Best transmission fluids according to redditors

The 1999 TL had the 4 speed automatic. Do NOT do a flush, it will ruin this type of gearbox, there is a MUCH better, more delicate, correct method.

These gearboxes are notorious for shifting hard when the friction modifiers in the gearbox fluid have worn/failed. The fluid requires a 30K change interval once the car has over 60K miles.

I will bet you $100, if you follow this procedure the gearbox will shift like brand new again, assuming the clutches aren't already lunched (which if its not slipping they probably are fine).

Go to Amazon, and get 6 quarts of DW-1. This is Honda's newer revised gearbox oil. Don't get auto parts store stuff, it won't have the correct additives for Honda's type of clutches.

go to your local auto parts store, get a drain pan, and a 3/8inch ratchet, along with a funnel and that has a long fill tube.

Get the car up on ramps and remove the gearbox drain plug, what will drain out is some extremely dark looking ATF, roughly 3 quarts worth.

Once drained, refill the gearbox (through the dipstick hole) with 3 quarts of the DW-1. Take the car on a short, slightly spirited drive. You will already notice a night and day difference in gearbox behavior, however, it won't be perfect. This is because you only drained about 3/4 of the fluid in the gearbox, and what is happening is the left over old fluid that was in the torque converter will be mixing with the new fluid.

After 10-20 miles everything should be mixed around pretty good, put the car on the ramps, rinse and repeat. Drain the gearbox, the fluid should look a little bit darker than it was before you poured it in, this is good.

Once drained again, refill with the remaining 2ish+ quarts (Add two and top up with the third) and button everything up. Also, the gearbox plug has a magnet on the inside end, inspect for solid chunks or pieces, there may be a little bit of a sludge on the end, this is okay, clean it off and reinstall it.

Your gearbox will shift butter smooth, its not uncommon for honda 4 speeds to shift a little bit abruptly at low speed, but overall it should feel much better than it did.

If you keep driving it as is, eventually the clutch packs will fail and the gearbox will need a rebuild.

If anything, if the gearbox is too far gone you spent ~$50 finding out it was terminal, which is relatively speaking a drop in the pond.

Almost everything except transmission fluid I installed myself. The rotors are DBA 5000s. The absolute best deal for the GTR. No Gtr tax and performance that rivals the stock rotors, also no noise at all. I went with the Hawk Ceramic brake pads. Also a great deal. Great stopping power with little dust and zero noise. Brakes cost me around 1500$ total (Nissan dealership here wanted over 8k.)

Now the transmission fluid is expensive but I got Pentosin DCT fluid. It's expensive as hell but it's way cheaper than OEM and it should last through two trans oil changes (about 38k miles.) Performance is just like OEM.

Unicorn Tears


HaHa! Ninja Edit

Ford XT-M5-QS Full Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NUES82/

Don't believe me? Read the reviews there.

Congrats! Have an ‘06 6-6 sedan I bought in Dec. 2015. Now at 128k, still a wonderful car!

Pro-tip: replace the MT fluid with this stuff to quell that 3rd gear grind. Mine went away, though I still take care not to hurry the shift.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0026JK8FK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_C7q4Bb8FRT3CN

I just did this in my NB for the second time and i think its the right advice.

The differntial i used Royal Purple 75W90 (i think, double check me on the weight here)
https://www.amazon.com/Royal-Purple-Performance-Synthetic-Automotive/dp/B0007QGT34

For the transmission i finally bit the bullet and put in Ford Motorcraft XT-M5-QS. This shit is made from unicorn tears as far as i know.
https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Ford-XT-M5-QS-Synthetic-Transmission/dp/B000NUES82/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484008625&sr=8-1&keywords=ford+motorcraft+xt-m5-qs


Do 1 quart of royal purple for the diff, and 2 quarts of ford motorcraft for the tranny.
This stuff is really expensive. You'll spend about $75 for all of it. But i can honestly say this is the smoothest my car has been since i bought it. It's like shifting in a stick of butter.

Also if your tranny oil is super shitty i've heard it can be good to run some cheaper stuff through it first, drive around on it for a month or two, then drain it and put in the good stuff. I've never done a side by side comparison though so i can't say for sure if it's required or not.

