So I went ahead and changed the tranny fluid today in the s2000. I have to say the new stuff is great. I used the new Honda MTF. It smoothed up shifts a lot. If anyone is debating doing this and hasnt made up their mind yet. I say definatly do it. It took me about an hour to change the oil and tranny fluid. I also installed some spoon magnetic drain bolts. I was suprised on how much of a difference it made. Take it easy everyone.

-Ian

 

I'm going to switch to that the next time I do change fluids. I'm thinking of doing diff and tranny every 15k since I'm not too happy with this GM synchromesh FM stuff. It worked wonderfully at first, but after 8k miles its already beginning to break down.

 

yeah, thats why i didnt switch to that stuff. I just heard about the Honda MTF and thought i would give it a try, and sofar it is good.

-Ian

 

I have used the new MTF for about a year now (5K miles). My initial impression was that it was awful stuff. But after driving with it for awhile, it turned out to work better than anything else I have tried (old MTF and GMSMFM). It is worn out now and needs changed again though. I don't know exactly why these fluids wear out so quickly, but I have a theory.
I think a UOA would be nice to have to see if the viscosity of the fluid is shearing or thickening, but what I'm about to do as an experiment will skew the results of a viscosity reading.
It is possible that whatever anti-wear additives and friction modifiers are used in the product just get depleted quickly, rendering the product ineffective after a relatively short period of time. I have a hard time believing this right now, because the change in the feeling of shifting in my experience has been so noticeable, and not gradual. One day life is good, then all of a sudden the shifting is notchy and crunchy the next day and doesn't get any better on consecutive days.
Another possibility is moisture (condensation) content build-up. But since my car is garaged and isn't driven in the rain, this is probably very unlikely. Except for fluid changes, the tranny is pretty well self contained anyways.
So what do I think the problem is? I think it is possible that there are not enough detergent/dispersing agents in these fluids. The tranny is a precision instrument from my limited knowledge. It would not surprise me if any debris or dirt build-up would cause the tranny to operate differently. Even though the used fluid I drain still looks brand spanking new each time, I don't think that's a good indication of what's left behind on the internals of the tranny. The new fluid I put in seems to help with shifting again, but the longevity of effectiveness seems to be less and less each time.
So what is my experiment? I'm going to add 2 ozs. of Auto-RX to the tranny fluid today. It's a blend of non-solvent detergents (ester and di-ester) that will slowly and safely clean every part in the tranny, and completely clean every seal as well. The existing fluid in the tranny will act as the carrier oil. I plan to run it for 1000 miles, as per the application instructions. But if my theory is correct, then I should notice improved shifting as the Auto-RX starts to clean up the tranny. If the shifting doesn't improve, then it might be safe to assume that detergent/dispersing agent levels/quality in our MTF's are not the problem.
I'll keep you posted.

 

sweet, looking forward to hearing more about that.

 

I switched mine out a little while ago and I agree. It did make a difference. I never would have believed that specific tranny fluid could make such a difference. Go figure.

 

As to the original poster......any fluid feels good when you first change it (generally).

The key is how it feels long term at say 10k, 15k even 30k. I have yet to find a fluid that keeps a smooth feel as long as Redline MTL, and I have tried a bunch.

Someone else already posted here that at 5k it is going bad.......hm.

Let us know your opinion at 15k miles minimum.

-Hockey

 

TBH, I didn't notice any difference between the new MTF, old MTF, and GM SMFM..