[iCracked]

Hello guys, i have a 2008 3rd gen CRV with the 2.0 and A/T, currently it's at 165k kilometers, the engine runs smooth but i kinda noticing that the shifts between gears(in drive "D" mode) are a little bit harsh or sticky, and when i use second gear only(number "2" in the gear selector), the transmission is feeling a little bit loose, the car can move but the trans is loose(sorry i cant explain it very well). I did check the ATF level + red/pink colour and its also normal, so i dont know if its normal in every CRV or i need to flush my trans fluid since i believe its the original from factory. Thanks in advance!

 

[Kazoo2U]

Welcome to the forum.

When you checked the transmission fluid level, what color was the fluid? What did it smell like? Bad fluid looks almost black, smells like burned brake shoes. Good fluid is bright pink, with a very light mineral oil smell.

Go to the 3 dots next to your avatar, click & do an Advanced Search for transmission fluid replacement. Fill in all your vehicle parameters & hit switch. You'll find a wealth of real world knowledge from folks who have had the same problem as you describe. More importantly, you'll discover what they did to correct that problem.

Honda does a great disservice to its owners when using the term "flush" in its transmission service procedure. Honda DOES NOT recommend attaching an automatic transmission fluid flush machine to your vehicle & do the reverse flush method. Tolerances inside the Honda transmission are such that machine flushing will push contaminated bits into parts of your transmission, affecting its operation. Too much contamination & you are in for a complete transmission tear down & rebuild.

The recommended transmission service for Hondas is to drain out the old fluid & refill with new fluid. Make sure you have added enough new fluid to show between the 2 marks on the transmission dipstick. Drive around for several miles, then repeat drain-fill-drive 2 more times. After the 3rd drain-fill-drive procedure, check your fluid level & top off if necessary to get to the top mark. This method replaces about 90% of the old fluid with brand new fluid. Many Honda transmissions have gone well past 250KM just by doing this procedure every several years.

Do-it-yourself transmission fluid exchange is not that difficult. Just be sure you have enough of the correct transmission fluid on hand before you drain out the old fluid. Old fluid beats no fluid every day of the week. The drain-fill-drive is a 1 person job, providing you can get under the vehicle to reach the drain plug. The fill plug is the dipstick hole.

If you have competent help, and are feeling more adventurous, you can do a complete fluid exchange through the transmission cooling tubes. Several YouTube videos out there showing you how to do this. Be forewarned: this procedure has its risks, the most damaging being running the transmission without any fluid in it. GREAT BIG MISTAKE. Again, only try this if you have competent help. THIS PROCEDURE IS NOT A 1 PERSON JOB.

Good luck & keep us informed.

 

[chidog]

I've read some stories in the past of people doing the fluid change on high time Honda transmissions and then having problems, so I elected to do a very slow fluid change. Since any new fluid and additives is better than nothing. So my first draining was about 1 quart only, then fill. I only wanted to go a few weeks then do it again, well went a few months then did about the same thing. The car only does short runs and not heavy use so. My next drain will be a full drain and fill I think that is about 3 quarts. I very accurately measure what comes out, so I know what to add back.

 

[mrtn]

If this is the original fluid then it's way past due. I would have it replaced fully by a specialist shop with an inline fluid change machine hooked up to the cooler lines. This replaces 99% of the fuid and it's not a power flush that Kazoo2U warned you of. The cheapest way would be the triple change from Kazoo2U's post that you can do yourself. Get original Honda fluid, don't mess with multi-vehicle ones.

 

[chidog]

Do not go to a specialist shop! They all use a one size fits all transmission fluid. They are not going to have a machine to fill just Honda's or just BMW's, or just Mercedes, or just Ford's or just GM's etc. etc.
All those machines would cost them a ton, and take up lots of shop space. And besides anyone that has looked into it, the warning is Do not have a machine type flush, that has caused so many transmission failures.
Make sure the proper procedure is used to check the fluid dip stick.

 

[mrtn]

Do not go to a specialist shop! They all use a one size fits all transmission fluid.

Sounds like you've been to all specialist shops.

 

[chidog]

Sounds like you've been to all specialist shops.

No I have not of course. But I actually served a small stint in one such shop, I was not impressed. They told me that they use type F fluid in Chevrolet transmissions as well as other GM units, which they did. I guess they got great deal on some 55 gallon barrels of it. That was many years ago. Then I was helping out the step son with his Mercedes and called an ultra well reguarded shop that I had dealt with before in the area, and asked what fluid they would use, yes Maxlife. Then called a german car specialist shop and they would use the correct fluid. I suppose I should have said "if the specialist shop only works on Honda transmissions then you would likely be fine". Moral of the story is, most shops want work, they know that Maxlife fluid will work for a time, and may cause problems later on down the road that will not be blamed on the fluid. So there is a possibility of a nice come back and more work. Not all shops but quite a few. So just be careful.