Use the Genuine Honda fluid. They have one for auto and one for manual. Call each dealership parts department in your area for pricing, should be about $8/qt.

Amazon has it for $9/qt delivered.

Honda Genuine Fluid 08200-9008 ATF-DW1 Automatic Transmission Fluid - 1 Quart https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0089LSMSE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_2wD2BbXRA4DJY

Don't do Scotty's Cocktail. I can't believe that thread is still up on the forums. I've worked on a few cars with the cocktail in it before. Each time I drain the fluid it comes out like a smurfberry milkshake of blue-green goop. Owners said it worked for a few hundred miles, then started shifting like crap. Grinding gears and difficult getting it in and out of gear.

I've also had the (mis)pleasure of meeting Uncle Scotty at a meet in Houston. He's one of the worst, arrogant assholes I've met in my life. He's tried to start more than a few fights at our meets over people's cars.

If you live in a warm weather climate I would suggest that you just use Subaru Extra-S. The dealer can order it in a 5 gallon drum for about $150 or you can buy it online in quarts from Fred Beans Subaru for around $15/quart. I say "warm weather climate" because Extra-S will want to be warmed up before it shifts smoothly. If it gets below freezing, you will notice difficulty getting it in and out of gear until the transmission warms up.
http://www.amazon.com/Subaru-75W90-Extra-S-Transmission-Fluid/dp/B007L6Q1EK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373300244&sr=8-1&keywords=Subaru+Extra-S

If you compete in motorsports or live in cold weather climates Motul 300 has been highly recommended. You can get Motul 300 at TurnInConcepts for about $20/quart:
http://turninconcepts.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_126_1094&products_id=401

Get 2 liters of Ravenol 75w-80 MTF2, enjoy the buttery smooth shifts.

Amazon Link

These are the three that people seem to use from the Fiesta ST forums.

Ravenol MTF-2

Motul DSG

Motul Gear 300

You'll need to get 2L to do a full change, 1.7L capacity. I haven't changed mine yet, but I've read it's much easier to refill if you remove the air box and gravity fill instead of having to pump the new fluid in.

You also can't go wrong with the OEM stuff.

XT-11-QDC DCTF

Hard to beat the price and shipping of Amazon IMO.

• $11 OEM Oil filter
  
• $11 OEM MTF
  
• $11 75/90 Diff FYI. There is no OEM diff fluid.
  
• $8 A pump
  
• $13 OEM Grease for your shifter

Here's my recommendation:

Transmission Fluid

Since you are a fellow DIYer, follow this writeup:
Acurazine How To

Use GM Syncromesh with Friction Modifier for MT. You can Google "GM Syncromesh Acura TL" and find lots of positive reports on using this fluid versus Honda fluid.

Here is the fluid I'm talking about: Amazon Link

Oil Leak

So potential leak sites on the engine include the oil pan flange to block, the oil pump (located between the crank pulley on the RH side of the car and the engine block), and the main seal between the engine and transmission. On my 140k '06 TL the oil pump was leaking, which coated the RH side of the engine, and the RH subframe with oil. Like this.

To fix this requires removal of the oil pump, which requires removal of the timing belt and oil pan. I needed to do the timing belt, so I bit the bullet and knocked it out. Here is a YouTube video of a pro doing this.

PS Pump

There was a bulletin from Acura to replace an oring on the pump.
Part 13 on this diagram. The replacement oring is orange in color. There is an Acurazine post on rebuilding the PS pump as well, [here](https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-problems-fixes-114/diy-105-
power-steering-pump-overhaul-pics-sm-scans-841134/).

GL with your UA6. I want to run mine to 300k miles.

I buy the DSG fluid and bring it in only for the labor ($225). The fluid is pretty cheap if you look on Amazon

Edit: Pentosin DSG fliud kit $79

I've got a bit over 180k on mine, same year, same trim, and I really haven't had problems with anything major. I did do the transmission flush/refill as the other poster suggested around 120k, and that's super easy. It takes a special transmission fluid, but you can buy it by the case online for pretty cheap. Do not let a shop power flush your transmission. Ever. You have been warned.

You want this stuff, and only this stuff:
Amazon - Mobil 3309
It even qualifies for free Prime shipping.

