Mercon LV

[EricG]

I have been racking my brain researching Mercon LV Alternatives. There are a few threads here or there with varying opinions of Maxlife ATF, or the Castrol equivalent. This is my first time seeing this from the ATRA. At 33.33 in the video he mentions that he recommends only using Mercon LV because a shop in his area that used a multi vehicle fluid had issues with a 6r140 tcc flutter. Was about to pull the trigger on Maxlife or Transmax multi vehicle because it’s readily available and reasonably cheap, but I think I’ll order some Mercon LV online.

 

[Kira]

Yeah.
Everything is easy going and nothing special until you hear different.
A Mopar specific here and a Ford warning story there; maybe a Old Honda Wives' Tale....
Just take the advice at the end of those few stories...buy the in-house juice once in a while....especially vs. a multifluid.

 

[Cujet]

My 2009 F150 with the 6R-80 6speed (a reliable design related to ZF transmissions) absolutely HATES the Valvoline Maxlife fluid. I got that stuff out of the transmission with multiple flushes of Mercon LV purchased at the Ford dealership (best price locally), and the new shifting problems disappeared.

That's not to say the transmission is perfect, it is quite clunky, and some high speed 6th to 4th downshifts feel as if the truck was rear ended by a speeding car. And now at 200K miles, there is pump whine when cold. So I let it warm up before driving it.

Come to think of it, I'll change the fluid again soon.

 

[pbm]

I've done a few D&Rs of the ATF in my 2016 Ford Escape using Castrol FS (I don't remember if they called it Transmax or not but it has Mercon LV 'approval' unlike Maxlife which is 'recommended for use' but doesn't carry Ford 'approval'.) The shift quality is the exact same as when it had Motorcraft Mercon LV in it.

 

[Vitamin Yoda]

Come to think of it, I'll change the fluid again soon.

Would a bit of extra vuscosity help you? If yes, then get yourself some TES-668 fluid. Brand doesn't matter, though Delvac 1 TES 668 is GTL, and it's hard to find. The rest of them are Group III with a bit of PAO. The point is that all of them share the same Infineum additive package. This is Infineum most universal ATF add pack. They used it first in Dexron HP. I'm running Mobil 1 Dexron HP in a ZF 8HP70 and Castrol TranSynd TES 668 in a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe XL 6 speed. Shifts are silky smooth in both. After flushing the old ATF out and rplacing it, I reset the adaptive values in each transmission and recalibrated them. They've been working flawlessly for a couple of years now (I didnthe Hyundai last year).

Another fluid using the lastest and greatest Infineum add pack is HPL ATF Blue and Green. Their cold climate version is PAO. The difference between these two, other than color, is viscosity. Otherwise they're the same.

You can't go wrong with any of the fluids I listed.

Also, I got a 5 gallon bucket of HPL ATF Green Cold Climate. It will go into my Jeep soon.

I hope this bit info will be of some use to you.

 

[Cujet]

Would a bit of extra viscosity help you?

I kind of think the opposite is the case. The pump whine is present at lower fluid temps, and gone when the temp comes up. Put another way, if I drive to a freezing location, the pump will whine until the trans temp gauge moves off the low peg.

Here in South Florida, during the summer-like days, there is no pump whine. But a little in the brutally cold FL winter days.

The downshift issue has been around for years. The TCM reset seems not to help it.

 

[Vitamin Yoda]

I kind of think the opposite is the case.

Then go for Mobil 1 LV ATF HP (Dexron HP) or HPL ATF Green. The Mobil 1 is GTL and it will be the thinnst of the two: https://www.mobil.com/en/lubricants...products/products/mobil-1-synthetic-lv-atf-hp

If you got the Mobil 1 route, make sure you get the blue labeled bottles. The forst iteration were black label, and they used a different additive package from Afton Chemical. Mobil switched to Infineum after the Afton add pack had some issues with assimilating water. The Infineum add pack is very well tested. I believe Motul also uses the same add pack in their ATF VI fluid. You could get that as well, it's very good. Id skip AMSOIL and Red Line because they offer firmer shifts, and it may not be what you want in an old transmission. Otherwise, they're great, and they use a Lubrizol adf pack. Valvoline switched MaxLife to Afton Chemical add pack. Previously, MaxLife was blended with the same add pack that AMSOIL AND Red Line uses.

