KnightOwl Posted April 29, 2018 Report Share Posted April 29, 2018 Havent bought ATF in awhile except Mercon LV for the Ford. It looks like Dexron is kinda hard to find on the shelf. Dex/Merc. Transmax. and several others. Whats the popular choice these days for the 4T65e? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightOwl Posted April 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2018 Some other sites seem to highly recommend Valvoline Maxlife? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted April 30, 2018 Report Share Posted April 30, 2018 Just use Dex VI. How are you having trouble finding it? It's literally on every parts store shelf, even Walmart. Psych0matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imp558 Posted April 30, 2018 Report Share Posted April 30, 2018 Wasn't there something about Dex III and Dex VI shifting differently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FordMan77 Posted May 1, 2018 Report Share Posted May 1, 2018 Yea, that has been debated. When I did my trans replacement on my 00 GT I filled it up with Dex VI. It's still living after 150K miles. Didn't notice any weird junk in the pan when I installed my trans-go kit and did a pan drop/filter change over the winter. No shifting issues either. It either shifts fine or if it's slipping then it's already on the way out. Run the Dex VI and call it a day. Just don't flush the trans. or you will likely be replacing it shortly. And FYI, the last time I used Valvoline trans fluid it came out already smelling burnt, lol... Not sure if they have changed it since then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted May 1, 2018 Report Share Posted May 1, 2018 Best trans fluid? One-word answer = CLEAN. The only "Dexron" fluid that currently exists is Dexron VI. Good ol' Dexron III is no longer licensed by GM, therefore anyone still making it cannot use the "Dexron" trade-name. Therefore, that's the Dex-Merc you see on the shelves. In a transmission made before GM switched to Dex VI, I feel just fine using Dex-Merc in it. If it was originally spec'ed with VI, use VI. Any transmission that fails after a properly-done fluid flush would have failed anyway. A fluid flush does nothing evil to a transmission. Imp558 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightOwl Posted May 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2018 I just did a pan drop-n-drain along with filter swap. Most of the fluid on the shelf in the local parts stores are either the Dex/Merc universal type or the Mercon LV or Type F (this would be AutoZone, Advance, and O'Reillys) I wound up going with one of the Dex/Merc types since it is supposed to replace Dexron up to VI (2005-up) I was happy to see the fluid that came out was still red and not burnt smelling at all...very little residue in the pan. Now that I have the ZZP pan with drain plug I can drain-n-fill. Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 Wasn't there something about Dex III and Dex VI shifting differently? Yes, it is technically thinner, 5.8 cSt @ 100ºC vs 7.1. This could, theoretically, cause a change in shift quality in a more worn transmission. I've swapped between both and really didn't notice anything much. The only "Dex/Merc" fluids that are guaranteed to conform to the old Dex III standards are those that are labelled as conforming with Allison TES-389. That standard was specifically created to mirror the old Dex III formulation for use in Allison transmissions that don't cope well with the thinner Dex VI fluid. Schurkey and Imp558 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imp558 Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 I knew there was something, I always run the Walmart equivalent Dex III stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 The only "Dex/Merc" fluids that are guaranteed to conform to the old Dex III standards are those that are labelled as conforming with Allison TES-389. That standard was specifically created to mirror the old Dex III formulation for use in Allison transmissions that don't cope well with the thinner Dex VI fluid. Thanks for that. digitaloutsider 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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