Check the heated air intake blend module on the airbox - it's that thing on the airbox intake that hooks to that strange corrugated tube. They are known to stick open to the hot side(mine did), so I disassembled the airbox, removed the failed vacuum solenoid, blocked the heated air intake, and sealed it back up.

Also check your cabin filter if you haven't recently - it's a bit of a pain to get to, but if you haven't ever messed with it, you will be very glad you did once you see it.

Make sure your power steering reservoir isn't leaking and/or foaming. You can get a replacement hose and updated clamps from FCP that will fix that, and you will need to grab a can of Pentosin CHF power steering fluid (~$20). After feeling the difference, I'd flush that and refill it even if it's not having a problem. It's a simple thing that greatly improves the steering, and it's basically the same procedure as the transmission.

That said, the transmission is easy. Go for a short (< 5 min) drive to warm it up. Check transmission fluid level and fill if necessary. Disconnect the transmission cooler return line (upper, iirc?), push a piece of 3/8 clear tube on it and run that into a container. Mark the first container at 2qt before you start. After that, just re-use the ATF bottles. I have read that you can drain the trans before you start so you get fresh fluid right in it, but I skipped that part for the sake of time since I had a case of fluid and you only need 8-10 quarts, worst-case scenario.

• Crank the motor, change through all the gears, back in park, and let idle until 2qt has been drained (having a buddy is almost essential to making this quick and easy). Shut off motor.
  
• Add 2qt back through transmission fill, check level. Having a long flex funnel is ideal here.
  
• Repeat drain/fill routine until the fluid coming out is clean red instead of black or maroon. It took about 9 quarts for me.
  
• Top off, button up the line, and go for a short drive.
  
• Enjoy a clean, tight-shifting transmission.
  
  Power steering is a similar procedure, but easier.
  
  
• Siphon out old PS fluid, refill reservoir with clean fluid.
  
• Detach return line and route that to an appropriate container.
  
• Start car, turn wheel, stop car, add PS to fill. Same routine as transmission, just less fluid. Don't let it run dry, or you'll have to bleed it out. (Not hard, not fun either)
  
• Reattach return line with new hose clamp.
  
  
  Other than the things mentioned, I have only replaced a coil pack, the blower resistor, and the PCV trap. The symptoms of a clogged PCV are an uneven idle that gets better after you pull the oil dipstick and it releases a "hiss", like opening a soda can. Hope you never have that problem, because it is a gigantic pain in the ass to do in your driveway. That basically entails removing the intake manifold, which is way harder than it sounds.

I used motul dct fluid. It takes 1.8qts. I got 2 qts on Amazon for like $40ish bucks. If you decide to do it, make sure you get a pump of some sort with it. It would have been damn near impossible to try to pour it from the bottle. Even with their funnel extension thing that comes off the top.

I ended up having to loosen my rear motor mount and kinda swinging the transmission out of the way to get my 8mm Allen key socket to fit, and then fit a wrench over the rest of the bit to get it to work. It sounds a lot more difficult than it is, but trust me. It's worth it. There are a few videos on YouTube that show what I mean pretty well. Seems like most people use a shortened Allen key, but I didn't have anything to cut an Allen key

Just make sure you keep the car level. I used a jack and jack stands and it worked well.



Motul Multi DCTF - Dual Clutch Transmission Fluid (Pack of 2) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N30M7S2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_BDfTo3WyYlhH1

Here are some that I ordered from:

JST Performance - Cobb Accessport, Custom Tune, Turbosmart blow off valve, NGK 1 step colder spark plugs

James Barone Racing - Weighted short shift plate, Aluminum shift cable bracket bushings, Symposer delete, Green Air Filter (because they sell the gray one)

Depo Racing - 3.5" intercooler, catless downpipe, intercooler pipe kit

Boomba Racing - shifter base bushings, short shift lever

Tire Rack, Discount Tire Direct - wheels and tires. Both offer great deals but I go with Tire Rack because they include an amazing road hazard warranty for free with every tire you buy.