 

[GON]

I have been using liqui moly top tec 1800 as a replacement for mercon lv. I have been very happy with the 1800 fluid, and I use it in super dutys that tow loaded trailers cross country, across high temperatures and steep grades.

I buy the 1800 from rockauto in the 20 litre container..very nice price and the 20 liter container is easy to use

 

[Lubener]

I have been racking my brain researching Mercon LV Alternatives. There are a few threads here or there with varying opinions of Maxlife ATF, or the Castrol equivalent. This is my first time seeing this from the ATRA. At 33.33 in the video he mentions that he recommends only using Mercon LV because a shop in his area that used a multi vehicle fluid had issues with a 6r140 tcc flutter. Was about to pull the trigger on Maxlife or Transmax multi vehicle because it’s readily available and reasonably cheap, but I think I’ll order some Mercon LV online.

Use what is recommended in your owner's manual. Ignore what some space cadet suggests on the internet.

 

[ctechbob]

Penzoil, Castrol, and Valvoline all offer a Mercon LV substitute. I would imagine any of those would work, along with regular Motorcraft LV.

Lot more choices than we have with ULV.

 

[Whimsey]

I've done a few D&Rs of the ATF in my 2016 Ford Escape using Castrol FS (I don't remember if they called it Transmax or not but it has Mercon LV 'approval' unlike Maxlife which is 'recommended for use' but doesn't carry Ford 'approval'.) The shift quality is the exact same as when it had Motorcraft Mercon LV in it.

Castrol had two ATF's which were licensed by Ford for use in Mercon LV vehicles. One was Transmax Full Synthetic Multi-Vehicle ATF and the other was a Transmax Dexron-VI ATF that was also licensed by Ford for Mercon LV use. However, they seemed to have been replaced by Transmax ATF/CVT Universal which is not licensed by Ford for Mercon LV use. In fact the viscosity is too high for a Mercon LV fluid. I was using both of those but now I've gone back to Ford's Mercon LV. I get it from Rock Auto for $28.79 for 5 quarts, which is great because for a drain and fill my 6F35 transmission takes ~4.25 quarts.

 

[Sam_Julier]

My local Ford dealer has always had the lowest price for the Mercon LV. I help a friend with her 2015 Escape.

 

[pbm]

Castrol had two ATF's which were licensed by Ford for use in Mercon LV vehicles. One was Transmax Full Synthetic Multi-Vehicle ATF and the other was a Transmax Dexron-VI ATF that was also licensed by Ford for Mercon LV use. However, they seemed to have been replaced by Transmax ATF/CVT Universal which is not licensed by Ford for Mercon LV use. In fact the viscosity is too high for a Mercon LV fluid. I was using both of those but now I've gone back to Ford's Mercon LV. I get it from Rock Auto for $28.79 for 5 quarts, which is great because for a drain and fill my 6F35 transmission takes ~4.25 quarts.

The Castrol Transmax Full Synthetic MV is the one I used. I bought about 25 quarts of it when AZ had it on 'CLEARANCE' for $3 a quart IIRC about 5 years ago. It does say 'Licensed by Ford for Mercon LV' or some such verbiage (I'm away from home so I can't tell you the exact wording). It also says it can be used in all Toyota applications so I may use it in my 2008 Corolla now that I'm out of Toyota T-IV.

 

[RF Overlord]

Not sure why anyone feels the need to use anything other than genuine Motorcraft Mercon LV. It's available from Rock Auto for $6.08 per quart or $28.89 for the 5 qt jug. Even including shipping that's less than any of the so-called "recommended for" or "suitable for" fluids purchased locally. It's even less than Walmart or Amazon even with their free shipping.