tranny fluid advice

[olivesman]

alright guys i need some quick help.

to make a long story short, i topped off my tranny fluid the other day b/c it was 2 quarts low(when running). the problem was, the guy i bought the vehicle from had just replaced the fluids w/ new synthetic and i added regular. is this going to cause a problem i should be concerned with? i have to make a 2 hour trip this evening and i would like to get this resolved ASAP. thanks a lot for the help- russel

 

[wabbit]

shouldn't be a problem...

As long as they both meet the Mercon V certification.
You gotta wonder why it's 2 quarts low, that's alot, if it was just serviced recently. To be sure what you're running, do a fluid/filter replacement using your preferred brand/type. I use Valvoline Durablend. There are others available of course.
Then monitor your dipstick and see if you're still "losing" fluid...
Hope this helps...

 

[TerraBomb]

when mixing synthetic oils with rude oil based oils always beware.

They both have an certification BUT maby stock oils will not tolerate synthetic oils, synthetic oils got additives that will tear down stock based oils.in otherwords it's like mixing water and fire...it doesn't always work.

Another BAD thing about synthetic based oils is that IF you have an small leak an synthetic oil will find it's way out, in otherwordfs sysnthetic oil leaks earlier then stock based oils.

For those of you wondering about sythetic oils, sythetic is better then stock based oil, Though not long ago there was an big issue between Mobil 1 and Castrol , Castrol is not using an Labaratory derived base stock but makes it's base stock (base stock is the main ingredient of oil , about 70-80% per quart) from rude oil, there was an big hussle about this since mobil one said it was not an Synthetic oil (since the base staock isn't made in the labaratory).The reason behind Castrol using this base stock is that it's about 60% cheaper, though their price on their synthetic oils is never gone down


Synthetic oils have additives that will cause the oil to have an higher break-down temperature, and if you drive alot it's better.

I have recently seen an GMC C3500 Van wich as an 1998 van running on Mobil 1 10-30 synthetic and it's odometer now reads in excess of 500K miles, if you hear that motor running it's like it was bought yesterday.

though you cannot switch from stock oil to synthetic in 1 oil change, you will have to go to an semi synthetic first so you can get rid of the possibility of old stock base oil ruining your sythetic.

certification labels actually don't mean that you can put the oils together, oils are tested individually and not thru comparison. So in an way you can say they are good for your tranny/motor if they have the certification , but it doesn't mean you can put them together.

 

[wabbit]

Well, I'm no guru on oil mixology but...

Reading off of the label on a quart of Valvoline Durablend ATF, it states:
"... is compatabile with conventional ATF fluids and is recommended for passenger and commercial vehicles requiring the following fluids/specifications..." (incl: Ford Mercon and Mercon V)
This, of course pertains to ATF as per the initial inquiry.
As for other lubricants, ie: motor oil, I'm not convinced that elements of any specified synthetic oil would degrade or "tear down" the lubricative properties of petroleum based oils. I'm open to this claim being substantiated, but it seems to go against a basic engineering premise of standardization by specification.
Obviously, to achieve optimum results of a synthetic oil, it should be 100%. Neither synthetic or petroleum based oil product containers that I have seen describe warnings about mixing.

 

[TerraBomb]

This is info i have learned in school (automotive university, wich i attended for 6 whole years...heh)

In school they have always told me that the additives they use in sythetic motor oils can possibly tear down pertrol based oil and the other way around.

Therefor it's useless to add additives into synthetic oils, since synthetic oils already have alll the additives to them.

If you read the back of an additive for motor oil they will state for ALL PETROL based oils. However i have seen slick 50 came out with an additive speccially designed for sythetic based oils.

it's like bacardi and tonic, it doesn't say on the back of their labels you can't mix them together but you better not try it, they will react on eachother and form an solid block of crap....but on the back of an bottle of bacardi it say mix with sodas....strange huh ?

 

[wabbit]

apples and oranges...

Off the shelf oil additives are mostly formulated and marketed to enhance/improve the lubricative properties of petroleum based (PB) oils. Most vehicles run PB oils and additives are marketed to the largest customer base. This recommendation is very different than an exclusion that prohibits mixing synthetic and PB oils. I will stand on the engineering premise that any oil that meets the Mercon V spec will not degrade or harm any other oil, PB or synthetic, that also meets the spec.
This goes directly to responding to olivesman's concern that he should or should not drive his Explorer with a mixture of PB and synthetic ATF.