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Color Comparison: Automatic Transmission vs. Power Steering Fluid

4K views 49 replies 10 participants last post by  1997ThunderbirdLXV6 
#1 ·
Both fluids should be Mercon V. Power steering I changed soon after purchasing the car in late March; transmission I don't know when (if?) it was changed.

Note the difference in color.

My question: do non-Motorcraft fluids which meet or exceed Ford/Motorcraft specifications have the same color as the original Motorcraft fluid? Or do the specifications not include the color?

The transmission fluid is simply a more pale shade of red/orange (could that be the color of Mercon prior to Mercon V?).
It does not smell, and if you look at a drop hanging from the dipstick, it's entirely translucent (not milky, dark or opaque).

One way or another I want to replace the transmission fluid as soon as I find a place where I can do that. Just wondering if the color could be a clue as to what fluid is in there currently.
 
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#3 ·
MadMikeyL is right. Only other thing to say about trans fluid is that in order for the bottle to say Mercon V on it. It has to meet all the specs of that fluid. Same goes for the other types of trans fluid. Probably a good idea to do a fluid and filter change.
 
#4 ·
And drain the torque converter during the fluid change. A full fluid change is 12 qts total.

Al
 
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#9 ·
I know the Valvoine MaxLife ATF is labeled as compatible for Mercon LV, but not V. I used it for a while in my cars but I started getting the Motorcraft Mercon V. I'm on the fence about it. :unsure:
 
#12 ·
I've used the Castrol Mercon V for years; Anything at walmart is way cheaper, lol.
 
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#13 ·
I've gotten several different brands. Motorcraft oil was the same price as the others when I got it, not twice as much, lol! Try Amazon.

Al
 
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#14 ·
Transmission fluid is required to be red; PATC had trouble from the regulators for selling their bright green "raptor blood" fluid.
 
#17 ·
This was ~10 years ago; it apparently was won by Patc, and it can be any color now. I can't find a link to it now...
 
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#18 ·
A thought...hear me out:

In a perfect world, I'd drain my transmission pan and torque converter and cooler lines. But I don't really have the space to do that right now. So why not do the same I did with my power steering?

With the steering, I simply siphoned out the reservoir, replaced the same amount of fluid with fresh Mercon V, and repeated this process after each drive until the quart of fluid was used up. The result is fluid that becomes gradually cleaner.

I could do the same with the transmission: siphon out through the dipstick tube (maybe what? 1-2 quarts per application?), replace with fresh fluid, and repeat.

Has anyone done this? How much can you get out of the pan with this method?
 
#21 ·
Dorman makes a replacement trans pan with a drain plug in it. If you want to change the fluid peacemeal, I would start by replacing the pan with the dorman one, along with a new filter, and then just do a drain and fill every oil change until you are satisfied with the color that is coming out. It will take more fluid to do it that way than just changing it all at once, but simply opening a drain plug and refilling the trans is quick and easy, and overall you will spend way less time doing that than trying to siphon the fluid up and out of the dipstick tube.
 
#23 ·
I didn't care for the Dorman pan. I looked at it at Advance, and walked out without it. The sealing lip didn't give me a warm, fuzzy feeling. Might be fine, but I didn't want to chance it.

I would try to change all the fluid at once. Doing a little at a time, you will end up throwing away a lot of your new fluid, would take 20+ quarts. If you can get under the car and drop the pan, you can also drain the torque converter. Job done.

Don't forget the filter, and either re-use the stock gasket or buy another Ford gasket. Those thin rubber ones that come with the filter aren't any good.

Al
 
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#25 ·
It was pretty thick, but the sealing lip looked wavy in the corners, not flat. It's been several years.

Al
 
#28 ·
I add a drain plug into the ones I rebuild, it just makes sense.
 
#32 ·
@supergordo, @Kenz, I'm increasingly betting that this may be the original Mercon fluid. The original owner (23 years and about 29,000 miles) was very good to the car, but technically a transmission fluid change isn't until 30,000 miles (I realize you should consider mileage and time, but they may not have); the second owner (1,5 years and about 10,000 miles) only did oil changes.

Meanwhile, this siphoning exercise did help me make up my mind about how to proceed:

I will do the pan drop, filter change and torque converter drain. But before the pan drop, I will siphon out the fluid to minimize the mess.
I realize a lot of people recommend disconnecting a cooler line and then using the engine to pump the fluid from the pan out, but I just don't like that idea honestly. I'm not saying there's anything wrong about it; but personally I find the siphoning so much easier and cleaner, with essentially the same result.

I may not get all the fluid out. If I don't disconnect the cooler lines, I imagine that most of the fluid in the lines and in the radiator will remain. That being a fairly small amount (maybe 1-2 quarts?), I can live with it.
 
#33 ·
@supergordo, @Kenz, I'm increasingly betting that this may be the original Mercon fluid. The original owner (23 years and about 29,000 miles) was very good to the car, but technically a transmission fluid change isn't until 30,000 miles (I realize you should consider mileage and time, but they may not have); the second owner (1,5 years and about 10,000 miles) only did oil changes.

Meanwhile, this siphoning exercise did help me make up my mind about how to proceed:

I will do the pan drop, filter change and torque converter drain. But before the pan drop, I will siphon out the fluid to minimize the mess.
I realize a lot of people recommend disconnecting a cooler line and then using the engine to pump the fluid from the pan out, but I just don't like that idea honestly. I'm not saying there's anything wrong about it; but personally I find the siphoning so much easier and cleaner, with essentially the same result.

I may not get all the fluid out. If I don't disconnect the cooler lines, I imagine that most of the fluid in the lines and in the radiator will remain. That being a fairly small amount (maybe 1-2 quarts?), I can live with it.
You don't have to disconnect the cooler lines. If you want to minimize the mess, drain the converter first. That will get several quarts out before you drop the pan. And as far as the pan goes I suggest removing all the bolts except one in each corner of the pan. then you can slowly lower the rear two bolts then a little on the front two. Then you can control the drain of the fluid. It's not a perfect system, but you don't have to make a huge mess at all.
 
#38 ·
It's a waste of time to disconnect the cooler lines to dry and drain every last drop. Like Supergordo said the amount that is left in the cooler lines is insignificant with the amount of fluid the transmission holds. IIRC it ended up taking 13+ quarts when I last did a drain and fill on a 4r70w

Don't try to use air to blow out the lines. I did that on my cooler to clean it out since it's not used with my manual. It made a vaporous explosion of transmission fluid under the car and coated everything. I did get all the fluid out of it though!
 
#40 ·
12 is usually enough. When the valve body is removed, then you need that 13th quart.

What draining the system from the cooler line does, is keep you from making a mess when removing the pan, it is mostly dry. But you do have to rig up a fitting and hose for the radiator, and run the car for 30 seconds.

Al
 
#41 ·
But you do have to rig up a fitting and hose for the radiator, and run the car for 30 seconds.
And after 30 seconds it'll start pumping air?

I'm actually surprised that it would be so quick. Isn't the routing of the fluid this: pan > torque converter > cooler? In that case you'd think it would take much longer.
Or does it pump directly from the pan to the cooler?
 
#42 ·
30 seconds should be safe. You don't want it pumping air.

Al
 
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#43 ·
That's why I keep thinking...wouldn't it be best if I get a friend: one of us monitors the color of the fluid coming out of the cooler line; the other pours fresh fluid into the dipstick tube? This way there's no risk of the transmission to pump air and/or run dry. And once the color at the cooler line turns to bright red, you stop the engine.
 
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