I just purchased a used 2011 Fusion SE with 109K miles. I believe is has the 6F35 6-speed automatic. I am planning to drain and fill the transmission fluid as part of my initial maintenance. For those with experience and knowledge of this vehicle and transmission, would you suggest using Motorcraft Mercon LV or is there something as suitable or better? I've used Valvoline MaxLife in vehicles before and see that it is recommended for use in applications that call for Mercon LV. Same with Castrol Transmax and the O'Reilly house brand, though I generally stay away from house brands when it comes to this kind of stuff. Thanks in advance for your input!

 

If it calls for Mercon LV, that is what I would use. I am not a supporter of "one type fits all" like Maxlife or a multi vehicle type fluid. As far as brand goes, any name brand Mercon LV will work fine.I have used Castrol Trans Max, Valvoline and Walmart's Supertech without any issues. If you can get Motorcraft for the same price fine otherwise I would go with another major brand. It isn't any better to justify paying a much higher price for it. I would use a Motorcraft filter for your 6F35.

.https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...sn=467&jsn=467

 

I didn't initially realize the MaxLife was just "recommended for" Mercon LV applications. I think I'm going to try some Liqui Moly Top Tec 1800 which has the Ford Mercon LV approval. I like the Liqui Moly products and can get it for about the same cost as any of the other major brands.

From what I understand, the 6F35 in the 2011 Fusion does not have a serviceable filter. That's what some videos I've watched indicate. Is that not right?

 

If the filter is available, one would assume it is replaceable.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...ic,filter,8600

I would not use Liqui Moly products for your transmission. They are grossly overpriced and lack Ford approval for use. You do not want to change friction characteristics of the recommended fluid without changing shift quality.Best advice is to use a name brand fluid which is recommended by the manufacturer and not using any additives.. Deviate from that and I would bet you will be posting a transmission problem in the future.

 

From the videos that I have watched, the filter is not (easily) serviceable and requires the transmission to be removed and opened up.


With that said, I have not yet been under the vehicle to confirm that what I have is the same as what is shown in the videos. I'm just assuming that all 6F35's are the same.

I like Liqui Moly products and can get it for about the same cost as any of the other major brands. And according to their website, the Top Tec 1800 ATF has Ford Mercon LV approval and is not just "recommended for" such applications. I've reached out to them to confirm certification.

 

I don't believe it is. I watched a number of how-to videos that all said it was not. And when I was under the car this weekend working on it, there's no pan or anything to drop. My understanding is that the transmission has to be removed and opened up in order to replace the filter.

I like the Liqui Moly products and can get it for about the same cost as any of the other major brands. I confirmed with them that their Top Tec 1800 ATF has Ford Mercon LV approval which is also stated on the bottle.

Yesterday I drained the transmission and filled it with 4 liters of Liqui Moly Top Tec 1800 ATF. The transmission was shifting pretty smoothly before and with the new fluid in there it continues to do so.

 

It's basically a one size fits all for Mercon LV and Dexron 6 applications. Good luck with it.

 

In that sense Liqui Moly Top Tec 1800 is the same as the Castrol Transmax (Link) and Super Tech (Link) products that you previously mentioned using without any issues. Those are also one-size-fits-all for Dexron VI and Mercon LV applications, approved by both GM and Ford.

In researching the Valvoline products, it appears as if their "regular" product (Link) and MaxLife one (Link) are both just recommended for Dexron VI and Mercon LV applications.

Moral of the story... in my experience thus far, as you would expect from any Ford-approved Mercon LV ATF, Liqui Moly Top Tec 1800 works well in my Fusion's 6F35 transmission.

 

Only with the Allison transmission on my diesel pickup was it recommended to change the fluid and the filter. With every other car and truck the recommendation was to change the fluid only when the transmission was being repaired and to do the filter at that time. With synthetic ATF the life is even longer than with fluids used in the past.

Each manufacturer has their own seals materials and it is very important to use the recommended ATF so as not to damage the seals. The manufacturer will have a list of approved fluids.

 

Eventually , most trans fluids get their components deleted and lose some of their properties. That is one reason why a recommended interval is put forth.

On top of that , there are fiber clutch discs that DO WEAR and in the process deposit that clutch material in the fluid and filter.

In addition to those little gems is thrust washer wear which leaves a paste that is hopefully removed by fluid and filter changes.

Pretty sure we would not want that crap circulating around inside a trans valve body that has lap fitted spool valves that can react to unwanted particles in the fluid.