tranny fluid

[fangz]

hi im about to do a transmission fluid change to my 98 X 5speed auto , so i went down to the local ford dealership to get some mercon 5 tranny fluid and they told me that they dont stock it and that most of the auto shops wouldnt have it , they said that they use a castrol fluid called 'transmax Z' so i read the back of the container and it said that it is the same as dextron 3 ? ,,,isnt dextron 3 a GM tranny fluid???? i suggested this to them and they told me that they use it in all there explorers and its fine. The transmax Z "dextron3" is green in colour and the fluid i have in there now is red. do i keep looking or just use the trnsmax Z? any suggestions??

 

[Hartman]

He's bullshittin, you can use the regular red stuff.

 

[fangz]

i just looked up the prices between the two and the castrol transmax Z "dextron 3" is cheaper $40 for 4 ltrs,,,, and the mercon 5 is $80 for 4 ltrs, maybe this is why they are using transmax Z instead of mercon 5?? unbelievable!! a bloody ford dealership trying to skimp out on using the proper stuff to save them a few bucks! il keep lookin for the mercon 5 even if i have to order it from somewhere.

 

[jimbo74]

mercon/dexron 3 is a generically made fluid that works in ford/gm applications... however if your truck requires a mercon 5 spec, that stuff is not a good idea... get mercon 5

 

[fangz]

it says on the tranny dip stick in bold " use mercon V only " i just wanted to be really sure, it would suck if i stuffed up the tranny for the sake of an extra 40 buks. cheerz for the help.

 

[rookieshooter]

For what it's worth and I don't know a thing about it
http://www.txchange.com/merconv.htm

 

[aldive]

You need to use Merc 5 or a comprable product such as synthetic Amsoil Universal ATF ( Dead Link Removed ).

AMSOIL ATF is recommended for automotive and hydraulic applications requiring any of the following specifications:

GM DEXRON® II, DEXRON III
Ford MERCON®, MERCON® V
Chrysler ATF+ through ATF+4®
Honda Z-1 (Not for use in CVT transmissions)
Toyota Type T and T-IV
Mitsubishi/Hyundai Diamond SP II & III
Allison C-3, C-4
Caterpillar TO-2
Voith G1363
ZF TE-ML 14C
Mercedes Benz 236.1, 236.6, 236.7, 236.9
BMW 7045E
SAAB 3309
Shell 3403
Vickers I-286S & M-2950S

Good luck ........

 

[Glacier991]

Do not use Merc III in the 5r55E trannie. It isn't gonna cuase catastrophic failure or anything, but you will probably encounter some shudder. You can use an additive in III to make it act like 5, but you are better off using 5 IMHO.

 

[rlcrafts]

AutoZone carries mercon V

 

[fangz]

cheerz for the feed back , iv found a local ford machanic that orders in mercon 5 made by penrite and its the same price as the transmax Z (dextron 3) , $40 for 4ltrs , . the X has cost me enough to buy and lift so im not gunna risk puttn the wrong **** in the tranny , the last last thing i need is to blow the gearbox. thx again guyz!