Spring Maintenance for Your Honda Drivetrain

Spring is the right time to give your Honda's drivetrain a thorough look. Honda transmissions are reliable when maintained — but they're more sensitive to fluid condition than most brands, and winter driving is harder on ATF than most owners realize. Cold starts, short trips, and stop-and-go commuting accelerate fluid degradation and moisture absorption. Here's the spring checklist I run through on Honda automatics in the shop. Honda automatics check fluid with the engine warm, in Park, on level ground. Pull the dipstick (most Accord and CR-V models have one accessible from under the hood) and look at color and smell. DW-1 in good condition is a clear reddish color — almost translucent. Pink-tinged and slightly sweet-smelling is serviceable. Brown, darker than a light caramel color, or with any burnt odor means it's overdue for a service. If it's been more than 30,000 miles or you can't confirm the last service used DW-1, do a drain-and-fill now before summer driving.

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