Pennzoil Mercon V or Mobil 1 ATF new formula

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Nov 30, 2008
Messages
1,339
Location
USA
I've got a '96 Lincoln Town Car. What are the thoughts on using dedicated Pennzoil Mercon V? What about Mobil 1's new formula (charcoal colored bottle) which seems to carry approval for most every car? Audi, BMW, Mercedes and all Ford Mercon applications approved.

Pennzoil is synthetic blend but dedicated. Mobil 1 is multi-use but full synthetic. Which is better in the Lincoln. The car only has 65,000 miles on it but the fluid could be original.
 
Either will work great.

A year ago I would have said Mobil 1 all the way, but nowadays I'd go for the dedicated Merc V Pennzoil.

It's cheaper (should service these trans every 30k) and will work every bit as well.

It also looks to match the M1 on raw specs.
 
Art,
My 96 Merc GM with 215,000 miles has always had M1 ATF used in it. I just changed the fluid three months ago with the new ATF and the tranny still shifts very good. I've used M1 ATF for years in several different Fords and so far haven't had a failure. No reason to believe the new ATF isn't as good if not better.
 
Originally Posted By: Ben99GT

A year ago I would have said Mobil 1 all the way, but nowadays I'd go for the dedicated Merc V Pennzoil.



Can I ask you what changed your mind over the last year?
 
Originally Posted By: tig1
Art,
My 96 Merc GM with 215,000 miles has always had M1 ATF used in it. I just changed the fluid three months ago with the new ATF and the tranny still shifts very good. I've used M1 ATF for years in several different Fords and so far haven't had a failure. No reason to believe the new ATF isn't as good if not better.


Thanks tig1,

I appreciate the information. With your GM do you still follow the 30,000 interval or do you extend it with Mobil 1?
 
Originally Posted By: Art_Vandelay
Originally Posted By: tig1
Art,
My 96 Merc GM with 215,000 miles has always had M1 ATF used in it. I just changed the fluid three months ago with the new ATF and the tranny still shifts very good. I've used M1 ATF for years in several different Fords and so far haven't had a failure. No reason to believe the new ATF isn't as good if not better.


Thanks tig1,

I appreciate the information. With your GM do you still follow the 30,000 interval or do you extend it with Mobil 1?



I have always changed it every two years. That totals about 45,000 miles +or-. The oil looks good when I drain it. Also you can drain the tourqe converter which only leaves two QTS in the tranny.Will you do your on change? If so I have a tip that may help you.
 
Originally Posted By: Art_Vandelay
Originally Posted By: Ben99GT

A year ago I would have said Mobil 1 all the way, but nowadays I'd go for the dedicated Merc V Pennzoil.



Can I ask you what changed your mind over the last year?


Because I've learned that the cheaper alternative will do the job just as well. Any name brand Mercon V ATF is good, save some money.
 
I would go with the Mobil 1 full synthetic - better cold flow properties and better resistance breaking down under high temperatures. One might also consider other full synthetic fluids that can be used in Mercon V applications such as Schaeffer's ALL-Tran, Amsoil ATF and Redline D4. If it matters, Schaeffer's is fully licensed by Ford as a Mercon V fluid.

Rumple
 
Originally Posted By: rumple
I would go with the Mobil 1 full synthetic - better cold flow properties and better resistance breaking down under high temperatures.


You didn't bother to look up the PDSs, did you?

Pennzoil Mercon V ATF / Mobil 1 ATF
Vis, cP, -40 deg C: 11,650 / 10,040
Vis, cSt, 100 deg C: 8.38 / 7.4
Flash Point, deg C: 196 / 200
Pour Point, deg C: -55 / -41

M1 viscosity is marginally better at -40 but Pennzoil has a notably lower absolute p.p.

I actually like the Motorcraft Mercon V specs more than either the M1 or Pennzoil (even though it doesn't say "fully synthetic" on the bottle):
Vis, cP, -40 deg C: 10,000
Vis, cSt, 100 deg C: 7.5
Flash Point, deg C: 196
Pour Point, deg C: -48

Any of these fluids will work equally well in the end, so why spend the extra? I'd go with Motorcraft...
21.gif
 
You caught me - I hadn't looked up the properties in a while! Mobil 1 ATF sure got scads worse - see the old properties here. Flash point 236C compared to 200C, pour point -54C compared to -41C and -cP@40C of 5190 compared to 10,040. Yuck.



Rumple
 
Originally Posted By: rumple
You caught me - I hadn't looked up the properties in a while! Mobil 1 ATF sure got scads worse - see the old properties here. Flash point 236C compared to 200C, pour point -54C compared to -41C and -cP@40C of 5190 compared to 10,040. Yuck.



Rumple
Which formulation was this one?
 
The ~5000cP for M1 is for all previous prior to the new multivehicle universal M1 ATF.

Sometimes to make a fluid better, the paper spec's look worse.

Which is more important, real world durability or paper spec?

I'm hoping that M1 is using less VII/VM's and less PPD's for a more durable fluid. The question I have for ANY fluid, is how long does it 'meet' that 'paper spec'? 100 miles? 1000 miles? 100k miles?

If you're up north where it is cold enough, I think Redline and Royalpurple have better 'cold' properties.

I also think there might be a typo on the M1 data sheet. Just compare it to the other Mobil ATF's.
 
Originally Posted By: unDummy
I'm hoping that M1 is using less VII/VM's and less PPD's for a more durable fluid. The question I have for ANY fluid, is how long does it 'meet' that 'paper spec'? 100 miles? 1000 miles? 100k miles?


It only needs to meet it for 30,000-40,000 miles in a 4R70W.
grin2.gif


The more specs the fluid meets the more compromises it makes, I just don't like the one size fits all approach.


Note all the different ATF formulations RedLine has:
Synthetic Racing ATF for Type-F
Synthetic ATF for Dexon II/Mercon
D4 ATF for Dexron III/Mercon V
D6 ATF for Dexron VI/Mercon SP

And all of their specs are still outstanding. Take D4 ATF:

Vis @ 100°C, cSt: 7.5
Brookfield Vis @ -40°C, cP: 5200
Pour Point, °C: -60 (-76 F!
crazy2.gif
)
Flash Point, °C: 225
 
Originally Posted By: unDummy

I'm hoping that M1 is using less VII/VM's and less PPD's for a more durable fluid.


Do they use more VII/VM's and less PPD's than other brands? Does the multi vehicle formula have anything to do with that?
 
Originally Posted By: tig1
Will you do your on change? If so I have a tip that may help you.


No I won't be changing it myself unfortunately. I was just thinking of finding a trustworthy Trans shop to do it. Bringing my own fluid to them. Not letting the car out of my sight for a nanosecond of course.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top