Synchromesh vs Oem honda tranny flud?

[Garrett]

Which ones better for my grind? im changing my shifter bushings too

[EP3Casas]

honda mtf has antifriction additives specially formulated for our cars. i would stick with honda. ive ran pennzoil, Amsoil, and RP. i like honda

[Garrett]

Alright cool thanks man

[kenscivic]

Both are terrific choices.. If those are your two options either way you go you can not go wrong!

[htech]

Which ones better for my grind? im changing my shifter bushings too

tomorrow for the first timeme ill be using the penzoil stuff i was debating between penzoil and royal purple , royal p. seams to heavy of a weight , by the way how many miles do you have on you're ep ? .

[ep3egg]

imo i would stick to honda mtf. it also wouldn't hurt to top it off with a magnetic plug.

[whatisthis]

honda mtf is a slightly modified synchromesh. it will not fix a grind. you need to fix the damage.

[Garrett]

tomorrow for the first timeme ill be using the penzoil stuff i was debating between penzoil and royal purple , royal p. seams to heavy of a weight , by the way how many miles do you have on you're ep ? .

i am just about to reach 70k

[Mechanic]

Seems this subject never dies. What follows is a post regarding MTF on another board. I've edited it to fit here.

"Several of the posts [on the other board] noted that HMC's MTF seems similar [in weight] to motor oil. I agree. And for decades, that's precisely what HMC recommended for its manual-transmission cars, straight motor oil -- specifically, 10W-30 weight motor oil. In this regard, several of my current Honda owners' manuals state: "If Honda MTF is not available, you may use an SAE 10W-30 or 10W-40 viscosity motor oil with the API Certification seal that says 'FOR GASOLINE ENGINES' as a temporary replacement." The "temporary replacement" caveat is because (quoting the manuals) "[M]otor oil does not contain the proper additives, and continued use may cause stiffer shifting. Replace as soon as convenient." (See, e.g., the 2009/2010 Accord Owner's Manual.)(Emphasis added.)

"The owner's manual language fascinated me. Could one really use straight motor oil? And when HMC reformulated its MTF approximately three years ago, I wondered what HMC had added to its old formula, if anything, to address owner's complaints about poor shifting and gears grinding. It appeared [from VOAs on the other board] that HMC had simply added a huge dose of calcium to its old formula. And, as others have noted, HMC's MTF is still pretty thin stuff.

"I decided to try a few experiments. Since other boards had reported decent results using Amsoil's MTF (a 5W-30 weight concoction), I decided to try it. And it worked pretty well, improving the shifting "feel" noticeably in two Civic Si's, particularly when temperatures were near freezing or below. This caused me to wonder whether synthetic 5W-30 or 10W-30 motor oil might work just as well over time. Further experimentation was called for.

"In light of the caveat in the owners' manuals concerning the potential for stiffer shifting over time, I decided that instead of straight (synthetic) motor oil, I'd mix a quart of HMC's MTF (part no.08798-9031, white cap) with a quart of Mobil 1 10W-30.

"I can report that after approximately one year and 6K miles in an '02 Honda Si with 26K miles on the odometer, this nutty concoction seems not just adequate or "good" but great. It works so well that I actually considered starting a business to sell the stuff. (Turns out the cost of the bottles (!) would make a "boutique oil" too expensive to sell in the limited numbers I could envision.) But the shifting feel is excellent, and equally important, the improvement is consistent over time, distance and temperature. The long-term consequences remain to be determined, of course, but the difference between Honda's straight MTF and this blend is like night and day."

[Garrett]

Wow man thanks! great info and sources haha

[sleepy ep3]

honda mtf is a slightly modified synchromesh. it will not fix a grind. you need to fix the damage.

^^^^^^truth

[Mechanic]

honda mtf is a slightly modified synchromesh. it will not fix a grind. you need to fix the damage.

^^^^^^truth

I agree. Nothing poured from a plastic bottle will repair a broken synchronizer or other worn components. We are on the same page WRT this point, and I don't believe I said anything to the contrary.

That said, one of the functions of any MTF is to lubricate the synchomesh rings to prevent their damage and enable them to function better. (That's reflected somewhat in the name GM gave to its synchromesh MTF: "Friction Modified".) And there are several MTFs that work at least as well as Honda's MTF, if not better -- Amsoil's MTF, to pick one example (probably because its a synthetic) -- and, in my experience, a mixture of Honda's MTF and Mobil 1. This assumes, of course, you are not banging from gear to gear, which will destroy any transmission in short order.