Top 10 2003 Mercury Mountaineer Questions & Answers

nope there is no dipstick, to put fluid in, you have to take out the inner drain plug, if you look on the trans pan you will see a drain plug with either a torx or allen head plug in the middle, take this out with the engine running and at normal temperature, dont worry fluid will not come pouring out (there is a standpipe that goes up into the trans) to add fluid you need to squirt it up through this hole with a tube or whatever you can find that works, when it is full you will have a steady drip from the plug, thats the only way to do it. hope this helps

THE CODE IS A PAPER TAG ON THE KEYLESS ENTRY MODULE, THIS MODULE IS LOCATED BEHIND THE LARGE TRIM PANEL ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE CARGO AREA. THERE IS NO GENERIC CODE. MY BACKGROUND IS: 10 YEAR FORD FACTORY CERTIFIED ELECTRONICS MASTER TECHNICIAN.

One common solution is to disconnect the negative battery cable for 10minutes. When you reconnect, the stereo should reset itself and allow you to eject your CD's . Best of luck!
Greg

There is one for the 2003 Mercury Mountaineer. If you are smellign a "vinegar" odor, mix a solution of 1 part bleach to 3 parts water and pour it down the grid at the base of the windshield. It will take care of the smell.

I have recently changed and added fluid to my 2003 Mercury Mountaineer with help from a Chilton manual. None of the answers posted so far are quite correct...and since I researched this for months before finding a proper solution I figured I would let everyone know how to do this.

Tools needed: Mercon V trans fluid, torx head socket to remove trans drain/add plug, an adjustable wrench to loosen the main bolt on the drain/add plug, a pump to add fluid back in, and (if possible) a temp gun like a service station would use. Last, but not least, you will need a special nozel that fits in the bottom of the drain hole to add fluid back in with. (I could only find this at OReilly's. It was a special order from 'OTC' <OTC Part No. 6604>

In my opinion this is a terribly designed transmission. To add, remove, or check fluid follow these steps:

1. Heat fluid to 180 degrees F.
2. Raise entire vehicle using a level to make sure the vehicle is completely level.
3. With foot on break, shift through all gears, place back in park.
4. Go under transmission pan, and by using torx head socket (and PB blaster or you'll break the socket), Loosen the middle plug on the main trans drain plug. (There is a larger bolt head on the drain plug with a smaller plug inside it)
5. Replace center plug with OTC part No 6604.
6. Loosen, (but not all the way) the main bolt plug.
7. Now, this will tell you your fluid level. (Per Chiltons manual: If fluid pours out your trans is overfilled. If fluid drips out the level is ok. If no fluid comes out, add and repeat until you get a slow drip, indicating the proper level.
7B. If you need to add fluid, at this point you would use the pump. They make plunger pumps for differentials that are supposed to work well, but I used a simple $3.99 bulb pump just fine.
8. When level is correct, tighten main bolt.
9. Remove OTC No. 6604
10. Replace center plug with torx head socket.

That sounds complicated but it's not bad once you have what you need. The BIG problem is that this IS a sealed trans. Ok for BMWs...not so good on a Ford products! SO, if your fluid level begins to become inconsistent be vigilant. Because there is likely an underlying problem causing this.

Temp Gun Note: The temp gun is to make sure your fluid is at 180 degrees. However, Chilton reports that this is about where it would be after driving around the block a couple times. Since I'm not a pro, and don't have one, I did the latter and it worked fine.

HOPE THIS HELPS!!! This was tough for me to research, but my Mountaineer runs fine (relatively speaking :) and I know very little about fixing cars. Just researched it till I found the correct fix.

Peace, and good luck!

There is suppose to be a lockout on the gearshift. You always need to hit the brake pedal while moving the gearshift from P to D.
If this is a 4 wheel drive unit, make sure you are not in 4 low. You want to be in 2 wheel or plain 4wheel high.

Here's a step by step, with photos, on how to replace an Explorer fuel filter. The Mountaineer should be exactly the same. The problem you describe can be attributed to the fuel filter. Good luck.

1. Raise the vehicle so you can safely get underneath. The starter is typically located under the engine near the transmission mating surface. DON'T RELY ON A CHEAP JACK! Use drive on ramps or jack stands safely positioned on the frame, and lock the parking brake AND chock the rear wheels to keep it from rolling.
2. Disconnect the negative cable from the battery to remove voltage from the system. Don't want to arc yourself to the frame when you disconnect the cables from the starter!
3. Locate the starter motor and remove the nut that holds the starter cable in place, remove the cable and position it out of the way.
4. Disconnect the solenoid connector...the smaller of the two wires going to the starter.
5. Remove the bolts holding the starter to the mount...usually 2, sometimes 3.
6. Remove the old starter.
7. Carefully compare the old to the new...make sure they match.
8. Install the new starter...thread all the mounting bolts in hand tight, then torque them to the specification listed in the service manual.
9. Reconnect the two wires you removed earlier.
10. Reconnect the battery.
That should do it! Hope this helps...

Your Service Engine Soon light has nothing to do with reminding you to change your oil. The light is controlled by the ECM (Computer) in your vehicle. It monitors various sensors in your engine and compares them to variables or programs that is in its memory. When something is not registering correctly or is outside of its parameters it will turn on a MIL(Malfunction Indicator Light)or in your case a Service Engine Soon light. You will need a OBD II ( On Board Diagnostic) reader or scanner to hook up to your diagnostic port under your driver's side footwell to read what code the ECM is putting out. Than with the code the mechanic can look up the code to see what part is sending a malfunctioning. The scanner can also read and erase the code too. You can have your code pulled up with a OBD II scanner for free from any AutoZone store.

Your vhicle build date is on a blue sticker on the driver door or door frame. If not there, check other doors.
The heated seat Module is under the seat. You can unplug the connector on it or the heated seat switch to shut it off. I supect the module is bad. get one used from car-parts.com. The cabin air filter is under the leaf screen at the base of the windshield. Remove wiper arms and leaf screen for access. Please rate, thanks. Principles of Operation - Heated Seats - Vehicles Built 03/2002 Onward
NOTE: Two heated seat modules are used, one for vehicles built up to 03/2002 and one for vehicles built 03/2002 onward. The modules are not interchangeable.
The driver and passenger heated seats share a common battery and ignition feed. A shared ground source supplies the heated seat control switches. When the heated seat control switch is pressed with the ignition switch in RUN or START, a momentary ground signal is sent to the heated seat module. The heated seat module then supplies power to the heating element circuit. The cushion element and seat backrest element are wired in series and powered by the same output. The heated seat module also will ground the separate indicator circuit at the dual automatic temperature control (DATC) module display panel to indicate an ON state. The heated seat module will remain on until the heated seat control switch is pressed and a momentary voltage signal is received, or until 10 minutes expire. If the ignition source is removed from the module, the heated seat module will enter an OFF state and will not return to ON until the switch is once again pressed with the ignition switch in RUN. The heated seat module is designed to heat the seat to 37.5?C (99.5?F) and maintain the temperature until time-out or switched off. This temperature is maintained by the heated seat module monitoring the temperature sensor located in the seat cushion element, and adjusting the current flow to the heating elements.
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