Resonable Price for a Manual Transmission Fluid change

IMO, manual transmission fluid changes are easier than engine oil changes. For one thing, there's no filter to replace.

The shop removes an easily accessed drain plug and filler plug; drains a little under two (for my 91 Civic, anyway) quarts of fluid; reinstalls the drain plug with a new washer; fills through the filler hole without about two quarts of new fluid; reinstalls the filler plug with a new washer.

So your dealer should charge the local going rate for an oil change, IMO.

If you have a private shop do it, you can provide the two washers and fluid and should sleep well.

From a lot of reading, I do strongly recommend paying the extra bucks for the genuine Honda manual transmission fluid. Shifting will be better, according to reports, which generally translates to less wear on parts.

"Big Brother" wrote

Thanks..

One last question..I see in my FSM that it takes 1.9 U.S. quarts for a oil change..The fill/drain plugs look parallel to the groun

I'm going to ask a stupid question..How to get the oil from the jug to the filler plug ??

Long hose and a funnel ? Turkey Baster ? Something else?

Thanks,

I use a long funnel with an "L" shaped piece of tubing at the end which fits inside the filler plug hole. I also recommend driving the car around a little bit to get the oil warm before changing it. Make sure that the car is level before filling it. If you have the front end jacked up without the rear end also raised, then you won't be able to get the full capacity into the transmission.

Eric

Big Brother wrote in news:l_Zng.123584$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr21.news.prodigy.com:

Go to UAP/NAPA or pretty much any auto part house. They sell a pump similar to that on large hand-soap bottles. It has a length of clear vinyl hose already attached. Stick pump pipe on lube bottle, end of vinyl hose in fill hole, pump away until it runs out. Plug torque is about 30 ft lbs.

Level car first. Have oil pan under fill hole to catch runout.

The part that might not be clear is that the fluid level is determined by when the fluid starts running back out the hole - thus the mention of being sure the car is level when you fill it.

Mike

"Big Brother" wrote

Yes. I bought about 3-feet of I think something like

1/2-inch (OD?) diameter, clear tubing at Home Depot. My oil change funnel fits into it fine. Push one end into the upper fill hole; the other coming out the engine compartment. Like Michael said, watch for the manual transmission fluid flowing out the hole. I put an oil pan underneath to catch it when it does.

Not a stupid question. I think I asked around myself when I did my first MTF change.

What the other (actually much more experienced) posters say of course is fine or superior to this approach.

My driveway is on a small hill, so I have the option of putting my Rhino ramps on the hill, driving the car onto it, and having a pretty level car but space to work, too.

OTOH, I have changed the MTF several times without ramps or jackstands. There's enough space from above and below to do the job (assuming you're not an enormous person).

Going to do it yourself? Way to go. :-)

Honda manual transmission fluid _is_ a bit spendy, around 6$ a bottle, but I somehow doubt you need 10 quarts of the stuff... (2~4 is more typical.)

I don't own a Civic, so maybe, just maybe, there is some horrible, hour-long proceedure that must be undertaken in order to change the fluid. Barring that unlikely scenario, it takes 15 minutes and is a cinch. You'll need a socket set, and maybe ramps. The only 'special' tooling required is a filler funnel with a long flexible extension ($5).

IMO, $75 is absurd.

For best results (I've no idea if it really matters) plan ahead and have the tools and ramps lined up and ready to go. Drive the car a few miles to get any loose debris suspended in the fluid, then zoom in and drain the transmission as quickly as possible.

-Greg