2004 accord - ATF and engine oil change

Well,
I changed the ATF and engine oil this weekend on my 4-cyl accord coupe
as a part of the 60k maintenance.

This was my first time doing this with Honda Accord and it was much easier
than I have anticipated. Knowing that the oil filter is on the engine rear
side, next to the firewall (not like in my '95 Camry in front of the engine,
smiling at you when you pop the hood open) I was sure I will have to put
the car on the jack stands and crawl under the car or I will make a big mess
replacing this filter. Something I wanted to avoid if possible.

I found the easier access to the oil filter and the drain plug from the side
of the car: everything is within hands reach when you remove the front
right wheel. With the wheel removed and car supported at one corner on
the scissor jack and the wheel blocks on the rear wheels it is really easy
to reach for the drain plug or the filter *without* putting yourself under
the car at all. I put 4.5 qrts of Mobil 1 synthetic 5W20 for the incoming
winter season.

The drain plug for the ATF is so close to the front bumper that you also do
not need to crawl under the car at all. My ATF drain plug was for some
reason put too tight so I had a hard time to crack it open even with a 24"
breaker bar, but that only proves that *Honda dealerships do not follow the
torque recommendations from the manufacturers* when they work on our cars.
Engine oil drain plug (17mm) was also too tight. With only 33 ft-lb torque
required by manufacturer to fasten it they put it in so hard that the
aluminum washer under the plug looked like the souvenir penny crushed in
the gift shop at Niagara Falls If the ATF drain plug was not put too
tight then the fluid change could be done without even lifting the car up at
all. This is what I do with my Toyota Camry routinely. I do not lift it at
all neither for oil nor for ATF change. Everything what is needed for that
job is easily accessible without lifting the car.

I had one problem with filling AT back with the 3 qrts of fluid - I've done
it too quickly and the flow of fluid blocked the displaced air escape and
the ATF barfed from the top of the dipstick tube soiling my transmission
body and the floor under the car. Lesson learned: fill ATF very slowly next
time Especially at the price above $6 a quart this is a precious liquid
you do not want to spill on your floor... I consider this price a nice rip
off if you compare this to a price of regular Dextron fluids... but what can
you do about it, right?

BTW - is there any cheaper source for the Mobil 1 than a big 5 quarts bottle
of it @ Wal-Mart for less than $25?

 

Oh, I forgot to ask you - is there any computer code on 2004 to be cleared
after oil or ATF change? I do not think 2004 came with the oil sensor like
in 2007 and newer, but I would not like the check engine activated and
indicating need for oil change 1000 miles after I have it done...

 

There appears to be mention of any oil-life minder in your Owner's Manual.

 

I have not found anything like that in my manual...
Which model year starts to have these electronic "minders"? Is it 2007?

 

no it doesn't - it shows that the screw has been exposed to an
environment that has caused it to seize.

dude, that washer is soft annealed aluminum. you can deform a new one
easily with your teeth, let alone under the action of a drain plug screw.

why does this little tale not surprise me?

but honda z1 is not like regular dexron. [note spelling: d-e-x-r-o-n]

here: http://www.justfuckinggoogleit.com

 

google the archive for this group - or tegger.com. resetting the
maintenance minder light is constantly asked my people like yourself
that can't be bothered to read their owners manual or look the
information up online. best place to start is by opening your glove box.

 

Check page 73.

You do have a "Maintenance Required" lamp that requires to be reset. I
forgot about that.

 

Page 73 in my Owner's Manual is about rear window defogger.
Are you sure you are looking at 2004 accord coupe, 4-cyl?

 

the point is that it's in your book if you bother to look for the right
page.

 

Ah, the coupe. You never said. Page 73 is for the sedan.

Check the Index under "M" for "Maintenance Required Indicator". The online
manual shows it to be page 63, but your paper manual may be different. You
may need to look in your own Index, which you evidently haven't done up to
now.

 

Yes, in fact I did, in the first sentence of my first post...

Yes, you are right - I did not look in the Index!
I was expecting to find it in the chapter dedicated to the maintenance.

Thank you very much!

 

The Honda ATF is either a synthetic or synthetic blend fluid. `$6 is
typical for that type of fluid, such as the new Dexron VI used in the
excellent 6T/6L LePelletier designs. The blends typically have > 2x
the life than conventional, I'm sure fully syn even more.

BTW, GM no longer licenses the older Dexron names. That's why you see
the "Dexron compatible" on fluids where the II/III were but no longer
any Dexron II Dexron III etc.

Pep Boys or Autozone frequently sell 5 qts Mobil-1 plus a Mobil-1
filter (AZ uses Bosch) for $25. Save a filter's cost is all. Not bad.

 

it's a license thing? i thought it was just that gm now have type III
and as far as they're concerned, it out-performs type II in all respects
- everybody uses planetary transmissions, right?

except that honda transmissions don't use planetary gears, have their
regulators set for type II, and type III makes it shift like someone
just rear-ended you.

 

Do you know for the fact that honda ATF Z1 is synthetic or you are just
guessing?

I am not sure if the filter they give you is that good, but maybe...
I have already purchased a package of 6 filters + 6 crush washers from
Honda, so I am not interested in filters, just bottom line price for the
oil... Walmart has a 5 quarts bottle @ 23.75+tax or something like that, so
the total is about $25 gross.

I was thinking I could get it cheaper if I buy more quantity... I am unable
to find a better deal.

 

I have done some research and it looks like Honda's "ATF Z1" is NOT
synthetic fluid: http://www.sae.org/technical/papers/2007-01-3987 and
compares rather poor to other fluids... So the price in this light seems to
be a rip off.

 

eh? your cite specifically states:

"Based on the results, one can conclude that each ATF is uniquely
formulated to specific OEM requirements. In addition, the results show
that a customer should not deviate from the automatic transmission fluid
specified in the vehicle's owners manual."

nowhere does it mention honda or how honda-spec atf compares.

was your cite a typo or did you just not bother to read it?

as for you trying to bleat about "synthetic", do you know what that word
even means? do you understand how it applies to auto lubricants?

 

You just read the abstract only. Please read the full paper, Einstein!

?? Read the full story and then we will come back to this, ok?
If you still want to come back here

 

there you go with the insults again - now you can go on your denial rant.

as for the alleged content of the paper, there is no mention of what you
say in your cite - you need to dig up a publicly accessible cite if you
want to use it in an argument.

oh, and try and figure out what "synthetic" is and means while you're
about it.

 

Not again, this was the first time. And don't you tell me you did not
deserve it: I gave you the link to the professional paper and you read only
the abstract and you are surprised that in the abstract there is nothing
about ATF being not synthetic... Duh!

If you cannot afford to get the full paper maybe you should ask your mommy
to rise your allowance...

Read the paper and you will learn that ATF Z1 is not synthetic.

 

google still too hard for you?

dude, you gave a link to an abstract that in no apparent way
corroborates what you say. if you think paying to read something, based
on your track record, without apparent connection or relevance is smart,
you have serious problems with either english comprehension or grasping
reality. besides, if what you say is true, you can use google, cite a
real live public link, and prove it! not hard to do if you know what
you're talking about, right?

see above.

so what?

your cite says:

"Based on the results, one can conclude that each ATF is uniquely
formulated to specific OEM requirements. In addition, the results show
that a customer should not deviate from the automatic transmission fluid
specified in the vehicle's owners manual."

how much more clear can that be? if a specific atf is:

1. uniquely formulated to meet a manufacturer's requirements

2. detrimental if not used

why would you even /consider/ some random "synthetic" - especially if
you apparently don't even know what it is?