Mercon vs. Mercon V...again.
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Mercon vs. Mercon V...again.
I'm new here so bear with me. I know this has been discussed in these forums many times and would like to know what the latest info is on Mercon vs. Mercon V. My '02 F-350 is overdue for a tranny flush and filter change and the local Ford dealer sold me Mercon V and my owners manual specifically says "Do not use or mix Mercon and Mercon V. The parts guy said the V supercedes regular Mercon. I took the V back and got a refund until I can find out the truth about all this. Thanks.
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Ford says you can use it. People here have done it and reported no ill effects, however there were one or two or maybe more who DID have a problem with it.
Ford says they are not "licensing" plain old Mercon anymore. I think what that means is they are not contracting out to oil manufacturers to make Motorcraft Mercon anymore.
You should still be able to get "Mercon" fluid from Castrol, etc.
If it were me, I wouldn't use Motorcraft oil anyway. I still remember the oil in my '96 t-bird turning BLACK in 1500 miles, while Castrol GTX was still amber colored at 3K-4K miles. So, I am brand dis-loyal in regards to Motorcraft fluids anyway, so don't take my opinion as gospel
The Mercon V has what smells like limited-slip anti-chatter additive in it. What does that mean? More slipping during shifts. That means more heat. To me, that's a BAD combination for the 4R100 tranny you have ...
Ford says they are not "licensing" plain old Mercon anymore. I think what that means is they are not contracting out to oil manufacturers to make Motorcraft Mercon anymore.
You should still be able to get "Mercon" fluid from Castrol, etc.
If it were me, I wouldn't use Motorcraft oil anyway. I still remember the oil in my '96 t-bird turning BLACK in 1500 miles, while Castrol GTX was still amber colored at 3K-4K miles. So, I am brand dis-loyal in regards to Motorcraft fluids anyway, so don't take my opinion as gospel
The Mercon V has what smells like limited-slip anti-chatter additive in it. What does that mean? More slipping during shifts. That means more heat. To me, that's a BAD combination for the 4R100 tranny you have ...
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What not licensing MERCON means is that Ford won't allow any company to make a fluid that says it is MERCON fluid. It isn't just Motorcraft. MERCON is going to be gone shortly. You won't be able to get it anywhere.
Ford changed the formulation of MERCON V recently. It is now backwards compatible with all transmissions that used MERCON. That's why there will be no more MERCON, it's not needed in anything anymore.
Ford changed the formulation of MERCON V recently. It is now backwards compatible with all transmissions that used MERCON. That's why there will be no more MERCON, it's not needed in anything anymore.
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There's a lot of controversy on that. Ford used to say, and it's in your owner's manual, NOT to use a fluid that is both MERCON and MERCON V.
Since they recently changed the MERCON V formulation Ford now says it is safe to use in the 4R100. So the new formula Mobil 1 that is both MERCON and MERCON V should be fine.
Since they recently changed the MERCON V formulation Ford now says it is safe to use in the 4R100. So the new formula Mobil 1 that is both MERCON and MERCON V should be fine.
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I have been running mercon V for 45k miles with no ill effects. I have never noticed any shift difference between the two.
Krewat, my Motorcraft tranny fluid has always been and stayed cherry redish.
Krewat, my Motorcraft tranny fluid has always been and stayed cherry redish.
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i used to work w/ a guy in NC that was DIE HARD FORD!! he worked on everything in his high performance shop but raced fords. here was a "dummy sign" for trans fluid. RED dip stick: MERCON ONLY (mostly older models), YELLOW dip stick: MERCON V+ other sentec brands (mostly newer models)! this was also confirmed by the shop that built my mud boggers tranny.
i've alwaysed changed fluids w/ MERCON V and have had no problems at all. i just don't have the $$$$ for a AMZOIL, or ROYAL PURPLE full flush. but i've heard grea things about those brands!
i've alwaysed changed fluids w/ MERCON V and have had no problems at all. i just don't have the $$$$ for a AMZOIL, or ROYAL PURPLE full flush. but i've heard grea things about those brands!
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Hi,
Just a quick note....a mechanic friend of mine told me this and I've been doing this for years now and call me crazy but this works. Every 5000 miles just drain the transmission pan and replace with exactly 7 quarts of Mercon V. Trust me, your transmission never had it so good. My tranny is the same as new, and I haven't had to change the filter ever. The reason? I think because the fluid never gets a chance to completely wear out i.e. 25,000 or more miles that most people use as a guideline to service the tranny, that nothing has a chance to wear. Adding a fresh 7 quarts every 2 or 3 months is no big deal, in fact, I changed mine yesterday and took a total of 20 minutes, start to finish. Anyone have any thought about this?
Just a quick note....a mechanic friend of mine told me this and I've been doing this for years now and call me crazy but this works. Every 5000 miles just drain the transmission pan and replace with exactly 7 quarts of Mercon V. Trust me, your transmission never had it so good. My tranny is the same as new, and I haven't had to change the filter ever. The reason? I think because the fluid never gets a chance to completely wear out i.e. 25,000 or more miles that most people use as a guideline to service the tranny, that nothing has a chance to wear. Adding a fresh 7 quarts every 2 or 3 months is no big deal, in fact, I changed mine yesterday and took a total of 20 minutes, start to finish. Anyone have any thought about this?
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Using the old "half and half" method leaves half the tranny fluid in there.
Next time, there's still 1/4 of the old fluid in there.
Next time, 1/8th, 1/16th, 1/32nd, etc. etc.
So, by 20K miles, you still have almost a quart of old fluid in there.
(side note: This is kinda like always keeping your gas tank full, and never letting it get below half - a year later, you have a certain (small) amount of VERY OLD GAS in there).
Next time, there's still 1/4 of the old fluid in there.
Next time, 1/8th, 1/16th, 1/32nd, etc. etc.
So, by 20K miles, you still have almost a quart of old fluid in there.
(side note: This is kinda like always keeping your gas tank full, and never letting it get below half - a year later, you have a certain (small) amount of VERY OLD GAS in there).
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True, but at the end of 20000 miles instead of having 14 quarts of worn out fluid, it's virtually still brand new. Wear is caused in the transmission when the fluid stops being able to handle the heat and pressure. That's why the fluid starts changing color and becomes darker. Once it starts changing from pink to brown it's too late. There has already been a fair amount of wear on the torque converter, etc. Anyhow, that's my theory and I could be wrong, but it seems like it's worked pretty good for me.
Thanks for answering my note!
Jack
Thanks for answering my note!
Jack
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My truck (1998 F-350) has a drain plug in the bottom of my tranny pan. This one came with my truck, although I had a 1990 Diesel before and the first time I had the pan off, I drilled a hole, then welded a drain plug nut on the outside of the pan to make it easier to drain the next time(s). I'm baffled why the manufacturers don't put them on all vehicles. I think they want you to not service them so they wear out faster. Or, make you blow it off for about 50000 miles until the fluid is shot. What do you guys think?
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jacksbaq, very good job putting the drain plug on pan. Honda Corp. installs them on their transmission pan. Ford should do the same if they want their customers to take care of their vehicles. It would sure improve their longevity.
What I have noticed is most owners do not change their transmission fluid regularly, that equates to problems later on down the road.
What I have noticed is most owners do not change their transmission fluid regularly, that equates to problems later on down the road.
Last edited by 1975Ford; Jul 18, 2006 at 08:57 AM.