I have a 2003 automatic with about 36,500 miles..I checked the trans oil the other day and saw it to be a blackish clear color I thought it was suppose to be a red color? Iam thinking about draining and refilling with fresh stuff I really wasnt going to wait to do it as the manual says (120,000)I would like to know whats the deal with the "cooler flushing" and when and if it ever needs to be done or just reg drain and fill will do the job? Thanks

I would simply drain & refill. I would start doing this every 15-30k miles. Use Honda ATF Z-1 as I don't know of anyone that has definitely confirmed that other ATFs are as good as the Z1 stuff from the dealership.

It's a very simple process for a DIYer.

If it truely is already black at this mileage, you might want to drain/refill, drive 10 miles or so and drain/refill again. I doubt one drain/refill will make much difference in the color if it's black already.

Thanks for the info....I did change it myself and turned out that it wasnt black but a brownish/red color with no particals so everything looks good in there for now. :)

I agree with according2me. Drain it a little more often than called for. You never get all the fluid out, only a portion. By replenishing the fluid a few quarts at a time you eventially DO replenish all the fluid. It's worth the effort.

i just reached 36k miles and would like to know:
where is the ATF drain plug?
where do you fill the ATF?
PICs? Website?

Thanks,
Chiggaraccord03

Check your owners manual. It's probably shown in the maintenance section.