On the 10th-gen Civic, "automatic" means CVT, and Honda intends it to be serviced by drain-and-fill rather than a flush. The whole job is a plug on the bottom, a plug on top, and about 3.3 quarts of Honda HCF-2. The drain plug is the only quirk: on most cars it has a 3/8 inch square recess, so you push a bare ratchet or extension into it instead of using a socket.
The mistake people make is fluid choice. HCF-2 is not interchangeable with HCF-1 or DW-1, and the wrong fluid shows up as shudder or belt slip that no amount of refilling fixes. The second mistake is draining before checking that the top fill plug will actually come loose - do that first, every time. If your Civic is a Si, Type R, or any 6-speed manual, this page does not apply; those take Honda MTF.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Floor jack 2 ton minimum Lift the front of the car to reach the drain plug. | Required | shop |
| Jack stands 2 ton pair Support the car level on both sides while draining. | Safety | shop |
| Wheel chocks Block the rear wheels before lifting. | Safety | shop |
| Socket set 10 mm and 12 mm sockets, 3/8 in drive Remove the lower engine splash shield / air deflector bolts. | Required | shop |
| Trim clip / panel removal tool Plastic pry set Pop the plastic push-clips holding the front splash shield. | Recommended | shop |
| Ratchet and extension 3/8 in drive, 6 in extension (bare square fits drain plug) The CVT drain plug has a 3/8 in square recess on most units; insert the drive directly. | Required | shop |
| 17 mm socket 17 mm 6-point, 3/8 in drive Backup in case your car's drain plug is the hex-head type instead of square-recess. | Recommended | shop |
| Drain pan 5 qt low-profile Catch roughly 3.3 qt of old CVT fluid. | Required | shop |
| Torque wrench 3/8 in drive, 10-80 ft-lb Torque the drain and fill plugs into an aluminum case. | Required | shop |
| Drain plug crush washer 18 mm sealing washer, Honda 90471-PX4-000 One-time-use washer; reusing it invites a seep. | Consumables | shop |
| Fluid transfer pump Hand pump with hose, or long flexible funnel There is no dipstick; fluid goes in through the top fill plug with limited clearance. | Required | shop |
| Honda HCF-2 CVT fluid 3.5 US qt (refill approx. 3.1 L / 3.3 qt) The only approved fluid for this CVT. | Parts | shop |
| Measuring container Clear, marked in quarts/liters Measure what drained out so you can put the same amount back in. | Recommended | shop |
| Shop rags and brake/parts cleaner Clean the plug area and any spill on the subframe. | Consumables | shop |
| Nitrile gloves and safety glasses Hot fluid runs down your arm when the plug comes out. | Safety | shop |
| Infrared thermometer Confirm fluid is in the specified temperature range if you do the overflow level check. | Recommended | shop |
Tool sizes are identical for the 2.0 L K20C2 and 1.5 L L15B7 turbo CVT cars; only refill volume differs slightly, so measure what you drain. Sport and Touring 1.5T models sit lower but use the same 10 mm splash shield hardware. Manual-transmission Si and Type R models use a different drain/fill setup and Honda MTF.
| CVT drain plug | 36 ft-lb (49 Nm) |
| CVT fill / level plug | verify in the service manual |
| Lower splash shield bolts (10 mm) | 7-9 ft-lb (10-12 Nm) |
| Wheel lug nuts (if wheels removed) | 80 ft-lb (108 Nm) |
Drain plug drive type varies between the square-recess and hex-head style across the generation, so bring both a bare 3/8 in drive and a 17 mm socket; confirm the exact refill volume and fill-plug torque for your year and transmission code in the Honda service data.
Honda HCF-2 CVT fluid only, about 3.3 US quarts for a drain-and-fill and roughly 5.3 quarts dry. HCF-1 and ATF DW-1 are not substitutes and will damage the belt-and-pulley drive.
Most 10th-gen units use a drain plug with a 3/8 inch square recess, so you insert a bare 3/8 in drive extension or ratchet. Some plugs are a hex head that takes a 17 mm socket, so have both on hand.
Honda's maintenance minder will call for it, typically around 25,000-30,000 miles under normal use. Many owners shorten it to every 25,000 miles, or 15,000-20,000 with heavy city driving or towing.
No. Level is checked at the fill/level plug on top of the transaxle with the car level and the fluid within a specified temperature range - fluid should just reach the bottom of the hole. Most DIYers simply refill exactly what they measured out.