Originally posted by todras:
Originally posted by RogerB:


Now, I know a lot of guys "recommend" servicing the MTX, but has Ford ever made mention of a service interval?



This is what my 96 manual states.

Manual Transaxle Fluid
The lubricant level and quality should not deteriorate under
normal driving conditions. However, you should have the fluid level checked occasionally. If lubricant is required, see Lubricant Specifications in this chapter.

Normal driving conditions? Define normal? All of us drive in extreme conditions. It's like the platinum plugs lasting 100k. It goes with everything on the car, flush the coolant, trans, fluid, change fuel filters etc etc. How well do want your car to perform and last? I'd say change the trans. fluid every 40k minimum.



I missed that part of my 96 manual last night, but it's also out of date.

I'm frankly not interested in anybody's "recommendations" right now. (Well, I appreciate them, but I've already read them.) I'm looking for documentation.

Either way, I'll be changing my fluid as soon as I can, as it is nearing 75k on the original fluid. I would just like to see what the factory perceives as a valid reason to service.

[rant]As for "recommendations," I've been involved in these discussions before with Terry, and when I asked for clarification from Terry on whether or not to use the FM with the honey, I got nothing but silence. Maybe he felt he already answered that somewhere else, or he was sick of saying it, or he just didn't see it. Then, IIRC, I got some other yahoos chiming in, and there are still people "over there" recommending ZL-7 with everything. Meanwhile I've got the service tech at the local dealer telling me there's no reason to ever service the MTX. I've had it with the circle jerk. Lemmings, my arse. The 3 or 4 people I respect the most can't even agree on stuff around here, and half the time we get "Oops...that wasn't right" a couple years later. It pays to be slow to act, sometimes, and this thread is proof of that.

Sorry. Had to vent. [/rant]

Function before fashion. '96 Contour SE "Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998