Mercon V Transmission Fluid

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I am going to have the transmission in Ford F150 serviced, new filter, gasket, and fluid. When searching the shelves of Autozone for Mercon V, they only had one brand and it costs $6 a quart. At 14 quarts, that's a hefty price tag. No gallon jugs either.

Walmart luckiy had Mercon V for a tad over $3 a quart. Will the walmart ST brand be all right? Is tranny fluid like motor oil where as long as it has the starburst logo and API standards than it is at least suitable?

I'm going to ask my brother in-law when I see him anyways (mechanic). Just wanted to get a little more infor first.
 
IMO, the Supertech ATF's are fine. I've used them in several different cars, including my 03 Town Car (which is spec'd for Mercon V). I'm not sure who makes it, but it has done fine for me, and I wouldn't worry about using it.
 
I run in in my 2001 F150 and it's running smoother that it ever has before.

Last I heard is that Mercon V is a specific formula that has to be strictly adhered to.
 
ST in any flavor is a good fluid for the price. I have used it many times in friends cars with good results. Granted I stay with the boutiques, Redline and Amsoil, but if I were looking to save some cash and didn't mind running a non syn ATF, I wouldn't hesitate to run ST.

Really as long as it meets the spec you will be good to go with proper intervals. Keep in mind they will be shorter with ST as opposed to a high end syn. Most people never change their transmission fluid. They don't need an expensive synthetic as much as they need to just take it in every 30-50K. Amazing how long an automatic lasts when flushed every once and a while. The million mile ford van claims an original transmission, using Valvoline ATF if I remember correctly, flushed on occasion with a T-Tech!

What is your mileage? You might want to consider a Magnefine as well. Cheap insurance.
 
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I would also suggest that you consider adding a drain plug to the factory pan or possibly even an LWP pan. I just installed one and it's awesome!!! Two extra quart capacity, aluminum w/ cooling fins and a drain plug. Well worth the $120 I paid... Makes future drains very easy and extends the tranny life.

http://www.lpwracing.com/p_tranpans.asp
 
Originally Posted By: 360kid
I am going to have the transmission in Ford F150 serviced, new filter, gasket, and fluid. When searching the shelves of Autozone for Mercon V, they only had one brand and it costs $6 a quart. At 14 quarts, that's a hefty price tag. No gallon jugs either.

It sounds like you're just dropping the pan, changing the filter, and refilling. If you are, you won't be using 14 quarts. More like 5.
 
Originally Posted By: exranger06
Originally Posted By: 360kid
I am going to have the transmission in Ford F150 serviced, new filter, gasket, and fluid. When searching the shelves of Autozone for Mercon V, they only had one brand and it costs $6 a quart. At 14 quarts, that's a hefty price tag. No gallon jugs either.

It sounds like you're just dropping the pan, changing the filter, and refilling. If you are, you won't be using 14 quarts. More like 5.


Depends on the year. My 01' has a torque converter drain plug. Granted my new pan holds two more quarts, but the refill was almost 15 quarts.
 
I agree - my '97 and '99 F150's had a plug on the torque converter and an ATF change with the converter drained was about 13 quarts, give or take.
 
Defiantly use Mercon V is all I can say. Iffy lube put just Mercon in my 00 it was toast in 10k. O'Reilly's has Valvoline Mercon for 4.45.. I've had bad luck with off-brands mercon's turning dark quick compared to Castrol etc. Not for sure why.
 
I noticed Wal-Mart also sold a universal transmission fluid that said it met the Mercon V specs. I did not feel comfortable trying it, so I went around to three different stores until I found enough Mercon V.
 
I'm doing the same thing. I've gone to our two Walmarts and have been able to scrounge up 10 quarts so far. I am waiting patiently for them to restock so that I can get the rest. My mechanic said that even if the manual said 14 quarts, sometimes it takes a bit more. So, I still have another 5 or 6 quarts to get.
 
Yea, you don't want to be short... I think I ended up buying 16 quarts just to be safe. Over the next year, I'll pick up a couple quarts and start the pan drain and fill. That way I dump and replace 7 quarts (w/ the extra capacity pan) at a time. I will probably do it every 20K from now on.
 
Well its been a while since I started buying ST Mercon V for my Tranny service. Walmart has not yet restocked in my area. So, I may have to buy Castrol Mercon V for the remaining 5 quarts and just mix the brands. They are exactly the same type of fluid so it should be fine. My mechanic said it would be okay. No different than a top off on oil. I just didn't want to pay twice as much for the castrol though.
 
Well its been a while since I started buying ST Mercon V for my Tranny service. Walmart has not yet restocked in my area. So, I may have to buy Castrol Mercon V for the remaining 5 quarts and just mix the brands. They are exactly the same type of fluid so it should be fine. My mechanic said it would be okay. No different than a top off on oil. I just didn't want to pay twice as much for the castrol though.
 
I was at a local store yesterday getting some lawn mower repair parts, and they had cases of Motorcraft Mercon V for $36 each. That's a crazy price. That's significantly less than I paid for the Valvoline synthetic Mercon V BEFORE the recent oil price increases!

I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the Super Tech stuff, but I'd search around for the Motorcraft.
 
The fluids aren't exactly the same. But, they are required to perform equal or better to the required spec.

When sticking with the bottle label, I see no need to shop on brand. Shop by price.
 
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