Maxlife Dex/Merc in a 6F35 (Ford Fusion) ?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jul 7, 2014
Messages
258
Location
Western NY
My wife's 2010 fusion is having some problems with delayed engagement and hard shifts. 56k miles. The current ATF is kind of brown and ugly.

I saw a similar thread from Klutch9 about his Fusion, and he got some improvement with Redline D6. I'm going to change my wife's fluid soon and, while I'm keeping the D6 in the back of my mind to try later, I think I'm going to go with Maxlife Dex/Merc first.

I was just wondering if anyone else has tried the combo. The LV is Mercon LV stands for 'Low Viscocity', right? So I checked the spec sheets for Mercon LV and Dex/Merc and they look pretty similar, which sets my mind at ease a bit.

So, anyone else try Dex/Merc in their 6F35? Unless somebody has a warning for me, I'm going to give it a shot, maybe this weekend, before I try out the more expensive Redline.
 
I dont have the same vehicle as you but my 5spd AT in my altima was slipping pretty bad and the fluid looked like brown water. I changed it to Maxlife which carries a very wide variety of specs and the slip went away. Its been in the tranny for 12k now and its been the smoothest its ever been. It works very well in my application but make sure it carries your vehicles specs. Im sure it does.
 
I don't have your transmission but I do use Maxlife with nothing bad to say about it.

Also Valvoline recommends Maxlife for the Mercon LV application so it's a green light from Valvoline I don't see any issues at all especially since the viscositys are so close.

If the color is already nasty your going to need multiple drain and fills or dipstick suck and fills to achieve best results. I would do two drain and fills back to back with some short driving in between to circulate the new and old fluid, maybe 5-10 miles between the first and second drain then do on A third drain and fill in about 1,000 miles.

After that keep up with it one drain and fill every 15-20k max since this transmission seems to beat up fluid.
 
Yes I use it in my 2012 Escape with the 6f35. It's worked well for me...the Valvoline website and the bottles say it is compatible. It would be fine for you to use. FYI I get an even 4 qts out with drain and fill method. The 4 qt jugs are perfect for this.
 
Originally Posted By: Smcatub
My wife's 2010 fusion is having some problems with delayed engagement and hard shifts. 56k miles. The current ATF is kind of brown and ugly.


You're still under the 6/60 power train warranty so why not let Ford take a stab at it. Worst case is you are out the cost of a flush at the dealer. And you get it documented in case there are issues.
 
My parents aren't going to change theirs until 60K per the dealer. When the time comes, I'm going to change it and use D6 - have heard good things about it. I am not a fan of botique oils, however.
 
Maxlife meets LV standards and says Mercon LV on the bottle. Use it with confidence
smile.gif


If you prefer something that has formal Ford approval, consider Mag 1 Low-Vis Synthetic ATF. available on Amazon at a great price, or at pep Boys for a still-reasonable $6/qt
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
If the color is already nasty your going to need multiple drain and fills or dipstick suck and fills to achieve best results.


Color of fluid doesn't apply the same with Mercon LV, since it turns brown very quickly and is normal. Ford even says so.
 
Originally Posted By: Klutch9
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
If the color is already nasty your going to need multiple drain and fills or dipstick suck and fills to achieve best results.


Color of fluid doesn't apply the same with Mercon LV, since it turns brown very quickly and is normal. Ford even says so.



I understand that but the OP says it's coming with harsh shifts which indicate the fluid is spent either way most likely.
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Originally Posted By: Klutch9
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
If the color is already nasty your going to need multiple drain and fills or dipstick suck and fills to achieve best results.


Color of fluid doesn't apply the same with Mercon LV, since it turns brown very quickly and is normal. Ford even says so.



I understand that but the OP says it's coming with harsh shifts which indicate the fluid is spent either way most likely.


True. But the 6F35 has a mind of its own sometimes, even with fresh fluid.
 
Originally Posted By: itguy08


You're still under the 6/60 power train warranty so why not let Ford take a stab at it. Worst case is you are out the cost of a flush at the dealer. And you get it documented in case there are issues.


