Ford lubricant specifications
Ford identifies many service fluids by material-specification numbers such as WSS-M2Cxxxx-xx. These are application-specific requirements, not universal quality rankings. The same viscosity grade can be made to different Ford specifications, and an API, ILSAC or ACEA claim alone does not establish that an oil meets a particular Ford requirement.
Always match the exact Ford specification and SAE viscosity stated for the vehicle, engine, transmission or axle. Owner documentation can retain an earlier specification for a particular model even where newer Ford specifications exist. Do not assume that a later-looking specification, a different viscosity, or a fluid described as “universal” is interchangeable.
Engine oils
Legacy European Ford specifications
| Specification | Status and typical use |
|---|---|
WSS-M2C913-A | Obsolete early SAE 5W-30 gasoline and light-duty diesel service-fill requirement associated with older ILSAC GF-2 and ACEA A1/B1-era performance levels. |
WSS-M2C913-B | Superseded legacy SAE 5W-30 requirement for many European gasoline and diesel engines. It was associated with ILSAC GF-3 and earlier ACEA A1/B1 requirements. |
WSS-M2C913-C | Later SAE 5W-30 European requirement intended as a backward-compatible replacement for many 913-B applications. Check the vehicle documentation before treating it as suitable for every earlier Ford engine. |
WSS-M2C913-D | Later SAE 5W-30 service-fill specification used by many Ford Europe gasoline and diesel applications, including some engines designed for extended drain intervals or biodiesel use. It remains relevant where specifically required, but is not a blanket requirement for all Ford diesels. |
WSS-M2C917-A | SAE 5W-40 oil for specified pump-injector diesel applications. |
WSS-M2C934-A | Low-SAPS, extended-drain engine-oil requirement for specified diesel engines equipped with diesel particulate filters. |
WSS-M2C937-A | Special SAE 0W-40 requirement used for the Focus RS application identified by Ford. |
Later Ford Europe requirements
| Specification | Viscosity | Application context |
|---|---|---|
WSS-M2C948-B | SAE 5W-20 | Fuel-economy oil requirement introduced for specified gasoline engines, notably early 1.0 L EcoBoost applications. It is not interchangeable merely because another oil is SAE 5W-20. |
WSS-M2C950-A | SAE 0W-30 | Low-SAPS diesel-engine oil requirement for specified Ford applications. |
WSS-M2C952-A1 | SAE 0W-20 | Current Ford requirement used for specified diesel applications. Ford owner information identifies ACEA C5 SAE 0W-20 only as a limited top-up alternative when the specified oil is unavailable; it is not presented as a general substitute for normal service. |
WSS-M2C956-A1 | SAE 0W-20 | Current requirement shown in Ford owner information for specified European applications. Ford permits a limited emergency top-up with SAE 0W-30 meeting ACEA C3 when the specified oil cannot be obtained. |
North American gasoline-engine requirements
| Specification | Viscosity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
WSS-M2C931-C | SAE 5W-50 | Special high-performance gasoline-engine requirement. Ford documentation identifies it for certain track-use applications; it is not a general replacement for ordinary Ford 5W-20 or 5W-30 oils. |
WSS-M2C945-B1 | SAE 5W-20 | Used in a wide range of North American Ford gasoline engines and still specified in current Ford service information for applicable vehicles. |
WSS-M2C946-A and WSS-M2C946-B1 | SAE 5W-30 | Ford 5W-30 requirements used in specified North American gasoline applications. The suffix matters: use the exact requirement stated by Ford for the vehicle. |
WSS-M2C960-A1 | SAE 5W-20 | Ford gasoline-engine requirement aligned with the ILSAC GF-6/API SP generation. |
WSS-M2C961-A1 | SAE 5W-30 | Ford gasoline-engine requirement aligned with the ILSAC GF-6/API SP generation and intended to address oil-related low-speed pre-ignition protection in applicable turbocharged engines. |
WSS-M2C962-A1 | SAE 0W-20 | Ford gasoline-engine requirement aligned with the ILSAC GF-6/API SP generation, used in specified late-model applications including some hybrid powertrains. |
WSS-M2C971-A1 | SAE 5W-30 | Later Ford 5W-30 requirement found on current Motorcraft product information alongside API SQ and ILSAC GF-7A performance. Use it only where the vehicle documentation or oil label explicitly identifies this specification. |
For an overview of the newer Ford gasoline-engine requirements and their relationship to viscosity grades, see Ford WSS engine-oil specifications explained. For the underlying industry categories, see ILSAC oil specifications and the API engine-oil service category charts.
Manual transmissions, transaxles and axle lubricants
Ford drivetrain-fluid requirements are highly unit-specific. API GL-4 or GL-5 and an SAE gear-oil grade describe only part of a lubricant’s performance; they do not prove suitability for a Ford manual transmission, transfer case, power-transfer unit or limited-slip axle. See why an API GL gear-oil claim is not a universal approval.
| Specification | Typical use |
|---|---|
WSS-M2C200-D2 | Dedicated dual-clutch transmission fluid for specified Ford dual-clutch transmissions. Do not replace it with MERCON fluid unless Ford documentation expressly calls for that fluid. |
WSS-M2C942-A | SAE 75W-85 synthetic hypoid axle lubricant used in specified Ford front and rear axles. |
WSP-M2C197-A | SAE 80W-90 rear-axle lubricant for specified applications. |
WSL-M2C192-A | SAE 75W-140 synthetic rear-axle lubricant for specified applications. |
EST-M2C118-A | Friction-modifier additive used only where Ford specifies it for a limited-slip axle. It is not automatically required with every hypoid gear oil. |
Older Ford designations including M2C104-A, M2C175-A, M2C186-A, M2C192-A, M2C197-A and earlier M2C200 variants occur in historical service literature. Treat them as legacy, application-specific requirements rather than as a current fluid-selection guide. The former page’s reference to Volkswagen G 052 145 was not a Ford specification and has been removed.
Automatic transmission fluids
MERCON is a family of Ford automatic-transmission-fluid requirements, not one universal fluid. Later fluids are not automatically backward-compatible with earlier MERCON applications. In particular, Ford states that MERCON ULV must not be used where MERCON V, MERCON SP, MERCON LV, Premium ATF, CVT fluid, Type F or dual-clutch transmission fluid is required.
| Fluid or specification | Status and use |
|---|---|
MERCON | Original legacy Ford automatic-transmission-fluid specification. It should not be assumed to be the correct fluid for a transmission requiring a later MERCON specification. |
MERCON V | Legacy Ford ATF used in many earlier applications. It is not a substitute for MERCON LV, MERCON ULV, MERCON SP, CVT fluid or dedicated dual-clutch fluid. |
MERCON SP | Application-specific ATF for designated transmissions; do not substitute based on the MERCON name alone. |
MERCON LV / WSS-M2C938-A | Low-viscosity ATF used in many Ford six-speed and other designated automatic transmissions. |
MERCON ULV / WSS-M2C949-A | Ultra-low-viscosity ATF used in designated Ford transmissions, including specified 10-speed applications. |
WSS-M2C924-A | Premium Automatic Transmission Fluid for specified applications. |
WSS-M2C933-A | Continuously variable chain-type transmission fluid for specified CVT applications. |
For more detail on why transmission-fluid labels require an exact match to the vehicle requirement, see automatic transmission fluid specifications explained.
Important compatibility note
Use the Ford specification and viscosity printed in the current owner’s manual, workshop information or service-fluid chart for the exact vehicle. Do not substitute an oil or transmission fluid solely because it has a similar viscosity, an API or ACEA category, or a claim of backward compatibility.