Why is Ford Mercon V and SP not obsolete?
- Thread starter NH73
- Start date
SP is basically obsolete in but evidently ford doesn’t want to backspec the 4Rs and 5Rs from Mercon V to a modern LV fluid.
keeping SP around could be a way to liquidate excess inventory, 6R60 vehicles are far and few between
keeping SP around could be a way to liquidate excess inventory, 6R60 vehicles are far and few between
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They probably have not had acceptable results with LV in the assemblies that still require V and SP.
SP is not obsoleted because of 2005-2008 6R60 and 6R75 transmissions. Ford found it couldn't back spec LV those for because too many burned up with it, so they have kept the SP spec around. As for Mercon V, it was used up until 2011 and there are millions of 4R70, 4R100, and 5r55 and other older transmissions on the road still that can't use LV. Mercon V will be in huge demand for a long time unless Ford comes out with something new to replace it with.
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They still used Mercon V well up into the 2000s my 2008 Escape uses Mercon V I got the Castrol brand for it and I use it in my 1994 Ford E150 since they don’t have just regular Mercon anymore.
Actually Mercon is still around. It’s typically sold as Dex/Merc. Castrol still sells it.
Here is a screen shot.
Here is a screen shot.
“Meets”/=/Ford approved. Mercon no longer exists just like Dexron III
Valvoline, Castrol, and all the major oil companies made licensed Dexron and Mercon for decades. I'm pretty sure they didn't somehow just suddenly "forget" the formula. I kinda feel like we can trust them to keep making it even though they can't call it that any more due to nothing more than a branding technicality.
Does a 6r75 exist? I found a 6r60 and 6r80.
But either way, those transmissions are recommended to use Mercon LV.
The 6HP26 are what recommend Mercon SP.
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Could Ford tell you what actually are the issues in not backspecing?
Not anymore. At one point we had a place we could email for that and other customer questions, but that has been eliminated.
All proprietary they would say. They just got tired of saying that, so I suppose was the reasoning they took it away. This allows them to be not be so transparent and just bluff us.
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Yeah, the 6r75 was a transition model that was used for a couple of years before the 6r80 came out in 2009. Ford still says to use SP in these models. They briefly said to use LV in them but switched it back to SP.
Here is a chart from 7/2020 showing what Ford is saying to use in each model back to 2002.
Why switch it to Mercon SP? Did Ford ever give an explanation on that? The chart puts 6r60/6r75 together. On Wikipedia, they say Mercon LV was first used in the 6r60 in 2006, but never indicated Mercon SP was used in that transmission. Here is a link to that site: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MERCON
Pretty sure that Wikipedia article is inaccurate. Here's an older version of that chart from Ford dating to 2013. They have the same fluids listed for the 6r60 and 6R75. SP is the fluid listed in the owners manual for my wife's 08 Expedition so it was the originally specified fluid.
They were helpful in the past. I have had them send original measurements for driveshafts and engineering drawings for a customer with a 05 and 06 GT. They supposedly still have a way for us to ask but they care more about asking me why a backordered sunvisor a customer damaged and demanded be covered under warranty hasn't arrived yet.
True.
I used a Coastal Dex Merc III in the lady's 98 Camry in the transmission. It has been perfect.