The F-350 just turned 190,000 miles and supposedly had it changed once before ~175,000 miles when I got it, but I have my doubts. It does get used occasionally to haul 2x4s from Home Depot and other little things, but the majority of its miles are hauling a lot more. My last trip was 800 miles totaling ~16,000 pounds combined then 800 miles totaling ~20,000 pounds combined.

The F-53 just turned 95,000 miles and has had a replacement Ford reman transmission before 23,000 miles with its first owner. After that, no history of transmission anything being done to it in the otherwise meticulous records from 23,000 miles to 92,000 miles when I got it, then I did a service on it at 94,000 miles. It is always at least 17,000 pounds and often tows a dinghy. I have weighed it on trips and it is usually around 23,500 combined.

They both work well today, I just want to keep them that way.

 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​I agree that manufacturers can keep manufacturing a fluid to a certain specification after the specification has been officially retired. At the same time, just because they can doesn't guarantee that they do. Also, in this case it is for something that stays in for a long time, so I'm willing to pay a bit extra for an actual certification. Since MERCON is gone and MERCON V is the replacement, I get a certification at a better performance specification for my extra dollars.

I have to admit, so many folks swear by Supertech that I no longer think of it as last-resort swill like I did when it first came out. I see that Warren Oils also manufactures under brand names including Warren, Lubriguard, Autoguard, Itasca, Coastal, LubriGold, and Saxon. If I had any experience with any of those I'd give them a closer look.

 

This "concern" comes up fairly often. Some examples:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ans-fluid.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-v-called.html << explains why it isn't on the label.

 

The Valvoline max life full synthetic isn't for systems that require Mercon or Mercon V.

 

Obviously, you failed to read the threads I linked to....

 

Wow, those were a fun read! Funny they didn't come up when I was searching before starting this thread.

 

I read those threads. AND the document from Valvoline saying Maxlife was NOT licensed to meet Mercon V specs and if you wanted a product that DID meet Mercon V specs you should buy something else. That was my take on it anyway.
They provide a list of what they recommend us use it for and there is not a single Ford on the list. Plus they say this: ", it should be noted that MaxLife Multi-Vehicle Transmission Fluid is not an OEM licensed product. The respective vehicle manufacturers have neither evaluated nor endorsed MaxLife Multi-Vehicle Transmission Fluid in these applications. If an OEM licensed product is preferred, we recommend Valvoline DEXRON® VI, Valvoline ATF+4® and Valvoline MERCON®V for the corresponding applications."

All I care about is does it meet the proper Mercon V spec. It does not.

 

Just like they said, then buy the one that does. They sell one. In the long run, it's unlikely to make any difference in the transmission's lifespan or performance.

 

APQI also independently samples and tests fluids that are on the market

https://pqia.org/automatic-transmission-fluid/

if there is a problem with a fluid meeting a fluid specification, they will flag it here.

in fact, they initially flagged max-life on the viscosity being out of range. After conferring with valvoline, they removed the warning because the technical explanation was satisfactory.

they compare the fluid it against the original specifications for that fluid type. If it meets it, it meets it. If it doesn’t, they flag it. I’m not sure how it compares to the testing that is done by ford etc, but you can be assured that they aren’t putting 10w30 in there claiming it meets Mercon specs. Because obviously it wouldn’t pass.

 

No way, Ford quit making Mercon in 2006 and somehow the specs for it completely vanished when that happened, no one knows what it is anymore.

 

Update: I decided to go with @JWA's suggestion and use Motorcraft MERCON V . Sometimes I'm too loyal to the brand names that I favor and get tunnel vision. Motorcraft fluids seem to have a good reputation here and elsewhere, so I'll go with it.

Regarding testing, certifications, testing companies, etc., they all seem to have their plusses and minuses. I get that if Valvoline (or Castrol or Supertech or Redline or etc. etc.) says they recommend for certain applications that it probably is fine for that. At the same time, I've never seen a real apples to apples test comparing these. That's what gives me the most concern with all of this. Like several 4R100s built by the same builder on several transmission dynos, getting equally worked in controlled testing, one with Motorcraft MERCON V and the others with a selection of other fluids, and tested until they all give up one by one, then teardowns that discover what the failure was. I know, I know, this is a pipe dream and would be very expensive etc. . . . but then again would it? Each manufacturer makes bazillions of dollars selling us their claims of how good each product is, so what would be the big deal with a real test to back their claim? They wouldn't be able to see their bottom line fluctuate without a magnifying glass, and if their claims are true then they'd sell more product for more profit.

Yet none of them do this.

In the end, when I'm out on the road in the middle of summer with 25,000 pounds of motorhome etc. I'll be that much less concerned . . . or when I'm sitting on the side of the road in a 20 quart puddle of MERCON V, I won't be wondering if I did that to myself by choosing something less certified than the manufacturer's recommendation.

 

I've done that as well and when using a "better" name brand I've never been disappointed or suffered a catastrophic failure due that sort of use. Sure I've spent more money initially but the LACK of problems with a "better" product along with increased reliability I quickly recoup that expense if only in peace of mind.

That's kinda my point with using the "better" brands of anything, the remorse that sets in if we know we caused our own problems. To date when it comes to my Ford vehicles I've not heard any real problems stemming 100% from using Ford OEM or Motorcraft parts including engine oil or ATF.

As an aside my transmission builder has always recommended and used a "generic" ATF to which he uses an additive that "converts" it to a suitable formula for any one particular brand. He's never experienced an issue with that process, laughs out loud I choose to supply my own Motorcraft ATF but understands my hesitation. My point here being because this seems to be effective for most uses I wonder how important the brand is determining what's "better" and what's only barely acceptable.

 

Says the man whose job it isn't to take care of customers with torque converter clutch shudder issues TCC shudder due to incorrect fluid usage is real and VERY well documented. Ford even put out a TSB years back about using Mercon V in certain vehicles because of it

 

Just an FYI- California nailed Valvoline on their Maxlife ATF... it ends up it does not meet Mercon V specs..............

 

Citation, please. And, if that was around 20+ years ago, the original Mercon V was subsequently reformulated to prevent those issues (which made it backward compatible).

Of course, using the "incorrect" or wrong fluid is likely to cause issues. That's not the subject of this conversation.