How to Fill Transmission oil after draining

[acutee]

Hi All, Anyone knows where to fill the transmission fluid for 2003 TL-S after draining? The manual said to remove the filler plug, but does not indicate where the filler plug is, and where to fill it through. Do you fill the transmission fluid through the dipstick? Is there any reason why we have to remove the filler plug? to bleed air, not to overfill, or to fill through it? Thanks much

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[lgbr]

is there an overall diagram of the transmission? The filler plug for my car was as far back towards the firewall as possible.

[12yearhondatech]

The filler plug means exactly as what says it is .Yes you have to remove it. It should be located around the transmission mount its a bolt with a large washer head use a 3/4 14mm or 17mm socket and a long extention with a 3/4 ratchet. The hole is big enuff for a funnel. Make sure you fill it on level ground

[JimBlake]

Originally Posted by acutee

Do you fill the transmission fluid through the dipstick?

I don't have a TL-S, but is it an automatic? Manual trannys usually don't have a dipstick. Autos usually get filled thru the dipstick. You don't have to worry about bleeding air, for either kind.

[acutee]

12yearhondatech,
Can I re-fill the fluid through the dipstick? As JimBlake mentioned, I can fill the automatic tranny fluid through the dipstick. Is it right that removing the filler plug is to ensure it is not overfilled? I am not really concerned about over-filling the tranny since I will do it slowly and refilling with the same, a little more or less, amount I drained.

Thank you very much for your all info.

[12yearhondatech]

No the filler plug is not for bleeding air out of the system or for not over filling either, its there to make it easy to use a funnel. It will not hurt to fill through the dip stick you just need to pour it in slow or it will burp out off the funnel and make a mess. Make sure you put the correct amount back in and please only use honda fluid it will make the transmission last much longer.

[acutee]

Thank you very much for helping. I will do it through the dipstick slowly. The fluid looks kind of brownish to me. So, I need to drain it as soon as posible to avoid any problem. It is strange that Acura recalled my car when it was 33k miles to install the oil jet, but they did not replaced the fluid. It is now 40k. If they did replace the fluid, I don't think it would get browny so quickly. Or maybe they did not flush it, thus it get mixed with the old fluid and became browny quickly. Would it be a concern that the fluid is browny?

Acura TL-S 2003 Automatic Transmission.

[JimBlake]

Originally Posted by acutee

The fluid looks kind of brownish to me.

That's NOT GOOD. (& it's more important than your other power-steering business.)

You can only drain about 1/3 of the fluid, since the torque converter doesn't drain. So drain/fill, then drive a few miles & do it again. Buy about 10 quarts & do it again & again until it stays clean. When you open the first new bottle you'll know what color it's supposed to be.

Check your manual about fluid level. Honda's a little weird. Most others you check with the engine warmed up, idling. My '98 Accord wants it warmed up & turned off. I think most Honda products are like that.

edit...
It just occurred to me. How many miles on that 2003? What's the warranty situation? Even if you change your own fluid, I'd certainly get on record at the dealer about the fluid turning brown.

[JimBlake]

My '98 Accord owner's manual says drain/fill the auto. tranny fluid every 90k miles. For the price of a few quarts I'm NOT gonna wait that long.

[acutee]

I totally agree with you.
After the first drain and refill, the task and time spent was not that bad. It will be easier for me the next time since I paid extra cautious on the first time to ensure I don't break anything.