I'm going to have a go at changing the ATM fluid on my 2007 Fit tomorrow but the car is so low and tight I can barely reach the drain plug. Has anyone done it without jack stands or ramps? If not, should I buy ramps or jack stands? Also, I thought the car was supposed to be level when changing the fluid. Can I still do it just putting stands under the front?

Lastly (and I know this is a bit of a ridiculous question), I saw another thread that said the ATM dipstick was behind, almost underneath the battery. If I'm facing the engine from the front of the car, I see the yellow dipstick well in front of the battery, close to the front of the car behind the radiator cap. That's correct right? Just want to make sure I'm not stupidly putting the ATM fluid in the wrong place!

 

I would HIGHLY suggest raising the car in order to do the ATF replacement. The drain plug for the transmission actually tightened fairly good so you will need a good bit of force or leverage to free it if this is the first time you're replacing the ATF. The higher off the ground, the better for you in terms of having room to get the ATF drain plug bolt loose. I personally haven't replaced ATF in a Honda on jack stands or ramps, just lifts... even then I had to put some effort into breaking the drain plug bolts loose on ANY automatic Honda for its first ATF replacement prior to getting a breaker bar (good ol' 3/8s inside of a 22mm wrench did the trick before that).

It is also recommended to replace the crush washer for the ATF drain plug (much like the washer for engine oil plug). The ATF dipstick does indeed have a yellow "handle" on it... if you were to pop the hood and first look at the upper radiator hose then lean left/right and look below it you should see it easily. Mind you, if you have big hands or fore arms it may be a little tricky to access.

I'd also recommend having at least 3 qts of ATF on hand. Our transmissions take just shy of 3 qts BUT it doesn't hurt to have extra just in case it is under filled or some is spilled. For filling, you can either use the dip stick port if you have a long flexible funnel OR remove the engine air filter box and use either the dip stick port or ATF fill port on the top of the transmission (17mm marked ATF on its top, washer doesn't "need" to be replaced).

If you use the ATF fill port instead of the dip stick port, you will need an 17mm 6-point socket, 8 to 10 inch extension, and a hammer. Put the 17mm with the extension on the ATF fill both, tag it with a hammer a few times to "crush" the washer down, and use your breaker bar/ratchet to loosen it (its just as tight as the ATF drain plug).

Anyway, a little check list for you.

Parts...

1 ATF drain plug washer (ATF fill washer optional)
Minimum of 3 qts of ATF


Tools...

3/8s drive ratchet or breaker bar
Funnel with long, flexible hose

(If using ATF fill port)
17mm socket
8 to 10 inch extension
... hammer

I hope this helps you in any way, shape or form.

 

Thanks Hootie. I bought 4 quarts of fluid today from Honda along with a few crush washers. Also bought a funnel with tube that just reaches to dip stick. I have a wrench but it's not a torque wrench. Hopefully that's still ok.

Will look into picking up a few ramps tomorrow but the question then is will it be a problem if car is not level. Getting the car up onto 4 jack stands might be a bigger job than I'm up for.