Transfer Case Fluid Service

[lrequa92]

Hi guys, getting ready to change out the factory transfer case fluid. The manual says to use Mercon LV. My question is, has anyone used Valvoline Dexron VI/Mercon LV as a replacement fluid? Here is a link to the fluid I am talking about.

Valvoline DEXRON VI/MERCON LV Full Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) 1 QT - Walmart.com

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[Gros Ventre]

Read the blurb... So long as it says its good to go for the Mercon Spec... go for it. If you're a purist, you might look up the specs, such as viscosity, and ensure they match. Make sure you us LV & not ULV in the transfer case...

 

[lrequa92]

Read the blurb... So long as it says its good to go for the Mercon Spec... go for it. If you're a purist, you might look up the specs, such as viscosity, and ensure they match. Make sure you us LV & not ULV in the transfer case...

Yeah I am aware to not use ULV. That is only for the transmission. Just wanted to see if anyone has used the Valvoline with no issues. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Gros Ventre]

Yeah, When first changing out the OEM oils, I almost put in ULV in the xfr case... until I reread the manual...

 

[lrequa92]

Yeah, When first changing out the OEM oils, I almost put in ULV in the xfr case... until I reread the manual...

Oh yeah that would have sucked

 

[Calson]

The issue with non specified lubricants is possible damage to the factory seals. The factory recommendation is to change out the transfer case fluid every 150,000 miles. Nothing gained by doing it sooner.

 

[lrequa92]

The issue with non specified lubricants is possible damage to the factory seals. The factory recommendation is to change out the transfer case fluid every 150,000 miles. Nothing gained by doing it sooner.

Yeah I’m not running Mercon LV for 150k

 

[Gros Ventre]

The issue with non specified lubricants is possible damage to the factory seals. The factory recommendation is to change out the transfer case fluid every 150,000 miles. Nothing gained by doing it sooner.

I disagree about the "nothing to be gained" statement. Changing out oils early after delivery has a purpose: getting rid of manufacturing debris that may be there. Another issue can be (unusually) that a wrong fluid was put in. In my case when I dumped the front axle oil, what came out just didn't look right. Gray and grainy. Perhaps it was correct but I do feel a whole lot better having changed it out.

 

[Calson]

My first car was a 1952 Willys 4WD station wagon and in those days the metals and lubricants were far inferior to what is available today. Tolerances were greater and so a break-in period was important. Very different situation today and even more so with 2017 and later vehicles designed to use even lower viscosity lubricants.

We have synthetic lubricants and even different classes of synthetic lubricants. The Allison transmission on my diesel pickup was built to tow 17,500 loads on a regular basis and it used two different types of synthetic lubricants. The lubricants that meet the TES389 standard are good for up to 50,000 miles of use. The lubricants that meet the TES295 standard are approved for use for up to 150,000 miles by Allison.

From the person that drafted the TES295 specification:

"With regard to what to put into an Allison 1000, 2000, 3000, or 4000 Series, my recommendation will always be TranSynd or another TES-295 approved product (and not just because I approved all of these products). TranSynd (and the other TES-295 products) cannot lose viscosity because there's nothing to shear (no IV improvers). Also, it's formulated with only PAO (polyalphaolefin) base oils so there's also very little oxidation over many hours and miles of use. We tested TranSynd for thousands of hours in city buses with retarders and garbage trucks (refuse packers) and never saw any sign of oxidation or shear."

So you can make a seat of the pants judgment in ignorance or you can go by the manufacturer's specified lubricants and service intervals developed by engineers with their experience with millions of miles and many thousands of vehicles. What I knew about vehicles in 1970 no longer applied in 1980 and certainly does not apply in 2023. With each new vehicle I buy I quickly put together a sheet with a maintenance schedule and a listing of the lubricant specifications recommended. I cannot see spending tens of thousands of dollars on a new vehicle and then ignoring the manufacturer engineers' recommendations for maintaining it.

As the old saying goes it is not what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just is not so.

 

[Trogdor]

Hi guys, getting ready to change out the factory transfer case fluid. The manual says to use Mercon LV. My question is, has anyone used Valvoline Dexron VI/Mercon LV as a replacement fluid? Here is a link to the fluid I am talking about.

Valvoline DEXRON VI/MERCON LV Full Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) 1 QT - Walmart.com

I’m getting ready to do the diffs and transfer case on my 22… did you end up using this in your TC? How has it performed?

 

[Fox146]

I bought the Motorcraft Mercon LV, but as long as it’s Mercon LV you will be fine shouldn’t matter the brand. For the amount of effort required to do it ( very little )am happy to have new fluids in my transfer case and rear differential.

 

[HammaMan]

I’m getting ready to do the diffs and transfer case on my 22… did you end up using this in your TC? How has it performed?

That's my go-to for LV where required. Currently in my TC right now. Priced right and good quality.

 

[lrequa92]

I’m getting ready to do the diffs and transfer case on my 22… did you end up using this in your TC? How has it performed?

I ended up using motorcraft mercon LV.

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