I have the five speed which takes generic honda manual tranny fluid. Does anyone know if this is synthetic or what weight it might be? If it's not synthetic, I was thinking I could get some royal purple or another synthetic of the same weight to replace the honda fluid.

 

Read

http://www.alldata.com/techtips/2003/20031226a.html

 

That article applies to automatic tranny fluid.

 

Same point applies. All Honda TF's have special additives. If you don't put the right stuff in, you may have problems.

 

I just changed mine with Honda Manual Transmission Fluid; at $4/qt, why use anything else?
BTW, at 115k miles, the oil that came out was still clear, and looked almost new!! Unbelievable. Changing the manual tranny fluid is a breeze, adds only 5 minutes to a regular oil change. Just get some plastic hose, and a funnel that fits the hose.