• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

MTX shift better?

G

greasemonkey1489

Hard-core CEG'er
Joined
Apr 14, 2008
Messages
1,568
Location
Bloomington/Normal, IL
I have put about 4000 miles on my SVT since I bought it, but it seems that the trans is shifting progressively worse? It doesnt grind, but it seems to take a little more effort between shifts. The car has about 106,000 miles on it, and I am not sure of the condition of the fluid. Where should I start?

I have heard of cable adjustments, cable end bushings wearing out (there is no abnormal amount of play in the shifter), shift tower (?) and different fluid. What fluid would be best to use?

I apologize if this is posted in the wrong area...
 
Start with the fluid. Anything that has more friction modifier in the formulation than the factory fill Mercon will show an improvement.

My personal opinion is to use the current Ford product that has been specified for the MTX75 since early 2000, also known as Ford Honey. It is pricey though. I added 2 oz of Ford Friction Modifier. This worked well as soon as it was installed, but seemed to improve after a few months.

My second choice is Chrysler ATF+3 or ATF+4. It is very similar to Mercon, but has a higher friction modifier content. The improvement in shift quality is immediate.

Even replacing aged Mercon with fresh Mercon gives an improvement, but not as much and it is short lived.

This has been a very hot topic in the past, and I'm sure you will get a lot of other opinions.
 
if ur trans is geting stiff that means the shift fork bushings are building up with dirt draine the trans get some mercon top it off drive for a few days draine it get some nice mercon and the friction modifier and then top it and enjoy

i drained myne 3 times in like 4 weeks till the fluid started comeing out clean then i got some good mercon and its been good for the last half yr
 
shurik06_83 said:
if ur trans is geting stiff that means the shift fork bushings are building up with dirt draine the trans get some mercon top it off drive for a few days draine it get some nice mercon and the friction modifier and then top it and enjoy

i drained myne 3 times in like 4 weeks till the fluid started comeing out clean then i got some good mercon and its been good for the last half yr
Click to expand...


atf fluid is no longer recommended for the mtx-75. either the ford "honey" or syncromax. I also believe, iirc, that some euro desiel oil is acceptable also.

but I have also heard that syncromax has gone up in price recently.
 
KAOS_3.0 said:
so... not one mention of royal purple synchromax yet?

WTF
Click to expand...


because changing the fluid isn't going to make a mechanical issue go away, it might just cover it up for a bit. because there are fluid options and everyone doesn't use the same fluid .... the list of recommend fluids is out there, its up to the individual to find, research and pick what they want to use ...
 
Assuming all your clutch adjustments are where they should be , changing the fluid might help a little bit. Don't expect any miracles though. Past 100k miles, your shift fork bushings are probably pretty shot and fresh fluid wont restore them back to original condition.

The preference order for MTX fluid (as per Terry Haines) is
1. Ford "honey"
2. RP synchromax
3. Amsoil Synthetic Diesel Oil

RP is very hard to find depending upon where you live. FWIW in my area RP is $18/l and Ford Honey is $25. Amsoil Oil was the same price as RP so there was no point in using it.
 
Last edited:
Dyoel182 said:
Its $13 shipped per bottle and is available online. Whats hard and expensive about that?

http://www.americanmuscle.com/royal-purple-synchromax-manual-transmission-fluid.html
Click to expand...


thanks, I was going to say something similar, but my price at NAPA (you guys can find one of those right?) is 15.99 a quart.

ford honey is 19.99, not terribly more expensive, but I just hate having to deal with the dealerships since they look at you like you asked the for a carburetor for your focus when you ask for it. it also has no legitimate name, so they have to look it up every time and then go "wow, your right, we've been using ATF" wow, just WOW

enduro said:
The preference order for MTX fluid (as per Terry Haines) is
1. Ford "honey"
2. RP synchromax
3. Amsoil Synthetic Diesel Oil
Click to expand...

I was going to mention the AMSoil, but that stuff is sort of hard to find. I've never even seen a bottle in person.
 
KAOS_3.0 said:
thanks, I was going to say something similar, but my price at NAPA (you guys can find one of those right?) is 15.99 a quart.

ford honey is 19.99, not terribly more expensive, but I just hate having to deal with the dealerships since they look at you like you asked the for a carburetor for your focus when you ask for it. it also has no legitimate name, so they have to look it up every time and then go "wow, your right, we've been using ATF" wow, just WOW



I was going to mention the AMSoil, but that stuff is sort of hard to find. I've never even seen a bottle in person.
Click to expand...

I just bought Ford Honey for $15.99 a quart from my Ford dealer. I couldn't even find Royal Purple. I have seen the Amsoil stuff quite a bit around here since they make it only 60 miles away.

I will tell you this, if you use the ford honey...the bottle sucks, it is like a quart of oil.
 
Update. Car now has 109,5XX miles and about 45 miles ago(yesterday), I changed oil and trans fluid.

I didn't want to spend a whole lot on trans fluid, but I wanted something decent. I went ahead and put Dex/Merc V. Mobil 1 synthetic ATF (+4 i beleive) Within 3 miles of driving, boy it was like a new transmission.

But here's the problem. Any further and it's back to how it was. I assume as soon as the fluid warms up and thins out, the sycros are spinning too fast.

So, is there a way to "thicken" the fluid or did I just waste 32 bucks in fluid that I now have to drain out and replace with actual Ford Honey?
 
I noticed that with my syncromax a while ago and added a half quart of lucas stop slip and it did wonders.

now if I could just get the fluid to stay in there....
 
At least now you know there is not likely any mechanical problem with the transmission.

Although Mobil says that their synthetic ATF is suitable for Chrysler applications (ATF+4), I doubt that it has the level of friction modifier that ATF+4 does.

At this point I would try adding 2oz of Ford Friction Modifier.
 
Yes, and that is exactly what you need above normal Mercon specifications. At least that was my experience. Changing the Mercon with another Mercon gave short lived improvement. Additional friction modifier gave lasting results.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top