change to amzoil?

hi there!
im new to this forum. im wanting your opinions on changing my 2007 ranger 4wd over to amsoil, i have 177xxklms on it now with no leakage so far! should i take a chance and make the switch??
thanks in advance

 

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Hello Jim and welcome to the forum! I am rather "old school" so my answer may not agree with the others here. It has always been my opinion that when an engine has that many miles on it, you don't want to start changing the type of oil you use. My reasoning is that conventional oil has detergents that supposedly clean the sludge and such in the engine and allow the filter to trap it. After 177K, there WILL be some sludge buildup, even if only slightly. Now, if you change over to a synthetic oil, the different type of detergents used could very well start "cleaning" your engine in a different way, causing larger particles or chucks to loosen and break away which could cause problems with small oil drain holes or bearing oil galleries to clog. Obviously, if your truck has gone 177K and is still running good, why take the chance? Please bear in mind that I am basing my response on 1960s to 1980s technology... I quit being an auto mechanic (other than my own stuff) in 1983. Things could be different now, but I personally wouldn't take the risk.

 

Amsoil is just synthetic.
Save yourself some $$$ and use the house brand synthetic at Walmart.


Dean

 

If you have a Rural King in your area, you can get a 5qt. container of 5w-20 or 5w-30 synthetic AND a Motorcraft filter for $11.98. Running this in my 2003 EDGE and my son is using it in his 1999 XLT. I see no difference in the quality of the oil from other "major" brands.

EDIT: I should mention that both of these engines were low mileage when we got them.

 

Jim Ironside,

1000 apologies. Completely overlooked the fact that you wanted to make the switch @ 177K.
Generally, switching to synthetic with that many miles on the engine is discouraged.
Synthetic is much thinner and will be more likely to leak through aged/worn seals than regular motor oil.
Make the change if you want, but keep a close eye on the oil level, maintain your current maintenance regiment and don't be surprised if you do notice a new leak or two.


Dean

 

If cleaning the inside of the engine is one of Jim's concerns, an old mechanic's trick is to drain the motor oil and refill with diesel fuel.
Use one more quart than the system normally requires.
Don't forget to install a new filter for the diesel, then change it out for another new filter after you drain the diesel and refill with new oil.
Don't let the engine run more than a couple of minutes. You can just let it idle, or run it down the road and back. Either will work.
Supposedly gets the inside of the engine sparkly clean.


Dean

 

It would scare me to death to do that!

 

You're only scared because you don't know.

 

I used to work as a mechanic at a Shell gas station (mid-1970s). My boss did that on a couple of cars while I worked there. One went fine. The other one, I ended up putting an engine in it. THAT is why it scares me... and he only let them idle, didn't even pull them out of the service bay. I don't believe diesel fuel is thick enough or slick enough to do that. Just my opinion.

As a side note: I did the engine thing on my own time in my garage, so I made some extra bucks out of it. His loss, my gain

 

hi jim =I my opinion = i rode motrorcycle for years and amsoil is suppose to withstand heat better on air cooled engines (Harleys) I never used it just regular Castrol in my bikes ,and for a water cooled engine I'd stay with a low cost synthetic,, or if you are using a oil for a long time I'd stay with it and change regular =I ad reslone to my 4.7 liters -approx.... half liter each change for quicker lube on start up SO amsoil is a choice for air cooled engines and it is costly =good luck=

 

If you guys blew up an engine doing the diesel clean the way I described it, then that engine was already on its last legs.
I know, you lived it, but I've done it too and never had a problem.
Two separate experiences.
...maybe I should add, do not run the engine for MORE than a couple of minutes with the diesel. You can run it for a shorter time (like a minute or so), if you feel better about that.

Dean

 

I don't know for sure how long he let it run, because I was also taking care of the drive (back in the days when gas was pumped FOR you). It couldn't have been more than 3 minutes tops. Which bears the question: how does that really do any good? I have rebuilt engines and some of the crap you find inside them takes serious cleaners to remove, and far more time than two minutes.

 

There's a lesson for ya...never use Quaker State.
The paraffin hardens once the engine is turned off and cools, but doesn't "melt" away when restarted and brought to operating temp.
I've seen oil passages completely caked shut from using that crap.
Ever pull a valve cover and see that black, "plastic" looking stuff that seems to be part of the head?
That's residual paraffin from using QS.....dam Quakers...they don't even drive cars!
Diesel fuel is a mild solvent. The idea of running it in your engine for a minute or two is akin to cleaning engine parts in a pan of gasoline. The diesel is oilier so there's less chance of ruining the moving parts, compared to gasoline.

 

Never used QS oil myself. Have used a lot of different brands over the years... just not that one. Yes, I have rebuilt and worked on many engines back in the day when I was a mechanic... seen plenty of what you describe. My guess is that Quaker State isn't the only oil that does that. At any rate, I still maintain that diesel fuel won't do much good in any engine for that short of time anyway. Just my opinion.

 

That's cool. We're all allowed one....even if its the wrong one.
AFAIK, QS is the only oil that did that.
It was the paraffin welding itself to the metal. That was supposed to be the beauty of it. The paraffin bonds to the metal and makes it more "slick", thereby reducing wear.
The problem came from using it for too long, because each successive application (oil change) would apply another layer, eventually plugging up smaller passages.
I suppose if one used some, maybe once every year or two, it wouldn't be so bad, but how are you supposed to gauge how much is enough?
I was a big fan of Delo 400 for a long time, but my Ranger takes a much thinner oil, so I've curtailed the use of it.

 

Dean, as the saying goes: "Your mileage may vary"!