Welcome to the first part of several posts I will have about fluid changes on the S2000. You can find other tutorials about how to do these, but the more examples that exist, the better. I know some people prefer to have the dealership do these sorts of things. I feel that the more you do yourself, the more you know about your car and all its little nuances. The fact that you are saving money is an added plus.
A final thing that I will say is that as much as I tried to take helpful pictures of how to do these procedures, they are probably lacking in quantity, quality. When in the middle of a project, I was more intent on making sure everything got done correctly instead of making sure I had pictures to use in the blog later. Prepare yourself for a long post and let’s get to it!
I will begin by mentioning that some people have different ideas of how often you should change your transmission fluid. The general consensus that I have found among several of the S2000-related blogs that I visit is that you should do this change about every 30,000 miles or so in order keep your transmission properly lubricated with good oil. It would be logical to assume that if you bring your car to track days or are particularly merciless when driving your S2000, you should change the trans fluid even sooner.
First off, you need to make sure you have the correct parts. I prefer to order my parts from the Honda eStore and pick them up at my local dealer because I pick out the parts myself, get a dealership discount, and do not have to pay shipping. Their online diagrams are very detailed and it will take some time to learn how to understand them, but they are invaluable if you want to understand how the car is put together. That said, some prefer other online stores or to place orders at the parts counter of their local Honda dealership.
Oct 05, 2010 Adapter Plate Knowing that this would be the most important piece to get the motor working, I spent the first month developing a way to connect the S2000 transmission to the K series motor. Dec 02, 2010 I searched all over and never did find a DIY for rebuilding an S2000 transmission, and I needed to rebuild mine so I decided to go for it and what follows is my attempt to document my rebuild with lessons learned (this is my first transmission rebuild) Hopefully it will be helpful to someone else read more. The general consensus that I have found among several of the S2000-related blogs that I visit is that you should do this change about every 30,000 miles or so in order keep your transmission properly lubricated with good oil. JDM HONDA S2000 AP1 F20C ENGINE, 6 SPEED MT TRANSMISSION, WIRING HARNESS, ECU. COMPLETE MOTOR FOR SALE Used Jdm engines, transmissions and parts imported from Japan. Installation Available and Mechanic General. Best warranty of the industry, unbeatable prices. Tested low mileage engines and parts. Guaranteed engines and all parts. JDM TOKYO MOTOR IMPORTS 8210 RUE DU CREUSOT MONTREAL QUEBEC.
To find your Honda S2000 Transmission from a RECYCLER NEAR YOU, just enter the YEAR of your vehicle and your ZIP code in the above form and press the 'FIND' button.(What you see below is a previous search for a Honda S2000 Transmission and does not include all the Transmissions in.
Here are a few things you need to order from a Honda parts store before you get started:
- A 14 mm crush washer (Honda Part No. 94109-14000).
- A 20 mm crush washer (Honda Part No. 94109-20000).
- 3 quarts of Honda Manual Transmission Fluid (MTF) (Honda Part No. 08798-9031). The trans only holds a little less than two, but few fluid pumps reach all the way to the bottom of a container so some consolidation will need to be done and some will be lost on a clean fluid rinse.
You can use a different brand of trans fluid if you want, but I prefer to stick with OEM. Also some people skimp and reuse the drain and fill plug crush washers; I would not recommend this. If you cannot afford to spend about a dollar on each, why are you driving an S2000?
Here are some other things you will need:
- A good fluid pump that fits onto a 1 qt container.
- A jack w/ jack stands, a makeshift grease pit, or a car lift (any way to lift the car up enough to get under it). PLEASE BE SAFE AND USE COMMON SENSE WHEN DOING THIS!
- A 17 mm socket and a wrench with the proper drive for your socket.
- A 3/8″ drive ratchet.
- A rubber mallet.
- A light source to use under the car.
- An oil catch pan.
- Some miscellaneous rags and paper towels.
- A torque wrench that can accurately measure 29 lb-ft and 33 lb-ft. A torque wrench is more accurate toward the center of its range so do not use a wrench that has the desired values toward one end of its scale. This one at Lowes.com is an example of an acceptable, albeit expensive one. Also, understand the scale that your torque wrench has. Some use lb-ft, some use in-ft, and others use N·m. You can use torque wrenches that have different scales, but you will have to convert the Honda torque specs to fit your wrench.
Start by elevating the car. I show how I did it below. I had some heavy duty ramps and big blocks of wood to hold the car up. I fashioned some makeshift wood ramps to help using some large blocks, some long planks and heavy duty nails to make the ramp angle even shallower.
How I lifted the S2000. If you do something similar; put the car in gear, set the parking brake, and put blocks of wood under the wheels after the car is on the ramps.
Set your oil catch pan under the car in the general area of the transmission. Get your 3/8th drive wrench, the 17 mm socket (which is hopefully a 3/8″ drive for convenience), the rubber mallet, some rags, and head under the car. Use the 3/8″ drive to to remove the drain plug. Use the rubber mallet to hit the ratchet handle to break the plug free in one quick motion. Make sure the crush washer comes with the plug and does not stick to the transmission exterior. The trans fluid will shoot out at first so place the pan accordingly. It will probably look golden brown, similar to slightly used engine oil; it is quite different from the clear appearance that the new fluid has.
