2013 Fusion Transmission Fluid Service (137K miles, 50K on current fluid)

[SubieRubyRoo]

Interesting since the BG 314 is 7.0cST@100C and the Mercon LV is 6.0cST@100C, the Mercon LV having the same viscosity of course as Dexron VI.

Hey Mola, with some of the “universal” ATFs getting down into the high 5s @100C, what is “too thin” to meet the Merc/Dex VI spec, and do you have any favorites in this spec group that stands out for good formulation and in-use performance?

Or is it still the age-old “if it meets the spec it’s statistically similar on a macro data level”?

 

[MolaKule]

Well, I try not to play favorites or endorse any one ATF.

New oil Dexron III-H and the Mercon ranged from 7.1 cSt to 7.6 cSt@100C, with the average being about 7.3 cSt. But these would shear down and thin out to 4.5 cSt in less than about 40k miles.

New LV ATF's such as Dexron VI/Mercon LV should have new oil viscosities ranging from 5.8 cSt to 6.2 cSt with the average being about 5.9 cSt.

Most Multi-Vehicle ATF's follow the Dexron VI trend as well since they use a similar Dexron VI high stability formulae, so a starting viscosity of 5.9 cSt is the lowest new oil viscosity I would accept.

New ULV ATF's hover around 4.5 cSt and use a stable formula as well.

 

[Fordiesel69]

On the 2013 fusion you cannot "pull the battery terminal" to reset the adaptive shift algorithm. You must connect a laptop with free forscan program and run the reset / clear transmission adaptive tables. While at it clear the battery parameters too. It will shift like crap for a short while. Less than 100 miles id say.

 

[Whimsey]

On the 2013 fusion you cannot "pull the battery terminal" to reset the adaptive shift algorithm. You must connect a laptop with free forscan program and run the reset / clear transmission adaptive tables. While at it clear the battery parameters too. It will shift like crap for a short while. Less than 100 miles id say.

With our 2017 Explorer's 6F35 after each of the drain & fills I never had any issues with the shifting. I never disconnected the battery or run any kind of program. It's my wife's vehicle and she drives it but has never said anything was wrong or different after the drain & fills, and if there was she'd let me know.

 

[MolaKule]

I would use those terms interchangeably…but I’m sloppy that way. the only difference I could conjure up would be the use of some special “flushing“ fluid to clean the old grime out before refilling with new fluid, instead of merely “exchanging“ the old fluid with the new. Given that “BG” is mentioned, I suppose the cleaning/flushing substance is a possibility, so I better get better with my terminology. In the case of my Ford 6r80 or whatever my 6-speed truck tranny is called, I had the fluid EXCHANGED…supposedly… at the dealer. I expected they had to get it good and hot, to get a check valve to open, but I don’t think any special chemicals were used.

I don't know how the BG system works today or how they define a "flush," but they used to add a solvent to the old ATF, and then using their fluid exchange machine (which they sold or rented), circulate the solvent and old ATF, drained the contaminated mix, and then added new ATF.

A pressurized or 'forced' exchange is what caused problems.

The AT shop I work with prefers to do a fluid exchange using the transmission's own oil pump when the customer specifically asks for a complete fluid exchange all at once; otherwise they do a drain-and-fill. In both cases, if the transmission has a filter, they replace it.

When purchasing a used vehicle (as all of mine are), my Modus Operandi is to do a series of drain-and-fills until the fluid remains clear for at least 5,000 miles.

In the case of my 2012 Frontier, I had to do 5 drain-and-fills before it stabilized. The original fluid had the consistency and viscosity of a 30 grade engine oil that had been run past it's prime. I don't think the ATF had ever been replaced. The AT only had 32,000 miles on it when purchased.

 

[Impatient]

Ford Transit specific, but replacing the filter is not an easy option. Disassembly of front suspension is required to drop the oil pan, facilitating a filter change. So how do I ensure transmission life given a filter replacement is off the table.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Ford Transit specific, but replacing the filter is not an easy option. Disassembly of front suspension is required to drop the oil pan, facilitating a filter change. So how do I ensure transmission life given a filter replacement is off the table.

On the transmissions that require partial disassembly of the trans to remove the filter (6F35 is one of them, requires case halves to be split), “filter” is a very loosely used term here. “Rock catcher” or “chunk strainer” is much more apropos, and therefore it doesn’t have the same replacement need.

IMHO if you want any real filtration on trans’ like these, it requires a DIY inline or canister filter. Otherwise don’t worry about the OEM filter ever becoming plugged, short of the trans lunching itself and requiring a full rebuild anyways.