I have made an appointment to have my automatic transmission serviced (2004 LX, 3.0 V6, AWD). I asked what type of tranny fluid they would replace the old fluid with and they told me that they use "the factory recommended fluid". I asked if this was Mercon, and they replied, "yes."

I also asked if they would replace the filter, and the service rep. told me there is no filter, but the tech will clean the screen.

I also am going to have them check out noisy sway bar links and have the ABS recall done.

Anything else I should ask about the tranny service or anything else while I am there?

 

By the way, the service will be done at John Holtz Mazda located in Rochester, NY.

 

Are you just having the transmission fluid drained and refilled or a full flush of the system?
There is no screen that will be cleaned. There is a replaceable filter but you pretty much need to remove and disassemble the transmission to get to it so is not really considered a serviceable part. They might want to reconsider the MERCON fluid usage. Fluid will no longer be manufactured as of last Sunday so if you are getting a full flush done it would be a good time to get on over to Mercon V. See link to TSB from Mazda below.

http://www.mstore2000.com/PDF_Files/05-001-07-1763.pdf

 

I asked for a transmission flush and fill, and then quickly mentioned, "...assuming you do that service." I didn't get a "no", so I hope the service advisor was listening closely enough to hear that I wanted a flush, not a pan drop and refill.

I will call again and double check not only that they will be flushing and replacing all of the fluid, but also to make sure they are using Mercon V. By the way, is it Mercon 'V' or Mercon '5'? What should I refer to it as, so I don't sound dumb...well, LESS dumb anyway.

Is 30,000 miles too early for this service? If not, should I have it done again at 60,000? Please advise...thanks...Chris

 

No pan to drop on your Trib but only a drain plug that will dump out around 3.5 qts of ATF. Use the term Mercon 5. The Mercon V is only used on the bottle and they would look at you funny if you said Mercon Vee.Not sure why they decided to use Roman numerals for the designation but they did. 30k is not too early for this kind of service if fluid is getting dark and discolored. Should be a light pink and have a somewhat sweet odor to it. If unsure as to the comparison then just pick up a bottle at store, check the color and give a little smell and compare with what is on the dipstick. If your fluid looks ok then a quick drain and fill with the 3.5 qts every 15k should be enough and will be much less pricey. If other wise then a full flush will exchange most all of the fluid oil for new and transmission will be very happy.

 

I haven't checked the fluid in awhile, but when I did, it was pink and smelled sweet as it should. I still want to get it done for piece of mind, but also to establish with the dealer and Mazda that there was at least SOME maintenance done on the vehicle...may come in handy in a "good will" warranty situation in the future.

Should I do the full flush and exchange again at 60K miles? And then at 90K miles? Or, is it safe to just drain what comes out of the plug, addthe 3.5 quarts of fluid every 30K miles after this flush?

 

I would just do the drain and refill every 15k miles or so and your trans fluid should remain fresh and protecting the internalls for a long time to come. If you tow anything heavy for an extended period then check fluid and make sure it is still nice and clean and flush if needed. Towing is one of the hardest things on transmission fluid condition.

 

Towing is definitely hard on tranny fluid. I tow a single jet ski (~500 lbs) in the summer, which is not at all a heavy load. In the winter, I tow a snowmobile trailer (~1800 lbs) which isn't necessarily heavy, but because it is eight feet wide, there's a lot of wind resistance and thus a heavy load on the powertrain of the tow vehicle. Even my V8 powered Chevy pickups of the past struggled towing this trailer at 65 mph in top gear, so I always use '3' (or turn off the O/D, in the case of the Trib). The tranny goes into lock-up early in the 3rd gear, and stays locked up, eliminating excess slippage, shifting and premature tranny failure.

According the Consumer Reports, the transmission in the Trib/Escape/Mariner is pretty solid. I believe they give it a "Much Better than Average" rating for most years, except '01-'02. As a tech, what is your opinion of this Ford parts-bin powertrain?