Originally posted by Big Jim:
According to very old special service messages from Ford, you should not use Mercon V or any synthetic or synthetic blend Mercon fluid in that trans.

Some over at www.escape_central.com have reported problems using Mercon V.

This is complicated by the fact that Ford now is pushing the idea that Mercon V can replace Mercon, but they havn't put anything in writing specific to this transmission.

I have seen Mercon V used in this trans with no apparent ill effects, but I would still not take a chance.

By the way, I have never seen a Mercon rated fluid that was not also Dexron III rated and vica versa. Mercon is the Ford spec and Dexron III is a nearly identical General Motors spec. Any blender that meets one of the two has no trouble meeting the other.



In one of my stupid moments I thought this was a question for Mercon V in an automatic trans Contour. I have a completely different answer for the MTX. I know that Terry Haines will disagree as he feels that the only fluid for the MTX is Ford Honey.

Ford specified Mercon for most of the production life of the Contour, changing the factory fill to Ford Honey full synthetic manual trans fluid just a few months before the end of production. It worked reasonably well. I will not deny that Ford Honey works better though. I have Ford Honey in my trans now.

Before Ford Honey was introduced I had a long phone conversation with a Ford hot line engineer about the MTX trans. We were talking about the roller bearing shift fork that was just introduced. During that conversation he disclosed that he had Mercon V in his Contour MTX and that it worked well for him, providing better cold weather shifting than ordinary Mercon. He did not have the roller bearing shift fork in his personal trans.

I'm not surprised. Mercon V has a broader viscosity index than plain Mercon so that it doesn't thicken up as much when it is cold. Mercon V also has a somewhat higher level of friction modifier. Although not as high as the Chrysler spec ATF+3 and ATF+4, it is still an improvement over ordinary Mercon.

I have not tried Mercon V in the MTX, but I would not be afraid to. I have used ATF+3 in my car extensively and it works very well. Nearly as well as Ford Honey.

So it's your car. Do what you wish. If you use Mercon V you will not be the first. I have heard no complaints from using it.

Jim Johnson 98 SVT 03 Escape Limited