FWIW, I'll just throw my .02 in here....

I've got a Ford as well as the Dodge. The Ford specs MerconV. When I asked the dealer about alternates they were really helpful and emailed me a bunch of info Ford provided them about the fluid.

One of the frequenty asked questions was something like "what about other fluids that claim to be Mercon and MerconV compatable". The answer was simply that the properties of Mercon and MerconV were very different and it would be impossible to make one fluid that did both. Like "universal" fuel for both gas and diesel.

Yet Amsoil claims to be both, AND all the Mopar specs too?

 

I had amsoil ATF put in the tranny about 6 weeks ago.The tranny (48RE) seems to shift alot smoother now.Also had the diffs changed to amsoil.Happy so far.I have about 17,000 miles on my truck.coobie

 

Yeah, I was a little concerned about that when I serviced a E40D and a couple 4R100s. I read the same thing in the owner's maunal. I have used Amsiol product for 15 years now and trusted them, so what the hell, I went for it. My brother-in-law still has his F-250. I Drained the tq converter and serviced the pan and filter (~17 qts). He's put 30K on it since the service I did for him. He really likes how much better the tranny shifts. It runs 10 to 20* cooler too.

I also serviced my sister's Expedition about 20K ago. It works great. I did the AT, gears, & transfer case. She picked up 1mpg. All smiles.

 

You can also call Amsoil tech line and ask them the same questions.

 

If Amsoil isn't letting the TC slip under load and doesn't cause shudder when it engages, it's probably not going to cause a problem. If it shifts smooth and you're happy with it, then it's worth the money.
The other thing is, oil related failures in the engine, tranny, rear end or bearings is almost unheard of, as long as there IS oil at the proper level, unless the oil is neglected or contaminated. Using Amsoil will likely never "cause" a problem. The problem might be if you have a transmission problem that you probably would have had even with ATF+4 in it. DC might use your choice of ATF against you because it wasn't DC approved. Unless you like court procedings and litigation, this isn't fun. I have no doubt Amsoil is good stuff. Their warranty is pretty safe as you'll likely never have an oil related failure. But a tranny failure might not be covered by Amsoil or DC as you'd be between both's warranty requirements.

 

You can also call Amsoil tech line and ask them the same questions.

What are they going to say??? "Our marketing lies, it's not really good for ATF+4 applications?"

 

Come now.I've called them a few times and they explained the whys and nots,forumla of how and why it replaces this and that.I used it in my 93W250 for 7 years,1985 Chevy Caprice for over 200k(700R4).Its in my 1998 1500 slt 318.Has been for 40k or so and in my 2000 Mercury marquis LS 4.6 for the last 20k or so.Everthing its in shifted better,smoother etc.I also use Amsoil Hyd.fliud in my 2000 New Holland tractor(with front end loader 4x4),9.5 gallons of it.It stops smoother,clutch is smoother,Hyds.are quieter and smoother etc.

 

How many qts does the 48RE require ?

 

I believe the 48re holds 4 qts for an initial fill.

 

4 qts?? Even if JUST changing the filter alone my 46re in my 1998 1500 318 takes 6 qts.