I have 191,000 miles on my Explorer have flush the transmission every 30,000 miles. I do it myself thru the transmission cooler pumping 2 quarts out pouring 2 quarts in. Has been a Great SUV! Will I benefit using Mercon V over regular Mercon?
Why only two quarts? You could do the whole amount using that method pretty easily and only have to do it every 50k, at the most. Upgrading the a newer version of fluid won't hurt anything and may help the transmission run cooler.
Did a drain & fill on friend'sExplorer, '04 V-6 @ 57K. The 5 qt which drained wasn't too bad.
Used Mercon V. The family also had a '97 F-150 and the Mercon spec was superseded to Mercon V.
Rigged a pressurized bottle to fill through "that thing" mounted in the oil pan.
Originally Posted By: racer44
I have 191,000 miles on my Explorer have flush the transmission every 30,000 miles. I do it myself thru the transmission cooler pumping 2 quarts out pouring 2 quarts in. Has been a Great SUV! Will I benefit using Mercon V over regular Mercon?
Originally Posted By: racer44
I have 191,000 miles on my Explorer have flush the transmission every 30,000 miles. I do it myself thru the transmission cooler pumping 2 quarts out pouring 2 quarts in. Has been a Great SUV! Will I benefit using Mercon V over regular Mercon?
Only Mercon V for these transmissions. If you have the v6 w/ 5R44E, These transmissions have a temperature valve, so you aren't flushing the converter unless you are at operating temperature.
The Mercon V is an improvement over the Mercon. Besides being a synthetic blend it likely has a stronger add package than most conventional Mercons. Merc V shears at about half the rate of Mercon. So your fluid will last longer. By around 2003 Ford was recommending Mercon V in most of its formerly Mercon transmissions. With cheap SuperTech Mercon V at $4.25/qt (it meets Ford approvals), no reason not to use it or a similar specced fluid. After 30K miles the Mercon would probably shear down from 7.4 to 4.0-4.5 cSt. While the Merc V might still be around 5.0-6.0. A full synthetic like Mobil 1 ATF would probably end up around 6.5-6.8. The Mercon V would maintain its transmission hydraulic characteristics longer than the Mercon...which would benefit better shifting and less wear & tear.
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Does your transmission have a drain plug? If not, Dorman might make an aftermarket pan that has one, making future ATF changes much easier
There is nothing wrong with using Mercon V over regular Mercon, but you may wish to consider using a full synthetic ATF like the popular Maxlife
No drain plug on the factory pan, but Dorman does make a pan with a plug.