Dexron VI OK for Honda 5AT?

[Ritz]

I finally had some spare time today and went to my local Saturn dealer to get some transmission fluid and dump my fluid. I probably *should* have gone to a Honda dealer and gotten the known good Honda Z1 fluid, but.....

Anyway, the Saturn parts guy is swearing up and down that Dexron-VI is what I should put in my '06 Honda automatic trans. I was a bit skeptical, but was in a hurry so I bought my 15 quarts and left. Is this recommendation correct?? The parts guy at the Saturn dealer didn't seem to even know that my VUE's transmission was a Honda part. grrrrrr...

Anyone here know definitively if Dexron VI is OK? If it is NOT the correct fluid, the correct GM part number would be awesome.

Cheers,

[RL2NV]

It should have ATF-Z1
22717466

[Ritz]

It should have ATF-Z1
22717466

Gracias. The simians at the local dealer insisted that I was mistaken and that Dexron VI is correct and that their head tech "was positive that's what they use in all V6 Saturns." Here's another reason why you don't want some clown working on your car if you've got the ability/time/tools to do it yourself. Had I just asked them to change my fluid, I'd now be unwittingly loaded up with Dexron VI. So that's not a big vote of confidence for Saturn of Fairfield, CT.

edit: Just found Wolfman's summary of fluids specs which confirms the above.

http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87797

Best regards,

[burnout]

That's horrible, I wonder what they fill the transmissions up with when people come in for a flush+fill?

Also, what do they do with the GM branded ATF-Z1 that comes into parts inventory?? Because apparently, it isn't used in the Honda V6s!!:D

[1saxman]

'15 quarts '

That should be '15 pints', shouldn't it? About 8 quarts is the usual for a transaxle, at least the '02-'03. You get a little over half out with the drain plug, about 4.5 qts. Does the honda trans really hold twice as much oil?

[BobbyP]

I bought my fluid from an Acura dealer, spec Z1. It took exactly 4.5qts... The drain plug is the magnet.

I drained my fluid last year at 7k miles. I went through some water,~12", and wanted to make sure it wasn't compromised. The fluid looked and smelled like new.

[Ritz]

'15 quarts '

That should be '15 pints', shouldn't it? About 8 quarts is the usual for a transaxle, at least the '02-'03. You get a little over half out with the drain plug, about 4.5 qts. Does the honda trans really hold twice as much oil?

I figure I'll get about 4.5qts with a simple drain since a lot is stuck in the torque converter. So I'll dump/fill, drive it for a while, and repeat 2 more times. That should get *most* of the old fluid out.

I also noticed another drain plug just north of where the drive shaft enters the transaxle on the bottom of the unit. It also uses a 3/8" drain plug. Curious about that. I suppose I should snag the service manual.

Cheers,

[D C]

As above, use the Honda stuff :yes:

[Tom92SCm]

I figure I'll get about 4.5qts with a simple drain since a lot is stuck in the torque converter. So I'll dump/fill, drive it for a while, and repeat 2 more times. That should get *most* of the old fluid out.

Cheers,
I'm not familiar with the Honda drivetrain, but can you disconnect a fluid cooler line easily? What I do with my Mazda, is to remove the fluid cooler exit line and put a line into an empty bottle. After I've drained and refilled the transmission like normal, I start the engine and let it run until I've filled a quart bottle (doesn't take very long). Turn the engine off, put a new quart in. Repeat until the fluid coming out looks about like the fluid going in.

This is basically like what you're doing Ritz, but with less chance for the old and new fluid to mix.

Just a thought for something to try. It's basically a DIY transmission flush.

[Ritz]

I'm not familiar with the Honda drivetrain, but can you disconnect a fluid cooler line easily? What I do with my Mazda, is to remove the fluid cooler exit line and put a line into an empty bottle. After I've drained and refilled the transmission like normal, I start the engine and let it run until I've filled a quart bottle (doesn't take very long). Turn the engine off, put a new quart in. Repeat until the fluid coming out looks about like the fluid going in.

This is basically like what you're doing Ritz, but with less chance for the old and new fluid to mix.

Just a thought for something to try. It's basically a DIY transmission flush.

