Please help me solve one of the great mysteries of our time. Many people here say you MUST use Honda ATF to refill an automatic transmission, while others say DEXRON (I guess Dexron 3 as that is the latest version) will work just as well. Can we have some debate on this issue?

Thanks,
Jaime
90 Accord LX 4 door auto trans 135,000 miles.

 

for the 90... you dont need honda ATF.... use whatever the manual says.

but you should use honda.

 

Honda ATF. There's an additive in there which lubricates seals. Try a different brand, the lube will stop, and you'll start to drip due to rotting / dried out seals.

Never, ever, use anything but Honda branded fluids. (besides oil)

 

Honda has always been a little picky about fluids. Why that is exactly is a whole different debate than Dextron VS. Honda ATF. All I know is I once emptied my PS system in my '93 accord, refilled it with regular PS fluid rather than the Honda stuff, simply due to price. Well, I had to replace the pump 6 months down the road so I never really saved any money. Obviously a power steering pump is easer to replace than a transmission, so you can bet there's no way in hell I'll ever put anything but honda fluid in a tranny, manual or automatic. But that's just me.

 

who is to say? i had my auto tranny go out and i only used honda fluid and it was always changed on time by the dealer. never abused it. so i have a used honda tranny installed, that i had the fluid changed by an import place and they didnt use honda fluid but they did add a conditioner to the tranny fluid. ive had no problems with the tranny at all.

anymore now honda doesnt make its own parts and fluids, they have someone else do it. so the dextron is probably ok and what honda is using itself right now? u would most likely have to add a conditioner. not sure what it is since i didnt personally change the fluid. incidently, it was less then a month after i had the original tranny's fluid changed by the dealer that the tranny just went out. the screens get clogged up with torque converter and clutch pack material that just comes off over time and that is what killed mine. u cant clean the screens separately they r internal. mine shifted fine no problems at all, no flashing green light on the dash, then out it went on the way home from work. i was in 2nd and i had reverse gear..

the power steering fluid ive never messed with..

 

So yeah, absolutely you COULD run something else; but then you'd never know and probably have to add a conditioner and run a risk and blah blah blah... OR...

You could just use Honda ATF to begin with. Why fuss over fluids?

Anything could go wrong with a tranny at anytime just like anything else. But the question was around what was the best fluid to use. There will always be varying opinions; but it is clear (at least to me everytime I've ever asked) that Honda fluids are preferred.

 

As long as we're having a 'debate' about this, let's make sure we're clear about what year & what car we're talking about. You can look in your 1990 owner's manual and it'll say Dexron, because Honda didn't start selling their own ATF until later...

Jaime, you got in that other thread, started by a guy with a 2000 Accord. He should use Honda ATF. I hope he doesn't go away confused about the whole thing.

 

Jim,
In my 2000 Honda Accord manual it was clearly stated that I should use Honda ATF. The used car dealer where I got that car told me not to use any other tranny fluid for Honda. I wont risk it. Thanks. I guess the best thing to do is follow the manual...do whatever it recommends to be on the safe side.

 

94+ on the accords say use Honda ATF but older ones can use Dextron just fine or Honda ATF will work also. and now Honda has a new blue coolant to add to the mix!

 

use Amsoil synthetic ATF. Much better than Honda. Shifts better and protects better.