Back in May or so, Iswitched all my fluids to AMSOIL; oil, tranny, transfer case, front & rear differentials.
Most of the driving I do in the truck has beenshort distances and mostly city driving.

The average MPG for the three tanks prior to the switch was 11 MPG.
The average MPG for the three tanks after the switch was 14 MPG.

So FWIW, it appears that switching everything seems to improve gas mileage....

Just curious as to how much the entire process cost of switching over? Are you saving the difference between 3 mpg? If so, then its worth it.

Switching out all the fluids in both vehicles, filters (oil and tranny), RTV, sparkplugs was probably close to $400 or so...
I am not going to have to change the fluid in the tranny, transfercase, or differentials for a while so I will get a return there..I change the oil once a year.

If I drove the truck more often than I do, I would probably get back the money I put into it sooner, but I only use the truck on the weekends or when it is raining during the week. I ride the motorcycle to the train station most days and until it gets too cold to ride (November or so, or when there is a chance of ice on the roads).

Given the crappy mileage I got last winter had I gotten 14mpg instead of 11mpg I could have saved about $125 (providing I did the math right!)

I've heard you mention the Amsoil many times and I had no idea the interval length was that long. I can see where that would pay off, even in the short term. I appreciate you telling me that. I was considering making a change to the full senthetic Mobile 1 that allows 15k before changing. Any thoughts on that since I can't afford the full swap with Amsoil, at least for now?

ORIGINAL: texasbluedak

I've heard you mention the Amsoil many times and I had no idea the interval length was that long. I can see where that would pay off, even in the short term. I appreciate you telling me that. I was considering making a change to the full senthetic Mobile 1 that allows 15k before changing. Any thoughts on that since I can't afford the full swap with Amsoil, at least for now?


If you just want to change the oil the Amsoil isn't too bad on cost. I'm getting some soon for my oil and rear diff. Talk to turbo-tbird about it, he's an Amsoil dealer ;)

Ok, let me clarify...

AMSOIL extended drain if you use their filter
Normal Service(3) - Up to 35,000 miles or one year, whichever comes first.
Severe Service(4) - Up to 17,500 miles or one year, whichever comes first.

(3) Personal transportation vehicles frequently traveling greater than 10 miles (16km) at a time and not operating under severe service.
(4) Turbo/supercharged vehicles, commercial or fleet vehicles, excessive engine idling, first and subsequent use of AMSOIL engine oil in vehicles with over 100,000 miles, daily short-trip driving (less than 10 miles), frequent towing, plowing, hauling or dusty-condition driving.

Now, with that being said I don't drive 35,000 miles in one year. Given that during most of the year I ride the bike, I may fall under Severe Service (short trips), but I certainly don't drive 17,500 during the winter either, so I change it every year. I did a oil analyis the last time I changed the oil and it was fine...

Now about cost I use the 0W-30 which is 9.99 a quart, but if you get the 'preferred customer' card that price drops to 7.65. Also cheaper if you buy it by the gallon (which I do as I have two vehicles). The 'preferred customer' card costs $20.00 *but* if you spend about $100, then you make that back in the discount. I'm buying for two vehicles, so for me it makes sense YMMV....

dang, im not having to do any work in this thread lol :)

dut yes, the preferd customer card does save money, deffinatly if you are going to switch the whole thing over which like others said will cost a bit. I will be doing mine when I get the chance. let me know if you guys need anything, I can also sign you up as a preffered customer. there is a catalog on my site in my sig or I can mail you one.

ORIGINAL: turbot_bird

dang, im not having to do any work in this thread lol :)


:D Please feel free to throw a 'consulting fee' our way for services rendered!! :D

lol

I'm sorry but you know what? i would never leave oil or an oil filter on my truck for more than 5,000 miles no matter what kinda guarantee a company gave me! like seriously who would leave oil in there car for a year? likei met this one idiot who bought that Mobil one 15K oil...and left it in there for 15,000 miles... oh oyeah his motor was gunked up! but yeah uhm sorry thats just me...i would never do that! i use synthetic and I change it every 3,000miles...I know you can change it every 5,000 but i just change it every 3,000.

