The excellent and required lubricant quality is vital for the smooth working of your Automatic Transmission. Also, using the wrong Automatic Transmission Fluid will impact your vehicle’s transmission, and may cause transmission failure. However, when it comes to Transmission Fluid then Mercon Vs Mercon V, which is better?
The main difference between Mercon and Mercon V is that a newer ATF has an additive that is incompatible with specific older seals, while a traditional Mercon does not. Also, Mercon V is a more stringent standard that improves anti-oxidation, anti-wear, and anti-shudder qualities than previous versions.
This article will give you complete information regarding Mercon and Mercon V, which will help you understand and distinguish between the two better.
Overview Of Mercon VS Mercon V
The vehicle manufacturers create Automatic Transmission Fluids or set unique customization for them. However, it is surprising that car corporations do not produce any specific Automatic Transmission Fluid. These are made mainly by lubricant companies—the different ATFs with particular ingredients that differentiate their chemical properties from the others.
Suppose we consider Mercon Vs. Mercon V, both have some similarities but various distinguishing features. Let’s discuss their similarities before heading to the differences.
Similarities
- Both of them perform best at excessively low or high temperatures.
- More elevated oxidation protection.
- Safeguard from devaluation and depreciation.
- Both hinder the glue, grease, stain, and froth making.
- Both of the oils prevent your engine from rusting.
- Both are the same at the point of performing.
- Both are red in color to help you notice any leakage.
Contrasting Features Of Mercon Vs. Mercon V
| Category | Mercon | Mercon V |
| Composition | Similar to Dexron II | Modified Mercon ATF. |
| Replacement For | Fluid Type CJ, Type H but not Type F fluids. | Mercon. |
| Validity & Licensing | Excluded and discontinued in 2007. | Still in use. |
| Fulfills Requirements Of | Mercon, Dexron III, Allison TES-389, and Allison C-4 | For most of the Ford motor company models. |
| Density | 0.85 Kg/L | 0.85 – 0.86 Kg/L |
| Kinematic Viscosity | At 100ºC is 7.2 cST | At 100ºC is 7.7 cST |
| Viscosity Index D | 185 | 191 |
| Pour Point | -42ºC (-43.6 °F) | -45 °C (-49 °F) |
| Flash Point | 180ºC (356 °F) | 178 ºC (352 °F ) |
Benefits Of Mercon And Mercon V Transmission Fluids
| Mercon | Mercon V |
| Mercon greases the parts in your transmission. | Mercon V fluid works as a coolant for your car. |
| It makes your gear move automatically rather than doing it yourself. | It is more comfortable to use. |
| In the transmission, it purifies and shields metal components. | During transmission, it causes conditioning of the gaskets. |
| It enhances the rotational pace within the transmission. | It improves the temperature span within the transmission. |
| You don’t need to keep your hand on the gear. | It makes your vehicle secure to perform as compared to manual cars. |
Cons Of Mercon And Mercon V Transmission Fluids
| Mercon | Mercon V |
| The Mercon ATF relies on the torque converter, unlike non-automatic cars. | The Mercon V ATF is expensive. |
| It doesn’t give you much control of your vehicle. | It requires routine check-ups from mechanics which is costly. |
How To Detect That Your Vehicle’s Automatic Transmission Requires Servicing?
Undoubtedly, the automatic transmission is much more comfortable and straightforward to function when compared to the manual one. Changing the damaged automatic transmission of your vehicle can be pricey, as it is essential for the proper functioning of your car. The Regular Mercon will keep your transmission up to the mark.
To evade expensive transmission restorations, take your vehicle to a designated automobile or mechanic shop to find the correct problem and solve it. Here are a few signs mentioned that could assist you in the early detection of the issues in your automatic transmission:
Unknown Sound
There may be an unknown or bizarre sound in your car, and it is clear that something is not correct. It is better under such circumstances to take your vehicle to the workshop where they could diagnose and tell you the actual problem. The problem in the gears could be due to the tranny fluid or the wrong fluid that could have impacted the automatic transmission of your car.
