question about fluid type for 06 ranger manual tranny

[SolidSnake84]

Hi guys,

I have a 2006 Ranger 4.0 4X4 with the 5spd Manual transmission.

I believe it is the M50D mazda, but i'm not exact. It has nearly 70,000 miles, and it is time to change the gear oil in the tranny. I know the book calls for MERCON in the tranny.

But I can't find MERCON anywhere, and Ford says it has been replaced by MERCON V.

is MERCON V safe to use? if not, what should i use?

I used a bit of Lucas treatment in my 88 ranger...can i use it in this?

thanks,

Mark

 

[exbass94]

Mercon V should be safe to use, although some members have reported difficulty shifting with it. I find it hard to believe you can't find regular Mercon though, that stuff is everywhere. Look for bottles that say "Dexron III/Mercon" or "Dex/Merc." Dexron III is the same thing as regular Mercon.

 

[Fast Fords]

mercon V is perfect to use..i use it in mine and all the other vehicles that require mercon oil in the trans..go to a ford dealer and ask them for the part CXT-5..this is the mercon V.

 

[4x4RangerGuy]

Earlier models of the M5OD transmission have been reported to not like Mercon V as much due to the material used in the synchros. I believe it's 95 and back, but don't quote me on that.

Mercon is still around, it's just bottled as Mercon/Dexron III or Dex/Merc. I'd put that in if I were you.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

ive been using merc V in my '93 for over 5 years now...shifts very smoothly and havnt had any problems.

 

[4x4junkie]

Why take chances though?

Look for what's labeled "Domestic Vehicle ATF" or "Dex/Merc". It will say on the bottle it meets the Mercon specifications.

For some unknown reason Ford pulled the license to actually call it Mercon, while at the same time, saying Mercon V fully replaces it.
What's odd is just before this, Ford claimed Mercon V was NOT to be used in 4R100 transmissions (which called for straight Mercon) and would void all warranty if used. Now all of a sudden it's now OK??
Yeah whatever...

'06 still called for straight Mercon in the M5OD, I would just stick with what's recommended for it. The frequency of past reports of shifting issues in these transmissions is enough to keep me away from it.

 

[SolidSnake84]

Sorry to bump the thread again guys, but i've got some new information.

After hearing what you guys said about Mercon and Mercon V, I decided to call the guy that I bought the truck from, to find out if he had any information on it from when it was serviced last.

He did infact take the truck to Ford to have all the regular maintenance and stuff. He revealed to me that they DID change the transmission fluid, but that it said "Specified Fluid", on the invoice.

So now I only wonder if the ford dealer switched it to Mercon V when they were there. I do know for a fact that it came with Mercon, as that's what the owners manual calls for.

If it indeed has Mercon V in it, I'd really feel better about running it with what it calls for, the Mercon. Can I safely switch back to Mercon fluid if I can find it? Everything i've heard just says that Mercon V is a full synthetic version of Mercon. I dont want to have shift problems or the like, so is it safe to go back to Mercon?

thanks again,
mark

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

merc III and V are compatible..you can switch between the two at will.

people tend to look into these gearboxes a little too much. its a manual gear box, its really not that picky on what fluid is used in it (guys have unknowingly run gear oil in them for long periods without causing any perminent damage). mine had a mixture of mercon and water in it when i got it that im sure had amazing lubricity properties and its has never give me any problems in the 40K miles or so ive had it.

if its not acting funny, why mess with it? FORD says merc V can be used in them...why would they say that if it cause harm to the trans? they'd just have that many more warranty issues on their hands (unless the new M5OD's have been "updated" to handle the new fluid...but to my knowledge the inernals have not been changed in the better part of a decade).

 

[4x4RangerGuy]

merc III and V are compatible..you can switch between the two at will.

people tend to look into these gearboxes a little too much. its a manual gear box, its really not that picky on what fluid is used in it (guys have unknowingly run gear oil in them for long periods without causing any perminent damage). mine had a mixture of mercon and water in it when i got it that im sure had amazing lubricity properties and its has never give me any problems in the 40K miles or so ive had it.

if its not acting funny, why mess with it? FORD says merc V can be used in them...why would they say that if it cause harm to the trans? they'd just have that many more warranty issues on their hands (unless the new M5OD's have been "updated" to handle the new fluid...but to my knowledge the inernals have not been changed in the better part of a decade).

I was under the impression that they were using new materials in the synchros that were better suited to Mercon V, which is a slippier ATF.

I always thought that Ford just replaced Mercon with Mercon V out of convenience, and that they would just deal with any problems that arose simply out of the convenience of producing one fluid.

 

[racsan]

personally i run pennzoil syncromesh fluid in mine. ive ran every thing from mercon, mobil 1 synthetic atf, even 5w 20 sythtic engine oil. iwouldnt run 80w gear oil though. did that once with a manual jeep trans. wouldnt shift in winter, very noisy once spring came. sold it by fall. if it shifts fine most any atf should work. if you have a shifting issue no magic oil is going to fix it.

 

[4x4junkie]

merc III and V are compatible..you can switch between the two at will.

people tend to look into these gearboxes a little too much. its a manual gear box, its really not that picky on what fluid is used in it (guys have unknowingly run gear oil in them for long periods without causing any perminent damage). mine had a mixture of mercon and water in it when i got it that im sure had amazing lubricity properties and its has never give me any problems in the 40K miles or so ive had it.

if its not acting funny, why mess with it? FORD says merc V can be used in them...why would they say that if it cause harm to the trans? they'd just have that many more warranty issues on their hands (unless the new M5OD's have been "updated" to handle the new fluid...but to my knowledge the inernals have not been changed in the better part of a decade).

Doubtful Ford cares about that. Any transmissions that might be affected by it are long out of warranty.
Why did Ford originally say NEVER use it in 4R100s?


And yes, switching back to Mercon is not a problem.

 

[1wicked88]

Why did Ford originally say NEVER use it in 4R100s?

The only reason I can think of is the material used on the clutches. Mercon V is highly friction modified where Mercon (III) is not. As far as in a typical gear box it really isn't going to care all that much, there are no frictions to worry about. If anything the synthetic fluid has better properties than the regular dex/merIII

Matt

 

[4x4junkie]

As far as in a typical gear box it really isn't going to care all that much, there are no frictions to worry about.

Not entirely true...
The synchronizer rings in a manual trans rely on friction to work properly. It would appear that the different frictional properties of Mercon V is why the shift quality is affected on many of these transmissions.