ORIGINAL: 4x4QC06V8DKTA

I'm sorry but you know what? i would never leave oil or an oil filter on my truck for more than 5,000 miles no matter what kinda guarantee a company gave me! like seriously who would leave oil in there car for a year? likei met this one idiot who bought that Mobil one 15K oil...and left it in there for 15,000 miles... oh oyeah his motor was gunked up! but yeah uhm sorry thats just me...i would never do that! i use synthetic and I change it every 3,000miles...I know you can change it every 5,000 but i just change it every 3,000.


You can run oil longer than 3k pretty easily. My grandfather's 96 Dodge Ram he changed the oil every 10k, this was using napa oil filters and regular napa dino oil. He put over 200,000 miles on it before he sold it with the engine still running strong, he talked to the guy who bought it the other day. Guy said it's the best truck he's ever had, he's got over 260,000 on it now with no troubles whatsoever.

ORIGINAL: 4x4QC06V8DKTA

I'm sorry but you know what? i would never leave oil or an oil filter on my truck for more than 5,000 miles no matter what kinda guarantee a company gave me!


Toeach his own...

I left the oil in there for a year, did the oil analysis and everything came back within acceptable tolerances...

Mobil 1 is not a Group IV Synthetic motor oil, it is a Group III (basically a more highly refined motory oil). What did you 'buddy' use before the Mobil 1? How often did he change his oil?Without further information it is hard to say that a one time use of Mobil 1 would cause his engine to 'gunk up'.

ORIGINAL: turbot_bird

dang, im not having to do any work in this thread lol :)

dut yes, the preferd customer card does save money, deffinatly if you are going to switch the whole thing over which like others said will cost a bit. I will be doing mine when I get the chance. let me know if you guys need anything, I can also sign you up as a preffered customer. there is a catalog on my site in my sig or I can mail you one.
Ok, I'll put you to work then...

ORIGINAL: texasblue
I was considering making a change to the full senthetic Mobile 1 that allows 15k before changing. Any thoughts on that since I can't afford the full swap with Amsoil, at least for now?

What the hell is Amsoil? Isn't it just a brand name for a synthetic "oil"?

ORIGINAL: dak
Ok, let me clarify...

AMSOIL extended drain if you use their filter
Normal Service(3) - Up to 35,000 miles or one year, whichever comes first.
Severe Service(4) - Up to 17,500 miles or one year, whichever comes first.

How is your Amsoil different than the others? I haven't paid much attention to syns yet as I haven't used any. But these internals sound a bit much on the mileage. And who's bright idea was it to say it's only good for a year regardless of mileage? Normal use is good to twice the distance and heavy use yet they both crap out at 1yr? Yeah, yeah I know it's a gradual thing and not good one day and worthless the next but the normal should be twice as long. Unless, you have something funky going on with evaporation or some kind of chemical reaction.

Amsoil is a brand, there is a lot of reading and information about the company and it's oils on this site: http://www.performanceoiltechnology.com/

yeah but lets take a straw poll! who here would leave oil in there car for a year?

ORIGINAL: BrewerBob

Life is too short for cheap beer ~ Warstiener



Mmmm, Warstiener is gooood......

ORIGINAL: 4x4QC06V8DKTA

yeah but lets take a straw poll! who here would leave oil in there car for a year?
Is that a dare??? I go between 5k and 10k on regular oil. I change it when I get around to it. And no that isn't why I'm on engine # 2 in the Sentra!!

My first car was a '72 Duster with the 225 slant 6. It leaked enough oil that I just added instead of changed.

ORIGINAL: Dak_in_Black

ORIGINAL: BrewerBob

Life is too short for cheap beer ~ Warstiener



Mmmm, Warstiener is gooood......
Am I allowed to critique my own sig? Warsteiner is good as in ok. Belgian beer is where it's at. Just so happens I'm wearing my Belgian beer t-shirt today. So many beers, so little time.

ORIGINAL: 4x4QC06V8DKTA

yeah but lets take a straw poll! who here would leave oil in there car for a year?


I'm switching to Amsoil 0W-30 soon and I plan to take a sample and have it sent out to an independant lab at the one year mark, if their analysis shows the oil is good to go I'll leave it in there longer.

see, what Altair is doing is how comercial fleets do it to test oils. they have someone come out and test the oil in there trucks or equipment then have it sent out to labs to find out how long they can keep it in the engines and which oil provides them with the most cost effective way of running. Im still working on my site to add more info about products but the other site posted provides most of the info.

