mercon V fluid in a 2008 Fusion?

If it's supposed to have the FNR5 in it, then it should have the FNR5 in it. According to the Owners Manual, if it's the 5-speed, then it uses FNR5 (XT-9-QMM5). If it's the 6-speed, it uses Motorcraft Premium ATF XT-8-QAW.

Hopefully "the guys at work" will cover your transmission costs if the MerconV causes a problem.

-- SC Tom

If it was my car, I'd raise hell until they removed all of the wrongand installed the correct fluid. Was this a dealer? If so, I'd be rasing hell with Ford Customer Service too. I never trust shops to get the ATF right. I have a 2007 Fusion with the 6 speed and bought a case of the correct fluid justo be sure I had before I had the fluid changed. For my 2009 F150, I made sure a shop I trust ordered the correct fluid from Ford and verified he had it before I left my truck for an ATF cvhange. Too many shops think Mercon V is good for everything. Maybe your transmission will be OK, but I would worry it will be Ok for a couple of years, then fail.....

Ed

2008 Fusion? This is the 4 cylinder motor. The transmission is supposed to have the FNR5 Transmission fluid in it, but the guys at work insisted on putting the Mercon V in it, cause they said our "lube sheet" stated Mercon V ,One of the supervisors said "I'll show you" I said "No, I have the lube sheet right here" They saw Mercon V but that was for the power steering. They just sort of jumped the gun. I printed up papers from the ford site and brought in to show them, but they just chose to leave the Mercon V in the transmission. Do you think this will harm the transmission? They dropped the pan, changed the filter and refilled, so I am guessing about 5 or 6 quarts.

These are the ATF spec pages I printed up. Thanks, Tony

FNR5 Automatic Transmission Fluid

MERCON® V Automatic Transmission and Power Steering Fluid

Thanks Guys, No basically a fleet car, not my car or a "customers" car "Per say", More or less one of "ours" Thanks, Tony

According to the owner's manual, Mazda M5 is the specifications. As long as the transmission oil meets those specs, you should be fine. Personally, I would go with the Motorcraft oil, however.

Jeff

Yes, and I understand they call it mazda M5 or MV, and some have confused it with Mercon V, but it is not the same. Auto Zone and advance auto both stated there computer called for The "CASTROL IMPORT MULTIVEHICLE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID" that I am pretty sure meets the "Mazda M5" spec. I had gotten 6 quarts of that, but I was on nite shift that day, and they put the Mercon V in on day shift. This PDF does state "Mazda ATF MV" so between Auto Zone ,Advance auto, and this Castrol PDF I would say it is suitable for use in the FNR5 transmission. FWIW, I agree 100% it (the Fusion) should have the ford FNR5 or equivalent ATF in it's transmission, but they did not want to listen to me. Now I might sound like an A$$-Whole, but personally, I hope the transmission blows up, just to prove a point. ( Fo Mo Co's and mine) BTY this car only has ~ 20,000 miles on it, and IMO did not need the transmission serviced anyways. Thanks, Tony

Fprgot the link

I've been following this thread, and now you guys have me worried. I recently had my Escape serviced by my mechanic and it needed a change of transmission fluid (60k). The car has an extended warranty, and my receipt only says that he used synthetic fluid in the tranny and it was flushed. He generally uses good fluids, Valvoline, etc., and the car is running fine.

Should I run to my Ford dealer and have the fluid changed to the Ford stuff?

What year is the Escape? Do you know what the owners manual states for the ATF. I'll try to hunt around on the internet, so, What year is the Escape what is the motor size Do you happen to know the transmission? I think there should be a transmission code on the door, then you cross it to your owners manual. I know the synthetic fluid we get from Auto Zone at least meets the Mercon V spec. Maybe higher. Thanks, Tony

This page here says Mercon V but they don't say what year the escape is.

could talk to the mechanic, and ask to see the transmission fluid,and read on the bottle, and see what specs the fluid meets.But you 1st of course need to see what your transmission takes.I have a feeling it is just the Mercon V, and the synth will be thecorrect fluid. Thanks, Tony

I would take it back, tell them that they did not perform the service that you paid for, and that they need to fix it. If they fail to fix it, have the credit card cancel the transaction, take it elsewhere and have the proper service done.

Jeff

I am guessing that the service didn't require a tranny flush, so they already did a wallet flush for you. You can call them and ask what fluid they used. Why would think that they used an appropriate fluid.

jeff

"Sheldon" wrote in news:ihfvhh$2np$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

No. Read your Owner's Manual! Determine the specification that is called for in the Manual then check with your mech to be certain that the fluid he used meets the specification in the Manual. If it does not, then you can take the vehicle to the dealer or whatever.

