Living in Tx.... I was wondering what tranny fluids and diff fluids you guys use in your cars.

 

Tranny - Honda ATF
Diff - Amsoil or whatever

 

MTF not ATF lol sorry

 

I liked LE607 for the diff

 

Haha I was reading your first post and I started staring at ATF with a huge

 

Honda genuine, but I think it's time for a change on both. Anyone know how hard this is? Can it be done with just a floor jack/basic handtools or do you need a special socket etc to get the plugs out? What's the reccomended mileage between changes on tranny and diff fluids?

 

I've done both mine with no special tools. On the diff I think I had to make a trip to Auto Zone for a wrench big enough to remove the fill plug (on my Nissan you just stick a 1/2" ratchet in the plug - on the Honda it is a big bolt.. somewhere between 20 and 22mm.. and it has to be a wrench because there isn't enough room behind it for a socket). For the drain plug there are a lot of cooling fins around there - so you HAVE to use a socket. I have a set of 1/2" deep impact sockets from Harbor Freight (like $13 for the set) that worked great.

The procedure on both is just to find and remove the fill plug, find and remove the drain plug, watch it drain (hopefully into a pan), reinsert drain plug (possibly replacing the little washer... I didn't bother), refill, reinsert fill plug... done.

Most people use little pumps to get the fluid in.. but I don't like them... I don't feel like you can get them clean of what was in there last. I used a transmission funnel (a funnel with a long skinny hose on it) and stuck about a 4 foot piece of tubing on the end of it. I just snaked that tube around the tire and into the diff, stood next to the car, and spent 1/2 hour watching the LE607 sloooooooowly make its way down the funnel and into the diff (next time I'll heat up the oil first by putting the bottle in hot water for a little while... make it flow better). You just fill it until it starts to come out of the fill hole (the level is supposed to be at or sliiiightly below the level of the fill hole).

Oh, it's best to let the car back down off the jack while you're filling it to get the proper amount in. If the car is jacked up in the rear then the diff will be rocked forward a little and you'll end up with slightly too much oil in it. When I did mine, I just filled it with the car jacked up - and then let it off the jack and let the extra spill back out the fill hole until it stopped flowing (this stuff is SUPER thick - so everything takes awhile). Oh, and when I was done I cleaned up the oil that was all over the diff with a little brake parts cleaner spray.

Have fun!

Oh - When I was looking before, it did not look like Honda HAD an appropriate fluid for the diff (You can just ask for Honda MTF... but they don't make Honda diff fluid for the S2k). More than one S2K owner has had their diff ruined by the DEALER putting in the same fluid that goes into other Hondas (Sgt Moron had this problem I believe). Make damn sure you're putting in the correct weight of fluid. The LE607 is a good bet and is available from Rick's.

 

Diff = LE607
Tanny = Redline MTF90 (If my memory is right)

I use a pump to fill the diff, and the funnel with a hose on the tranny. Total time was like 1.5 hours start to finish.
I jack up the whole car evenly, so I can fill it while still on stands, plus I did my oil while I was under there. You shouldn't need any speial tools.

 

Look for a "How-To" in Under the Hood, it'll tell you exactly what tools you need, as well as some good tricks for "pumping" the fluid into the diff/tranny. There aren't any "special" tools need, but as previously mentioned, there are some sockets/wrenches that will be needed that aren't in most people's collections (something like 23/24 mm, IIRC).

I don't know what the recommended mileage is for these, but I've done both of them twice in the 14K miles that I've put on the car, and I'm probably about due again. I think a lot of it depends on your driving style.

To the original post:
I used Honda MTF for the tranny, and Mobil 1 75W-90 Gear Oil, IIRC, for the diff.

 

The DIY instructions on this site are very good. You will likely need to buy the large socket for the diff. The tip about rapping the wrench with a hammer will make sure you don't round off the bolts trying to break them loose. It takes a while for the diff to completely drain but you can do the whole procedure in about an hour. Don't waste any money on "pumps". A section of long tubing can be used to completely empty a Mobile 1 diff fluid bottle. Same goes for the tranny if you have the right cap on the MTF bottle.