I always wanted my son to be interested in working on cars, but it wasn't to be.

I used to live in the Santa Monica mountains, just north of Malibu. I still miss the place a lot. I have to come out and get my "fix" regularly.

Yep it's a good trade to know. Especially when you go to a dealership and they tell you some outrageous price on a repair and the majority of the cost goes to labor.

What made you move to Texas? You heard about all of the fires they have been having down south? Crazy

You got that right. I use to live here in the bay area closer to work, but the price of housing here is horrible, so that's why I moved to Modesto and bought a house, but this was before the economy got so bad. If only I could find a job here in modest to pay me what I get paid in the bay area it would be a life saver.

L.A. traffic is brutal on cars. I used to work on Wilshire Blvd. and remember only too well what it was like.

With the price of labor these days, you can't afford not to use synthetics.

Yep the Labor is something like $65 t0 $75 an hour and that's if you are a return customer and you know someone.

Usually $100+/hour.

Either way it goes you got to pay the $$$, Just like DMV and the Court house. Something you can't get out of paying.

So since I put the 5-30w in this weekend I shouldn't change it for 6,000 miles or 6 months? The reason is because this is a much thicker oil.

With the helps on this site, you can keep a car going strong for 250,000 to 350,000 miles and not spend much money doing it. At most games, you win by playing good defense. It's the same thing with the game of life.

Update: Well on my way home last night it seems like the car was still doing the same thing it was doing before I drained the tranny fluid. On the way into work it seemed fine, but I think after it gets warmed up/stop-n-go traffic it starts the same old act. When I drained the tranny fluid I just drained it from the tranny and not the radiator lines, would this have something to do with it? I didn't do the brakes yet either, will do them on Sunday. Since the plug was so dirty I might have to see if this tranny has a screen and clean it now huh? I hope not.

I would drive it more and see if it improves. It may have been somewhat sludged up. Driving it may help dissolve any varnish and sludge that developed. Internal hydraulic pressures may improve, over time, and it will start shifting better.

Okay, but its not going to hurt anything. I usually drive it 2 days and then drive the Saturn 3 days. So I should drive the Honda the rest of the week then?

Go with your gut, but I would try it.

I'm going too. I'm going to drive it the rest of the week, by letting it sit at home its not going to mix the new tranny fluid up and run through it. I see you are a pretty busy guy on here. I saw all of the other answers you give out too. It must be a full time job for you.

Dropping and cleaning the pan, changing the filter/screen, and replacing the fluid is all most people can do to maintain transmissions. If it's beyond that, you are locking at a big repair bill.

I forgot it doesn't have a pan.

Your's just has a housing--no pan. I think all you will be able to do is to drain it again or undo the return line from the radiator and flush out what's in the converter and lines. After what you've done, I would just drain the housing again, refill it, and let it go at that.