Mercon and Mercon V FORD TSB

[wiswind]

FORD TSB #06-14-4 released on July 24, 2006 states that Mercon V is to be used in all applications that formerly called for Mercon fluid, even when former information said not to.

Mercon will not be manufactured after July 1, 2007

Vehicles that called for Mercon should use fluids that state "Mercon and Mercon V" aka "dual usage" or fluids that state just "Mercon V".

Mercon SP is yet a different type of fluid, to be used in applications that call for it.

I posted this in another thread, but thought it might be helpful to give it it's own thread to get the information out.

 

[unDummy]

Its already been mentioned in a bunch of threads.

Mercon will be manufactured, but not by Motorcraft. I expect that the DexronIII/Mercon fluids will still be available since its cheaper then MerconV. Just because a license expires, doesn't mean that the known formulas/specs for it disappears.

 

[Idrinkmotoroil]

on Ford Escapes a few people have reported failed trannies after they swapped in mercon v in place of mercon . We are not to use mercon v in these trannies. We need mercon / dexron III as far as I know.

 

[wander2039]

I find it amusing that Probe/Contour owners have successfully used synthetics in CD4E. The same tranmission as the as the Escape's. Would someone enlighten me to the difference between the two? I would have to believe that those failures were already failures before the Mercon V. I have read at least 3 reports where they used Mercon V without any problems. I wonder if a magnefine filter etc would prevent failures when switching fluids?

 

[Big Jim]

There is no difference. One prominate poster at one of the Escape boards has taken on the anti Mercon V crusade and has many followers. I have worked in Ford dealerships that have been servicing Escapes with Mercon V since the Escapes were new with no noticable effects. When others posted the same observation they were chased off the board.

 

[unDummy]

Anyone blaming MerconV for failures is just looking for a scapegoat. The aftermarket has had multirated ATFs for years. Finally Ford Motorcraft catches up.

The most probable cause of failure is abuse or neglect. Abuse leads to heat, and neglect is very common because some people just don't believe in changing fluids.

 

[wiswind]

I have been seeing posts about it....but this is the first time that I have seen official word from FORD.
The TSB now shows up in the list of TSB's for my '96 windstar on Alldata.

If I have been slow.....sorry for that.

I was expecting this based upon internet postings, and also when Mobil 1 ATF changed the label to state Mercon and Mercon V.....when the FORD TSB's clearly stated NOT to use such a fluid in my application.
It did not make a lot of sense to me.....but I did not worry about it as my vehicle was doing just fine on the Mobil 1 that I had been using.....up through last fall, Mercon / Dextron III on the label.

I have NO issues about using Mercon V after reading posts here, and the FORD TSB saying to do so.

Also, the TSB says to use Mercon OR Mercon V in ALL vehicles that had stated Mercon, no exceptions were listed.


2001 - 2007 Ford Escape are listed in the TSB
Also, the application chart in the TSB for the CD4E lists Mercon OR Mercon V up through 2006, then Mercon V only for 2007

 

[Da Game]

What's the differance between Mercon and Mercon V? What effect will it have on prior cars (Ford)?

 

[Big Jim]

From what I have been able to learn, Mercon V is either a synthetic (probably group III) or a synthetic blend. It has a broader viscosity index so it behaves better at temperature extremes. It also has a higher level of friction modifier (but not as high as Chrysler ATF+3 or ATF+4).

The differences between Mercon and Mercon V just are not all that much. Other than better transmission performance at extreme temperatures and greater resistance to shudder from torque converter lock up you should notice no difference in performance when used where specified.

 

[caprice_2nv]

When I worked at the Ford dealership in parts and service for 2 years just over a year ago we had several Ford Escape transmissions fail before the first transmission service was even due. Therefore failures cannot all be attributed to owner neglect. If I remember correctly they found there to be a problem in the design of the cooler in that it was not allowing proper fluid flow in very cold temperatures in the winter. I don't know if that was the only problem with them or not.

 

[unDummy]

Mercon, like DexronIII, is your typical mineral oil ATF.

Mercon-V is a synthetic blend(or high group II/II+ ratio) ATF which provides more consistent cold weather performance(similar to the new DexronVI's cold performance). Being a blend also helps it tolerates the heat in the transmission meaning less oxidation and less varnish buildup. Mercon-V has better long term anti-shudder(more longer life HFM's). The VII is more shear stable and the AW performance is better.

MerconV is an excellent upgrade to anyone using Dexron/Mercon and doesn't want to pay the price for a full synthetic boutique ATF or for DexronVI. Most multivehicle ATFs(like Castrol/Pennzoil) are similar.

The original Motorcraft Mercon-V wasn't blended to be all seal compatible. So, Ford had some issues with it when used in normal Mercon applications and with certain MerconV transmissions(yes there were red bottle and black bottle MerconVs with different seal issues). How's that for OEM cost cutting(less technical spec mumbo jumbo)?? This is probably the only case where an OEM ATF needed to be updated several times for being inferior. Because of this, some owners, running to the dealer for the wrong ATF, had some issues, hence the start of the anti-MerconV in Mercon trannies TSBs .
But, most of the aftermarket fluids that were Mercon-V were also blended for Dexron and Mercon, making them one of the 1st univeral ATFs and PSFs. As far as I can tell, the aftermarket ATFs never had the issues that Motorcraft ATF had.

 

[brianl703]

I've never ever seen an aftermarket Mercon V that wasn't also Mercon/Dexron.

 

[Da Game]

Torco Oils has a group IV & V synthetic ATF thats rated as Dexron / Mercon. Can this ATF also be used as a Mercon V oil in Trans? Does a Grp IV & V syn ATF make a difference?

 

[unDummy]

No, a standard mercon/dexron should NOT be used in a merconV transmission. If you buy the torco, royal purple, redline, or neo, you MIGHT need to add an HFM additive, like lubegard or smartblend. This will provide the added anti-shudder and smooth shift qualities, to the fluid.

The only way to find out is to test the fluid in your transmission. Some of the boutique fluids, due to their higher end basestocks and additives, might provide better anti-shudder performance compared to a normal standard DexronIII/Mercon and might work well in place of MerconV. But have a bottle of HFM, titanium, or platinum available.

For any fluid conversion, dose the lubegard/smartblend lightly and increase dosage over several days to eliminate any shift quality issues or TC shudder.

 

[wiswind]

From the Redline website, the DATA SHEET for the synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluids lists a more complete list of specifications that the fluids are recommended for.

Redline Synthetic ATF is listed for Mercon and Dex II
Redline Synthetic D4 ATF is listed for Mercon and Mercon V and Dex III

They list other specifications as well.
I was thinking that the D4 ATF would be good for my Mercon application, as it is also listed for Dex III