Its a manual trans. Sometimes its hard to shift into 1st and reverse. They guy at AutoZone told me I needed gear oil, short for [Regular] Mercon (thats what the dealership told me I needed for my truck). The guy at AutoZone told me what to look for under the truck, and how to do it. (he also said I could just remove the shifter and the boot, and there would be a whole to pour the oil in, but its not a god idea to do it that way cause you wouldnt know how much to pour in and that could hurt the trans).

I was also told at AutoZone that I cannot use ATF, that would also hurt my tranny. Somebody said something about "Well, if you mean 'gear oil' as in tractor oil, then thats wrong, you need Mercon ... blah blah blah" Im not completely stupid. Nor do I live ANYWHERE near a tractor (thank God). All I was asking for was a picture of that little box/pumpkin shaped whatever you guys want to name it.

I would really appreciate it.

 

I wasn't implying you were dumb or anything, it's just that I thought I could use normal gear oil at first as well, but it surprised me when I read my Haynes manual that my transmission used AT fluid.

What year, driveline, etc. do you have? If it has the M5OD transmission, then it uses AT fluid. Like I said, the Dexron/Mercron formulation from CarQuest or some such is acceptable.

 

I have a 99 F-150. I am getting ready to change my transmission fluid this weekend. I checked my Chilton repair manual awhile back and read that Ford recommends Mercon V automatic transmission fluid for the 5 speed over drive manual gearbox. I was thinking 80/90W like my other car so when I saw Mercon ATF I called a Ford dealer and spoke to a mechanic who said yes use Mercon V ATF in that transmission. As for assuming what trans you have. You need to identify it for certain and then contact someone who works on them all the time. Never assume anything when working on a vehical. A previous owner could have made changes and you could wind up destroying your transmission if you use the wrong lube. Call a Ford mechanic, tell them what trans you have and they will let you know what to use. Have a good weekend and hello to all Ford owners out there. My 1999 F-150 is my first Ford and I really like it. It rides super smooth and is rugged as hell.

RM

 

I just bought some royle purple synthetic and nice smooth shifting now and also quiet.

 

another method you can use for getting the fluid into the trans without a pump is by getting a bottle of gear oil that has the nipple on the lid. take this lid and screw it onto the atf fluid bottle. voila. its cheap! and then you can use the gear oil for the differential while your at it and kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

 

Nitetrain,

You said to tighten the plugs just a little more than hand tight, Is there a specified torque for the plugs?

 

The torque spec for the M5OD on my Ford CD is 30-43 Ft/Lb.

 

Thanks,

I'm going to save this thread so I can do mine

 

Informative thread!

Got a coupla' questions...
I just got a 2000 B2500, but don't have a manual for it. Is this the tranny I have, or was there a different 5 speed offered?
The clutch was repalced fairly recently. Is it necessary to drain the tranny fluid for a clutch swap, or might it be way overdue....the only clutch replacements I've done have been in old air-cooled VW's.
TKS

 

yes, you also have a M5OD witch takes a.t.f. as the recomended fluid. id change the fluid, unless you knew for sure it had been recently done. i change mine out about every 2 years. fresh fluid is never a bad idea.

 

If you had your clutch done at a decent shop or by a decent tech, I'd be real surprised if you didn't get new fluid as part of it. Unlike the old cable operated jobs in VW bugs, the M5OD has a hydraulic clutch and there is a slave cylinder in there that should be replaced while the transmission is down. Doing that is part of why I'd expect a fluid change. Whoever did your clutch would have done you no favors by leaving the old slave in there, so I'd check with them on that and the fluid swap.

 

i did a fresh change with dexIII/merc and it shifts like crap.
it actually worked better with the old black fluid that was in it.
tomorrow i am going to try and go with merconV instead.

on this forum people say to use dexIII/merc
what do you guys use for fluid in the m5od trans? how much - The Ranger Station Forums


but ford says merconV is the actual replacement LUBE REPORT: Ford Pulls the Plug on Mercon

 

i actully like a product called syncromesh fluid from pennzoil. its not a synthetic, but is ment for manual transmissions/transaxles. royal purple has a simalr product called syncromax which is a synthetic. the pennzoil fluid is available at autozone for about $7 a qt. ive ran it for 2 years now. ive also heard of some using 5w30 motor oil before. just dont use 80-90 gear oil. ive tried various types of a.t.f.'s and not noticed any difference between types. mine is a rebuild trans, got about 4 years on it now since put in. it actually had a tag on it when i got it that saud "use 5w30 mobil1 engine oil" i did use that for the first 6 months. seemed to work fine. the only thing i dont like about the pennzoil is the 1-2 shift is kinda stiff when its really cold (below 20) but i spose its going to be a little stiff at that temp no matter whats in the case until its warmed up some. once its been driven a few miles, its as good as new. link-> http://www.stealth316.com/2-pennzoil-synchromesh.htm

 

so you have a business like an owner operator does with a big rig but do it on a much smaller scale? thats way rad!

 

As far as fluid to use, some with more expertise than me might try other things but for tranny fluid I stick straight to what Ford recommends and it varies depending on what version of the M5OD you have. That abbreviation simply stands for manual five speed overdrive, not manufacturer or year.

There are other things where I'm more confident trying aftermarket or non-specified but I'm straight on the spec for the tranny.