Good morning all,
I am new to the forum, but I have been a longtime lurker and have learned much over the years from the experts on this forum. What finally pushed me over the edge to register and post is a question I've been pondering for some time regarding the use of Mobil Delvac Synthetic ATF in my 97 Ford F350 4x4 7.3L Diesel with the 5 speed zf5-S47 transmission.
The original specified fluid for this application was Ford Synthetic Mercon, however this fluid was discontinued about 10 years ago. The current Ford fluid charts recommend the Synthetic Blend Mercon V, and while it is available from the dealer it is about $12 per quart and it would need to be ordered in.
Awhile back I read a post from another OBS F350 owner and it was discussing that ZF is now recommending using Transynd fluid in the ZF5-S47 transmission. After spending several hours reading about Transynd I've come to the conclusion that it would be very good for my application, as the TES-295 spec seems to have been written for applications that will work the fluid with excessive amounts of heat over long periods of time. I'm in Arizona and during the summer months it is not uncommon for the ambient temperature to be over 120, and fluid breakdown due to heat has been a concern of mine.
An exhaustive search for Transynd locally has yielded few results, with a couple of places willing to order it, however it is not cheap. Several of the shops I talked to mentioned that they use the Mobil Delvac Synthetic ATF in place of Transynd, stating that there really is no difference and that it is a licensed TES-295 fluid. I've seen several posts reflecting the same while doing some searching to confirm that. Which brings me to the question I came here seeking assistance with:
Is there going to be any problems if I use Mobil Delvac Synthetic ATF (TES-295) in the ZF5-S47? It is available locally and for a good price. Is there a reason that I shouldn't run it (other then its not the recommended fluid?), any thoughts on if I could run the fluid in the transfer case and power steering system?
I am new to the forum, but I have been a longtime lurker and have learned much over the years from the experts on this forum. What finally pushed me over the edge to register and post is a question I've been pondering for some time regarding the use of Mobil Delvac Synthetic ATF in my 97 Ford F350 4x4 7.3L Diesel with the 5 speed zf5-S47 transmission.
The original specified fluid for this application was Ford Synthetic Mercon, however this fluid was discontinued about 10 years ago. The current Ford fluid charts recommend the Synthetic Blend Mercon V, and while it is available from the dealer it is about $12 per quart and it would need to be ordered in.
Awhile back I read a post from another OBS F350 owner and it was discussing that ZF is now recommending using Transynd fluid in the ZF5-S47 transmission. After spending several hours reading about Transynd I've come to the conclusion that it would be very good for my application, as the TES-295 spec seems to have been written for applications that will work the fluid with excessive amounts of heat over long periods of time. I'm in Arizona and during the summer months it is not uncommon for the ambient temperature to be over 120, and fluid breakdown due to heat has been a concern of mine.
An exhaustive search for Transynd locally has yielded few results, with a couple of places willing to order it, however it is not cheap. Several of the shops I talked to mentioned that they use the Mobil Delvac Synthetic ATF in place of Transynd, stating that there really is no difference and that it is a licensed TES-295 fluid. I've seen several posts reflecting the same while doing some searching to confirm that. Which brings me to the question I came here seeking assistance with:
Is there going to be any problems if I use Mobil Delvac Synthetic ATF (TES-295) in the ZF5-S47? It is available locally and for a good price. Is there a reason that I shouldn't run it (other then its not the recommended fluid?), any thoughts on if I could run the fluid in the transfer case and power steering system?