Tasca Parts - OEM Ford parts. Some good options: RS airbox lid, RS Shifter, RS engine cover, RS intake pipes

Amazon - ZL1 Rock Guards (tiny but very effective mud flaps), CravenSpeed stubby antenna, 3D (Mugen) style Window rain visors, Philips H11 Xtreme Vision headlight bulbs (same color as stock but 100% brighter), Stainless T-clamps for your intercooler, Motul Multi DCTF transmission fluid, and TONS of Meguiars car care products.

Walmart - best price for Mobil 1 5w-30 full synthetic engine oil, often have coupons for it too.

Honda, in the 80s and 90s, had a reputation for making strange automatic transmissions.

They are heavily based on their manual gearboxes, but they are mated to a torque converter instead of a clutch, and an automatic shifting assembly which can up and downshift fairly quickly. The result made for an efficient, lightweight and small gearbox. The drawback was that it needed to be maintained differently.

This gearbox has special clutches inside of it which requires a type of fluid the only Honda makes, as cars aged their owners would either a) not know how to maintain the car properly or b) do the fluid changes at the right intervals, using a "universal" aftermarket fluid (Valvoline, Mobil 1, STP, Castrol).

Trouble with this is, using the wrong fluid at the right intervals was worse for the gearbox than not changing the fluid at all.

Honda's suggested service interval was 60K for the first one, then every 30K subsequently after that, and they only require a simple 3 quart drain and refill, so the service was fairly cheap ~$50.

The reason for the frequent fluid changes was due to the transmission having no filter, this saved materials costs to the consumer and labor for that matter, but it meant the fluid needed to be changed twice as frequently.

When I acquired my 2005 Honda civic, with its very similar 4 speed automatic to yours, it too was shifting hard up and down, it wasn't terrible but it wasn't right, the hotter the gearbox got the worse the shifts would be.

Heres what I did, and what you should do;

1. get 6 quarts of Honda DW-1 Fluid I bought this very thing off Amazon, its legit.
   
   
2. Get a 3/8inch Ratchet. The drain plug on the transmission doesn't require a socket of any kind, the Ratchet will hook straight up to the plug. The drain plug faces the passenger side of the car right next to the subframe.
   
   
3. Get a Funnel with a long nosel
   
   
4. jack car up or drive up on ramps
   
   
5. drain gearbox oil, it should be about 3 quarts that will come out, there is slightly more than this in the transmission, its in the torque converter which cannot be drained, this will be addressed with a 2nd drain a fill.
   
   
6. after draining, reinsert transmission drain plug and tighten, you do not need to he-man this back on, snug it up and give it a firm final turn to ensure its in place.
   
   
7. refill transmission, 3 quarts is what it should take, but for good measure put in two and check fluid level, continue to top off until full with the 3rd quart.
   
   
8. test drive, take the car on the road, get on the expressway, do about 10 miles.
   
   
9. repeat drain and refill process with the other 3 quarts that are left over. This is done to ensure that any remaining old/incorrect fluid that may have stayed in the torque converter gets removed. After the 2nd drain and fill the car should drive SIGNIFICANTLY better.
   
   If you do this process, and the shifting situation stays the stay, or gets worse, than the gearbox needs a rebuild due to failing clutches.
   
   a Throttle position sensor or any other sensor for the ECU to figure out how hard you are pushing the engine would throw a check engine light, is the check engine light on? If it isn't I would start with the fluid service, I am going to hazard a guess you have never done it in the past.

What you're looking for is Redline MTL. Hands down the best fluid for the 2nd gens. You'll want 75w80 on this transmission, in my experience 75w90 causes grinding. Stay away from the "magic" Ford fluid it doesn't work well on the 2nd Gen's. Also, the first number in the oils weight is actually for cold weather not the second number. So 75W80 and 75W90 are the same in that sense.

This is the OEM fluid:
https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Ford-XT-11-QDC-Clutch-Transmission/dp/B00BNVK974/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519782371&sr=8-1&keywords=Ford+dct+fluid&dpID=31jAHNFbnsL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

If you haven't changed your transmission oil lately, then i would definitely recommend you do that asap. (change the filter too if your car has one)

You can also put in a bottle of lucas transmission fix as well (it really helped with my own transmission issues)
https://www.amazon.com/Lucas-10009-Transmission-Fix-oz/dp/B000ARTZPO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484584637&sr=8-1&keywords=lucas+transmission

It does sound like 'a loose clutch cable,' which in this case is actually leaky clutch cylinders since it's hydraulic. I have not heard of so many clutch slave cylinder replacements as with these cars (the one on my car leaked when I bought it).

