Mercon represents a series of technical standards for automatic transmission fluid, developed and trademarked by Ford Motor Company. This designation serves as a mark of quality that Ford has established for fluids used in automatic transmissions. The Mercon name, which has evolved into a brand, is licensed by Ford to various manufacturers. These companies are authorized to produce the fluid according to Ford's specifications and market it under their own brand names.
The specifications outlined under the Mercon label cover various aspects such as viscosity, friction characteristics, and thermal stability, which are essential for the transmission fluid to perform under a wide range of operating conditions. This careful regulation ensures that all licensed Mercon fluids provide consistent quality and performance, giving consumers confidence in their use of aftermarket products.
Overview The original Mercon (M2C185-A) Transmission Fluid was introduced in January 1987. Over the years, the original Mercon was supplanted by Mercon "V", Mercon "SP", Mercon "LV", and Mercon "ULV", which is the latest automatic transmission fluid. Ford has upgraded the Mercon specifications over the years; the newer fluids are not always backward compatible with previous fluids. Newer 6 and 10-speed transmissions as well as Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), and Electric Vehicle (EV) transmission technologies require specialized fluids to operate properly. There remains a market for older fluids that claim to meet the earlier fluid specifications. See the details below for the backward compatibility of each fluid.
Originally the name MERCON was associated exclusively with automatic transmission fluids, later Ford released MERCON Gear oils and other lubricants under the MERCON brand. Not all Mercon fluids are licensed for reselling under another brand name. All licensed Mercon fluids must have a license number on the container. If no license number is found, the fluid may not be Ford-approved and the automatic transmission fluid cannot be guaranteed to meet Ford specifications. Ford, like many automobile manufacturers, uses transmissions sourced from other suppliers or transmission manufacturers around the world; these transmissions are not manufactured by Ford. Many of these automatic transmissions use unique fluids that might not be shown on this page.
History Before Mercon: 1942–1987
1942 Motor Oil
In 1942, The Mercury 8 and Lincoln offered cars with an optional "Liquamatic Drive" using a fluid coupling, conventional clutch, and semi-automatic three-speed transmission. The transmission had an overrunning clutch on the transmission countershaft. The flywheel's fluid coupling used S.A.E 10 motor oil for lubrication. The transmission gearbox used traditional gear oil. This transmission was only produced for a few months before the U.S.A. entered World War II, production of this transmission was not resumed after the war.
1949 GM Hydra-Matic Fluid In April 1949, Lincoln began offering the General Motors Hydra-Matic 4-speed automatic transmission in their 1950 model year vehicles. This offering continued through the 1954 model year. Lincoln service information calls for "Lincoln Automatic Transmission Fluid". This fluid met the GM Hydra-Matic Drive fluid specifications.
This Fluid was First Used in the Following Transmissions: 1949 Hydra-Matic with an L-9 serial number prefix 1950 Hydra-Matic with an L-50 serial number prefix 1951 Hydra-Matic with an L-51 serial number prefix 1952 Hydra-Matic with an L-52 serial number prefix 1953 Hydra-Matic with an L-53 serial number prefix 1954 Hydra-Matic with an L-54 serial number prefix
1950 GM Type "A" Fluid
Every automatic transmission produced by any vehicle manufacturer (Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet, Pontiac, GMC, Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Chrysler, Dodge, Desoto, Packard, and Studebaker) used GM Type "A" transmission fluids in their transmissions from 1949 to 1958.
In 1950, 11 years after GM released the Hydra-Matic 4-speed automatic transmission and its special Hydra-Matic Automatic Transmission Fluid, Ford released their first fully automatic transmission; the 1951 Fordomatic 3-speed transmission.https://www.sae.org/publications/technical-papers/content/500194/ FORD-MERCURY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION This new fully automatic transmission used the GM Type "A" automatic transmission fluid specification. Ford and hundreds of other resellers, became a licensed reseller of the GM Type "A" fluid with an Armor Qualification number. The Type "A" fluid was marketed under the Ford brand name.
This Fluid was First Used in the Following Transmissions: 1951 Fordomatic (Borg-Warner FX) 3-Speed automatic transmission 1954 Cruise O'Matic (Borg-Warner MX) 3-Speed automatic transmission 1955 Lincoln TurboDrive 3-Speed automatic transmission 1957 Ford Transmatic Drive 6-Speed Automatic Transmission for Medium-Duty and Heavy-Duty Trucks 1958 Cruise-O-Matic 3-Speed automatic transmission 1958 Edsel Mile-O-Matic 2-Speed automatic transmission 1958 Mercury Multi-Drive 1958 Lincoln TurboDrive 3-Speed automatic transmission
1958 Ford Type "A" Fluid In 1959, Ford released their own Type-A automatic transmission fluid specification (M2C33-A) and stopped using GM fluid specifications for their in-house transmissions. The Ford M2C33-A fluid had GM Type "A" Suffix "A" characteristics. Transmission fluid service life was fairly short, and frequent transmission oil changes were required.
1959 Type "B" Fluid In 1959, Ford released an updated automatic transmission fluid specification Type-B (M2C33-B). The Ford M2C33-B fluid had GM Type "A" Suffix "A" characteristics. As with the previous specification, transmission fluid service life was fairly short, and frequent transmission oil changes were required.
1960 Type "D" Fluid
In 1960, Ford introduced the Type-D (M2C33-D) specification for service fluid use in 1960 model-year vehicles. This fluid specification change provided better oxidation control, anti-wear performance, and higher static capacity capabilities were also included. Oxidation control of the fluid was measured by a new Merc-O-Matic oxidation test.
