[rpedersen]

Not very mechanically inclined and was going to have local Honda dealership install the magnefine I just received for my 2003 Honda Odyssey.

The local Honda dealer said they would not install this on my Honda Odyssey. They say that the transmission is already delicate enough on the 2003 year model and that any constriction or slowing of flow would destroy the tranny. I explained to them that the product box says it will not restrict flow and I know of many Honda Odyssey owners who swear by the Magnefine filter. Their response was that any fluid sent through a filter medium would cause some slowing of the fluid flow. I did not know how to respond to this. They sarcastically asked me if I poured water through a coffee filter would it not indeed slow down the flow of the water as it passes through the filter?

How do I respond to this and is it true? Obviously I will have to have someone else install it but I was not sure how to respond to what they said and whether or not there was any merit to what they were saying.

Thank you for your help.

 

[William Wiles]

I don't understand why you would take it to the dealer to have that type of work done. Go to a good local mechanic and it would be a lot cheaper than a dealer if he would do it at all
You will not find any dealer that will make any modifications that are not approved by Honda. If something happens Honda would not support or back up the dealer.

 

[davedrivesody]

The dealer's claim that restricted ATF flow through an external filter will cause transmission failure is bunk for two reasons.

1. From what I have read here, the ATF pump is a constant displacement type which means it will always deliver a constant volume of fluid at a given RPM.

2. The fluid returned from the external filter goes into the sump. Therefore, it cannot affect hydraulic pressures inside the transmission.

If they don't work on them, they don't know them! Go ahead and have the Magnefine installed elsewhere.

 

[RolHammer]

Originally posted by davedrivesody 2. The fluid returned from the external filter goes into the sump. Therefore, it cannot affect hydraulic pressures inside the transmission.

That was my thought as well. I faaaar from any kind of an expert, but from what I'm given to understand about this the dealership's claim doesn't make sense. ATF flows from the sump into the torque converter through the cooler and back into the sump. The sump contains around or about 4 L. I fail to see how there could be any material effect from the minimal flow restriction the magnefine causes. Nawp, just not buyin' what they're sellin' there.

And, hey, if these guys've got such big brains on 'em one can't help but wonder why they haven't solved the Ody's transmission problems themselves.

 

[rpedersen]

I think I might attempt to tackle this myself. I did a search on Magnefine installation using various terms on this forum and am somewhat confused on how to go about this.

I did find a step-by-step with pictures but the pictures were removed. I read some people somehow installing it from up above and most install it while underneath the Odyssey. Some report having to remove the "cowling" and others the "spalshguard". Sadly this confuses me.

If anyone is familar with how to do this could you please reply with a quick step-by-step on how to complete the Magnefine installation? I would greatly appreciate this.

 

[New Dad New Van]

I had my Honda dealer install the Magnefine years ago. No problems doing it and dismisses the possibility of accusing the install was not done by Honda should I need goodwill on a remanufactured tranny.

 

[RinconVTR]

Most Honda dealers will not install aftermarket items.

Also, installing a filter is not proven to help anything. This forum and one hudred more can say it does, but the fact is we have no technical information to prove it.

 

[New Dad New Van]

The 1999 to 2001 Odysseys did not have an ATF filter. Adding an ATF filter to these transmissions makes sense to me.

 

[davedrivesody]

The 1999 to 2001 Odysseys did not have an ATF filter. Adding an ATF filter to these transmissions makes sense to me.

Yes, and Honda added an inline filter whenever they replaced a transmission of those years.

 

[RinconVTR]

The 1999 to 2001 Odysseys did not have an ATF filter. Adding an ATF filter to these transmissions makes sense to me.

Honda doesnt have external ATF filters on any car that I know of, and if a dealer added one and you had tranny trouble later...what a can of worms! Most dealers arent about to take that risk, and I believe Honda has a big pull in the decision.

 

[New Dad New Van]

I guess I must have a good dealer as he thought it was a prudent thing to do on this transmission. He also gets the business of the drain and fills every 3rd oil change. You can see where I am headed with the dealer installing the filter and doing the ATF changes should I need to start a case for a failed transmission... All these posts of failing trannies has got me paranoid for the past 7 years.

 

[dvpatel]

I guess I must have a good dealer as he thought it was a prudent thing to do on this transmission.

You have a good dealer NDNV. My local dealer also refused to install the filter and discouraged me from installing one myself. I still do not run a filter in either the 2001 Accord V6 or the Oddy as both are under warranty and I don't want to argue with the dealers.

 

[joec42]

Just to play devil's advocate:

If it's filtering, then it probably adds some restriction to the flow path?

This means the pump has to work harder (more wear and tear) and the pressure between the pump and the filter will be higher than if there is no filter. In the extreme, if the filter is clogged completely then the pump will keep pumping until the pump fails or the hose bursts.

Or, does the filter have a significantly larger diameter than the hose such that the cross sectional area minus the filtering media is the same or greater than the original hose?

 

[Laphroaig]

Don't worry for the pump. It's driven by the engine (there should be enough power) and it's similar to a gear pump. Hoses will disconnect before the pump could be damaged.

I don't know for the Magnefine, but a remote filter is a big engine oil filter.

