I'm coming up on 60K, and would like to change my transaxle fluid. While doing an oil change this weekend, I noticed the nice, big, convenient drain plug -- it looks like about a 1" socket will work. My problem is, where do you put fluid in? I couldn't find any bolts on the top of the transaxle that seemed like they would work.

98 LX 5spd

 

Same size plug on front of transmission is for filling.

 

i thought there was somewhere in the engine you had to do that.... the manual i have says someting about a speedometer wire or something you have to remove and poor it in there

 

you really don't have to change the fluid in there .. it's supposedly sealed for life
Bruce

 

1st gen had the speedo gear fill .

 

there is a big bolt in the middle of the tranny. the bottom bolt is the drain. it's a messy, slimy, stinky job... but it does shift smoother. i did mine when i bought it. it had about 120k miles. no one i know does the job but i say why not? it ain't expencive and hey it's fresh fluid. no speedo cable removal nessisary if i remember correctly.

 

When I checked my tranny fluid I had to remove the battery, battery tray and look under the intake area towards the firewall. You will see a cable going into the tranny take that off and with a 10mm I think you undo the plug and check the level. I don't know if you can fill there.

My conclusion of tranny oil level was inconclusive therefore I don't know if I have oil/grease in my tranny. Ain't that nice?

 

don't use a 1" socket, look to see if it is 19mm or 24mm, maybe. Use a metric 6 point socket!!

 

its a 23 mm for the fill and either a 23 or some had 24 mm for the drain. Don't remove the smaller bolts next to the fill hole they are for the shift forks and reverse idler shaft.

 

is a manual transaxal fluid change the same as a manual transmission change just a different name for it? cause it almost sounds like two different things but both are being discussed

 

Yeah, it's the same thing--technically the car has a transaxle, as it is front-wheel-drive, but most people call it transmission anyway.

 

thanks for clarifying... i had no idea about that... still learning

 

No worries, still learning stuff everyday myself

 

i haven't changed the fluid on my protege with 88k myself. last manual trans i change fluid on was my old pos 90 accord. if anyone's ever driven one of these, u know how crapy the shifter is linked to the trans (with a cable, not a rod...) so it was hard to notice any difference in shift quality as it continued to shift like ****

i might change mine this summer, but i was always told, if you don't change your fluid on time, don't change it at all, ever... but i think that applies to automatics only.

 

I've a '95 ES with 1.8, and the tranny drain was located on the bottom, 23 millimeter, as I recall. The fill was about 8-10 inches away, and on the drivers side of the transmission facing forward. Real easy to get at with a wrench. the bolts held pretty hard, but broke away abrubtly. Be careful, I cut my finger when the wrench moved suddenly. Both the drain and the fill are the same size and look alike. I'd recommend cracking the fill before the drain in order to let the fluid (75W-90) drain more easily.

Filling is a little difficult, but I have a funnel with a short (2 foot) piece of plastic tubing attached(old beer bong!), made the job a lot easier, just snake the tube down by the battery and stick it in the fill hole. The transmission takes 2.8 quarts, when it starts to come out the fill hole, you're done. Just tighten back up and drive off.


I just did this last weekend, only took about a half hour.