How did the Valvoline MaxLife DEXRON III/Mercon work out for u

 

Joseph, that fluid should work just fine. Ford Mercon III is what these trucks came with.

 

I have had Valvoline in my 5sp ever since I put a re manufactured trans in several years ago.

I don't have any complaints. Smooth shifts, quite box, descent MPG..... There may be some better fluid, but the Valvoline does fine by me.

 

Can you not put Gear Oil in the M5OD?

 

Service manuals indicate Dexron/Mercon III or better. Ford dealerships use Dexron/Mercon V (5) now. I'm not sure why they specify automatic transmission fluid, but I wouldn't risk using something different.

 

Gear oil is just too thick for the trans. It was designed for ATF.

 

I was just curious because in all my other Vehicles I use Gear Oil, they have no problem and everyone else I know with their Trucks that are Manual and Cars, they all have gear oil in them, I had a '95 Corolla 5 Speed, Took Gear Oil, My '84 F150 4X4 4 Speed, has Gear Oil, '81 E100 4 Speed, Gear Oil, also all of my Friends Mud Trucks, 4 Speeds, Gear Oil, Right next to their T-Case's. Is it that I am wrong, or is it just newer stuff??

 

Hello, im resurrecting this thread for my 1986 ranger 2.3L 4cyl gas non turbo with 5spd manual overdrive that has a completely rounded off transmission drain plug. I can knock it out with some vice grips and a mallet but i need a new one to replace it. Ive tried the local napa, oreilleys, etc but no luck; so i tried online at rockauto, ebay, a few ford parts sites and again no luck. Theres a parkrose hardware down the road i can go to if i have the bolt size/ thread pitch and just buy a generic one. Does anyone know what it is?

 

Ebick99,
I wouldn't try knocking it out - by attempting to do so you will likely mess up the trans oil pan bung.
Instead, look through your tool box for a a 1/2" or 5/8" diameter bolt that is 1-2" long. spin on a nut threaded to just flush to the end of the bolt. Now if you have access to a welder, (if not, take it to your local friendly muffler shop and ask them to) grind the plug smooth & flat, then weld the bolt nut end to your rounded plug. Once welded on & allowed to cool a bit, put a 6-point socket or box end wrench on the bolt head and remove the broken stub. Once out you can check the thread size and determine the size. If not, simply replace the welded plug and be happy!

BarnieTrk

P.S.
When welding, make sure the grounding cable is attached to the transmission, close to the drain plug. If not, you risk cooking some of your trucks' electronics/battery.......

 

I purchased a 1989 F150, that had a transmission changed, I don't know should I use the sae 80 weight gear oil or Mercon, as I don't know what year the transmission is.on the casing ford #s EGTA, ca 832584 are the only numbers ,on a white ford motor co.tag. These could be the casing number only. How do I determine what transmission I have

 

I'm a little late to the ball game and everybody probably has their fluid changed by now, but the cheap drill-powered pumps work good. Just use a battery-powered drill for power. Use some reducers to get the tubing down to a smaller size and clear tubing works good to see the oil being pumped into the transmission. These pumps are cheap enough that you could throw them away after each use if you had to. Google "drill-powered pumps" or Amazon sells them for under $10.

 

Get a one gallon windshield wiper fluid bottle. A quart oil pump will thread to it. You can buy atfatf fluid by the gallon and use the pump