ORIGINAL: BrewerBob

My first car was a '72 Duster with the 225 slant 6. It leaked enough oil that I just added instead of changed.


Now that is funny!! [sm=happybounce.gif]

ORIGINAL: BrewerBob

Am I allowed to critique my own sig? Warsteiner is good as in ok. Belgian beer is where it's at. Just so happens I'm wearing my Belgian beer t-shirt today. So many beers, so little time.


I had a really good Doppelbock at a Germand restaurant not too long ago, I wish I remeber the name!! Hefeweizen is also very good...

Any good Belgian beers to recommend??

My wife has made up some cordials, and I thought I would try my hand as some mead, a good dry mead, not that sweet stuff they sell....

ORIGINAL: Dak_in_Black

ORIGINAL: BrewerBob

Am I allowed to critique my own sig? Warsteiner is good as in ok. Belgian beer is where it's at. Just so happens I'm wearing my Belgian beer t-shirt today. So many beers, so little time.


I had a really good Doppelbock at a Germand restaurant not too long ago, I wish I remeber the name!! Hefeweizen is also very good... Too bad you can't remember... do any of these look familar?

http://www.those-rogers.net/beers.xls



Any good Belgian beers to recommend??THAT'S NOT A FAIR QUESTION!!!!! I haven't met a Belgian I didn't like (literally). But my favorite is Chimay Grand Reserve (blue label as opposed to red or tan). They are all good and if you like Hefes but not the darker beers than the tan or red is for you. But don't short-change yourself, at least find a single of the Grand Reserve and give it a try.

My wife has made up some cordials, and I thought I would try my hand as some mead, a good dry mead, not that sweet stuff they sell....
Guess I need to update my website.... I noticed I don't have any mead info on it.

http://those-rogers.net/homebrew.htm

A good mead is at LEAST 18 months old. I've only made one batch to completion. I had one bottle left that I was going to enter in a competion. It was about 7 YEARS old. I came home one day and it was gone. The wife drank it!!! She almost got it that night.

Meads, especially dry ones, aren't my thing. I made that one batch (5 gallons) and it took 7 years for the wife to kill it all. She loved it and for a mead it was pretty good. I've got 2 more batches going now. I've decided that I'm going to make a new batch every year. It will be at least 2 yrs before I know if it's any good. One batch is getting close to its first birthday. Another batch I think I started in Dec so I'll have 2 batches that are close in age.

ORIGINAL: Dak_in_Black

ORIGINAL: BrewerBob

My first car was a '72 Duster with the 225 slant 6. It leaked enough oil that I just added instead of changed.


Now that is funny!! [sm=happybounce.gif]
Who's laughing? I was serious. According to my step-sister (who I don't know well and who was the previous owner) the car had 300k miles on it. Since the odometer only went to 100k I don't know but it had been flipped at least once. The engine had been rebuilt at least once. She might have siad twice; I just don't remember. I put another 20k on it in the year I had it. And I abused the dog-piss out of it. I went in the Navy and ended up in VA. There is no way in hell it would pass a VA inspection (didn't realize at the time I could keep FL plates on it).

The exhaust manifold leaked which in and of itself wouldn't have been bad but the floor board also had a hole in it. My dad, the yankee redneck, would drop his Old Milaukee's Best cans thru the hole. Because of where the hole was, the back tire would run over the can. He thought that was the greatest thing in the world. Damn rednecks!!

Anywho, when I got to VA I took it somewhere to have it looked at. It was only running on 5 cylinders. One cylinder had zero compression. Didn't seem to matter. Ran the same as when I got it.

Speaking of oil longevity, I decided to scrape all of the crap off of the valve cover on the inside. Just used a putty knife to get rid of the 1/4 to 1/2 inch gunk. Worst mistake in the world. A few days later, I guess another piece got loose and went into the oiling system. Ended up stuck in the oil pump somewhere. The oil light came on, the engine started knocking, but it had plenty of oil. Changing the oil didn't help and I think the engine had to be partially lifted to get at the pump. I wasn't about to do all of that. After a couple of weeks of knocking, it finally passed its kidney stone and kept on going without further complaint. Could be it was stuck in that dead cylinder too I suppose.