Only when it's cold could mean it's the transmission fluid instead. You can try changing the transmission fluid and shifter turret fluid. The first one is expensive but people seem to like it. It's not like I've tried tons of different transmission fluids so I can't really comment on which one's better/best. I think people have also had luck using the second one but I'm not sure. There's lots of posts on this.

https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Ford-XT-M5-QS-Synthetic-Transmission/dp/B000NUES82

https://www.amazon.com/Pennzoil-Synchromesh-Manual-Transmission-Fluid/dp/B0002KL098

It might be one or both of these things but it's a bit difficult to say which one might help.

There is a particular synthetic manual transmission fluid from Ford that everyone recommended on the forums. I bought some from my local Ford dealer (it's a bit expensive) and it felt like it helped the 1-2 shift. Read the reviews on the Amazon product page from all the miata owners. edit: it did not totally cure it, but I can get it to not crunch if I put it in gear gently and let the synchros do their thing. Still crunches with hard shifts most of the time.

So here is what the service manual says:

http://i.imgur.com/hzMwOqu.png

Type TIV stands for type T-IV The IV are roman numerals with stand for 4 so the common vernacular is to say type T-4 . But the fluid standard you are looking for is called JWS 3309 Automatic Transmission Fluid

It is available from several manufactures The GM part number is given in the image, Toyota at the dealer ususally has about the best price but sometimes you can find a good deal on ebay for like 4 or 6 bottles but you may not want to have that many around.

But here is an exhaustive list:

AISIN Part No.: ATF-0T4

Spec: JWS 3309 Automatic Transmission Fluid

Mobil One 3309

Audi: P/N G 055 025 (-A2)

Chevrolet: AC Delco T-IV, GM P/N 88900925

Chevrolet Light Trucks: AC Delco T-IV, GM P/N 88900925

Ford: Premium automatic transmission fluid, P/N XT-8-QAW, Spec WSS-M2C924-A
Hyundai: P/N 00232-19023.

Land Rover: Esso JWS3309US

Lincoln: Premium automatic transmission fluid, P/N XT-8-QAW, Spec WSS-M2C924-A

Lexus: ATF Type T-IV, Toyota P/N 08886-81015

Mazda: W/ 6-spd Automatic use JWS 3309 Automatic Transmission Fluid

Mercury: Premium automatic transmission fluid, P/N XT-8-QAW, Spec WSS-M2C924-A

Mini:6-Spd Automatic Transmission GA6F21WA use MINI ATF JWS 3309, P/N 83 22 0 402 413

Pontiac: AC Delco T-IV, GM P/N 88900925

Porsche: Esso JWS 3309, Porsche P/N 000 043 205 28

Saab: Saab 3309 mineral based oil.

Saturn: Saturn T-IV Fluid, Saturn P/N 22689186

Scion: ATF Type T-IV, Toyota P/N 08886-81015

Subaru: use CVTF or equivalent

Suzuki: Suzuki ATF 3317 or Mobil ATF 3309

Toyota: ATF Type T-IV, Toyota P/N 08886-81015

Volkswagen: P/N G 055 025

Volvo: P/N 1161540-8


Here is the toyota bottle: https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Toyota-00279-000T4-01-Automatic-Transmission/dp/B00P2QIR0C/ref=sr_1_5?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1492218139&sr=1-5&keywords=mobil+3309

Here is the mobil 3309 common in parts stores: https://www.amazon.com/Mobil-55221-Automatic-Transmission-Fluid/dp/B00BLKXW9O/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1492218218&sr=1-1&keywords=mobil+3309

Do it yourself it's very easy. And will only cost you a few bucks in tools. The dealer used the method "bottom fill" with vag com and using the plastic fill plug to gauge the temperature and amount put in. Obviously vag com and the dealer tool are expensive. So I offer the "top fill" approach. You buy this funnel
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000EH4V0Y/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Then buy this service kit.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006CN9FNM/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Leave car overnight so new dsg oil is same temp as old oil in the dsg.

