Steve83

You're entitled to your opinion, but I think people will read this thread to find out what fluid to put in a transmission. The thread title is "5 Speed Manual Transmission Oil"; not "how to fix some particular problem".

I don't get what's not clear to you. The day you need to add trans fluid, go to those links & read what they say THAT DAY. Buy that fluid, and put it in. Today, it says Mercon V. Tomorrow it might say Mercon SP. But whatever it says, I trust Ford to know what's in the fluid, and what's best for the transmission they designed. I recommend avoiding everything else, regardless of manufacturer, brand, or what specifications it claims to meet.

No, the right fluid will NOT fix a transmission damaged by using the wrong fluid. It has to be rebuilt. That's why I always use whatever fluid Ford specifies at the time I'm putting fluid in. A decade ago, I put in the fluid in that first pic. Then I sold the truck, and that transmission had a failure UNrelated to the fluid...


(phone app link)

The replacement trans was filled with whatever MC fluid was specified then (check the upload date on that pic), and it's still working fine, now that I own the truck again. If I feel like it needs fresh fluid, I'll see what Ford recommends then, and buy that.

If it ever has shifting problems, I'll diagnose them. If they're related to the fluid, I'll try to remember to post back in this thread. But I suspect I'll never need to.

BareBonesXL

That is clear. You seem pretty obstinate. No give at all.

The thread developed, grew, progressed, in to a discussion about the fairly common problem with the M5OD, where it won't go into gear from a dead stop. Like at a stop light. It was mentioned specifically in the middle of the thread.

And Pennzoil Synchromesh does fix the problem, or, at least, has. Not much more to discuss. The fact that you have not experienced it does not mean that it does not exist.

Still an open question about whether the problem is caused by non-Motorcraft Mercon V, or something else. Still an open question about whether switching back to Motorcraft Mercon V will fix the problem.

A closed question about whether Pennzoil Synchromesh has fixed the problem for at least one person. Me.

So, avoid Valvoline Mercon V. Take your best guess on Motorcraft Mercon V or Pennzoil Synchromesh.

Steve83

IDK what you expect me to "give" that I haven't already. And from my perspective, you're the obstinate one. You bought a vehicle designed by Ford, but you don't want to take care of it the way Ford says to. OK - it's yours, and you can do what you want to it. See where it gets you... My 2 have a combined ~1.3 million miles, and still run like-new, even though I was knocking down trees with one of them today.

BareBonesXL

I'm offering a solution to a problem for people with used and abused old trucks.

You're offering a path to eternity for people who just bought their brand new truck.

Two different worlds.


It's odd that these fluid companies use the registered trademarks of other companies but not the actual licensed products. I assumed that if it said "Mercon" that Ford had some say in its usage. Maybe they do, who knows. It still might be that just switching back to Motorcraft solves the problem, instead of Synchromesh. Maybe somebody will take a shot.

"Ford and MERCON V are registered trademarks of Ford Motor Company. This is not a licensed Ford product."

https://www.valvoline.com/about-us/f...tem-fluids-faq

frank5079

According to Wikipedia, DEXRON is the trade name for a group of technical specifications of automatic transmission fluid (ATF) created by General Motors (GM). The name is a registered trademark (later becoming a brand) of GM, which licenses the name and specifications to companies which manufacture the fluid and sell it under their own brand names. Not all Dexron fluids are licensed for reselling under another brand name. All licensed Dexron fluids must have a license number that begins with the letters B through J.

Originally the DEXRON name was associated exclusively with automatic transmission fluids, later GM released DEXRON gear oils and other lubricants under the DEXRON brand.

DEXRON-VI(J)[edit]

In a joint venture, Ford and GM collaborated on the development of a new 6-speed FWD transaxle (6T70/6F50). Both companies would share the designs and build their own transmissions. The design of these transmissions required a new fluid.

