Originally posted by todras:
Originally posted by RogerB:


I missed that part of my 96 manual last night, but it's also out of date.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



What do you want documentation on? We already know what the manual states. I think even VW's say no service to trannys and coolant. I'm not keeping mine in my car forever. Things age and break down. Tranny fluid isn't miracle fluid. Just like oil should be changed every 3-5k. Roger you're a smart guy. When do you think it would be time to change out? In the 30-50k range. That's maybe 3 times in the vehicles average life. You don't need Ford to tell you what common sense tells you. And who said 'oops that wasn't right'? Not Terry. He's said the same thing for years.



The Ford service interval. The outdated manual says what it says. It's not the current standard for fluid, either.

Yeah, I'm a smart guy, but I have almost 75k on the original fluid, because my manual says it's OK. Because the local Ford service guy, who I know is always trying to sell unnecessary service, recommends against it. Lots of different cars out there with different service intervals and fluids. "Conventional wisdom" is often wrong. Nevertheless, knowing that the Ford spec is the honey by itself, I figure I can't go wrong with a drain and fill using the spec'd fluid. Yes, my previous cars had a 30k service interval on the tranny, but cars are coming from the factory now with full synthetic lubes and "sealed" cases. All my old cars used 30W motor oil in the tranny. Obviously a different ball game.

Terry learns just like the rest of us. Maybe his stance has been firm on the MTX fill, but he has made mistakes in the past on other things, or, at least admitted to discovering new knowledge that made his "old knowledge" obsolete. It happens to the best of us, and the best of us admit it and move on.

Of course, Ford has never come out (AFAIK) with a replacement interval for the waterpump, or a less-than-100k-mile tune-up recommendation, either, so I know this is probably a long shot.

Todd, I appreciate your position, but you obviously don't possess the documentation I'm looking for (if it even exists). All I'm asking is that if anyone has access to it, and knows it's current, please share.


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