ATF change / Mercron V

[Oregoonian]

I'm planning a transmission fluid change in the near future on my 2003 Ford Focus (2.3L). It is spec'd Mercron V. I'm considering 3 products;

1. Valvoline Mercon V.... is it a full synthetic?
2. Motorcraft Mercon V............ full synthetic???
3. Amzoil ATF.... Is it worth the cost? More than twice the price of the two above.

Would appreciate all suggestions and advice...........

 

[hate2work]

I run Amsoil in my rigs and love it. Noticable smoother shifts. And since you really don't change your ATF that often, I like knowing the best is in there. Plus in our Corolla, the ATF doubles as gear oil, so using the best fluid just makes sense to me.

 

[rshaw125]

I have a buddy who works at a Ford dealership and he gets me MC Mercon V. I do 30,000 changes on my Sable. Performs flawlessly.

 

[EricZoom]

I've done several drain-refills on my Mazda6 using Redline D4, and adding Lubeguard. That combined with a cooler have worked well for my ATX.

 

[RF Overlord]

Oregoonian, just for the record, it's Mercon not Mercron.

Now that that's off my chest, unless you plan to leave the ATF in for a very long time, or you plan to be very hard on your transaxle (like towing through the mountains in July, or carrying a max load all the time), both the Valvoline and the Motorcraft versions will be more than adequate. Neither is a full synthetic, but IIRC to meet the Mercon V spec, most blenders use at least a semi-syn base oil.

FWIW, I use Motorcraft Mercon V in my supercharged Marauder,and that's one heavy car.

 

[Steelers]

As long as the ATF includes Mercon V as a spec it will work fine in your Focus. I used a variety of Mercon V ATFs in a 4r70w transmission I had and noticed no difference in real world driving. I don't think that the brand of fluid matters nearly a much as maintaining a reasonable change interval. On a 7 year old Focus I would tend to go cheap. To your question, Motorcraft and Valvoline are likely synthetic blends. It seems that most ATFs need to be a blend at a minimum to meet the requirements of a Mercon V spec.

 

[tig1]

May I suggest M1 ATF. I have used it in various Fords ever since Mobil came out with their Synthetic ATF and have very good results with it. I also use it in all My PS pumps with never a failure as well.

 

[ET16]

Maxlife Dex/Merc would be a good choice, too.

 

[Oregoonian]

Thank Guys (even Overford who corrected my spelling),

Your info and advice have been very helpful. I guess I will eliminate the Amsoil (I do believe its a superior product, but the cost is what is holding me back...$$ are tight).

I'm leaning to Motorcraft because its a Ford product, but only if I can find it locally and at a reasonable price. If I can't, I'll do Valvoline which is available at several places in my area
______________________________________________
2003 Ford Focus SE Sedan (2.3L) / 82K
Valvoline MaxLife 5w30 / Puro PureOne
Redline SL-1

 

[cos]

Wal-Mart is the place many BITOGERS get their ATF - they have best price. I use their house brand (SuperTech) Mercon V in my power steering.

 

[RF Overlord]

Originally Posted By: Oregoonian
Thank Guys (even Overford who corrected my spelling)
Sorry, man...I didn't mean to pick on you, it's just that I read so many posts where people use "mercron", "dextron", "Mobile 1" (and "Moble 1"), "breaks" instead of brakes, etc...that I sometimes become the Spelling Police.

 

[Oregoonian]

Get over it...your majoring on the minors....instead post only useful things that help in the discussion.

 

[RF Overlord]

I was trying to apologise and you lecture me...thanks.

 

[Oregoonian]

Your welcome.........picky, picky, picky.