DaveD

Jeff The "quoted text" shown is mine. If you are referring to the OP about the Fusion with Merc V put in it, Understand, again, this is not MY car, it is not a CUSTOMERS car, it's more or less "OURS" It is a fleet garage. I work there.

Now, if we are talk> No. Read your Owner's Manual! Determine the specification that is called

I agree, This is what I am saying also. Thanks, Tony

Thanks for the quick replies. I'm going to stop by tomorrow and ask what he put in there. I trust him, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Also, he generally flushes a tranny when he thinks it needs it. When I brought the car in I was pretty sure it didn't need new fluid for quite a few miles, but he said he checked it and it looked burned on the end of the stick. He's one of those mechanics who's shop is so busy he doesn't do what isn't necessary. I walk into the shop at my Ford dealer and there is never anybody in there. Not sure if that is bad news about my dealer, or good new regarding the reliability of Fords. :-)

My mechanic said no to worry. He uses BG Synthetic ATF, and I looked it up. BG claims it meets or exceeds most ATF, and mentions Mercon V. The car shifts smoothly with no problems. BTW, it's a 2005 Escape, Auto with the V6.

This page here says Mercon V but they don't say what year the escape is.

could talk to the mechanic, and ask to see the transmission fluid,and read on the bottle, and see what specs the fluid meets.But you 1st of course need to see what your transmission takes.I have a feeling it is just the Mercon V, and the synth will be thecorrect fluid. Thanks, Tony

My mechanic is using BG Synthetic ATF. Claims it meets or exceeds Mercon V and most other ATF's. I'm having no problems with it, and I've had good luck with other BG products in motorcycles and my Porsche.

Unless he did a flush and fill at least twice with the new ATF, I'd be very leery of changing from what the manual and manufacturer call for. My '02 Escape takes Mercon (not Mercon V), but a TSB that was released said that it can also use the Mercon V dual usage ATF after a complete flush. The power steering system can be changed to Mercon V, but the warning states that if any of the original Mercon is left, overheating and premature failure can occur. Around here, Mercon is still available at both Wal-Mart and Advantage auto parts.As long as I can get it, I'll not be changing over. I have 4 gallons of it in the closet, so I should be set for a while. The only time I need it is about every 10K miles when I do a "drain and fill" which uses a gallon +/- a half pint.

-- SC Tom

Thank for the reply. I just did a lot of research on the net regarding Mercon vs. Mercon V. It appears that Ford stopped making Mercon and advised all dealerships to use Mercon V where Mercon is called for, even when it says not to use Mercon V. There were problems early on, which is why your manual may say NOT to use Mercon V, but Ford reformulated Mercon V to make it compatible with Mercon and to address some seal problems Mercon V was causing in the older cars. Apparently one of the downsides to Mercon V, with owners, was that Mercon V did not slip as much as Mercon, so shifts were a little more solid, and some customers complained they could feel each shift. Ford engineers said this was not a problem, and would actually add to the longevity of the transmission.

One of the Ford mechanics who commented on the post I read said that Ford Escapes had a lot of failures with Mercon, probably because of the tranny oil cooler not working correctly. Therefore, when the owner or dealer switched to Mercon V the tranny was ready to go anyway. It was not a mistake as the dealer was just following the latest bulletin. Another problem when researching this is that most of the arguments regarding Mercon vs. Mercon V are dated around 2005 and earlier. Mercon was ended in 2007. Maybe Mercon is still easy to find since everyone switched to Mercon V and left a lot of Mercon on the shelves.

So, based on all the time I just put in, and the replies I got here, I'm going to stop worrying and be assured that my mechanic is correct, and any newer, synthetic ATF that claims to meet or exceed Mercon V is the correct fluid to use.

This is the Ford bulletin:

The bulletin specifically mentions the '01 to '07 Escape, which all tell you in their manuals NOT to use Mercon V. Obviously, the bulletin was meant to put owners of these cars at ease, and to put dealerships at ease when servicing these vehicles. The bulletin should also resolve any problems relating to warranties.

Thanks Sheldon, that's good to know. So , your 05 escape originally called for mercon then? And to recap, Ford is now saying to use Mercon V in place of plain Mercon, even if the owners manual says not to use mercon V? You did not happen to come across any 1st hand info of the results of using Mercon V in place of the FNR5 ATF in the fusions did you?............................LOL thanks, Tony