Hi, If anyone has the owners manual for a 1992 thru 1995 Ford E150 Van, please Email the oil change interval which Ford recommends for both normal and severe driving. Thank you, Bill 94 Ford E150 Conversion van

Hi Stephanie, I have a 1994 Ford E150 Luxury conversion van with the 4.9 Liter Inline 6 cylinder engine with 84,000 miles on it. I used to change my dino oil every 3,000 miles. The oil would turn to black after about 100 miles. I paid $99 at the Ford Dealer to have the inside of the engine cleaned out of any sludge deposits with a hot detergent system which the Ford Dealers have now. Then, I switched to Synthetic 10W-30. So far, I've gone 3,600 miles on Mobil-1. The oil is still brown (its dark brown) after 3,600 miles. I drive about 6,000 miles a year, and I was thinking about changing the synthetic oil once a year. My main reason for switching to synthetic oil is that it doesn't oxidize. Dino oil oxidizes (even when you change it every 3,000 miles), and over time, this leaves a black sludgy film in the oil pan and all over the engine. This sludge contributes to lower oil pressure over time. Synthetic oil kills 2 birds with 1 stone. Not only does it never oxidize or leave any deposits on an engine, but it also cleans up existing sludge. So, I believe synthetic oil prevents the sludge which causes lower oil pressure eventually, and eventual oil failure. The main reason people change dino oil at 3K is that dino oil gets damaged around 3K, but synthetic oil doesn't get damaged until about 15K. So there is no reason to change synthetic oil at 3k, because its in about the same condition as when it is new. Just my opinion. What do you think? - Bill

Looking back at an older thread now, I came across this. The one thing I would caution about extended drains is to know what base stock the oil you are planning to install uses. Most synthetics on the market today are a Group III petroleum base oil. It is refined better than the standard Group II petroleum oils, but in many cases the manufacturers are buying a base that is just high enough in quality to meet what the API now classifies as a synthetic. In many cases this oil isn't much better than a good Group II oil. Both Groups are allowed the same amount of contaminants, the Group III just needs to fall a little higher on the Viscosity Index scale and it become a synthetic. Many of these oils can go longer than the recommended drains, but they won't warranty it. Amsoil's XL line of oils uses a higher grade on the Viscosity Index scale and is rated in most applications for 7500 miles or six months, unless your vehicle is rated for higher changes, like many European vehicles and with GMs new oil monitoring system. I'd be cautious running other Group III oils in a vehicle longer, especially 15K, unless they warranty the oil for that long. Try and purchase Group IV oils, which have a PAO base stock, which used to be considered the norm for synthetics and what many still consider a "true synthetic." Amsoil (except for the XL line), Mobil 1 and some other specialty oils fall into this group. PAO based oil will last longer than a petroleum and even the Group III synthetic. Word of caution here again, many of these companies do not warranty past the recommended drain. If you have an oil related problem you might be on your own. Mobil just released a 15,000 mile oil this past February, so this will work with an older vehicle. They do not warranty this oil if your vehicle is still under manufacturer warranty. Most of the Amsoil products are warranted by Amsoil for 25,000 miles or one year whether your vehicle is under warranty or not. So is the quality of the oil good enough to allow you to go to an extended drain, and will the oil manufacturer cover any sort of repair if it doesn't should you extend your drains? Mike <http://www.technilube.com> <http://www.technilube.com> "The Lube That Lasts!" Michael Richartz Amsoil Direct Dealer Technilube.com <mail

From what I have seen in the past, No oil or additive manufacturere warrants any sort of repair. Hell Brake Masters will not warranty their own work when they messed up my brakes which cost 800.00 to repair. It is the trend today. Buy our great stuff and if it ruins your life it is your fault for buying it. But hey, rest assured, if you do have problems with our product, though we will not give you your money back, we will give you another bottle of our crap so your life can go further south. Why not just keep changing the oil? >

Amsoil warrants most of their oils, and has since day one over 30 years ago, for 25,000 miles or one year drain intervals. Of course if a claim is put in that the oil caused some damage, they will want samples. This is the first thing to do if someone says it was the oils fault. Without a sample, there is no way to test if it truly was the oil that went bad, or the shop is just trying to blame it on the oil, maybe to even cover up something they did. Often times it ends up being contamination from something else, like a seal no longer working and antifreeze getting into the oil, or even because someone added one of those additives that changed the chemical makeup of the oil. I don't know how other oil companies handle this, but Amsoil will void their warranty if another additive has been added to the oil. In those cases, they won't back up the oil, because something else got into it and caused the oil to fail. I've heard stories where blame was placed on the oil, but when researched it turns out their was a manufacturer recall on some part or in one case with someone I know the racer he sponsored thought it was the oil and turned out the aftermarket cam he installed had a flaw. The cam manufacturer knew about it, but didn't know which cams were bad, so for them it was easier to let these bad cams go out and handle the warranties when they came in. Oil analysis found the problem by finding the metals of the cam in the oil and it was determined that the oil didn't cause the cam to wear. Mike <http://www.technilube.com> <http://www.technilube.com> "The Lube That Lasts!" Michael Richartz Amsoil Direct Dealer Technilube.com <mail