Does Mobil 1 ATF cover Mercon 5 applications? The bottle says it covers Mercon but nothing about Mercon 5. Thanks

 

For anyone that's interested, I checked with Mobil and their ATF does NOT cover Mercon 5 requirements.

 

Amsoil works for just about all atf applications and it's good stuff.
They also make a dam good race atf.

 

An interesting comment from a tranny shop that I trust.

He said he steers people away from syn ATF, not because he might make more money on repairs but to force maintenance. I am a synthoholic so not using syn ATF is somehwat hard for me to swallow.

His reasoning on using plain dino ATF is that people get a false sense of security when using syn. They tend not to do frequent maintenance on the tranny. the manual may say change ATF every 50K or 100K but he recommends every 12K for "normal" driving. I changed the fluid on my chebby tranny at 50K using syn blend and blew the tranny just before my next change at 100K. I saw no signs of premature failure at 50K. He said I probably would have seen problems somewhere about 10K-20K back if I had changed my fluid every 12K.

He wants us to drop the pans and take a good look around every 12K. Since he knows I do this myself, he didn't stand to make any money by telling me to do it more frequently.

Just an interesting thought that runs counter to my synful ways. Since it cost me about $2,500 to learn this lesson, I might just follow his advice. If I got lazy I might do full syn every 30K or less and dino every 12K. But the key things is to inspect the pan.

Jim Henderson

 

And so what do you put in your tranny when it comes factory filled with synthetic these days, as they all will sooner than later?
Why do you think the big car companies are switching?
What it does is help the factory to get thru there warranties, it helps them meet (or beat) there CAFE ratings, it allows them to add another mile or two per galon to that big sticker on the window while your car shopping, it allows them to keep trans temperatures a little cooler since they are adding more and more horsepower and yet smaller radiators(todays aerodynamics = less air thru to the engine). By the way, the engineers at fords drivetrain division, figured out that todays transmissions like synthetics because we don't get a big viscosity change (thicker) and it flows much better, which is what variable force solenoids and tiny tiny orifices love. Older transmissions had big ugly valve bodies with big ugly valves and lots of bigger sized orifices. Why don't we go to the doctors evry few months and have him run tests on us to make sure we're ok. Because we listen to our bodies and we know when to get checked up. And some of us , for no reason just drop dead. I am the proud owner of a 90 f250 super cab 4x4 with a 460 and a C6 in it. 170,000 miles with the original factory dino oil still in it. And it works good. I own a transmission shop and deceided when it was new that i didn't care for the way it shifted. But i became burnt out from the daily grind that i thought i would fix it right when it finally dies. It ain't died yet! It talks to me and says," thanks for paying attention, thanks for catching that leaking modulator a few years back, thanks for keeping the cooling system up to par so i didn't run even a few degrees hotter, thanks for always keeping that engine running like a top, thanks...". I'm sorry, but 12,000 mile pan drops is way too many, THESE DAYS, especially with synthetics available.

 

Jim,

My transmission guy is of the exactly same opinion. Since my E4OD takes four GALLONS, I would not change it very often with expensive synthetics. All Mercon V/Mercon fluids are semi-syn and reasonably priced. Most transmissions die because heat kills the internal seals and friction surfaces, not because metal parts wear out. Even if the fluid can withstand 300 degree abuse, the transmission "soft" parts cant. Synthetic fluid could indeed give drivers a false sense of security.

Special "lifetime" fluids in newer imported passenger cars are a cruel joke. BMW and Mercedes automatics die at about 100,000 miles because the factory does not recommend periodic service and do not even provide a dipstick to check the fluid. Chrylser FWD transaxles are so weak that they have to use a special fluid available only from the dealer.

Jim

 

The factory is looking for improved mileage, decreased maintenance costs(people don't like to do maintenance) and no problems during the warranty phase(costs the factory). If your tranny blows at 100K miles, good for the dealer. Most trannys don't blow til well after warranty is up. Dino or syn are both up to the task of lasting past warranty. I like syn for all the usual reasons, but I think the factories are recommending too long maintenance intervals. Tranny fluid for 100K is not a good idea in my opinion, maybe that is why it seems the average life is about 100K.

I use syn for almost everything but I usually go longer than the "fanatic dino user" 3,000 mile oil change and I used to go 50K(factory says 100K) on ATF for my car, but after the lecture and other postings on a chebby(4,000 members and lots of blown trannies with good maintenance) website, I am leaning to 30K or less changes with syn or 12K with dino ATF.

The shop I use, has too many customers who slack off on maintenance as it is and he feels with syn some people would just totally ignore it. And since he recommends such short intervals he felt the syn would not be beneficial. I think this is similar to dino users who do 3,000 mile changes. Good but time consuming.

The times I have had tranny failure were due to too old fluid, too low fluid(doh) or not frequent enough maintenance(which gets rid of the too old problem). The times where I did not abuse a tranny but still had failure did not give me any hard symptoms until just before rebuild. I don't wait for a tranny to totally fail before rebuild, I take them in when I notice something significant.

Some trannies live forever, but most seem to die around 100K +- maybe 20K or so. I think just based on my experience with several cars and now 5(2 abuse, 1 goof, 2 no warning) rebuilds over 30 years, I will definitely go with much more frequent ATF changes than the manual says. I will probably still use syn since that is my religion, but no more 50K on the car and the truck since I tow will be much more frequent. I have been lazy with the truck and don't change as often as I should since I tow.

Just my opinion,

Jim Henderson

 

Hello,

I want to change the atf, and according to the owner's manual, I should use Mercon, not Mercon V.
I went to he parts store to pick some up, but all the cans that had Mercon on the label also had Dextron III. Are these atfs one and the same? Or should I buy it at the Ford dealer? Thanks

 

Leo,yes,Dexron III is Mercon.

 

Hi Blue,

Thanks for setting me straight!

Leo