OK...ya got me worried now. That SuperTech fluid says:
"Suitable for use in vehicles Requiring DextronII, DexronIII, and Mercon Fluids"
"Do NOT use in transmissions that specify Ford Type F, MerconV fluids or GM DexronVI fluid."

So do I go w/ the first statement and use it because it is compatible w/ Mercon as specified in the owners manual, or do I return said fluid and go find actual MerconV even thought not originally specified in the 2003 owners manual?

 

There are two schools of thought here. One is that you use what was originally recommended, which was MERCON. My problem with this is that Ford no longer licenses the production of MERCON. When they did if a manufacturer wanted to have MERCON on the label they had to submit fluid for testing. People I knew tested that fluid, including building a brand new trans and testing it with that fluid in it.

Now that there is no licensing on MERCON you have to trust that the manufacturer is creating the fluid to meet the no longer valid specification. Are they? Only they know for certain. Did they tweak the fluid so they can sell the same fluid for more uses? Once again, only they know for sure.

MERCON V is still licensed by Ford. I am VERY confident that when I buy ANY brand of ATF that says it is MERCON V that it will meet the MERCON V spec. I can't say that about MERCON.

In summary, if the manufacturer is making the fluid so that it does meet the MERCON spec it will work fine. If not, maybe it will, maybe it won't. If the fluid meets the MERCON V spec then I am confident that it will work well.

 

Edit: I didn't see Mark's response before I commented. Whatever he recommends.

 

If it was my truck, I would get the Mercon V. But that is what was recommended to me by this forum and confirmed by the dealership. So the Mercon V is what I use.

 

Mercon V is all I buy up here as well........

 

It's been clear for years now. SOMEONE (coughcoughgerrycoughcough) would know that if they had a 4R100 truck!

Just kidding Ger. Even some guys with 4R100's aren't clear on this even though its been this way (Dex III/Merc discontinued, Merc V reformulated and now recommended for the 4R100) since June 2006.

Stewart

 

OK, well looks like the SuperTech Dex/Merc will be going back to WallyWorld. Is $4.50/qt. a good price to pay for Merc V @ Napa?

 

I paid over 7 sticker (a little less after a discount for being patient). I'd say 4.50 isn't bad for non synthetic.

 

Like Mark was saying, the owners manual may be outdated, I never touched my trans fluid yet, I cant be expected to know everything, lol

 

Nice job. And all the times i did this before i always disconnected the line at cooler lol it never dawned on me to do it at trans lol easier than starting truck run up front watch fluid pour out then run back and shut it off
Im almost always solo working on my stuff

 

Thanks for the awesome thread pics n video. Having never worked on an auto trans before, the write up sounded intimidating. Your pics and video made me feel comfortable enough to try this on my own.

I actually ran the clear tube over to the driver side and fed it right into a couple of empty gallon jugs of oil. It came out slow enough that I didn't fill a whole gallon even when running it through the gears with my foot on the brake. I paused for a bit longer than you in each gear. It deal leak about 1-2 quarts where I attached the clear hose to the flared return line so u definitely want a catch pan there.

I used the valvoline ATF which said Merton v onthe front of it in yellow. $5.50 a quart at the local oriellys

 

Well, I tried this past weekend to do this procedure on 2 trucks. As I mentioned before, we are changing from Mobil1 to Schaeffers 204SOT. On Friday we did my Fathers 2002, and it went very well. The other, my 2003 not so much. No matter how many different ways we tried to hook the clear hose up, as soon as pressure built up, it would spray fluid everywhere. We were using the same hose that we used the day before on my dads truck, it was clear 3/4 inch OD 1/2 ID and I had used it on my truck back in '08 when I initially changed to Schaeffers back then and it worked. This time no matter where we clamped this sucker, before the flair, on the flair, butted up against the threaded fitting, it still sprayed fluid everywhere. We tried 3 or 4 clamps and even cut the hose to make sure there wasn't a split in it, still it made a mess. I finally gave up and went and topped it off with a couple of quarts of Castrol Mercon V and called it a day. I am thinking of asking Jiffy Lube to do it but I have trust issues with other places doing those type of jobs. If I do it, I KNOW it got done, if they do, not so much...

 

Maybe try using a bigger hose ?
I used the procedure and it did leak a little bit but not much.
Otherwise, maybe just put a drain pan under it and fab up some sort of apron so all fluid will drop in the pan ?

I wouldn't trust Jiffy lube to do this. at all.. ever

 

How about this: I'm not sure what size those threads are, but it's just a compression fitting. Get the female end of that fitting and screw it onto the return line with a piece of metal tubing.

Or maybe a barb fitting would work. Again, not sure what size is there.

 

It comes out with a decent amount of pressure, even though it's attached to the low pressure side, I don't feel confident that it could be done in a way that would not make a mess and would still allow me to see an air bubble at the critical time.