 

[New Dad New Van]

Magnefine ATF filter FAQs:

Will it effect my transmission performance?

With clean oil all machines will run better than when dirty. Your transmission is no exception. The Magnefine does not restrict oil lubrication flow. It¹s been tested in hot and cold conditions and approved by OEM's in Europe and USA.

Will it clog?

Magnefine double filtration is so efficient it removes 99% of all wear metal contaminants. It¹s design holds the majority of contaminants on the uniquely positioned magnet. Even if the filter element becomes full, it's safety bypass opens for full flow and the magnet still cleans metal from the system.

 

[Bartman_eh]

Ressurecting this old thread.... I just got a Magnefine filter today and blew through it as a test. It has no resistance at all - to air flow anyway. I know that fluids and air (pneumatics) have different flow characteristics but this brings up a couple of questions: does it have an actual filter element of any particular specification for particles of a certain micron size? Has anyone else noticed that you can blow through it with no resistance?

 

[New Dad New Van]

The Magnefine website offers answers to your questions on micron size etc. in their FAQs section...Magnefine--Force Field Spin-On Filter

 

[Bartman_eh]

The Magnefine website is actually quite evasive on the subject. The word "micron" does not appear on the FAQ page at all. The filter page says nebulous things like:
[1] "Filtering out ferrous particles 3 microns and up, will enhance component life by 7 times, according to Sayles & Macpherson." but it doesn't say that their filter does that.
[2] "Removing the ferrous particles in the 3 to 15 micron range with the powerful magnet, stops the wear and break down of the stabilizers." which again does not address the filter but rather just the magnet. What about non-ferrous particles?

 

[oldskewel]

Yes it does have a paper filter element. The picture on the FAQs page is a pretty good one.

First the fluid passes past a really strong donut-shaped magnet that is supposed to collect most ferrous material. Then it passes through the paper element. If that ever clogs, the bypass valve opens to allow flow.

Yes, it is completely normal for air to pass through that filter element with apparently no resistance. It is very different for ATF.

I've been using Magnefines for a while, and have them on the AT and PS on both of my cars that have AT and PS (my third has neither). I checked into it with Magnefine recently and confirmed that even though they may sell a PS-labeled filter, the AT and PS filters are identical. PS change interval is 50k miles or more. I change the AT ones at ~20k miles.

When you remove them, the filter halves can be twisted apart for easy disassembly. You can see how much stuff was in the paper element and on the magnet. I save those magnets because they are seriously strong. You should NOT spin it apart out of curiosity before you're finished with the filter because apparently that seal has not been designed for it, and it will leak (that's what I was told by magnefine when I inquired about replaceable paper elements). Not that I completely believe it.

 

[oldskewel]

I think I might attempt to tackle this myself. I did a search on Magnefine installation using various terms on this forum and am somewhat confused on how to go about this.

I did find a step-by-step with pictures but the pictures were removed. I read some people somehow installing it from up above and most install it while underneath the Odyssey. Some report having to remove the "cowling" and others the "spalshguard". Sadly this confuses me.

If anyone is familiar with how to do this could you please reply with a quick step-by-step on how to complete the Magnefine installation? I would greatly appreciate this.

On my '99, for warranty reasons I wanted to be able to remove it with no trace in case Honda were to give me a hard time about having it installed. And by the way, when I had my 3rd dealer-installed AT put in, I asked them if they thought one should be there and they said no, so rather than try to convince them I put it in myself afterwards.

(all from memory, and I have the Honda AT cooler installed)

Parts: 3/8" Magnefine filter, ~9" generic 3/8" ID ATF hose

I went in through the top, so no splashguard removal is needed here.

(Battery + battery shelf removal is not completely necessary. I just did it to get a better look at everything since I was figuring it out myself at the time, and it makes things easier to do.)

Remove battery, lift out plastic battery tray

Remove the steel battery shelf. This could be the hardest part of the whole operation.

Find the hose going from the AT to the AT cooler (flow leaving the AT). Disconnect it, with a small pan to catch whatever ATF will leak out (not too much). You will then attach a ~9" length of generic 3/8" ID ATF hose and the Magnefine in line here, secured with hose clamps that should come with the Magnefine.

Attach the filter, and place it, using zip ties or whatever to make sure it or the new hose routing is not contacting anything that could cause it to wear through. Also make sure the hoses are not capable of being pinched anywhere.

Reassemble.

Now, if you ever need to restore it to original form, it can be done so perfectly.

To change the filter from now on, you can access it by reaching down in the space between the battery and the radiator. No need to remove the battery.

If you just installed it for the first time, it is a REALLY good idea to double check that you got the flow direction right (I got it wrong once, but caught it using this check). Remove one of the fittings on the filter, then have someone crank the engine for a split second to confirm that the flow goes the right way - you don't want to make a mistake on this. The filter's flow direction is clearly marked.

The Magnefine instructions may have information about installing it upstream or downstream of the ATF cooler. It has to do with whether you're concerned with chunks of debris in the cooler coming loose and hitting the AT first or the filter first. There is no difference regarding pressure or flow. I was not concerned with the cooler debris issue and chose this setup based on reversibility and convenience.