I was looking through an old trade magazine and came across this, "One secret to Honda's smooth shifting manual transmission it its special transmission oil. Regular 10w-40 motor oil can be used to top-off; however, it lacks the friction modifiers and shifting may become stiff." I looked up the recommended fluid for a 2003 Honda DX 2.4 and the part is # 08798-9016 which was superceded in 2015 by 08798-9031. The newer fluid is backwards compatible. But is the statement true? I sent out a few queries and found there is some disagreement. Some techs have a favorite oil to use instead of the Honda fluid. Some use an alternative for no other reason than it has been working fine for them, no problems. I can understand that. I have to have the Honda MT fluid delivered next day. If you are in a hurry and haven't had any problem doing so, it would be understandable to use something else. But how do they really know there isn't a problem with that? I understand it doesn't say using another oil will destroy your transmission but it does translate to me that using the correct fluid that was designed for the car would be the best thing to do. I also found that techs specializing in Honda transmissions agree as well.
Conclusion: True. Always use Honda MTF. Using motor oil can cause stiffer shifting because it does not contain the proper additives.
The MT fluid change is scheduled for 120,000 miles at normal service. It should only take two quarts. Just under $85 for the job.
Kenny@ggauto.repair
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