Honda Clarity Transmission Fluid Change

Savagesymbiote86

Savagesymbiote86

New Member
I was wondering if anyone found a way to change this. I did find the bolt at the bottom but i'm not sure if there's a way up top from the hood & how much to add.
 
Did you receive a prompt from the MM for this service item? The earliest recommended interval is 3 years or 47,500 miles, under certain conditions. 53F3EC12-1303-4BC6-B45D-74AD492360DB.webp
 
I’d recommend calling your nearest dealer. Prices seem to vary from one to another.

Why do you feel compelled to change the fluid at 42,000 miles?
 
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Sorry for the late reply, i have a 2012 accord that wasn't shifting right. But as soon as i changed the transmission oil it was buttery smooth. For financial reasons i want to do it on my own, I have a 100 mile round trip commute for my job. Got the car with 42,000 in Feb, as of today it's around 60,000 miles. I don't want the same thing to happen to this car as with my 2012 accord. I don't drive aggressive with either, i'll call my nearest dealer for a quote & i'll let you guys know.
 
Although the transmission in the Clarity is a completely different animal from an Accord,
I would suspect that the oil change procedure would be essentially the same.

The essence of the procedure is:
1. Drain the oil - clean any debris from the magnetic drain plug
2. Add the prescribed amount of fluid through a fairly large "Fill Hole"
3. Remove a small 'Overfill' plug and look for some fluid to drip out.
4. If nothing is dripping, add a little more fluid until it begins to drip out.

For the Accord, here is a nice video:


The Clarity manual does specify the proper amount of fluid (corroborated by the video linked by @lessismore above)...

upload_2021-7-2_7-17-8.webp
 
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Savagesymbiote86 said:
Sorry for the late reply, i have a 2012 accord that wasn't shifting right. But as soon as i changed the transmission oil it was buttery smooth. For financial reasons i want to do it on my own, I have a 100 mile round trip commute for my job. Got the car with 42,000 in Feb, as of today it's around 60,000 miles. I don't want the same thing to happen to this car as with my 2012 accord. I don't drive aggressive with either, i'll call my nearest dealer for a quote & i'll let you guys know.
Click to expand...
The Clarity "transmission" does not shift. It is simply a gear box that connects the traction motor directly to the front wheels. For reverse, the motor simply runs backwards. The only moving parts in the transmission (other than the gears turning) is the wet clutch which can connect the engine directly to the gears that drive the front wheels.
 
The fill plug is on the driver side. You will need a long funnel. I just use a 12 volt pump to pump the fluid out. What you take out you put back. You can buy these pumps on eBay or Amazon they are cheap. You can also use the pump on changing the oil Or watch video. Should answer all your questions
 
Tom Mack said:
I just use a 12 volt pump to pump the fluid out. What you take out you put back
Click to expand...
Thanks for suggestion... It sounds like this could work well.

There are a couple of caveats that I feel are worthy of some thought however:
  • You must be sure that the hose goes all the way to the bottom to get complete drainage (perhaps it was easy to tell?)
  • Removing the drain plug as an alternative to pumping insures complete drainage AND it allows you to clean any metallic debris from the magnetic plug
  • If you just replace the amount that is removed, you are not guaranteed to be at the proper level (it could have been low to start with, and you would just refill it to the same low level), The 'Overfill plug" actually insures you wind up at the correct level.
Your method is certainly easy, and should be just fine if you are careful. As a sanity check, make sure that the amount of fluid that you remove (and subsequently add) is reasonably close to the 2.23 Quarts. That gives you confidence that you did indeed get complete drainage.

Personally, I would probably use the drain plug and overfill plug, but I have access to a car lift... Most people do not.
 
MrFixit said:
Thanks for suggestion... It sounds like this could work well.

There are a couple of caveats that I feel are worthy of some thought however:
  • You must be sure that the hose goes all the way to the bottom to get complete drainage (perhaps it was easy to tell?)
  • Removing the drain plug as an alternative to pumping insures complete drainage AND it allows you to clean any metallic debris from the magnetic plug
  • If you just replace the amount that is removed, you are not guaranteed to be at the proper level (it could have been low to start with, and you would just refill it to the same low level), The 'Overfill plug" actually insures you wind up at the correct level.
Your method is certainly easy, and should be just fine if you are careful. As a sanity check, make sure that the amount of fluid that you remove (and subsequently add) is reasonably close to the 2.23 Quarts. That gives you confidence that you did indeed get complete drainage.

Personally, I would probably use the drain plug and overfill plug, but I have access to a car lift... Most people do not.
Click to expand...


Good points. You are a wise man Mrfixit
 
I would just leave the ATF alone until the car dies. Most of my mileage are done in EV so the transmission is not engaged most of the time. Why mess with it when it is running fine. The dealer might not have much experience with Clarity. They might be looking up youtube as well on how to fix this car. :)
 
Kenmathew005 said:
Does anyone have a picture of the check plug where it’s located to see the fluid level after refilling ?
Click to expand...

The video in post #11 shows the location of the fill port. The cap is just a plug with no dipstick attached to measure fluid level.

You may or may not be able to see the fluid level with the cap removed. However, without guidance on measuring the proper amount of fluid, a visual check or inserting a finger or other object into the port until it comes out wet, will yield meaningless results.
 
The Clarity transmission is moving all of the time the vehicle is moving both in the EV and HV modes. The electric traction motor is always connected to the drivetrain. The IC engine is directly connected only in the direct drive mode (a clutch engagement). However, the IC engine is always conected to the motor-generator and generates electrical energy to run the traction motor and recharge the battery in HV mode.

The transmission fluid replacement interval should be followed even if all the mileage is in EV mode.

LeoP
 
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