Drain it. Then measure how much came out. Will help drain speed if you remove filter and second drain plug.

Put in drain plugs. Then use funnel to hookup to filter hole and put the same amount of what came out back in.

Put new filter on. As well as battery and air intake as those should be removed as well. Battery doesn't have to come out but makes it much easier.

Turn car on. And with brake on go through all the gears about 5 times. Just moving the lever down then back up 3 times. You will have all kinds of lights on ur dash this is normal. Just drive about 20 ft they'll go away. Relearn pinch protection on Windows.

Explained here.
https://youtu.be/Ink6ZpYqPQk
Note they doing bottom fill method.

Here is a video on top fill but he does use vag com and drain plug method which shouldn't be done without vag com.
https://youtu.be/nhE19GCXlvA

Edit: Wanted to mention it might take up to 4 hours your first time but after that it takes about a couple hours and most of it is just waiting for the oil to go down the funnel.

Edit 2: my stealer quoted me $508. An honest indie should be able to do it for around $350.

I've heard of a lot of people just using this

https://www.amazon.com/OEM-AUDI-FLUID-CHANGE-SERVICE/dp/B006CN9FNM

A lot of people recommend the Ford Motorcraft gear oil for Miata manual transmissions. https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Ford-XT-M5-QS-Synthetic-Transmission/dp/B000NUES82

It's an expensive fluid, but it should help.

Here's some more reading: http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=500310

http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Ford-XT-M5-QS-Synthetic-Transmission/dp/B000NUES82 is what I use in mine and has made shifting a delight.

Fluid. https://www.amazon.com/Honda-Genuine-08798-9031-Manual-Transmission/dp/B001IWL1O8

I’m just confused on why they couldn’t change whether is fluid or oil. It’s a lube shop so if yours took oil, like motor oil that some Honda transmissions say can be used temporarily, they could drain that and refill it with the right stuff. All transmissions have something inside of them. Yours isn’t bone dry inside. If it is he parts will burn up. The Honda MTF has additives in it that modify how the synchros grab.

Not to debate- but the motorcraft XT-M5-QS "Full synthetic manual transmission fluid" is the "unicorn tears" fluid that most enthusiasts recommend in the 6spd. Shit is expensive tho.

http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Ford-XT-M5-QS-Synthetic-Transmission/dp/B000NUES82

I can't determine what "reasonable" means for you, however, JUST THE DSG FLUID from amazon is $125 add in labor, which is usually $120-ish per hour, and the hour estimated by the internet's shade-tree mechanic lot, and you're on your way to that ~$1000 estimate. You're probably getting other services at your 40k servicing as well. Things like spark plugs, and an oil change. Those two 'jobs' are probably rated at an hour each by the book, so there's another $250 on top of the $250 for the DSG fluid change. So you're up to $500 before tax, and that's without factoring in the cost of oil and filter.

Mechanic work at dealerships is billed by the book, and not how long it takes a mechanic to do the work. So if the book say something is a 1 hour job, and the mechanic completes the work in 30 minutes, you still get billed an hour.

You may wish to get a breakdown from a dealer of what work is recommended on the 40k mi service, and work backward from there to figure out if you're getting ripped off (though I'd suggest you're probably not. Modern cars are not as simple as they were in the 70's or 80's... or hell - even the early 2000's)

I had an 07 with the shuddering torque converter. It’s a common issue and pops up sometime between 100-130k miles. I dumped a tube of this shit in there and it was fine after.

ZF Fluid for about $35/L

haha, i guess so. I went with the highly recommended ford motorcraft one. Here's the link on amazon

I had the same issue. Couldn't find the label anywhere. You can put this stuff in any of the Getrags. Highly recommended by lots of other guys in the forums. They swear it makes a huge difference. I'll find out when my car is running again. . . .

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CPCBEG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So here's the deal. The 2003 Accord is known for its rather weak automatic transmission. From what I've heard, it has a lot to do with heat buildup. My girlfriend's car has 210,000 miles and most likely needs to push another 50,000. The transmission shifts fine and I want to keep it that way. So, I added another larger oil cooler to the system, along with a spin-on filter to hopefully catch some particulates. I know the transmission has a filter, but they say its not serviceable and I feel like the extra surface area of the larger filter could help with cooling as well. I decided to put the oil filter between the two coolers so that the filter could catch the crap that may be stuck up in the existing cooler.

