The local dealer here in Manila drained my auto trans and replaced the ATF with a Dexron III/Mercon fluid. Although I dont feel the tranny acting funny Im a bit worried because the dipstick says Mercon V. Are these fluids interchangeable? Will I damage my transmission if I leave it in there? I have a 1999 SC 4.2 2wd Auto. Thanks.
As far as i know, if your tranny calls for Mercon V, THATS what you use.
Verify what tranny you have in you SC. My 99SC with 4.6L & 4R70W calls for Mercon V.
Just passing this on, recently talked to a tranny shop about some mods, etc. Asked about syn. fluids VS Mercon V. Of course, he felt the full syn.ATF was better. I think so to. Lots of members here post good remarks.
What surprised me, he showed me a small bottle of additive, cant remember the name, but you add that to Mercon ATF, and it suppose to give you Mercon V rating.
Didnt think to ask, but maybe thats cheaper than going straight MerconV?
Perhaps thats what your dealer did?
Maybe someone else on this bd. can give more info. Its a good question you asked and for good reason. DextronIII/Mercon or MerconV, i dont think Mercon & MerconV are compatible with each other. But i think MerconV is a type of syn.ATF. DextonIII/Mercon are not syn
Was curious, did you ask dealer why he used what he did & was it correct fluid? Maybe check with another tranny shop or dealer?
from the basic understanding i have on this subject, you better get the mercon/ dextron 3 out of the tranny and put in mercon v. your transmission was built only to have mercon v. i would call ford customer service to confirm this. i have a 1997 sc which had mercon/ dextron 3 in it and i went now to mercon v. but that is another story.
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1997 f150 xlt black extended cab 4.6, 4x2 auto limited slip
mercon v, k&n filter
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Thanks you guys for the info...basically here is what I have researched. Mercon/Dexron III is basically the same as Mercon V. The only difference is that Mercon V has more anti-shudder additive to cope with the newer trannies. So putting Mercon only to a tranny that calls for Mercon V may cause shudders. But putting the more slipperier Mercon V to an older tranny may cause slippage. Although my tranny has been running normal so far, I am draining it completely so as not to take any chances. Ford Philippines only gives us 2 years warranty and mine just ran out a few weeks ago! What is a good synthetic Mercon V? Thanks again...
FYI. The 4R100 requires Mercon and you absolutly cannot use Mercon V or Mercon/Mercon V Compatable in them. 4R100 is used with the 5.4 in ther Lightning, the Expy, I would assume the Super Duties and recently most of the 5.4's in Super Crew, 4x4 and maybe even all 5.4's in F150's now. I think that changed in late 2000 or even in 2001.
I'm not sure about the 4R70 that uses Mercon V. Mercon may be OK, but I wouldn't chance it.
------------------ 2000 EDDIE BAUER EXPEDITION 4x2
my owners manual says that mercon and mercon v or "not" interchangeable. only mercon v should be used in the 4r70w tranny. plain old mercon should be used in the 4r100. for the record, the 4r70w is the only tranny available in the s-crew...including the lightning version.
I'm not sure if I'm reading you post right, but the Lightning has the 4R100. Also, in late 2000 or maybe it was for the 2001 model year, I believe most F-150's with the 5.4 are paired to the 4R100 as well. It may be just the heavier configuration trucks but that would include the Super Crew. The Expedition does as well although I'm not 100% sure about the Expy with a 4.6. Just FYI...
------------------ 2000 EDDIE BAUER EXPEDITION 4x2
nope. all s-crews have the 4r70w. i was mistaking the lightning for the harley davidson version of the supercrew. sorry about that. i do know the harley s-crew comes with the 4r70w. not sure about the lightning f150s. from what i can tell by building these trucks on kbb.com and the ford website...the only f150s that come with the 4r100 are the trucks which are equipped with the 7700 lb payload package...which isn't available on the s-crew.
just last night i decided to get the owner's manual out again! this is what my owner's manual says about dual usage tranny fluid. "use of a transmission fluid that indicates dual usage (ie...for mercon and mercon v) in an automatic transmission application requiring "mercon" may cause transmission damage. therefore, by deduction and according to ford, dual usage tranny fluid such as amsoil is okay in the 4r70w, but not in the 4r100. i'm sure there is someone out there who will disagree with ford, right?
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by TroyK: therefore, by deduction and according to ford, dual usage tranny fluid such as amsoil is okay in the 4r70w, but not in the 4r100. i'm sure there is someone out there who will disagree with ford, right?</font>
I guess I just dont' worry about it. Ford can say anything they want. The Amsoil warrenty will back you in any event, FWIW I trust amsoil more than I trust Ford!
let's see...who shall we believe, the designer and builder of the tranny, or some other company that makes a synthetic catch all? it's a free country, i guess. by the way, many folks were also told that is was okay to use dexron in electronic fwd chrysler automatics. those people have payed dearly!
My 97 4R70W calls for Mercon, not Mercon V.
Why would mine be different? My truck is from early production and the filter has a pick up like the 96 4x4. It also has the heavy duty tow package. I was pritty sure it had the 4R70W trans though. Is there a way to be sure?
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Black 1997 F-150 Supercab Flairside. 4.6L with Superchip, Jacobs DIS, K&N Generation II, Cat back Exhaust with Flowmaster 40 and MEG'S Stainless tip in front of rear wheel (nice rumble). 17" Off Road wheel pkg. Lots of body mods. 5 yrs old and still turns heads...and now paid for!! New is NITTO NT404 275/65/17's and Hellwig 1/7/16 front and 1 1/8 rear bar.
not sure about past specifications but i know the newer 4r70w trannies require mercon v. look at your door jamb on the drivers side. there is a sticker that will say either "u" or "e" for trans type. "u" is the 4r70w. "e" is obviosly the 4r100. that is presuming ford hasn't changed their code numbers over the past few years.
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Mercon vs. Mercon V
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