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Thanks in advance for any help here. I have 1988 E350 7.5L V8 van. One of those Dearborn Camper Vans. Its quite new to me and I have been running through a checklist of what I need to do before a cross-country road trip. One thing I am stuck on is the transmission fluid I need. I'm stocking up any fluids that may be required during the trip. I have read through a few forums without finding much of an answer. I unfortunately do not have the users manual for it. The dipstick just says mercon oil. I have attached a picture of the dip stick. Going to local shop they looked it up and just gave me the Valvoline Max Life Dex/Merc LV. Not sure if I trust them. After some research, it seems that the low viscosity could be detrimental if it's not compatible with what's currently in there. Any suggestions on what I should be using?
Welcome to FTE! I would love to have one of the Dearborn Camper Vans..
You didn't say which transmission you have in your camper..
I would guess either a C6 or a AOD
My 88 E150 has a AOD in it and the shift indicator has an A in a white circle, a D, and a 1.... The C6 transmission would have D,2, 1.
Mark Kovalsky is our transmission specialist and he recommended Mercon V when I changed the fluid in my 88 E150 with an AOD.
Maybe Mark will chime in or someone else that knows better then me about mixing fluids.
When I changed the fluid in my 85 E150 with a AOD transmission I used MerconIII.
If it is a OD transmission do not use type F... Type F was used in the C6 but not sure if it was still being used in the C6 in 1988.
Do you know when the fluid was changed last? Changing the fluid would solve the problem of taking a chance on mixing different fluids and probably a good thing to do if you do not know when it was changed last.
Hey! Thanks for the response. The transmission is a C6... I'm pretty sure. It has the P, R, N, D, 2, 1. I am pretty sure it is not type F. Especially according the dipstick.
I am slightly wary to do a full transmission flush. The van has 99,000 miles on it and I highly doubt the transmission was flushed before. I don't want to do a full transmission flush and then have it crap out 500 miles into my 1,600 mile journey. When I get to my destination I may do a full flush, but just want to be covered for the trip back.
I have a Haynes user manual coming in the mail and hoping that will give me some more insight.. but not overly optimistic. Figured if I post on here someone may have had a similar issue.
I wish you would have posted before you bought the Haynes manual! Here is a couple of the best manuals you can have... Both are by Ford...
1988 Ford Truck Shop Manual 6 Book Set on CD F150 F250 F350 Bronco Van Service Manual https://www.ebay.com/itm/1988-Ford-T...38.m2548.l4275
And a note from this article is:
The year 2008 saw the release of Mercon LV, a synthetic-based fluid that is not compatible with any previous Mercon specifications. Transmissions requiring LV include the rear-wheel-drive Ford 5R110 Torque Shift and 4R75/WE transmissions, as well as the front-wheel-drive 4F27E, AW ECVT, 6F50/55N and the 6F35N.
Going to local shop they looked it up and just gave me the Valvoline Max Life Dex/Merc LV.
Do NOT use that fluid in a C6! It will kill it.
You need MERCON V fluid, not MERCON LV.
Originally Posted by slingshot88
I am slightly wary to do a full transmission flush.
Why? Are you worried that it will cause the trans to fail? That's an old wive's tale. A trans that is not damaged can only be helped by new fluid, not harmed.
Originally Posted by slingshot88
I have a Haynes user manual coming in the mail
Do you have a bird? Those manuals are useful for pages to line the bottom of bird cages. They have no use working on a vehicle.
I have an '88 E250 with a C6. I use Valvoline MaxLife.
Mark, MaxLife says it is a synthetic that is compatible with Dex/Merc and Mercron LV. What are your thoughts on this? Am I good using this fluid in my Mercron V trans, or would you say switch it to a Mercron V only fluid?
Also, I use the method above to change my trans fluid about once a year and have had no negative effects. I started doing it shortly after I purchased my van with 125K miles. Not sure if it was ever done before that.
I now have 235K on it and it still works perfectly.
My wife's Sienna has 230K on it. It's trans supposedly never needs to have the fluid changed. It started to shift funny at partial throttle every once in a while. I used the above procedure to change the fluid in it. That was 20K miles ago and we haven't had any shifting issues since. Changing the fluid won't replace/repair broken or worn parts, but it can help the trans work as designed.
I say this procedure is a "Fluid Change" and not a flush. It doesn't use any chemicals, reverse flows etc etc etc. All you are doing is using the trans pump to pump out the old fluid while you replace it with new. If you do it, just make sure you watch the fluid coming out since, for mine, it pumps out slightly faster than I can pour it in. I have to turn the van off from time to time during the process to catch up on the filling.
I have an '88 E250 with a C6. I use Valvoline MaxLife.
Mark, MaxLife says it is a synthetic that is compatible with Dex/Merc and Mercron LV. What are your thoughts on this? Am I good using this fluid in my Mercron V trans, or would you say switch it to a Mercron V only fluid?
The specs for MERCON and MERCON V are quite a bit different than those of MERCON LV. Maybe they can make one fluid that covers all of them.
I'd prefer to use a fluid that says MERCON V in a MERCON V application.
Haha. I really should have posted on here before purchasing anything. Thanks for the response Mark. I don't have a bird, but can probably use the pages as a firestarter out here in the wet and rainy PNW.
Merc 5 it is! I'll be looking into a full tranny fluid change once I get to my destination.
I don't mean to argue with you because you are a professional at this... and I am not at all.. But according to the page I posted above from my 88 service manual, the one that says Automatic transmission refill capacity, at the bottom, if I understnad the chart correctly, the E150-E250 and F150-F250 might have a AOD if it is a 4.9 or 5.0 engine.. If the engine was a 5.8 or larger, it would have to be a C6 and none of the E350's had a AOD
That could be wrong though because I have found a couple of mistakes in my EVTM also.
I say this procedure is a "Fluid Change" and not a flush. It doesn't use any chemicals, reverse flows etc etc etc. All you are doing is using the trans pump to pump out the old fluid while you replace it with new. If you do it, just make sure you watch the fluid coming out since, for mine, it pumps out slightly faster than I can pour it in. I have to turn the van off from time to time during the process to catch up on the filling.
I used this method to flush a transmission that had black fluid and was slipping so badly I didn't think I'd make it home. When cool it was okay, but once warmed up, it slipped like it banana peels.
I have since put almost an additional 100k on that transmission, and it's still going strong at almost 300k.
Doing a machine-based "power flush" can wreck a transmission. Replacing dirty fluid with clean fluid will not do anything but good.
Well, okay, if your transmission has mechanical damage replacing the fluid will be a waste of money, but it's not going to make things worse.
I don't mean to argue with you because you are a professional at this... and I am not at all.. But according to the page I posted above from my 88 service manual, the one that says Automatic transmission refill capacity.
At the bottom, if I understand the chart correctly, the E150-E250 and F150-F250 (I said nothing about F150/250, just E250/350) might have a AOD if it is a 4.9 or 5.0 engine.
Pic: A/T applications for 1988. Where is E250/350 with AOD? No see um.
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