Transmission Oil Change

Transmission oil change intervalls

The owners and service manual recommends the following intervalls:

• Normal driving conditions: Every 144.000km / 90.000miles or 6 year (which ever comes first)
• Harsh driving conditions: Every 48.000km / 30.000miles or 6 months (which ever comes first)

Definition of harsh driving conditions

The service manual states the following definition:

• Less than 8km (5 miles) per trip on non-freezing weather conditions.
• Less than 16km (10m miles) per trip on freering temperatures.
• In hot weather climates with temperatures above 32°C/90°F.
• Extensive idling or long preiods of stop-and-go driving (e.g. as taxi or commercial deliver vehicle).
• Driving on mountainous roads.
• On muddy, dusty, or de-iced roads.
  

Additionally definition from other S2000 owners:

• Sport and fast paced driving with a lot of VTEC engagment.
• Long preiods of driving at 150km/h (93 mph) or above.
• Racetrack driving (most people recommend to change the oil after each racetrack visit).

Recommended transmission oil

See: Transmission_oil#Recommendations

Required tools and fluids

• 2L / 2qts transmission oil (or a little more if you would like to "flush" the transmission)
• New crush washer for the oil drain bolt (Honda #91409-14000)
• New crush washer for the oil filling bolt (Honda #91409-20000)
• 17mm socket
• Ratchet
• Torque wrench (39Nm / 29 lb-ft and 44Nm / 33 lb-ft)
• Oil catch pan
• Floor jack + 4 jack stands
• A lube pump since it is hard to fill the transmission without it

How to change the transmission oil

Pre-conditions and jacking up the car

• Before your start it might be a good idea to drive the car for a while to increase the temperature of the oil in the transmission.
• Put the car in the first gear and set the parking brake.
• Jack up the car on the front by using the central jacking point near the engine.
• There are two front-jacking-points on each side. Place one jack stand on each side at the jacking-point that is the furthest away from the front wheel.
• Lower and remove your floor jack and continue jacking up the rear by using the jacking point on the differential.
• Place your jack stands on the left and right side jacking points at the rear of the car.

Draining the oil

• The transmission is located behind the engine and has two bolts (drain and filling) on the drivers side.
• The lower bolt is the drain bolt while the upper one is the filling bolt.
• Place your oil catch pan below the transmission drain bolt .
• Remove the transmission oil drain bolt with a 17mm socket from the transmission.
• The transmission oil will now drain from the transmission and you might need to re-adjust your oil catch pan.

• Once all the oil has be drained I like to fill fresh oil into the transmission to "rinse or flush" the transmission with the new oil.
• Wait until no oil (either old or new from "rinsing") comes out of the transmission.

Adding new transmission oil

• Fill the new oil filter about half full with fresh engine oil.
• Use your finger to to apply fresh engine oil to the gasket of the new oil filter.
• Screw the new oil filter on the engine until the gasket touches the engine.
• Now either use a filter socket and a torque wrench to tighten to filter to 24Nm / 18 lb-ft or do 7/8 of a full turn of the filter.
• Replace the old crush washer from the engine oil drain bolt.
• Usually the crush washer will have to sides, one that has a rounded edge and one that has a sharper edge. The sharp edge should face the oil pan.
• Hand tighten the engine oil drain bolt. Then use your 17mm socket and a torque wrench and tighten it to 40Nm / 29 lb-ft.
• You can now fill the rest of you new oil into the engine.
• Start the engine and let it idle for a few seconds.
• After 10 minutes check the oil level according to: Engine_oil#Reading_the_oil_level_dipstick_correctly