2003 Lincoln Town Car transmission fluid recommendations

[WesternReach]

2003 Lincoln Town Car 69,000 miles
Dealer serviced prior to my ownership.

Wife tell me that the car is “shifting funny”

(Apparently this has been like this for a year or so, unbeknownst to me)

Transmission still shifts well, just occasionally it slips…thank you dear

Checked fluid today…dipstick is dry.

Recommendations on fluid (brand) and possibly some type of additive? Is an additive needed at this point? Would an additive make things worse?

Was any damage done?

Thanks in advance

 

[Brian123]

Amsoil ATF, Signature Series Stuff, or HPL Multi Spec Blue.

I would drop the Trans Pan to make sure there is no little prize in the Pan. If the Dipstick is dry there could be a leak some place. If you have a friend, my friends are useless, I would pull a Trans Cooler Line off, and have a useful friend start your car and add trans fluid, maybe get another friend to watch what is coming out and add maybe 4 quarts of trans fluid, when there are bubbles, stop the engine, and repeat the process until the trans fluid is clear. This could maybe take like 14 quarts of fluid or so to get fresh fluid.

If the Trans is shifting funny, all of the Trans Fluid needs to come out, do what I just said and see what happens. Any damage, no way 2 tell.

 

[WesternReach]

Thanks for the reply. My friend are useless too! lol
Any advice on an additive? Or is that just looking for trouble?

 

[drtyler]

What spec is required for the fluid, Mercon V or Mercon LV?

Valvoline Maxlife is a good fluid with coverage for Mercon LV, and I have used it successfully in the older transmissions that spec Mercon V.

 

[ripcord]

You need Mercon V fluid. Brand isn't important. Hopefully it's only a little low. Start by adding a quart followed by half quarts until it's up to the bottom of the hash marks on the dipstick while idling in Park. Then drive it until it's good and hot and check it again, adding just enough to get it to the full mark.

There's no point in doing anything else until you know if it's shifting OK or not.

 

[Brian123]

Thanks for the reply. My friend are useless too! lol
Any advice on an additive? Or is that just looking for trouble?

You do not need an Additive, a MerconV spec trans fluid is all that you need. There is no Additive that you need, it will be Trouble.
What ripcord said is the way to go for now, and if it is shifting fine, then do what I said in my previous post.

 

[RF Overlord]

Agree w/the others above.

Drop the pan and check for excessive metal sludge on the magnet (some is normal) and clutch debris in the pan. If all is well, install a new filter and refill with Mercon V.

No disrespect to Brian123, but no need for the expensive boutique fluids. Motorcraft or SuperTech...both are Ford licensed and approved.

 

[wlk]

I put Mobil 1 ATF in my Expedition and it shifts smooth. I also added a bottle of Lubegard Red just because it's high mileage and it may clean. I switched from Mercon V on recommendations here and would not go back.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

In the Mercon V transmissions, I'm a fan of fluids that ONLY have Mercon V on them. Not long life, universal, etc. That doesn't jive well. Valvoline, Supertech, Fram all make a Mercon V specific fluid.

If it was one of the newer ones that used Mercon LV, you have a bit more options. However, anything but specific Mercon V in that era of transmission is asking for torque converter shudder.

 

[Kira]

I agree with SwampSurvivor re using Mercon V in Mercon V applications.

A Ford trained mechanic and really good friend delivered a pail of tractor juice on a day when we were "doing fluids".
We scored several cases of Valvoline Mercon V for the trucks ('97 F-150, '05 Ranger and '05 Explorer).
We were praised by the otherwise quiet mechanic.

That doesn't jive well.

FYI: It's 'jibe'.

 

[nascarnation]

If the dipstick is dry, which means typically it's "down a quart" or more, there should be some indications of oil leakage on the chassis. Was this car parked where you'd see oil drips on the ground? There's not too many places for oil to leak on an automatic, front converter seal, rear output seal, pan gasket, maybe the dipstick tube grommet.

 

[WesternReach]

If the dipstick is dry, which means typically it's "down a quart" or more, there should be some indications of oil leakage on the chassis. Was this car parked where you'd see oil drips on the ground? There's not too many places for oil to leak on an automatic, front converter seal, rear output seal, pan gasket, maybe the dipstick tube grommet.

Thanks for the replies everyone, I’ll go with the Mercon V and add a quart - 1/2 quart at a time and see what happens.
It’s never parked in the same spot regularly, but will try to park it where I can at least put some cardboard underneath it to verify for leaks.

 

[michaelluscher]

When I owned a Mercon V Ford AT, it was a 4F50N in a Taurus
Not the same as your 4R70W
It shifted nicely on Motorcraft Mercon V, and strangely Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF
A licenced Mercon V isn't expensive or difficult to get your hands on

If you drop the pan, look for the little plastic lollipop that indicates the pans never been dropped before
If topping off the fluid doesn't fix it, you'll probably want the insight of our resident transmission expert, @clinebarger

Fluid check procedure
If you want to be 100% precise with monitoring fluid temp, FORScan is a cheap and easy way to read that live data, if it exists on an '03

 

[WesternReach]

Thanks for your informative reply. I will follow what you said.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Welcome to BITOG

Any modern synthetic ATF will be fine. If your transmission doesn't have a drain plug, get an aftermarket pan that has one.

 

[clinebarger]

Direct/3rd Clutch is weak & easily burned with low fluid level.

I'm guessing the ATF was checked at one time?....Meaning you have a leak, It doesn't evaporate.

 

[RF Overlord]

If you want to be 100% precise with monitoring fluid temp, FORScan is a cheap and easy way to read that live data, if it exists on an '03

AFAIK, all 4R70/4R75 have transmission temp sensor data available through the OBD port.

 

[Falcon_LS]

You should definitely be able to view transmission fluid temperature through a scan tool; I like to view mine on the go through a ScanGauge-II. If yours is equipped with a factory air-to-oil transmission fluid cooler, it will have a 175°F thermostat integrated into it. Under regular driving conditions, I haven't seen mine over 190°F but with a custom high stall torque converter, mine does not do well in stop and go traffic.

Motorcraft Mercon V (relabeled Kendall Mercon V) is decent stuff. For this particular transmission, I like to stick with a Mercon V only fluid as opposed to a multi-vehicle ATF, but if you do go that route, Amsoil Signature ATF or Valvoline Max-Life are both decent choices. Substituting about half a quart of LubeGard Red would also be a good idea. Liqui Moly ATF Additive is another very decent option.

I believe MY2001 was the last year for torque converters to come with factory drain plugs, but if yours happens to have one, it might be a good idea to drain that and get as much fresh fluid in there as possible. For reference, total capacity will be around 16 quarts. It might also be a good idea to reset the PCM by disconnecting the battery ground for 5 minutes, so the transmission can relearn its shift patterns with new fluid.

 

[meep]

Check the fluid at the radiator, not the overflow, and make sure it looks like coolant and not milky.