Is Motorcraft Mercon V a good substitute for plain Mercon, can;t fine just Mercon for transmission?

[markalmand]

Is Motorcraft Mercon V a good substitute for plain Mercon, can;t fine just Mercon for transmission?

 

[broncc]

No. What you want to buy is called "Dex/Merc" at the parts store.

 

[19Walt93]

It's actually Dexron III/ Mercon but I agree. Ford power steering fluid and transfer case fluid meet the same specs and cost more so I buy Valvoline/ Napa Dexron III/ Mercon.

 

[Josh B]

What is Dexron-VI , Mercon LV good for? Other than $10 Qt

 

[markalmand]

It's actually Dexron III/ Mercon but I agree. Ford power steering fluid and transfer case fluid meet the same specs and cost more so I buy Valvoline/ Napa Dexron III/ Mercon.

Motorcraft says Mercon V is compatable with Mercon fluid on oil container, so I ordered Mercon V for a trans. filter change,

 

[4x4junkie]

Yeah if it's for an automatic trans, Mercon V should be OK, I've found (I do see you have "Automatic" listed on your profile). If it was for a manual though... RUN AWAY!

As said, Dex/Merc is the original Mercon fluid. There's a long story behind this dealing with Ford, licensing shenanigans over the 'Mercon' name, and their supposed "better" ideas. Mercon V definitely is NOT backward-compatible for a manual trans (causes hard shifting).

 

[markalmand]

Thank you sir, good to know, will have to look into Dex/Merc fluid by Valvoline, used their oil for many years.

 

[DILLARD000]

What is Dexron-VI , Mercon LV good for? Other than $10 Qt

Been using Valvoline MaxLife FullSyn MerconLV in this 1354 TransferCase several years now.
My understanding is there was much confusion & many damaged 1354s
when Ford discontinued original Mercon & switched to MerconV for 4r\5r Transmissions.
Prefer MerconV FullSyn AmsOil\RedLine in this 5r55e & PowerSteering.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

What is Dexron-VI , Mercon LV good for? Other than $10 Qt

LV= low viscosity aka liquid velvet. Dont use it.

Its good for the transmissions that call for it, perhaps the ones with tighter tolerance valve bodies. Not yours.

 

[markalmand]

Going top Auto Zone to purchase Valvoline Dextron lll / Mercon Transmission fluid for my trans filter change, as I have looked into this discussion and looks like Mercon5 is not the best substitute for regular Mercon, had called Ford dealership and tech said Mercon 5 is what is used now, glad I found this forum and got good info. on the correct fluid to use, as my newly purchased 94 Ranger XLT 4.0 2wd truck only has 115,000 miles on it, plan to keep this sweet ride for many years to come! Trans fluid is almost black and stinks to high heaven, I'm sure it's never been changed, almost 30 years old...

 

[markalmand]

My 94 Ranger 4.0 automatic shifts hard into reverse, and somewhat hard into drive, what would cause this as I have lowered idle speed but still have this problem.

 

[19Walt93]

My 94 Ranger 4.0 automatic shifts hard into reverse, and somewhat hard into drive, what would cause this as I have lowered idle speed but still have this problem.

If memory serves we fixed harsh reverse complaints by replacing valve body gaskets.

 

[Josh B]

If memory serves we fixed harsh reverse complaints by replacing valve body gaskets.

For Mark's sake is that through-out or just the main (installation) gaskets? I am NOT well educated on automatics

 

[sgtsandman]

What is Dexron-VI , Mercon LV good for? Other than $10 Qt

Mercon LV is listed as not being backward compatible for transmissions and transfer cases requiring Mercon or Mercon V. The same goes for Mercon ULV. Unless the manual calls for it for your transmission or transfer case, I would stick with the older specification. That may require going aftermarket.

As a side note, I have noticed that actual Mercon V shifts better in my manual transmission that calls for it rather than aftermarket product that says it meets the same specification. It works, just not as well.

Rock Auto sells actual Motorcraft Mercon branded fluid products, that might be a place to check outside of a dealer. No guarantees they have plain old Mercon but worth a try. Even with shipping, they are cheaper than the dealer.

 

[Josh B]

Been using Valvoline MaxLife FullSyn MerconLV in this 1354 TransferCase several years now.
My understanding is there was much confusion & many damaged 1354s
when Ford discontinued original Mercon & switched to MerconV for 4r\5r Transmissions.
Prefer MerconV FullSyn AmsOil\RedLine in this 5r55e & PowerSteering.

Actually I don't know any other brands they have the but I was only looking at the Walmart store supertech brand
I wasn't sure what type but when I got it at the last minute before I dropped the transmission all they had was two gts of the derxon -VI / Mercon LV , @ $10 QT, going in a m50D (I think a one/ 1 )
I was frantically putting that thing together and running out of time, After installing the tranny and TC and was up top I poured 2 qts in and continued underneath, I had the Y pipe torqued and the tailpipes hung to the final piece, grabbed the drive shaft and couldn't get it to aline .
Went up top and tried to get neutral but it wouldn't go anywhere.
At that point I presumed it was bound in the clutch, PP, pilot bearing area because it been tough getting it in there, but after I dropped it again I could see nothing wrong in there (expected loose pilot bearings but none were loose)
I wanted to save the fluid but didn't have a clean bucket around and used a gallon zip bag, that didn't want to seal so I put a double zipper on it but most of it still went in the dirty bucket

Sooo, the NEXT time I get Tranny fluid, at this point I'm almost afraid to ask