Give me an engine like that!!! Damn thing was under powered but even I couldn't kill it.

hey brewer bob wat part of VA you live in?

ORIGINAL: 4x4QC06V8DKTA

hey brewer bob wat part of VA you live in?
I don't. I was referring to my Navy days in Norfolk. ButI'm not living too far from you now. I'm in Essex, MD (21221).

P.S. How do I turn my location on. I'm fairly certain I loaded it in my profile.

ORIGINAL: BrewerBob

P.S. How do I turn my location on. I'm fairly certain I loaded it in my profile.



Go to "My Profile" and fill in the "From" box. It's fairly near the top of the page.

ORIGINAL: BrewerBob

Too bad you can't remember... do any of these look familar?

http://www.those-rogers.net/beers.xls



Paulaner seems to ring a bell...

THAT'S NOT A FAIR QUESTION!!!!! I haven't met a Belgian I didn't like (literally). But my favorite is Chimay Grand Reserve (blue label as opposed to red or tan). They are all good and if you like Hefes but not the darker beers than the tan or red is for you. But don't short-change yourself, at least find a single of the Grand Reserve and give it a try.


There is a large store that sells a lot of differnet brands, I will go and see if I can find. I also like the darker and stouter beers, Guinness Extra-Stout, I also had an Oatmeal Stout that was very good...



Guess I need to update my website.... I noticed I don't have any mead info on it.
-snip-
Meads, especially dry ones, aren't my thing.


The only thing I can find in the stores are the really sweet, cloyingly sweet, meads. For me it would be a toss up between a good dry mead and a 'good' beer.

Nice website by the way.. and yes, Budvar tastes *much* better than Butt-wiper.....

BrewerBob, good info on your website, interesting read. Just FYI though on the second homebrew page the background ends before the text does in Firefox, since the text is white it can't be read without highlighting it. Might want to throw background-repeat: repeat-y; in your stylesheet.;)

Although I am impressed with your millage increase,
If you have a problem with your engine and Dodge asks for your maintenance records and you tell them you use amsoil for 15K intervals do you think they will warranty it?

I personally don't think (and have read posts confirming this) so if you don't at least somewhat follow their recommended schedule.
And you can BET Amsoil won't warranty it!

Syn oils are great, I just don't believe Amsoil is that much better than Mobile 1 or others.

I am planning on changing the Dif's (factory syn), and tcase to AMSOIL, but am hesitant with the trans because they are so particular about the ATF+4, and would never be comfortable leaving oil in the motor for 15K.

Just my 2 cents
LB

actually I read just the other day in one of there bullitons that if a manufacturer denies warranty due to your use of Amsoil products you can e-mail Amsoil with the name of the dealer, there phone number and the persons name and Amsoil will talk to them about it and then Amsoil has a limited warranty if that fails. ill see if I can find it again.

