Transfer Case Fluid: Royal Purple?

[sfbayjay]

Has anyone out there tried running Royal Purple ATF in their transfer case?

I have an '02 XLT with auto-4WD (dash selector switches, not AWD) and I'm considering this stuff for my upcoming fluid change.

Royal Purple Max ATF

According to the web page above, this is a compatible substitute for Mercon or Mercon V ATF. I know the Ford spec for the my transfer case is for Mercon.

If anyone has done this, how are your results? Any reason I should NOT run the Royal Purple ATF in this instance?

Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[techieman33]

The spec for an 02 should be mercon V, and any mercon V fluid will be fine to run. If you want to run something like royal purple, see if you can find an amsoil dealer near you, their fluids are just as good if not better and are usually cheaper.

 

[sfbayjay]

Hey techieman33, thanks for the quick response. The specs for my '02 xlt are Mercon V for the transmission, but only Mercon (no "V") for the transfer case.

Either way it sounds like there's no issue with running RP Max ATF, which is allegedly compatible with both Mercon and Mercon V, in my transfer case?

I Already bought the RP, just confirming this is OK to use before making the change. Otherwise I might look in to the Amsoil. Maybe next time...

 

[esclamada]

I used Royal Purple, no issues with it.

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[techieman33]

Hey techieman33, thanks for the quick response. The specs for my '02 xlt are Mercon V for the transmission, but only Mercon (no "V") for the transfer case.

Either way it sounds like there's no issue with running RP Max ATF, which is allegedly compatible with both Mercon and Mercon V, in my transfer case?

I Already bought the RP, just confirming this is OK to use before making the change. Otherwise I might look in to the Amsoil. Maybe next time...

Yep put it in, mercon V is basically the same as the mercon just with a tighter spec range.

 

[IZwack]

The transfer cases are not as picky as transmissions in terms of fluid because 1) the fluid remains at ambient pressure unlike the trans where it reaches a few hundred PSI and 2) the transfer case's internals do not differ significantly in RPMs and nor are they being shifted as much as the trans (less heat). So having said that, any transfluid out there, Mercon oor not, will probably work.

 

[sfbayjay]

Hi Guys. Thanks for all of your responses. I guess I'm gonna go forward with the Royal Purple Max ATF fluid for my transfer case.

I actually emailed RP at their tech support email address yesterday to ask basically the same question. Didn't really expect a real response, but in fact I got one this afternoon. Posting here for information only.

For what it's worth, here's the "official" RP reply, straight from the horse's mouth. I have no connection to the company and the info below is NOT from me personally.

FROM ROYAL PURPLE TECHNICAL SERVICES:

"The Royal Purple Fluid that we recommend for your 2002 Ford Explorer XLT 4wd transfer case is Royal Purple Synchromax (part #01512, quart bottle). Max ATF will work and it works great, but Synchromax works even better. Synchromax is designed to replace ATF and “ATF like” fluids that OE auto makers typically use in manual transmissions and transfer cases, and it is a significant upgrade in performance and protection. Your transfer case takes 1.5 quarts.

In manual gear box and transfer case applications Synchromax and Max ATF both can be expected to double or triple your normal OE recommended drain intervals. Assuming that outside contamination does not occur, as can sometimes happen when 4 wheeling across small streams and bogs.

Drain intervals for Max ATF in automatic transmissions depends on the percentage of Max ATF in the fill. In a flush scenario where Max ATF is nearly 100% the drain intervals will be double or triple the OE recommended interval. On a simple pan drain it is usually 30,000 miles since more than half of the old fluid is still in the trans."