Blinking "D" light

[yi3o8]

If you're tight on money and it ends up being a major repair, it never hurts to contact Honda and plead your case for goodwill help. They supposedly do a lot for customers compared to other auto companies and it at least helps if other people have the problem for them to know about it.

[jafakin]

Originally Posted by XLDeluxe

its got 44k on it right now. I do regular maintenance on it, never done the tranny though.
Just checked the color and the fluid is pale brownish.

The best and cheapest thing you should do First is a tranny drain and fill. I just did one and my shifting is butter smooth. 05 v6 122,0000km

[htekken]

tranny fluid is Pale Brown??? It should be PINK. Maintenance is def needed. 44k is pretty good too.

[SatinSilver]

I would do 3 drain and fills. Since it so easy and your on a budget I would go to an indy or diy. Get 9 quarts of the Honda atf. I'd also order some Lubegard Red from Amazon to help condition rubber seals etc. It's helped a few members on here who had rough shifting and even a guy who's torque converter wasn't locking up.

Change your at filter while your at it. But the first priority is get 3 drain/fills completed.

[XLDeluxe]

I know how to do oil changes but transmission fluid I have no idea about. I can pay for a transmission flush and refill, I'm afraid I will screw something up especially if you have to take off anything.
htekken, Im hoping I was checking the right dipstick, Its positioned to the right of the engine block (facing the car) and connects to the transmission (driver side).

Do I need to replace a the filter? because I heard you can do that or do a flush and refill

[mc1114]

A drain and fill is the same procedure as an oil change. Like it was said, I would do 3 of them instead of taking it to a shop and doing a flush. Not only is it pricier but they probably wont use genuine Honda fluid (I prefer using OEM ATF in newer cars).

[XLDeluxe]

Yea it does concern me giving the car to someone else cause they will for sure do a half ass job.
I was told the car needs to be running when replacing the ATF? huh?
How to I know how much to pour in? Use the dip stick?
So I refill it, drive it for 20 miles, then drain and refill, repeat 3 times?

[devi0us]

I have a 4 cylinder, but it goes like this.

1. Drive car on ramp/jack up.
2. Open hood, remove dip stick.
3. Get under car, bring drain/oil pan, open transmission drain bolt.
4. Be extra careful or you'll lose it as the fluid comes out. There's also a washer to look for.
5. Wait for fluid to drain, replace bolt.
6. Put a funnel into the hole where the dipstick went and pour in (3.3 quarts for 4 cylinder) correct amount of transmission fluid.
7. Be very slow and careful or it'll overflow and come back out.
8. Replace dip stick. Test levels to see if it's correct.
9. Take car off ramp/jacks, and drive for a couple miles.
10. Come back, let car cool off for a bit, and repeat 2 more times.

There may be differences for the V6 auto, so others can correct me. But as said before, go do this now!

[yi3o8]

+1 on change the ATF, you don't need to do it 3 times at first, but I would try to get someone to read that code if possible. It may be something simple and worth not worrying about your transportation.

You might not even need to jack the car up, I don't on my V6. Get OEM DW1 from the dealer, no exceptions on this or Honda will never believe it's a faulty part. If you use a shallow pan, try to measure the fluid that comes out as it is not always consistent. Use a 3/8 ratchet and put the square piece of the ratchet in the drain bolt, it's hard but lefty loosey. Replace the washer (the one you bought from the dealer along with the ATF) and bolt. Clean the bolt of course, there'll be a lot of gunk on it because it's magnetic.

Fill it back up with fluid, drive it for 10 minutes and check fluid level IMMEDIATELY after shutting off engine, on level ground, and hope the fluid went down in the dipstick so it reads in between the two (2) dots at the bottom of the dipstick.

Find out the error code though, it's still low miles and shouldn't have these issues.

And no, don't run the car while changing the fluid. If it's a V6, the dipstick will be tiny and you will need a turkey baster / bottle that will fit in it.

[XLDeluxe]

Thank you devious for the write up, I will do it do it tomorrow, since I wont be driving today anyways. What kind of fluid should I get? does it strictly need to be honda oem?

Also one question, I know that the V6 one has a ATF plug that you can unscrew and pour the fluid into, or people do it through the dip stick hole?

Sounds like a straightforward job, need to get a long funnel though

[XLDeluxe]

yi3o8,

how do I make sure I put enough in there without overflowing or not putting in enough fluid?
You saying that the ATF level will go down after driving? will that be normal or I will need to fill it up?

[devi0us]

Originally Posted by XLDeluxe

Thank you devious for the write up, I will do it do it tomorrow, since I wont be driving today anyways. What kind of fluid should I get? does it strictly need to be honda oem?

Also one question, I know that the V6 one has a ATF plug that you can unscrew and pour the fluid into, or people do it through the dip stick hole?

Sounds like a straightforward job, need to get a long funnel though

No prob. Go with OEM, it's the best for our cars. Here's one place you can purchase the DW-1 fluid from. It's synthetic now, as they no longer make the Z1 fluid.

http://www.handa-accessories.com/accmaint03.html

It's located further down the page. If you're looking to do this tomorrow, then your best bet would be buying direct from a dealership, but you'll probably pay a lot for it.

Good luck!

[yi3o8]

Originally Posted by XLDeluxe

Thank you devious for the write up, I will do it do it tomorrow, since I wont be driving today anyways. What kind of fluid should I get? does it strictly need to be honda oem?

Also one question, I know that the V6 one has a ATF plug that you can unscrew and pour the fluid into, or people do it through the dip stick hole?

Sounds like a straightforward job, need to get a long funnel though

I chose the dipstick because the fill bolt is hard to get off without the right tools/breaker bar.

---USE OEM--- Redline is premium fluid that some people think is too thick. Maxlife is prob good, but not OEM. For what it's worth, keep the dealer on your side with random blinking D lights and don't give them a reason to doubt you. Stay firm that you're a valued customer who is happy with Honda, but concerned about the problem.

Dealer will be a tad higher than online after shipping, but just ask them for 10% off parts, and ask for help diagnosing the light when you walk in. Someone might know if they're knowledgeable.

* I paid 7.75 a qt at the dealership, and 1.81 for the washer. I could have gotten it a bit cheaper but not for much given the convenience since the dealer is on the way home from work.

[XLDeluxe]

How many quarts do I need total, about 9?

I do not have the blinking light anymore, hasn't come on in 2 days now. I cant really be friends with the dealer since my car has been in an accident and has a salvage rebuilt title so my car is not covered in any way.

[yi3o8]

Originally Posted by XLDeluxe

How many quarts do I need total, about 9?

I do not have the blinking light anymore, hasn't come on in 2 days now. I cant really be friends with the dealer since my car has been in an accident and has a salvage rebuilt title so my car is not covered in any way.

Good to know, still worth asking them. And I did one drain and refill for starters so 3 qts. 9 If you want to do it 3 times in a row to get pink fluid. If your fluid smells like burnt toast, this is necessary. Otherwise, I prefer to give my car time between drain and refills. If you do a 3x3 (which is called a flush, but is not a power flush) then just keep the old washer on until the third refill and then replace it with the new one.