) using a 3/8" square drive. I used 15" of extensions and a breaker bar.

MpoL4daNSqWwDxAaOMMs5Q.jpg


2. Say hello to your gears! (The MT is not full of oil, 2 quarts is all that's required. I drained exactly 2 quarts from mine).
r1YvHoyqRJCLqqmRQZsEjQ.jpg


3. Put the car on ramps/lift/jack it up to get underneath.

4. Remove belly pan. There are 10 fasteners.
CXJe4ZFYS+OZj5VJnjpD3A.jpg


5. Position drip pan. I put some boards under mine to raise it up so there would be less of a mess from splashing.

6. Remove the drain plug. Located just to the right of the rear motor mount. Used breaker bar with 3 inch 3/8" square drive. Its identical to the fill plug removed from the top.

JfTFmshDTxiIgGKB2uXWjQ.jpg


7. Let the MTF drain fully.

8. Put a new 20mm washer on the drain plug. In the picture below, the top plug is the fill plug (no washer) and the bottom one is the drain plug with washer.

fullsizeoutput_beef.jpeg


9. Replace the drain plug with washer and tighten. If anyone has the spec torque value, please post.

10. Fill the MT with 2 quarts of MTF.

kc+2PNzQRemTDOR7lksz%Q.jpg


11. Replace the fill plug and tighten. If anyone has the spec torque value please post.

12. Done! Clean up and enjoy the smooth shifting![/QUOTE]

Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Manual Transmission Fluid Change and Are They Different By Model Year? WhatsApp Image 2019-05-20 at 1.37.58 PM
 
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baldheadracing

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Location of oil level check bolt (A), and 6mm washer (B). Car should be level for proper fluid level check.

As for fluid, I prefer Driven STF over AMSOil Synchromesh or factory fluid, but, TBH, the brand of fluid isn't that important unless you are tracking your Civic. People claiming one fluid is better than another are invariably comparing new fluid with old fluid, and gee, the new fluid seems to work better. The key thing to do when changing fluid is to get a magnet and preferably a borescope (they're so cheap now) in through the drain and entry points and have a look around inside. Transaxle fluid does not get filtration, so there will almost always be metal particles that should be flushed out. An oil change is also when the synchro's are to be checked for wear, gears inspected for nicks, etc.

Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Manual Transmission Fluid Change and Are They Different By Model Year? 4182_3.0_enu_14072397_3.0_dis
 

Neps18Si

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Did this and it was a difference
 

amirza786

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Location of oil level check bolt (A), and 6mm washer (B). Car should be level for proper fluid level check.

As for fluid, I prefer Driven STF over AMSOil Synchromesh or factory fluid, but, TBH, the brand of fluid isn't that important unless you are tracking your Civic. People claiming one fluid is better than another are invariably comparing new fluid with old fluid, and gee, the new fluid seems to work better. The key thing to do when changing fluid is to get a magnet and preferably a borescope (they're so cheap now) in through the drain and entry points and have a look around inside. Transaxle fluid does not get filtration, so there will almost always be metal particles that should be flushed out. An oil change is also when the synchro's are to be checked for wear, gears inspected for nicks, etc.

4182_3.0_enu_14072397_3.0_disp.png
There is a difference when it comes to OEM and Amsoil, which is synthetic while the OEM is not. I changed it out on my first oil change (7K miles) and it made a huge difference. You can read the testimony of all those who did it
 

Uncle Lumpy

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Greetings from Toronto!

I have been regularly following this Civicx forum and it has been really informative thanks to you guys :) I don't know about States but here in Ontario, dealerships and local mechanic shops charge you an arm and a leg when you go for regular maintenance.

I have 2016 Honda Civic LX auto transmission which is a pretty basic economical car but not so cheap when you go out to get maintenance done. Honestly, you don't even know what the dealership is doing with your car behind the doors because they don't let you in to their shop because of so called 'Safety concerns'! :) That's why I started following this forum and started watching DIY youtube videos and started doing regular maintenance on my own.

So far I have been doing engine oil and filter replacement, engine air filter replacement, cabin air filter replacement. Recently, I finished driving 80 thousand KMs without any major issues. My car shows 'A 3' maintenance minder which is 'Transmission fluid replacement'. I have watched a few videos on youtube and read this thread to gain some knowledge and I think I'm confident enough to do this on my own.

Is it hard to do for a first timer ? Please, advice.

Thank you in advance,

WhatsApp Image 2019-05-20 at 1.37.58 PM.jpeg
I can't speak to the 2016 Civic with the CVT, but I had a 9th gen Accord with the CVT--I changed the CVT fluid on that several times. I would assume that changing it on the Civic is of similar difficulty. On my 2014 Accord, it was similar in difficulty to changing the motor oil. Make sure that you can get to the CVT fill plug and that you can loosen it before you drain the fluid. And make sure you order the correct CVT fluid from Honda (or buy a compatible aftermarket fluid). Honda had two types listed on their website so double check before ordering.

I'd say that if you can locate (and reach) the drain and fill plugs, go for it!

BTW, you might get a better response from folks more knowledgeable about the CVT by asking the question in your own thread.

Best,
Lumpy
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