I have a 98 xlt SOHC that requires Mercon V transmission fluid. I have found that the local Ford dealers will do a transmission svc, but only drop the pan and replace with Mercon V without changing the fluid in the torque converter. On the other hand, the quick lube places (ie Jiffy, Quaker) will do a full fluid exchange using the transmission pump to draw in quart for quart what is removed, but only use Mercon/Dexron III with a 10-oz additive to make the Mercon "equal" to Mercon V. Apparently it is a pain for them to stock Mercon V. They also don't see the filter in the pan. I recently had a run-in with the local ford dealer who did a tranny svc at 60K miles because their invoice showed the stock number for Mercon, not Mercon V. They insisted that the technician would have only used the proper bulk ATF for my vehicle and that they just show the one bulk fluid stock number on the invoice for simplicity. It would probably be cheaper to have someone redo the ATF change than to do a chemical analysis on whatever they put in there.
My questions: What would be the effect on the tranny of using Mercon in lieu of Mercon V where the latter is specified? Would adding the 10 oz additive which converts Mercon to MerconV hurt if it was added to Mercon V? What is the track record for the quick lube "Mercon + Additive "changes on Mercon V vehicles? Who can you trust anymore? (Rhetorical question) I have searched the internet high and low for the answers to these questions, and have not come up with suitable answers. I note also that the "drop the pan" method results in ATF that gets dirty much faster than if you have a full exchange, if its not obvious. Thanks in advance for your support. 98

 

one piece of advice dont go to these quick drive thure oil and tranny cleanign (aka jiffy lube) i worked thier for 2 months and quit bc i could not stand how they were treating peoples cars (striping oil plugs without telling not doing what they should do ect) i would just bring it down to a replicable tranny shop and have them do it some will charge you a little more but you will have the peice of mind that it is done right. i have this place i got to is a independent radator shop that does oil changes tranny fluid change and radaitors and he charges like around $100 for a fluiid flush and filter change in the tranny when jiffly lube charges around $80 or $90 to just flush the system so u have to shop around good luck hope this helps keep us updated

 

hell i would just take it to the dealer...they only charged me $110.00. id rather pay the extra $20 so i know its getting done right

 

That transmission uses the Microfelt filter that actually gets dirty and should be replaced. If this is your first time, you are probably a little late. Doing a pan drop every couple years is more than sufficient. Mercon V is synth blend, so the fluid is better than Mercon with additives. Regardless of what was put in, you are fine to go several months and then do another pan drop to get it cleaner.

 

Thanks for your sage advice Opera Hs Wks!

Ford did AT pan drop at 30K, I did Jiffy-L ATF "exchange" method at 50K, and Ford dealer did an "exchange" method at 60K major svc but also charged me for a "trans svc kit" part no 010 6600 for $47.37. So I'm not sure if they dropped the pan and changed the filter or not. They said they used 16 qts of XT2 bulk ATF @ $3.89 ea. (I would have expected MerconV to be slightly more expensive and a designation of XT5 QM).

If they did in fact use Mercon instead of Mercon V, filter issue aside, am I not stuck going for a complete fluid exchange somewhere? One shouldn't mix Mercon V with Mercon, should they?

 

I've used cheaper Mercon in my 97 V6 for a month period to clean it out before going to V. This transmission is not as prone to shudder as others. If you don't feel anything abnormal, I wouldn't worry about it. Just examine the fluid once in a while to see if it is getting darker.

It is a shame that something that should make you feel good turns into this cosmic angst. That is why I do my own, though it is a mesy job. The SOHC is even harder. I'm going to get the new cast aluminum pan for my OHV from www.mycovers.com that adds two extra quarts of fluid and has a drain plug. In your case, this would have paid for itself by now and made the job clean and easy. Haven't heard if there is enough clearance on the SOHC.

 

I have a 97 5.0 L that's supposed to run on Merc V but the previous owner told me that he put in Mercon.... point of the story is .... when I took over the truck, I drove it with the Mercon... had it flushed (complete+ filter change) put in Merc V & there is a bit of a diff in the sense that the Merc V fluid gives a softer shift than the Mercon. Starting off from a stop is the same ... The mercon gives a harsher shift between gears...compared to Merc V.

Thought I'd share my thoughts...

 

Well said, OHW, cosmic angst for sure. The whole point of 60K svc was to benchmark and set a confident O&M course into the future.
I have felt slightly more noticeable shifting of the AT. I will monitor the situation but likely swap the fluid in the next 3 months unless things worsen sooner.

 

Don't know if its a concern but... I'd say switch it sooner that 3 mo... cause the harsh shifts may / may not prematurely wear your tranny. Who knows....

If your tranny is not under warranty, better switch over soon just in case. Cause it may cost you around $3500 to rebuilt(that's Canadian Dollars... I don't know what the exchange rate is so... yeah... sorry bout that)...

 

My local ford dealer recommend to do the complete oil change every 30k mi on my my vehicle and not to change the filter till over 100k mi. All the local shops are using the mercon + additive. For me I am sticking with Mercon V


2000expl 5.0l 75kmi