Quote from: AJP turbo on September 14, 2016, 05:10:41 PM
When you read up on oil there is no correlation between viscosity and rate of "breaking down"...just like there is no correlation between synthetic oil and how people believe its more "slipperry"
Speculation seems to be at its worst when things are mysterious
Viscosity selection has more to do with bearing tolerances and desired pressure vs temperature
If viscosity and weight meant more protection then we would run 75w-140 in the motor
Actually it is a fact that when all things are equal the oil with the wider viscosity rating will shear faster per amsoil...so 10w-30 will shear less than 10w-40....
Ah I should of elaborated by "breaking down". I don't think its nessecary affecting the transmission fluid's weight focus per say. But perhaps other minor additives that say, help keep the chemical bonds consistent.
What we do know and are told (by Ford), is even when Mercon LV turns a brown color that may seem alarming, but isn't in poor condition terms of use. From the bottle its dark red and changes with low mileage use (low as in a few thousand). The oil weight should be fine.
But the chemical science side of me says it still underwent some kind of chemical change beyond just a pigment adjustment.
Thinking on it, break down was a poor choice of words for what I want to target in regards to 6F low gear performance changes at short use intervals. Slight change in chemical make up is what I should say, and that change seems to affect something that makes Livernois find a little extra fluid helps better.
I almost took the initiative of getting the Sonnax zip kit done on my Fusion's 6F35. But then I wasn't fully sold on valve body having a flaw, since fresh fluid always feels great while Mercon LV stays "Dark Redish". Once it turns fully brown with no red after a few thousand miles, it gets more sensitive with the low gear shifts or low rpms.
But that is the only thing to know without an astute oil analysis...think I'll save some of my stock used fluid when I drain it and get it checked. Weight will be fine I'm sure, but I want to know what individual chemicals have changed. Then question how to keep fresh fluid transmission performance for longer than just a few thousand miles.