Congress in 1975 enacted the federal Magnuson-Moss Act to regulate written consumer product warranties. An examination of the law reveals warranties remain intact when AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants are used.
The law was meant to give consumers detailed information about warranty coverage before they buy.
Congress charged the Federal Trade Commission with creation of the specifics of the law.
The FTC set down three rules under the Act: the Disclosure Rule, the Pre-Sale Availability Rule and the Dispute Resolution Rule.
Those rules require warrantors to title their written warranty as either full or limited, provide a single, clear and easy-to-read document that spells out certain information about coverage and ensure that warranties are available where the products are sold so that consumers can read them before buying.
In passing the Act, Congress meant to give consumers access to warranty information, let consumers comparison shop for warranties, encourage warranty competition and promote timely and complete performance of warranty obligations.
While the Magnuson-Moss Act does not require manufacturers to provide a written warranty, it provides specific rules when one is provided. Among those provisions, FTC regulations state: (c) No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumers using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade, or corporate name; except that the prohibition of this subsection may be waived by the Commission if (1) the warrantor satisfies the Commission that the warranted product will function properly only if the article or service so identified is used in connection with the warranted product, and (2) the Commission finds that such a waiver is in the public interest. (15 U.S.C.2302(C))
That means your warranty stands when you use AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.
Vehicle manufacturers recommend lubricants according to their viscosity grade and service classification. Any oil, whether its conventional petroleum motor oil or synthetic, meeting the correct viscosity grade, 5W-30 for example, and the current API and ILSAC North American service classifications may be used without affecting warranty coverage. AMSOIL motor oils are recommended for use in applications requiring these specifications. For more information on API licensing, go to Ask AMSOIL (https://www.amsoil.com/dealer/askamsoil/askamsoil.aspx) in the Dealer Zone.
Furthermore, the practice of extending oil drain intervals does not void warranties. Original equipment manufacturers pay or deny warranty claims based on the findings of failure analysis. To affect the vehicle warranty, the lubricant must be directly responsible for the failure. If the oil didn't cause the problem the warranty cannot be voided, regardless of brand or length of time in use.
Synthetic motor oil was introduced to the automotive public in 1972 by AMSOIL, INC., with the world's first API rated synthetic motor oil specially formulated for long service and superior performance and protection to that of conventional oils.
Nearly 30 years ago, AMSOIL synthetics represented a vision of the future and technology ahead of their time. Since then, every major engine oil manufacturer has introduced synthetic oils of their own. To be sure, many original equipment manufacturers would like you to believe you can only use their products. However, it s a violation of the consumer protections set forth in the Magnuson-Moss Act, unless they re willing to provide you those products free of charge.
AMSOIL offers a warranty that covers the cost of repair or replacement of a proven mechanically sound engine damaged as a result of using AMSOIL synthetic motor oil. However, it has never happened. Thirty years of experience proves AMSOIL can be installed in any vehicle with complete confidence.
AMSOIL further backs its products with action when a Dealer or customer reports being told their warranty is voided if they use synthetics.
If you have heard from any member of a business that the use of AMSOIL Motor Oil or the practice of extending drain intervals will void warranties, send AMSOIL all the details including the name of the business, business owner or manager and the individual making the claims, in a signed and dated letter. Send the letter to the Technical Services Department (https://www.amsoil.com/techservices.aspx) at corporate headquarters and an AMSOIL representative will send them a letter (https://www.amsoil.com/dealer/askamsoil/api_licensing/api_licensing_sampleletter.aspx) explaining the facts.
Access to the complete Magnuson-Moss Act is available on the Internet by key words Magnuson-Moss Act or Federal Trade Commission.

ORIGINAL: Dak_in_Black

The only thing I can find in the stores are the really sweet, cloyingly sweet, meads. For me it would be a toss up between a good dry mead and a 'good' beer.

Nice website by the way.. and yes, Budvar tastes *much* better than Butt-wiper.....
Like I said, meads and commercials meads aren't my thing but if your serious, I'll do some digging and find you some. But the best bet is BREW YOUR OWN!!!!!!

ORIGINAL: Altair

BrewerBob, good info on your website, interesting read. Just FYI though on the second homebrew page the background ends before the text does in Firefox, since the text is white it can't be read without highlighting it. Might want to throw background-repeat: repeat-y; in your stylesheet.;)
I might if I knew what the hell you are talking about. I'm barely literate. Computer literate is pushing your luck!!

I thought I had background repeat in there somewhere. I need to take a look at it overall and refresh stuff. It's actually a single picture that I'm trying to make fit the entire window without stretching it too much. I don't want it to actually repeat. What I want to do should be fairly simple (at least to me) but its application may be difficult or impossible.

Ah, it will be hard to make that picture fill the entire background where you have one page longer than the other. If you set the background color to something relatively dark and edit your background picture in a photo program to fade into that color at the bottom it would give you a nice seamless look without stretching the picture too much. Feel free to PM me or talk on AIM if you want any advice, I'm not great at front end layout and css stuff but I know a little bit.

I don't think I have any software to edit my gif like that. I have Paint Shop Pro at home but I can't get the canned triangles, cirlces, etc. to work. It's a bootlegged copy so I guess you get want you pay for...

I haven't played with the site in forever. I've added pictures to the travel section but that's it.

Well you can add me to the list of people running Amsoil. Just finished changing my oil a few minutes ago, put in Amsoil 0w-30 and the Ea filter. I have the gear oil for the rear diff too but I need to pick up a gasket before I do that. Hopefully I'll get better mileage out of it too;)

cool, glad to see you got it

Oh yeah, forgot to pm you back and tell you for sure, my bad:eek:

lol its ok