Use the 17 mm socket and wrench to take the fill plug out using the rubber mallet again the same manner. Be sure you have the crush washer. As the fluid continues to drain, you can get out from under the car and change out the old crush washers. The 14 mm crush washer (Honda Part No. 94109-14000) goes on the drain plug. The 20 mm crush washer (Honda Part No. 94109-20000) goes on the fill plug.
If the fluid has finally finished draining out you can open on of the trans fluid bottles and attach the fluid pump to the top of the bottle. Grab the opened bottle, the torque wrench, the plugs with fresh crush washers, and head back under the car.
Location of tranmission drain and fill plugs under the car (shown with plugs removed).
Take the trans fluid and squirt a few pumps in through the fill hole to flush a little more of the old fluid out. Once the fluid comes through clear and it stops dripping, put the trans drain plug back in. Using the torque wrench, tighten it to 29 ft-lb. Theoretically you could do the old school method of tighten the plug till it is snug then giving it another quarter turn or so, but I prefer to follow what the manufacturer recommends.
Here is where it gets messy (at least for me because I had an inferior fluid pump that leaked). Start pumping fluid in through the fill hole. It will take almost two bottles, but you will know when it is full when fluid starts to leak out the fill hole. Once it starts over flowing; grab the fill plug, squirt a few more pumps into the transmission, and quickly screw in the fill plug. Using the torque wrench, torque the plug to 33 lb-ft. Wipe up an excess fluid from the exterior of the transmission.
That’s it; you are all done! Put away the tools, let the car down, and take the car for a drive with the top down. Don’t forget to think of the money you saved!
If you can change your oil then you're more than equipped to handle the transmission fluid. The only trick is getting the new fluid into the transmission - to do it you'll need a fluid pump to pump the fluid up and into the transmission. You can pick one up online or buy one from any local auto part store.
In this guide I used Pennzoil Synchromesh based on several recommendations from various S2000 forum members, but you may use Honda MTF or some other compatible transmission fluid.
- Jack stands (2)
- Ramps or some wood planks, the front of the car is extremely low.
- Fluid disposal container (plastic drink or kitty litter jug)
- 17mm wrench/socket - six-point recommended
- Torque wrench with 17mm socket (Optional)
- Cardboard and paper towels for spills/cleanup
- 2 bottles (2 US Quarts) Transmission Fluid (Honda MTF or Pennzoil Synchromesh)
If you notice your shifting feels less smooth as it used to you then you may be in need of new transmission fluid.
The owner's manual recommends changing the transmission fluid every 120,000 miles or every 8 years, whichever comes first. Under severe conditions the interval is every 60,000 miles or every 4 years.
Prepping your workspace
Gather your tools and get ready to jack up your vehicle.
Jack up your car
Jack up the front of the car using the front jack point. The jack point is black steel with two protruding spots, as shown in the picture. My jack is not low-profile enough to fit underneath the car so I drive up on some low-profile ramps before I jack up the car. Your mileage may vary.
Place the jack stands at the two side jack points at the front of the car, and carefully lower the car onto the jack stands. Always use jack stands! Your jack is built to raise and lower your car, not to keep it raised while you monkey around underneath.
Now give the car a good push and make sure it's nice and sturdy!
The area you'll be working with is in the center of the car. The two bolts are on the driver's side of the transmission.
Put your fluid drain pan and cardboard underneath the drain bolt.
Prepping the transmission fluid bottle
S2000 Transmission Oil
Now that the fluid is draining you can get the pump ready. Attach the pump to the bottle - it should be a universal fit pump.
Prepping the drain bolt
Clean the drain bolt thoroughly then put the drain washer on. You want the flush side of the washer to connect with the side of the transmission to create a solid seal, so put the washer on with the sharp edge pointing out.
Adding the new fluid
S2000 Transmission Rebuild
Remove the fill bolt using your 17mm wrench or socket wrench. You'll probably need some elbow grease to remove it so just be careful not to whack your hands against the car once the bolt comes free. If using a socket I recommend a 6-point socket to get a better grip and to prevent rounding off the bolt.
Put the drain bolt back on and tighten it. If you have a torque wrench then tighten it to 39 Nm (29 lb ft)
Now you can use the pump to pump the new fluid into the reservoir. Since you'll be adding about 1.6 quarts you'll end up emptying a bottle and most of a second bottle.
S2000 Transmission Rebuild
When fluid begins to escape from the fill hole then the reservoir is full, as shown below.
Honda S2000 Transmission
Prepping the fill bolt
Similar to the drain bolt you'll want to clean the fill bolt and put on the washer (with the sharp edge pointing out)
Wrapping up
Clean up the fluid and tighten the fill bolt - tighten to 44 Nm (33 lb ft) if you have a torque wrench.
Dispose of your used oil in a used oil receptacle. Most auto parts stores have recycling that will accept used automotive oil.
- Fill washer: Honda part #94109-20000
- Fill bolt: 17mm, torque to 44 Nm (33 lb ft), Honda part #92800-20000
- Drain washer: Honda part #94109-14000
- Drain bolt: Slotted for 3/8' drive, torque to 39 Nm (29 lb ft), Honda part #90081-PB6-000
- Transmission fluid: 1.56 US Quarts (1.48 L) for change, 1.71 US Quarts (1.62 L) for overhaul