Is T-IV fluid compatible with Mercon V ?

[JustinC25]

Hi Guys,

I know this may seem like a stupid question, but you will understand my logic by the end of this post.
So Its time to flush the trans in my '03 Windstar again.
and I have no Mercon V fluid. (And have no money as I'v been out of work since Febuary) BUT my dad has ALOT of T-IV (Toyota Bottles) Like 50-75 Quarts. He works at the dealer, and when you have a little left over, he uses the open quarts instead of opening another bottle on the next job. He has collected this much fluid over the last 2 years. I have seen at Wal-Mart, that the Dex VI is compatible with T-IV, and Mercon V. So is Mobil 1 ATF.
I know that the T-IV is made by XOM, & I have a suspicion that it maybe Mobil 1 ATF just rebottled. (Can anyone confirm this ?)
My question to you is this, Is the T-IV compatible with
Mercon V, and if so can I use it in my Windstar ?
It has the AX4N transmission.
I plan to drop the pan, change the filter, refil, then flush the transmission at the dealer my dad works at with 16 quarts of atf.


Thanks Guys,
Justin

 

[Ken2]

No.

Toyota T-IV is actually Mobil 3309. This is different from MerconV, Dexron-VI, Dexron-III, and everything else you listed. What you're seeing on those labels in W-M is on near-universal fluids that are close enough to each of the separate specs to work OK.

Wait on the fluid change.

 

[bdcardinal]

if it was, ford would not offer both for sale.

 

[Bluestream]

It may not be compatible with Mercon V, but it begs the question; are you better off leaving in the old fluid, or putting in new (free) fluid that may be just a bit out of spec.

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: Bluestream
It may not be compatible with Mercon V, but it begs the question; are you better off leaving in the old fluid, or putting in new (free) fluid that may be just a bit out of spec.


I wouldnt chance it,he is better off leaving it alone for right now.

 

[RF Overlord]

I second Ken2's suggestion to leave it be. He is also correct that T-IV is actually Mobil 3309.

My niece's car ('06 Ford Fusion) has a transaxle that specs T-IV. I did a lot of research on this and found quite a few references that stated that T-IV and Mercon V do NOT play well together, and that mixing them can have serious consequences both in shift feel and in possible internal damage.

It's possible that doing a COMPLETE flush and conversion *might* be acceptable, but I wouldn't want to be that guinea pig.

 

[Bluestream]

I called the 1-800 tech line about this question. They said the Mobil 3309 fluid is about the same viscosity as Mercon V. They can't say to use it for liability reasons, but sounds like it would work fine.

 

[Kestas]

But how about the friction characteristics?

 

[unDummy]

T-IV is one of the original HFM'd shudder eliminating fluid for those smooth shifts and smooth/variable TC engagement.

Those FWD Fords will have hard parts or electronic failures long before a fluid failure

I'd flush it out with the T-IV. But, I'm a rebel and cross platform fluids all the time. There is always a risk.

 

[RF Overlord]

Originally Posted By: Bluestream
They said the Mobil 3309 fluid is about the same viscosity as Mercon V. They can't say to use it for liability reasons, but sounds like it would work fine.
Sure the viscosity may be the same, but what about the additive packs? I wouldn't assume it will "work fine" just because the viscosities are similar. That's like saying Dex VI will work in place of Mercon LV just because they're both "about" 5.8 cSt.

 

[unDummy]

A local blender here blends both with the same basestock and additive package, just at a slightly different ratio. Off the top of my head, I can't remember which gets more of what. Similar enough for regular maintenance. Not so if you walk around preaching the owners manual.

 

[Bluestream]

Originally Posted By: RF Overlord

I did a lot of research on this and found quite a few references that stated that T-IV and Mercon V do NOT play well together, and that mixing them can have serious consequences both in shift feel and in possible internal damage.



Can you provide the references from your research? I would like to have a read of them.

 

[Bluestream]

Bump!