Good to know; we're bringing it in for a recall this weekend, so I'll mention it when I head over there.
 
Originally Posted By: michaelluscher
Did yours get the reflash? Should still be covered, pair that with some fresh Mercon LV (for warranty), you should get some good improvements.


When did the most recent reflash come out? Ours was reflashed 2 years ago, and that's still the latest software AFAIK.
 
The recall we're going in for involves a reflash. I don't know how these things work, but I assume that getting re-flashed would bring everything up to the most current version of the software. But I will mention it when I'm there to be sure.
 
Originally Posted By: Smcatub
The recall we're going in for involves a reflash. I don't know how these things work, but I assume that getting re-flashed would bring everything up to the most current version of the software. But I will mention it when I'm there to be sure.


I think it depends on the dealer. When I got my used F150 I took it in and told them I was having some weird issues with shifting (I was) and a "miss in 6th gear". Asked them to check and update as needed. They did and all issues are resolved.

So it's worth asking them to check for the latest programming. Today's cars are as bad as computers!
smile.gif
 
Valvoline's site says that fluid is recommended for MERCRON V and LV etc. I Would take it to the dealer first. There is a TSB about those issues as well. From my experience Delayed engagement from drive to reverse or reverse to drive is usually a computer or valve body issue. Which if it is a computer issue a re flash can fix it.

I am using maxlife atf in my KIA which has a Ford/Mazda design Trans and it runs great with it.
 
Last edited:
So I went in for the PCM reflash. It was a throttle related recall (TPS maybe? I forgot already).

There was a $104 fee to do a diagnosis, so I decided to hold off on having them look at it. The warranty has a few thousand miles left, so I'll have my wife bring it in since she drives it and would be best able to describe when it happens.

As to the PCM reflash - I don't know how they work. Is it one monolithic piece of software that gets loaded? Or do they do it bit by bit? Basically, I'm wondering if the update I just got would have brought everything up to date along with it (including the transmission), or if they just update it piece by piece, so I might have the most recent throttle-related bit but not the most recent anything else?

I tried to ask the service writer but she didn't seem to know a PCM from an LOL so I didn't get very far there.

It seems like bringing everything up to date at once in a single package that was tested to work together would be best. But I run into a lot of stuff on my cars that makes me scratch my head and wonder why the heck the engineers did what they did, so who knows?
 
Got to go back and read everyone reply, but I figured I'd post my $0.02 since its pretty applicable.

For '11 F150 with 6spd auto (6r80?) spec's Mercon LV with 150k mile service interval. I have original fluid at 55-60k miles right now, recently tested by Blackstone and given the thumbs up with numbers on par to 22k mile average fluid. As for problems I've had little, did take the truck in for the TSB on sticking solenoids and all were replace; still occasionally sticky 1-2 slam but otherwise good.

In regard to the MaxLife/MERCON LV question. Since they [Valvoline] recommends maxlife for LV applications but it does not have a MERCON LV license as well as other factors such as being compatible with old MERCON and DEX IV I contacted Valvoline asking what assurances they offer that this fluid is indeed compatible and what protection they offer if it is believed to cause harm. The following is their reply:

Quote:
*****, thank you for contacting Valvoline Product Support with your ATF application question.



We certainly recommend and support the use of our Valvoline MaxLife Dex/Merc ATF product in Ford applications that require Mercon, Mercon V, Mercon SP, and Mercon LV specifications. Valvoline tests the product for each individual specification, to verify product compatibility for both mixture and replacement.



Once we have completed testing with the MaxLife Dex/Merc ATF product for manufacturer's specifications, we list them in a couple of different places. Please see the PDF attachment copies of our MaxLife letter and the product information sheet that we have provided, for your convenience. Valvoline will stand behind our products 100%, when used in the appropriate applications.



If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us via phone at 800 TEAM VAL or by email at [email protected] for assistance.



Thank you and have a great day.

Tom

Valvoline Product Support





Call me critical, but between the low cost of Mercon LV and the high cost of a replacement trans my truck will be seeing MERCON LV when the time comes.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top