Hopefully this spurs an idea in someone else's head, it really wasn't all the difficult and (i hope) will save me thousands in the long run

SUPPLIES:

Spin-on filter and mount

Extra hose

Aftermarket cooler kit

Genuine Honda ATF

Extra spin on nice filter

Sorry, but Extra-S is available in 1 QT containers on Amazon. I've purchased them in the past, it's legit.

+1 for Ford's version of unicorn tears: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NUES82

I don't know the interval that it's changed at but here is the fluid if you do it yourself or pay someone to instead of the dealer https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0189574GU/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1491437542&sr=8-9&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=gtr+transmission+fluid

So you're looking for this?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007VWRUQC

I'd use that one.

The slight shudder when accelerating on the highway MAY be indicative of a transmission torque converter issue starting to show it's face. Have someone check the transmission fluid & take note of what color it is and if it has a burnt-smell to it. If the fluid still looks half decent (Still red, and not a brown/black color), you may be able to save it by adding a bottle of this to the transmission fluid. It's not guaranteed to work, but it costs $7.00 & I've seen it take care of slight torque converter shudder plenty of times.

Motul Gear 300 75W90 Synthetic Transmission and Differential Fluid - Liter - 2 Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GNT8WCV/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_JQInDbGYY7XJ5

Is this what you're referring to?

As far as the DSG service goes. Thehumblemech recommends [this kit] (https://www.amazon.com/Pentosin-8038207-KIT-Transmission-Fluid-Kit/dp/B01BGPR1HW?ie=UTF8&keywords=pentosin%20dsg&linkCode=sl1&linkId=567b3240b5ab87623fb76ff64fb744d8&qid=1458005329&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&sr=8-1&tag=humblmecha-20) so you don't pay for the Vw name brand mark up. As you may know, they are the OEM supplier for the DSG fluid.

$82.59 plus tax for fluid, filter & o ring.

What about Dw-1

Transmission fluid: Do a drain and fill every few thousand miles. I'm assuming it takes 3309 like my wagon, but check your owner's manual

Bevel gear leak, google for it; it may not be that complicated to do on your own.

Power steering leak, that, depends on how bad and where the leak is, DIY or take to a regular mechanic. Be mindful though if your car uses special power steering fluid.

Upper and lower torque mounts, these are easy to replace. I'd go with urethane bushings if possible (and if you're considering $3600 as feasible, get urethane) I linked to possible parts, do your research and you might find the same parts from other vendors, or you know, get the rubber parts. The top mount, depending on your car, you might get away with just getting the bushing if it's the "round type"

The front mount is a breeze to install if you have stands and a jack.

Control arms are a bit more labor intensive and depending on your needs, there's also urethane and other alternatives for those.

Tie rod ends are also simple and available cheap on rockauto.com

The timing belt, that, I'd leave to a professional and make sure they do the tensioner and water pump at the same time. Also, depending on your needs, get the kit with the cam seals and get those done if needed.

I've linked to some parts that probably don't fit your car, as I have my '01 V70 set up at those sites, but look for the ones compatible with your car. Overall, I think you're at the same competence level I was when I first got my wagon, volvos are great for working on them yourself and it's often more cost-effective to buy the parts and tools you need and install them yourself vs. paying someone to do it. For the record, the count for me is now: both CV axles, front bump stops (requires compressing springs), drain and fills for the transmission, inner and outer tie rod ends, coolant drain and fill, brake pads, spark plugs, torque mounts, front mount, serpentine belt/tensioner and the usual air filter and oil change. I've learned a lot in the process, which for me, is worth it.

Cold shift: You could try changing fluid, I've heard many people get good results with Motorcraft Transmission Fluid You could also use Redline but YMMV as with anything else. However, it could also be your slave/master cylinder going bad.

To get rid of the lifter tick you could try thicker oil, or try an ATF flush and see if that helps.