That is how I normally do things too. However, I don't have the proper dipstick for the 5AT or the proper scanner to get transmission temps so I thought this way would reduce the risk of winding up with the wrong amount of fluid in the trans (assuming the correct amount is in there in the first place). The cooling lines are relatively easy to get to though.

Cheers,

[kevo420]

Here's the procedure from alldata if you want it... It's the drain/fill method.

I'm sure you know what to do already, but in case you wanted torque specs for the fill plug or for future reference. Also this will be usefull for others who don't know :)

Note: it's for the 05 but should be applicable to 06 5AT

[Ritz]

Went back there today and said I needed the correct fluid this time. The parts counter guy still insisted Dexron VI was "what the computer shows for my VUE," but agreed to take back the Dexron VI and replace it with ATF-Z1 instead (even eating the $3/quart difference in price). They ordered the fluid for me because "they don't stock ATF-Z1 (which seems to jibe with their service people who said they don't use it in the 5AT equipped VUEs). So while I appreciate them eating the $3/quart due to their error and wasting of my time, I wonder about all those Saturn VUE customers with Honda transmissions that they've contaminated with Dexron VI. Scary.

Cheers,

[newbievueowner]

I also noticed another drain plug just north of where the drive shaft enters the transaxle on the bottom of the unit. It also uses a 3/8" drain plug. Curious about that. I suppose I should snag the service manual.

Cheers,

I 'think' that plug you are referring to may be the transfer case plug.

[Ritz]

I did the first dump/fill today. The old fluid was dark brown with visible silvery/grey particles suspended in the fluid when I held it up to a light in a clear jar. That's at 32,000 miles. There was also a fair amount of crap stuck to the magnetic drain bolt. Only about 3.75qts drained out. I'm assuming that's because the vehicle wasn't level (up on ramps). The new fluid is bright red and easy to see through. It took forever (an hour) to dribble 3.75qts back in through the vent line and a little funnel. If you use this method, put a cloth or paper towel over the funnel so that you don't spray fluid all over the place when it periodically belches air as you fill it up. :) Next time, I'll pop off the intake and use the fill hole on the top of the transmission. I'll repeat this 2 more times over the next day or two.

That also seems to have solved my issue with the transmission lugging around 40-50mph. The shifts are a lot smoother now and it seems to be "smarter" about downshifting on an incline in 5th gear at the aforementioned speed.

Cheers,

[BobbyP]

From the description of the fluid a 25-30k mile drain interval would be best for the transmission.

[Ritz]

I did the first dump/fill today. The old fluid was dark brown with visible silvery/grey particles suspended in the fluid when I held it up to a light in a clear jar. That's at 32,000 miles. There was also a fair amount of crap stuck to the magnetic drain bolt. Only about 3.75qts drained out. I'm assuming that's because the vehicle wasn't level (up on ramps). The new fluid is bright red and easy to see through. It took forever (an hour) to dribble 3.75qts back in through the vent line and a little funnel. If you use this method, put a cloth or paper towel over the funnel so that you don't spray fluid all over the place when it periodically belches air as you fill it up. :) Next time, I'll pop off the intake and use the fill hole on the top of the transmission. I'll repeat this 2 more times over the next day or two.

That also seems to have solved my issue with the transmission lugging around 40-50mph. The shifts are a lot smoother now and it seems to be "smarter" about downshifting on an incline in 5th gear at the aforementioned speed.

Cheers,

Did the second dump/fill today. I made a few changes....

There's no reason to use the ramps. There's plenty of room to reach the drain plug from the front when the car is level. I used a creeper. When level, exactly 4qts drained out. Instead of removing the intake to add the fresh fluid through the fill plug, used the vent hose plus a small funnel again. However, this time, I loosened the fill plug on top so it was just laying on top of the hole. You can do this (and then tighten it back up afterwards) with a ratchet + 20" extension + 17mm socket. There's just enough room in front of the master cylinder to wiggle the socket down onto the head of the bolt for the fill plug. With that hole open, the fluid drained a lot faster through the small vent hose into the transmission (about 10 minutes instead of an hour) since it relieved all the backpressure. The whole operation took about 15 minutes. I'll do the 3rd dump/fill in a day or two.

Cheers,