How hard is it to change the clutch fluid?

[anjapower]

I've read a few people saying that their transmission behaved much better after they changed the fluid out with redline's lubricants. How hard is this to do? How long will it take? Which redline lube do I buy? And also is clutch fluid the same thing as brake fluid?

[CSMsi311]

it's not really clutch fluid. the clutch uses no lubricates. What they must be changing is the transmission fluid. Make sure you get MTF (Manual Transmission Fluid). I've read mixed reactions on previous Si's some saying Geniune Honda MTF has an additive that prevents corrosion, that the Redline MTF does not.

As far as changing the fluid. If you know what bolt is the drain plug and which is the fill plug, it is about as hard to change as your oil.

I just reread your post. The fluid that is used to move the lever that activates your clutch is brake fluid, but I don't see how that will affect the behavior of the transmission

[ThickMick]

Just so you know I used the Redline MTF and thought it sucked. I swapped it for Royal Purple Synchromax and its like butter now!

Shifting is very smooth and my grinding problem is gone. U really notice the difference.

Royal purple also comes in a very convenient bottle with a spout which allows you to hook it up to a hose and squeeze it in.

Replacing the MTF is easy, do a search and then refer to ur manual for help locating the proper bolts.

[soniccar]

Of course your clutch uses clutch fluid! At least the clutch actuator. This fluid is brake fluid and after a while, unchanged, can eat your seals and get spongy. Easy to change, much like bleeding brakes. Very easy if you have a Mity-vac pump, you just install it on the clutch slave cylinder bleed valve and pump up vacuum, then loosen the valve until the vacuum drops down to about -10, then close the valve, check the level in the clutch master cylinder, repeat. After the first couple of steps, when the fluid gets a bit low, take a cotton swab with some isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol and clean out the algae growing in there. Also clean around the lid and clean the little plastic float. NEVER let the level in the master cylinder drop below the little hole in bottom of the reservoir (Metal). Oh, and before you install the Mity-vac, you may want to remove the black rubber nipple from the bleeder valve, break open the bleeder with a socket and then lightly retighten, then install a box-end wrench on it before putting on the mity-vac. It is either a 10mm or 8mm wrench.

If you don't have a Mity-vac, do all of the steps above, but instead of installing the mity-vac, install a 3/16" clear line into a clean container filled with about 1/2" of clean brake fluid. Have someone push in the clutch and hold. Loosen the bleeder, and remind the person to keep their foot on the pedal and not let up. After fluid stops running out, lightly tighten the bleeder and have the assistant let off of the clutch. If the clutch pedal does not come back up (often the case) then reach down and pull it up by hand.

You are finished bleeding when all of the clear fluid in you have been putting in the clutch master cylinder is coming out of the slave cylinder as you bleed. The clutch master cylinder reservoir is the small reservoir right in front of the brake master cylinder. Follow the line down to the transmission where it hooks to a cylindrical device. That is the clutch slave cylinder.

When completely finished, don't forget to tighten the brake bleeder screw, top off the reservoir and reinstall the rubber nipple. A first class operation would take some thick silicon grease and smear a little bit over the bleeder before installing the nipple.

Use what you like, but I love the Castrol LMA DOT 3/4. I have had great luck with this, and it lasts 3 times longer than normal brake fluid. The Valvoline ABS fluid is getting to be popular, too. I've used Castrol LMA for 15 years. You should change your clutch fluid every 3 years (I do it every 2) to really extend the life of the system (it won't help the actual clutch assembly, though). The reward will be a smoother clutch pedal and quicker take-up with less clutch slip.

[soniccar]

Any transmission fluid feels good once you first change it. Once Honda came out with their MTF formula, I've found no better, especially in an older Honda. And Honda dealers are starting to crack down on this for warranty claims. But better than their MTF is their Auto transmission fluid. That stuff is a dream, you can't even feel the EX shift.

It used to be that OEM stuff was bottom line rebadged Quaker State or the like, but not anymore (though I still question their oil, though). I remember a 1988 article in Consumer Reports comparing motor oils and Honda, Ford and Chyrsler had the worst performing oils in all tests. Regular old Castrol GTX was miles ahead of the closest runner-up, Valvoline.

I have read independent article that prove Honda Anti-freeze is the easiest on the waterpump seals and rotor. All others had enough silica to abraid the seals and they could measure the leakage in picoliters.

Does Redline MTF still come in the 80W90 or 90 weight? That is much too thick for a Honda transmission. The internal magnet will never get all of the metal flake out, the gears will never fully mesh thereby causing them to ride on the edges where the teeth are thin and cut square (where cracks can develop), and the transmission is more likely to shear a thicker oil until it has no lubricating value, no matter how well the binders and diester resins work. The shift fork at the top never gets lubricated because the slides have too close a tolerance for the oil to penetrate. I think Honda uses a special coating on the sliders which may get eaten off by synthetic oils. Also, I speculate that, since the shift assembly is at the top, it receives lubrication much too slow in the winter time with such a thick oil. Finally, this lubricant must cause extra resistance if it is that thick. You can measure the power loss due to drive train friction for comparisons using a stop watch, some tape and a nice stretch of road.