This fluid was first used in the following transmissions: 1964 C-4 3-Speed automatic transmission 1966 C-6 3-Speed automatic transmission 1968 FMX 3-Speed automatic transmission
1967 Type "F" Fluid In 1967, Ford introduced a new fluid specification, the Type-F fluid (M2C33-F). This fluid provided a high static coefficient of friction which resulted in harsh shifting.
The Type-F fluid specification was intended to produce a “lifetime” fluid that would never need to be changed. This is the first of many Ford “lifetime” fluids. The 1974 Ford Car Shop Manual reads "The automatic transmission is filled at the factory with "lifetime" fluid. If it is necessary to add or replace fluid, use only fluids that meet Ford Specification M2C33F.
1972 Type "G" Fluid In 1972, Ford of Europe introduced a new fluid specification, the Type-G fluid (M2C33-G). This fluid was used through 1981.
This fluid was first used in the following transmissions: Borg-Warner M35 transmissions and variants
1974 Type "CJ" Fluid
In September 1974, Ford introduced a new fluid specification, the Type-CJ fluid (M2C138-CJ). This fluid provided smoother shifting and less gear noise by with higher dynamic friction characteristics. The Ford Type-CJ fluid specification also met the GM Dexron-II(D) and earlier fluid specifications. Ford was a licensed GM Dexron-II(D) vendor.
The Ford Type-CJ fluid was compatible with GM Dexron II(D) specifications. This compatibility may suggest to some that all Ford, Mercon, and Dexron fluids are compatible; this is not correct. Always use the factory-recommended fluid for your transmission. (See the Aftermarket Automatic Transmission Fluids section below)
This fluid was first used in the following transmissions: 1974 C-3 3-Speed automatic transmission in the Pinto 1978 ATX 3-Speed automatic transmission 1980 ATX 3-Speed automatic transmission with a Centrifugally Linked Clutch (CLC) in the torque converter 1980 Jatco 3-Speed automatic transmission 1980 ATX 3-Speed automatic transmission with a Fluid Linked Clutch (FLC) in the torque converter 1980 AOD 4-Speed overdrive automatic transmission with torque converter bypass (Ford's first overdrive 4-speed) 1983 ZF-4HP33 4-Speed overdrive automatic transmission (Dexron-II(D))
1981 Type "H" Fluid
As a result of the 1973 OPEC Oil Embargo and fuel shortages, the U.S. government created the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations in 1975. The regulations were to be fully implemented by the 1978 model year. The automotive industry responded by changing to three typically unused transmission technologies: A 4th gear (overdrive) A Torque Converter Clutch (TCC) Front Wheel Drive (FWD).
The introduction of the TCC led to customer complaints of a shudder while driving. All vehicle manufacturers made changes to their ATF specifications and the controls of their TCC to try and alleviate the problem. GM released the Dexron-II (D) fluid specification in 1978 and Chrysler released the ATF+2 fluid specification in 1980, and Ford released the Type-H fluid (M2C166-H) specification in June 1981.
The Type-H fluid specification provided improved friction characteristics in lock-up torque converters (reducing shudder during application and release). With this new specification, Ford introduced the aluminum beaker oxidation test (ABOT) to replace the older Merc-O-Matic oxidation test.
The Ford Type-H fluid was compatible with GM Dexron II(D) specifications. This compatibility may suggest to some that all Ford, Mercon, and Dexron fluids are compatible; this is not correct. Always use the factory-recommended fluid for your transmission. (See the Aftermarket Automatic Transmission Fluids section below)
This fluid was first used in the following transmissions: 1982 C-5 (C4 with Torque converter Clutch (TCC)) 3-Speed automatic transmission 1985 A4LD (C3 with overdrive) 4-Speed automatic transmission 1986 AXOD 4-Speed automatic transaxle 1986 Electronic A4LD 4-Speed automatic transmission
MERCON Fluids: 1987 Today
1987 MERCON
In January 1987, Ford released the original Mercon fluid specification (M2C185-A). Mercon became a trademarked fluid with the qualification and licensing of fluids to ensure quality in the marketplace. This original Mercon Specification was backward compatible with the 1981 Ford Type-H fluid and the 1958 GM Type "A" Suffix "A" fluid.
NOTICE: This version of Mercon was compatible with GM's Dexron-II(D) and later formulations were compatible with Dexron-III(H); however, Future versions of Mercon (Mercon V, Mercon SP, Mercon LV, Mercon ULV) are not compatible with GM's Dexron-III(H) or any newer version of Dexron (Dexron-VI, Dexron HP, Dexron ULV).
This fluid was first used in the following transmissions: 1989 E4OD (C-6 with overdrive) Ford's first electronic control 4-speed automatic transmission 1990 4EAT-G Mazda 4-Speed automatic transmission 1990 F-4EAT 4-speed automatic transmission 1990 AXOD-E 4-speed automatic transaxle 1992 AOD-E (Electronic AOD) 4-speed automatic transmission 1993 AOD-EW/4R70W 4-speed automatic transmission 1994 AX4S 4-speed automatic transaxle 1994 CD4E Batavia 4-Speed automatic transmission 1995 AX4N/4F50N 4-Speed automatic transmission 1995 4R44E 4-speed automatic transmission 1995 4R55E 4-speed automatic transmission 1997 5R44 5-speed automatic transmission (Ford's first 5-speed automatic transmission) 1997 5R55 5-speed automatic transmission
1996 MERCON V