The accessory belt could be squealing either from a misalignment, worn belt, or bad pulley/bearing Chrisfix has a video on how to better diagnose the issue.

Are you saying the zipper functions fine but the part you grab onto is broken? Or the other way around? Because you could just tie something on there if it's the former.

Fellow Texan here. This seems to be the most recommend stuff for the NAs. not sure if it holds true for your NB, but hey, it's a start.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/WIX0/51356.oap?ck=Search_pl14610_-1_-1&keyword=pl14610&ntrchngMnfctr=PUR

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/MOB4/11030/N1191.oap?ck=Search_N1191_MOB_-1_1010&mn=Mobil&mc=MOB&pt=N1191&ppt=C0252


http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Ford-XT-M5-QS-Synthetic-Transmission/dp/B000NUES82 - for the transmission.

Ravenol J1C1002 SAE 75W-80 Manual Transmission Fluid - MTF-2 Full Synthetic API GL-4 (1 Liter) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FGXB15O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_FGOwDbGD6376A

This stuff meets ford spec and is the favorite on the forums.

You can't fix it, but you can possibly make it better by experimenting with different fluids.

Extra S 75w-90 is Subaru's http://www.amazon.com/Subaru-75W90-Performance-Transmission-Fluid-1/dp/B007L6Q1EK?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

There's that one cocktail I'd rather not refer to by name since I wouldn't promote it particularly.

I'd head over to NASIOC and read the 11ty posts made by a combination of smart people and complete idiots and see if you can make sense of it. I just bought ExtraS because I didn't feel like constantly draining and filling it in the name of science.

Ideally drain and refill. There’s about four quarts in the pan. Ideally replace the rubber o-ring on the drain plug (Nissan) and also replace the external filter (Nissan). The filter is $12 at dealer.

The filter is bolted to the frame on the driver side, right next to the radiator,

https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Nissan-Maintenance-Maxima-2007-2008/dp/B07C4XS5V8

Use this. Absolute miracle worker:
https://www.amazon.com/Lucas-LUC10009-Transmission-Fix-oz/dp/B000ARTZPO

This is the fluid I put in mine.
https://www.amazon.com/Pentosin-1058206-ATF-1-Synthetic-AutomotiveTransmission/dp/B00JMAQ0LW

This is what the dealer will sell you for about $80 dollars a quart:
https://www.amazon.com/ZF-LIFEGUARD-6-TRANSMISSION-FLUID/dp/B0060X5NQW

First step would be to do the 3x3 drain and fill with a hundred miles between fills. I'd use Valvoline Maxlife multi vehicle ATF since it's very well regarded, a synthetic atf, and easily found and reported to work well in these and many other asian transmissions. I'd guess your fluid is burnt up. Walmart will likely have the best price. You could try something like this but new fluid will be the priority: https://www.amazon.com//dp/B0002JMLQU

Flushes are generally frowned upon for a lot of reasons on high mileage vehicles due to possible unlodging any chunky buildup and also shocking any adjustment to the trans computer programming (it has built in learning/tuning and likes gradual changes). If you can easily take off the trans drain pan you should do that and replace the filter and gasket, but I'd start with fluids. Whatever's in the filter won't be going anywhere.

Uhhhhh... this stuff?

This is what I use. Works great. Got rid of the 3rd gear issue. Also car goes.into gear wayyyyy eaiser when it's cold out.

Red Line (50204) SAE 75W80 API GL-4 Manual Transmission and Transaxle Lubricant - 1 Quart https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CPCBEG/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_u4gezb4FJ88PY

Car dealer who sells 100,000+ Fords, trust me on this one - I promise THIS STUFF IS MAGIC

I've found this stuff which is cheaper. You think it'll work ok?
https://www.amazon.com/Valvoline-Synthetic-Multi-Vehicle-Automatic-Transmission/dp/B007VWRUQC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501866121&sr=8-1&keywords=valvoline+maxlife+atf

EDIT: I am bad at math. It's not that much cheaper.

Dr. Tranny Instant Shudder Fixx you can probably pick this up at Baxter's. Solves a lot of transmission problems. Not sure why this is downvoted... for an older car like yours this can save you some serious coin if it is the torque converter, and it takes like 10 min to get it in your tranny.