"abbreviated" automatic transmission fluid change

I told the mechanic I take my car to that I wanted an automatic
transmission fluid change Yesterday I saw him drain the automatic
transmission fluid and refill it, without driving it, draining it
again, and refilling it again. My car, a 1996 Civic, has 73,000 miles
on it and had one prior automatic transmission fluid change, when it
had about 63,000 miles on.)

Should I take it to a mechanic who will drain the fluid, refill the
fluid, drive the car, drain the fluid, refill the fluid, drive the
car, etc.?

 

Yes. The second method is the one specified by Honda.

If you simply fill and drain and fill without running the engine and
driving the car, you're draining out the new fluid you just added, leaving
the old stuff completely untouched.

 

I saw the mechanic first drain then fill with fluid. I guess this
would still be not "kosher"?

 

That's kosher for a standard drain/fill. If you need a "flush", then
the drain/fill/drive/repeat 2 more times procedure is the one to use.

 

:

If he does not drive the car between each drain/fill, it's not "kosher". If
he DOES drive the car between each drain/fill sequence, then it IS
"kosher".

You need to do a drain/fill/drive three times in a row to perform a proper
fluid change.

 

If you're doing the drain/fill just once, then you need to be doing that
very regularly, like engine oil changes.

 

If he does not drive the car between each drain/fill, it's not "kosher". If
he DOES drive the car between each drain/fill sequence, then it IS
"kosher".

You need to do a drain/fill/drive three times in a row to perform a proper
fluid change.[/QUOTE]

Not quite.

A "change" is a drain then fill--according to Honda.

Honda specifies not to "flush" the fluid, but does specify that if you
want a more complete (not "a complete") change, you do the drain then
fill then drive then drain then fill then drive then drain then fill
procedure.

 

Not according to Honda.

 

Not quite.

A "change" is a drain then fill--according to Honda.[/QUOTE]



Now that I actually look it up, you are right. And if a "change" was all
the OP requested, then the mechanic did it properly, within Honda's narrow
definition of a "change".

I was confusing "change" and "flush".

Honda specifies not to do CHEMICAL flushes. The four-time fluid change (not
three as I originally stated) is the Honda-specified "flush". The four-time
deal is actually referred to by Honda as a "flush".

THAT is what Honda refers to as a proper "flush", according to the docs
I've got.

Honda specifies a fluid change every 90K or five years under the Normal
schedule, but frankly I don't trust that. If it were my car, I'd be doing a
fluid change twice a year, at least. Automatic transmissions are very
expensive, and Honda's automatics don't have the best reputation just
now...

 

like your 2500 mile synthetic engine oil change? dude, with respect,
that's just illogical fear of the unknown, not a fact-based knowledge.
last time i changed my transmission oil, it came out slightly browner
than it went in, but the drain plug magnet had almost nothing on it.
that's at my 89 civic's full 30k mile interval.

not on the v6's, but the good old fashioned 4-speed autos on the i4
engines were/are exemplary.