Please do not ignore the minute problems in your car as it could lead to significant issues. If there are big issues in your vehicle transmission, incurring heavy money loss. For instance, unsolved problems with the torque converter or the needle bearings can cause significant impairment to the automatic transmission.
Automatic Transmission Fluid Leakage
The Automatic Transmission Fluid is colored to efficiently detect any leakage in your vehicle. As the leakage causes the Mercon fluid level to decrease, your gears may not function or do very poorly once reduced.
Therefore, take your car to the workshop as soon as you detect any leakage. It will prevent you from incurring heavy losses due to transmission failure.
Igniting Odor
The best indication of the transmission problems is undoubtedly a burning odor. According to most people, they can smell something burning like wire or some weird burning smell.
As soon as you smell something burning in your car, it would help if you take it for inspection at a workshop, where the experts will precisely tell you the actual problem with either the automatic transmission or any other reasons. If you detect the transmission problem initially, it may be easy and less expensive to fix.
The Automatic Transmission Failure
If you discover any problem with your automatic transmission, you should try to solve the problem quickly. A malfunctioned transmission gear can disrupt the working of your car. Your car may not speed up generally in case of less Automatic Transmission Fluid or hydraulic oil. Also, if your vehicle’s automatic transmission collapses, you might need to tow your vehicle as the car will not move.
However, certain manual transmissions also operate with Automatic Transmission Fluid or synthetic ATF. The ATF is necessary to perform your car’s various transmission parts functions well, such as gear movement, power steering control, and gear greasing.
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How Are Mercon SP And Mercon LV Different From Each Other?
The main difference between Mercon SP and Mercon LV is that they are both oils with different compositions. However, these oils and Ford Type H are much alike and can even be mixed. Mixing Mercon SP and Mercon LV does not affect the lubrication properties as it has been tested before.
Dexron VI In Place Of Mercon LV?
The Mercon LV has replaced Dexron VI, as Ford ATF specified by the Ford Motor Company. The LV ATF is completely synthetic with some excellent additives that make it the most acceptable lubricant for the automatic transmission of your Ford vehicle. It ensures the perfect gear movement, thus superseding the qualities of General Motors Dexron VI. Mercon LV is a better version of the Dexron VI transmission fluids.
What Is Mercon LV Transmission Fluid?
The Mercon LV is the best quality lubricant endorsed by the Ford Motor Company as the best oil for the most advanced and modified cars with auto electric transmission. It has the perfect formulation, viscosity, and with the best additives, it ensures smooth transmission and power steering rotation. It is recommended for specific Ford Cars models that need high-level performance.
What Transmission Fluid Is Compatible With Mercon V?
The Mercon V with the high-quality additives shall never be mixed with Mercon ATF as they are both different quality lubricants. However, the Mercon V can be combined with Ford Type F, Type CJ, Type H, Dexron III, Dexron IIE, and Mercon FNR5 Automatic Transmission Fluid. Based on nearly the same quality additives and formulation, it will not impact the automatic transmissions of your car.
What Does The LV Stand For In Mercon LV?
The LV stands for Low Viscosity oil, which has a shallow viscosity index compared to the Mercon V or DexronIII. It also means that this synthetic ATF shall not be mixed with the Mercon lubricants before it as it has a different composition of the additive that makes it a correct fluid for a particular type of Ford Model with specific Ford Automatic Transmission, which has auto modern transmissions.
In the final race of Mercon and Mercon V, which is the winner?
The Automatic Transmission Fluid should be according to your car’s transmission specification. So, when it is about Mercon Vs Mercon V? Then, Mercon V is the upgraded type of Mercon with less viscosity index, and the Mercon V will shield your engine from rust and corrosion. The properties of Mercon V make it ideal for use at very low or high temperatures.
However, in most cases mixing oils or using the alternative lubricant has proven to be harmful to the car’s transmission. The different ATFs have different characteristics and chemical properties due to the added additives. In this case, mixing Mercon and Mercon V is not advisable as the quality of both oils is entirely different. Therefore, use the ATFs recommended for your vehicle’s transmission for better car performance.
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