In 2005, Ford released the Mercon Low Viscosity (LV) fluid and GM released the Dexron VI specification.[18] The fluid specification for Dexron-VI (J) was first used as the GM factory-fill automatic transmission fluid for the model year 2006. Roy Fewkes, GM Powertrain Staff Project Engineer and Chairman of the GM ATF/Driveline Lubricants Approval Committee patented the new Dexron-VI (J) fluid composition under US Patent US8642519B2[19]
[20]

Dexron VI is of a slightly lower viscosity when new compared to the prior Dexron fluids (a maximum of 6.4 cSt at 100 °C for Dexron VI and 7.5 cSt for Dexron III), but the allowed viscosity loss from shearing of the ATF during use is lower for Dexron VI, resulting in the same lowest allowed final viscosity for both Dexron III and VI (5.5 cSt) in test. In reality most of the DEXRON-III fluids typically sheared to about 4.2 cSt in use. The lower, more stable viscosity improved pumping efficiency within the transmission and fluid stability over life. Since Dexron VI is not allowed to thin out (lower its viscosity) as much as Dexron III during use, it requires the use of higher-quality, more shear-stable (less prone to thinning while in use) formulations.The container rear label reads "Full Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid"; however, the base oil composition is not stated. The current GM specification that defines the fluid is GMW16444, which superseded the original specification, GMN10060.

All Dexron-III (H) licenses expired permanently at the end of 2011, and GM now supports only Dexron-VI fluids for use in their older automatic transmissions. Aftermarket fluids asserted by their manufacturers to meet Dexron-III(H) and earlier standards continue to be sold under names such as Dex/Merc. These fluids are not regulated or endorsed by GM.

DEXRON III(K) for Manual Transmissions

On August 1, 2016, GM released the Dexron III (K) fluid specification (GM Spec GMW17639) as a fluid to support older GM manual transmissions and power steering systems requiring the previously discontinued Dexron-III(H) fluid.

WARNING:The additive package for automatic transmissions has been removed from this fluid; do not use it in any automatic transmission.

justintendo

why not run a mtf fluid thats the same weight as the original mercon?? its not complicated..the market has grown and there are more manual transmission fluids available now, in a wide range of weights. they offer a good additive pack for better synchro efficiency and less wear. you dont have to run an atf.

Steve83

Do you think I bought either of mine new? They're both built from used, abused, neglected junkyard parts. But since I got each of their MANY parts, and put them together into running trucks, I take care of them the way Ford recommends. Even though I continue to use & abuse them mercilessly. It works, no matter what the age or history.

BareBonesXL

That's a good sign then. When somebody with "The Problem" switches to Motorcraft Mercon V more will be known. In the meantime my M5OD R2 with Pennzoil Synchromesh shifts and sounds so good I can't think of a reason to do that. Time will tell.

I only tried the Synchromesh as a $40 gamble. I figured it was worth a shot to avoid extra work. I was ready to drop the transmission and replace the clutch, after reading about some people only solving the issue that way. But the $40 paid off. I have not seen any posts about switching back to Motorcraft and fixing the problem but it's certainly possible.

I don't know what fluid was in my rig. The PO kept a small notebook and it says he changed the fluid in the past. But he didn't write any details down. It only had 75,000 miles when I got it.


Turns out there's a whole load of manufacturers making "Mercon V". Ford owns the trademark but apparently lets anybody use it. It's weird. Why don't they just make a "Mercon" grade, to match the earlier spec. if it's just a name?

http://www.amalie.com/Transmission-F...ynthetic-Blend

https://mag1.com/products/transmissi...mission-fluid/

https://starfire1.com/mercon-atf.php

http://www.marcnelsonoil.com/assets/...rcon_v_atf.pdf

https://www.whlubricants.com/files/p...31-merconv.pdf

PetesPonies

I have been using Redline MTL in my 5 speed transmissions for 30 years now. Has a viscosity similar to ATF, but has the qualities you want for a manual transmission,. Some people have said, NO It's a great choice.