ATF magnetic drain plug more "stuff" than normal. Opinions Please.

4665 Views 14 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Green-Jimmy, Sep 10, 2012

rpedersen

Discussion Starter · Nov 7, 2010

I would really appreciate your opinions on this. I have a 2003 Honda Odyssey which many know have a weak auto trans notorious for high failure rate.

I have been running Amsoil Uni Synthetic ATF for some time coupled with a Magnefine In-line tranny filter. This combo I believe has allowed me to get so far 178,000 miles on the original tranny which is not the norm for these transmissions. The other day I did a ATF drain/fill and noticed more "stuff" on the drain bolt magnetic plug than normal...in fact normally I do not see anything on it. This time I did see more than normal which is alarming to me.

1) Question: How did this get by the Magnefine?
2) Question: Is this a sign that the Magnefine needs to be changed? It has only been in the vehicle for 10,000 miles.
3) Question: If I have a Magnefine installed is it even worth changing the OEM ATF filter? I have not changed it yet because of the oil jet recall making it more complicated to do so.

I know I am on borrowed time so perhaps this is the beginning of the end of my original tranny.

Thank you for your help.

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gregersonke

· #2 · Nov 7, 2010

Change all the filters, and if you haven't already added an aftermarket transmission cooler go ahead and add one now along with your fluid and filter changes.

Drive till it has actual issues like bad gas mileage, wierd shifts, etc.

The only reason I'd worry is if you had a teenager driving your van leadfooted somewhere.

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gregersonke

· #4 · Nov 7, 2010

Just don't put a super large cooler on it. Get one locally (napa or similar place) designed for a 1994 4.0L 4wd jeep cherokee and it should be enough to deal with most of your cooling issues in regards to transmission fluid.

As for the cold winters, I wouldn't worry about it. Amsoil synthetic has the ability to operate in a very wide range of temperatures (double Honda Z1).

As for the cool temps being enough to cool the transmission. Others who installed a temp gauge on the fluid found out that uber cold 0 degree winter doesn't cool the transmission very well even with with the stock transmission cooler it still overheats in the mountains.

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gregersonke

· #6 · Nov 8, 2010

William Wiles said:
You have 178k on the transmission and you are now considering a cooler. For some reason some people here think the cooler is the majic answer to all the Honda transmission problem. The only I would put on an after market cooler is if I was towing or someone in the family has a lead foot. What did the transmission fluid look like? If it was worse than normal I would do a 3 or 4 drain and fill to clean it up. The magnifine will help clean some but it foes not get all the fluid flowing through it as all the flow is not through the cooling tube. Was the gunk on the plug metal or just gunk?

This transmission gets hott quickly, and heat is one of the primary issues. You only need to floor it up to 80mph just once to change the color of stock z1 fluid.

Thats why Jasper requires thier transmissions to be installed with a cooler that they send out with the transmission.

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gregersonke

· #12 · Jul 16, 2012

Magnefine is good for about 15k at best. Remember that.

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