Honda Fit GD1 transmission fluid: ATF or HMMF?

[thesentinal123]

Hello all,
I have a 2005 Honda fit GD1 and I am really confused which transmission fluid to use. The gearbox dipstick says "ATF" but the Honda dealership says that HMMF should be used. I know that ATF and CVT are two different types of transmissions, and using the wrong fluid could cause severe damage. Do all the Honda Fit GD1 have CVT transmissions? If so, why "ATF" is written on the dipstick?
Please advice me which transmission fluid should I use.

Thanks.

[RayS]

Is your Jazz manual or cvt?
If it is manual, use the Honda MTF-3 oil.
Below is a post I made when I changed mine last year.
I no longer own the car.

 You will need 1.6L of Honda mtf oil. This comes in 1L bottles. The drain plug is located close to the driveshaft & the fill plug above it. Make sure you can undo the fill plug before removing the drain plug or you will be in big trouble!
 The crush washers are different sizes. The drain plug is the same size as the engine oil drian plug. The fill plug is larger at 28mm O/D. I used a 5/8" PVC hose along with a 5/8" 90 degree barbed angle to refill. I found it easier to remove the battery & tray to allow easier access to insrt the fill pipe from above after faffing about trying to insert it from below. There are youtube videos to help.

Fill plug Crush Washer is 28mm O/D, 20mm I/D & 2mm thick.
Honda part number: H9410920000. £0.85 each.
Drain plug crush washer 22mm O/D 14mm I/D X 2mm.

Changing the oil has made a noticable difference to the gearchange. I can almost flick between gears with my little finger now. So, I would recommend changing it.

[sparky Paul]

Do all the Honda Fit GD1 have CVT transmissions? If so, why "ATF" is written on the dipstick?

Many regions certainly did get conventional automatic gearboxes in the Fit/Jazz, they are not all CVT. Here in the UK, we only had the manual and CVT, so advice will be limited. It does sound like you may have a conventional auto, if 'ATF' is marked on the dipstick.


You should be able to identify with the following.

The CVT has a fully manual mode with paddles behind the left and right of the steering wheel. Do you have those?

I believe the conventional auto has positions for gear 3 & 2 on the gear selector. Do you have those?


Honda HMMF is definitely for CVT gearbox, ATF for the conventional auto.

[thesentinal123]

Is your Jazz manual or cvt?

It is an automatic transmission (it has PRNDSL on gear stick, no paddle shifts on steering wheel), but I don't know if the gearbox is a conventional auto or CVT. The dipstick says "ATF", but the honda dealership says that HMMF (which is designed for CVT gearboxes) should be used. Is there another way to identify if the gearbox is conventional auto or CVT other than looking at the dipstick or taking the gearbox apart?

[thesentinal123]

You should be able to identify with the following.

The CVT has a fully manual mode with paddles behind the left and right of the steering wheel. Do you have those?

I believe the conventional auto has positions for gear 3 & 2 on the gear selector. Do you have those?

I have only PRNDSL on the gear selector, and no paddle shifts behind the steering wheel. Is there another way to identify if the gearbox is conventional auto or CVT other than looking at the dipstick or taking the gearbox apart?

[Jocko]

As I see it, the problem here is that configurations sold in other markets can be quite different from those available in the UK. Here, we have only seen the i-shift, an automated manual gearbox using regular gearbox oil and the CVT using specialised oil. However, Honda has fitted conventional auto boxes to other models, and they use ATF in the gearbox.
Wiki says:
The engines are mated to a five-speed manual, five-speed automatic, and continuously variable transmission (CVT), depending on the region

Now whether this refers to the i-shift is anyone guess.
One question I have is, does the car drive like it has a slipping clutch or does it just change gear like a "normal" car? I don't think a driver could mistake a CVT gearbox.
Did the i-shift have a dipstick on the gearbox? My manual doesn't.

[sparky Paul]

it has PRNDSL on gear stick, no paddle shifts on steering wheel

The CVT has an 'S' position for 'sport', but some conventional auto also have 'S' for 2nd gear. However, I haven't seen a CVT with a 'L' position, generally meaning 'Low' on a conventional auto. Can anyone else confirm?

Wiki says:
The engines are mated to a five-speed manual, five-speed automatic, and continuously variable transmission (CVT), depending on the region

Now whether this refers to the i-shift is anyone guess.

They were definitely fitted with conventional auto gearboxes in many markets.

I just had a look at the GD1 Fit owner's handbook to see if the automatic dipstick location is different to the CVT in the Jazz Owner's handbook, and they use the exact same diagram! The only difference is Jazz handbook says use Honda CVT fluid, the Fit handbook says use Honda ATF-Z1... 

The only difference shown is the dipsticks...

the Fit one is marked

  o cold o HOT o

The Jazz CVT one is marked

   ####  HOT

the hatched bit being the target.

Did the i-shift have a dipstick on the gearbox? My manual doesn't.

I wouldn't have thought so.

[sparky Paul]

I suppose the best question is... what happens when you plant your foot on the floor from a standstill?

If the engine screams, and it feels like a slipping clutch, it's a CVT.

If the revs rise with the roadspeed and you get normal, stepped gear changes, it's a 5AT conventional auto.

[VicW]

The CVT has an 'S' position for 'sport', but some conventional auto also have 'S' for 2nd gear. However, I haven't seen a CVT with a 'L' position, generally meaning 'Low' on a conventional auto. Can anyone else confirm?
[/quote
I have owned two GD1 Jazz's with the CVT box and they had an 'L' position on the gear selector. I think it was dropped when the CVT was re-introduced in the 2011 facelift.

Vic.

[sparky Paul]

I have owned two GD1 Jazz's with the CVT box and they had an 'L' position on the gear selector. I think it was dropped when the CVT was re-introduced in the 2011 facelift.

Yes, you're absolutely right Vic, it even shows PRNDSL in the UK owner's handbook... so that's no use for indentification. I looked at quite a few CVT gear selector photos on google, but didn't see one with Low on it.

I don't suppose the lack of paddles is conclusive either - there's no reason they couldn't make a variant without them.

This is getting tricky!

[VicW]

I think that there was a short period when the paddles were dropped, I think on the late Mk2's. There were comments on the forum that some owners found them missing. I could never see the point of them anyway on a car like the Jazz, I know some drivers use them for downhill engine braking but the CVT box does that anyway

Vic.

[Jocko]

The o/p's car is a 2005. My Mk 1 manual does not show CVT paddles on the Mk 1.
As I said earlier, how it drives will tell whether it is a CVT or not, as reiterated by sparky Paul.
"Slipping clutch" - CVT.

[thesentinal123]

I suppose the best question is... what happens when you plant your foot on the floor from a standstill?

If the engine screams, and it feels like a slipping clutch, it's a CVT.

If the revs rise with the roadspeed and you get normal, stepped gear changes, it's a 5AT conventional auto.

I tried that on a flat surface, I heard no slipping noise. However, when I tried it uphill, I hear the slipping noise for two seconds and it stops. Does it mean that my gearbox is CVT? My dipstick has "o cold o HOT o" and "ATF" is written on the cap. I am really confused which transmission fluid should I use.

[Jocko]

Sounds like a standard auto with ATF, as on the dipstick. The couple of seconds you report, on a hill, just sounds like the auto box changing down.

[thesentinal123]

Ok, thank you all for your support. I will try to use ATF-DW1 fluid.