at low mark when hot. Just had drain and fill done at dealer 50 miles away. Could this do any harm to the transmission? It says in the manual it should between the upper and lower marks. How many ounces would it take to get it in between the marks? Thanks

 

throw in half a quart and recheck.

be sure to use honda fluid of course. There are usually ZERO local alternatives that work as well. Honda has gotten a bit more serious about there automatic transmissions in past years

 

Plan on taking it back to the Honda service center where it was performed . So , is it o.k to drive it at that level ? Thanks for the quick response .

 

We were charged for 3 quarts of the DW-1 . The owners manual states 2.6 quarts for a drain and fill . Obviously they didn't use all 3 if it's reading at the LOW mark when HOT . It was at the LOW mark ( Cold ) when checking it after sitting overnight before taking it in . Checked it COLD after sitting overnight today and it's now below the LOW mark .

 

you dont have an accurate reading when cold.

Transmission fluid level should ALWAYS be checked hot.

Go for a short drive, perhaps pick up a few forgotten things at the grocery store.

Come back, let it idle until the radiator fan kicks on at least once.

Then check the level. If it is STILL too low, call the dealership you had your service done at, tell them you checked the level when it was warmed up, say you were charged for 3 quarts, yet its still low. Let them know there are zero signs of leaks. ASK POLITELY for them to send a free quart of tranny fluid.

If it is indeed below the LOW marking even when fully warmed up, just make sure you are driving smoothly and carefully. You dont need to baby the crap out of it and go 25mph on the highway, just avoid doing dozens of gear shifts and completely avoid heavy throttle

 

I checked it twice after the fan came on and th car was turned off waiting 60 > 90 seconds to check the level on the stick . First time I drove it about 7 miles and let idle until fan came on , turned it off and it read right at the LOW ( cold ) mark . Second time we traveled 30 something miles and then let it idle until fan turned on and shut off engine . That time it showed slightly above LOW ( cold ) mark . Will try to get it in tomorrow or soon as possible . Figure a 1/2 a quart should get it somewhere further up the stick . Will recheck that not far away from dealer in case it's still low and need to go back . It's the service center responsibility to get it correct after being paid $70 .

 

Engine needs to be running when you check it. regardless, you are a bit low. You are NOT in teh danger zone, so have no worries. Make sure you talk about why they charged you for 3 quarts when its obvious they did not finalize the job.

Give them benefit of the doubt though. Perhaps a main guy was doing the job, had a regular customer come in, and he handed the task to a newer person who was not familiar with how this crap goes.


That is the biggest reason I try to maintain calm and collected when dealing with shops and dealerships.

 

Thanks . On page 261 of the Owners Manual under Automatic Transmission Fluid it states :

Park on level surface . Start engine , let run until radiator fan comes on , then SHUT OFF the engine . For accurate results , wait 60 seconds ( but no longer than 90 seconds ) before pulling the dipstick , cleaning it off and inserting for level of transmission fluid . Fluid should be between the Upper and Lower marks . Then on page 321 under SPECIFICATIONS it shows 2.6 U.S. quarts for change ( drain and fill ) .

 

Go by that info.

Im used to older cars