I have heard that tranny flushes are terrible?!
They force gunk and metal chips back through the tranny etc... I am no expert though.
I was planning on taking it to a shop (not dealer) but he has experience changing the fluid on tranny's without a dip stick. Said it wouldn't be a problem... He didn't say anything about a flush.
I was just pointing out that there is no real way to drain out all the fluids in the system. There are ways to add new fluid while pumping out the old even without a fill tube. I'm sure your mechanic knows about it. Let us know how he does it. OK?
BTW - the second to last page of my Owners Guide lists the capacity of the 5R55W tranny as 12.0 Liters (12.7 Qt).
Thanks a bunch man.
12L of Amsoil Synthetic might cost me a pretty penny!
Mercon V is synthetic
A bit of controversy as to if Mercon V is synthetic, semi-synthetic or dino oil. A Google search yields all sorts of differing opinions on the matter. Let's dig a bit.
The Motorcraft site lists this tibit:
"Motorcraft® MERCON® V is manufactured with high-viscosity index, premium-quality, hydroprocessed base oils and specially designed performance additives..."
What is a "hydroprocessed" oil? Typicaly it means a Group II or Group II+ oil which is not a synthetic. However, the term "severe hydroprocessed" means group III oils which are termed synthetics in the USA. But Ford does not use this term. Not looking great for a synthetic stock for Mercon V, but it's by no means clear.
What can we infer about the properties of Mercon V? Let's look at some flashpoints:
Motorcraft Mercon V (taken from MSDS): flashpoint Min 157C
Castrol Multi-vehicle flashpoint 177C
Mobil Multi-vehicle ATF - A Synthetic blend meeting Mercon V standards flashpoint 180C
Valvoline Synthetic Mercon V flashpoint 210C
Mobil 1 synthetic ATF flashpoint 200C
Reline D4 Synthetic ATF flashpoint 225C
Looks like the Motorcraft Mercon V has a flashpoint well below that of the known synthetics and below the synthetic blend Mercon V from Mobil. I would say that in all likelihood Motorcraft Mercon V is not a full synthetic oil and is at best a synthetic blend with a low flashpoint.
When I do a pan drop and complete fluid replacement via the cooler lines, I'm going to use either Redline D4 or Mobil 1 Synthic ATF for my 2002 Explorer, although I'm tempted by the Valvoline Synthetic Mercon V.
Rumple
Well thanks for all the help guys...
I got the flush done and the fluid replaced with Motorcraft Mercon V at the dealership.
I can already notice a huge difference in shifting... I get to much higher speeds without feeling like I am straining the engine. Speeding tickets here I come!
The dealer pretty much refused to replace the filter saying it was 100% unnecessary and that the fluid was the only thing needed to be changed. I pressed on the issue but he stood his ground... so I took his word in the end as I am definitely not an expert in the area.
Geez...Here I'm thinking I can do the fluid change on my 96 in the garage. There is no drain plug, and even dropping the pan leaves the bulk of the fluid in there. Since I do nearly all repairs myself, I don't trust a dealer or a jiffylube. How do I turn the engine so the converter plug shows in the hole? I don't want to start it - right?
My flywheel cracked at around 70K mi and that had to go to the dealer. While they had it open, they replaced the rear seal - it's been leaking ever since when it was bone dry before. Funny how things go wrong when the dealer service gets involved (IMHO)
Any advice is appreciated to help me decide how to approach this - I don't have $200 for the dealer either.