Went to the local Ford dealer today to pick up a couple of spare litres of Mercon SP and was told that they did not stock it anymore because it had been replaced by Mercon LV. He checked the other Ford dealer in town and they had 9 litres left so I went there. For the the Ford/Lincoln cars & trucks that use the ZF6HP trans they told me that Ford had issued a service bulletin that from now on they should use Mercon LV and that once current stock was gone they will no longer carry the product.

Just passing this along for anybody planning to change trans fluid and for "those who know technical stuff" to pass an opinion on using Mercon LV in our cars. When I googled Mercon LV it seems to say that it is NOT to be substitued for SP ????

 

That was my understanding too.

 

The parts guy at both dealers had the same story.....if they get a Ford or Lincoln with a ZF6HP transmission in for service , they have a bulletin from Ford telling them to now use Mercon LV.

It wont make any difference to me, since I'll probably be too old to drive by the time my trans fluid needs another change , but it could cause problems if guys go looking for SP at a Ford dealer and are sold LV as an "approved substitute"

 

Hmm....from the Motorcraft website:-


Mercon SP "Do not use in transmissions requiring MERCON® V, MERCON® LV, Continously Variable Chain Type Transmission Fluid, Motorcraft® Premium Automatic Transmission Fluid, FNR5 Automatic Transmission Fluid, or Type F Fluid"


Mercon LV "Do not use in applications where MERCON® V, MERCON® SP (exceptTorqShift®), Continuously Variable Chain Type Transmission Fluid, Motorcraft® Premium Automatic Transmission Fluid, FNR5 Automatic Transmission Fluid or Type F Automatic Transmission Fluid is recommended, or in conventional transfer cases"

 

I have seen the rumors on this site for several years that Mercon SP was being discontinued. The parts guys at the local Ford dealership that I purchase it from have always told me that no discontinuation notice has been received and they expect to be able to sell it for years to come. Granted, I have not purchased any Mercon SP since November 2016 when we last did a ZF drain-and-fill on my wife's 2006 XK8, so things may indeed have changed since then. But I would bet that Ford has a ton of Lincoln Navigators still on the road with ZF 6HP26 transmissions running Mercon SP, so I would be quite surprised if this oft-repeated rumor turns out to be true....

Keep in mind that any substitute ATF must meet the required Shell M1375.4 specs....

 

I agree Jon the rumours go back many years, the Motorcraft site doesn't indicate anything about being discontinued.
But Barry's Ford dealer said they had a bulletin, who knows if they do?

 

Maybe Jon, but in post #3 Barry says Ford has issued a tech bulletin telling dealers to use LV in 6HP26. I don't expect to put another 50K mi on my car before I'm too old to drive it, but I expect there will be another substitute in the near future.


Norri is too fast for me.

 

I would have be suspicious if only one of the dealers gave me this story , but both said the same thing and they are pretty fierce competitors. They just will not stock SP anymore once the last few litres are gone. There are also apparently Ford trucks that use the ZF6HP as well as Lincolns and old T-Birds. As I said before; it won't make a difference to me but it will suck for guys trying to get SP and maybe for Ford owners if the dealers start filling their transmissions with the wrong fluid !

 

Anyone contemplating a ZF 6HP26 drain-and-fill in the near future should contact their local Ford dealerships and ask about Mercon SP stock. If it truly is being discontinued, I may go ahead and purchase 5 quarts (enough for one more drain-and-fill without dropping the pan) and hold it until needed. With only 8,000 miles on my wife's XK8 since its last ZF drain-and-fill in November 2016, that should cover me for the duration of our remaining ownership period as long as no pesky leaks show up. The only question is how much degradation does Mercon SP suffer from sitting unopened on a garage shelf for 5 to 7 years?

I sold my 2005 S-Type last week so that vehicle is now out of my equation....

 

Just called the parts department of the local Ford dealership where I have been purchasing my Mercon SP for years. They have not received any notification regarding Mercon SP being discontinued, and they continue to carry the one-quart bottles in their inventory....

 

Going to check with the local Jag and Ford dealers here in Palm Springs

 

AFAIK, chain stores have it, too. Motorcraft Mercon SP seems available at Advance Auto Parts...

 

Just checked with two Ford dealers here in the Palm Springs area. Neither have any record of receiving a notice about it being discontinued. The one in Indio said they have plenty in stock for $8.79 a quart.

 

Ok...then it appears the local dealers here are full of **** !! That in a perverse way is a good thing I suppose

 

It might be that they don't have much call for it where you are. If you could get a notice number or reference number from the dealer regarding the notice I could then give my local dealers that number to be sure. Both dealers I spoke to actually looked on their computers and saw no references regarding Mercon SP.

 

if you feel like stockpiling a lifetime supply, there are three factors of concern. Heat is not one of them. Number one is cold which most people do not expect. Next is oxygen and then light. The plastic bottles are permeable over time which is why some feel sticky over time. Consequently oxygen is getting into the container, however a lot more is present once the fluid is in service, transmissions are vented and breathe with temperature changes. Sunlight radiation is obvious.


Purchase a few cases and keep them inside the house in the back of a closet or basement and you will be set for the end of the world. BTW, there will always be other compatible fluids.