Mike Ford - AMSOIL Independent Dealer

 April 30, 2024 written by Linda Ford We just returned from an epic trip to Amarillo, Texas to attend the Palo Duro Jeep Jamboree.  This event was our 8th Jamboree.  What is a Jeep Jamboree?  Good question!  It's an off-roading event specifically for Jeeps.  Other makes and models are not allowed to attend, you must have a Jeep.  Where are the Jeep Jamborees?  All over the world!  Jeep Jamboree just added events in Iceland, Swiss Alps and Portugal this year.  There are several events throughout the United States.  The eight that we have attended have been in seven different states.  Here is the list of the places we have been with the Jeep Jamboree: Drummond Island, Michigan (twice)    Ozark, Arkansas Lewisburg, West Virginia Seymour, Missouri Deadwood, South Dakota Mole Lake, Wisconsin Amarillo, Texas These events have all sorts of different trails, difficulties and great comradery amongst the fellow trail riders....

  We had a great time over the weekend checking out the Midwest Ride-in @erxmotorpark in Elk River, Mn. The Midwest Ride-in is a vintage snowmobile show like no other snowmobile show. Participants ride to the show, trailer to the show, and ride all around during the event. And it's not limited to just vintage sleds. ERX Motorpark has a vast trail system that all the snowmobiles were able to check out and enjoy. One of our AMSOIL Dealers, @_aplusoils was at the show all three days representing AMSOIL, selling products to participants and meeting some really cool folks. (We'll share more about that) This was a great fun FAMILY event. Our daughter, son-in-law, and grandkids all had a great time. Our grandson even got to drive his Kitty Cat snowmobile. #familytime #snowmobile #vintagesnowmobile #selfemployed #husbandandwife #husbandandwifeteam #supportsmallbusiness #selfemployedlife #amsoildealerstyle #beyourownboss #amsoilambassador #amsoil #enthusiast Follow u...

How Often Should I Change Front or Rear Differential Fluid? John Baker | Apr 16, 2019 12:05 PM How often you should change front and rear differential fluid depends on your vehicle, driving conditions and differential fluid quality. That’s a vague answer, but it’s true. If you drive your truck primarily on the highway in temperate conditions and rarely tow or haul , you likely don’t need to change front or rear differential fluid very often. But, if you tow a trailer or haul supplies frequently and the temperature fluctuates as wildly as your health insurance premium , then you need to change differential fluid more often. The only way to know the exact mileage interval is to check your owner’s manual or visit the dealership. Differential fluid change intervals Why the varying fluid-change intervals? Because severe operating conditions break down differential fluid more quickly and place greater stress on the gears and bearings, inviting wear. The truck ma...

Firearm Lubricant Scent: Does it Scare off Game? Mark Nyholm |   Oct 24, 2018 10:30 AM   Have you ever heard the saying, “the nose knows?” Some of us have bigger noses than others, but in general animals have a far more advanced sense of smell than the humans who hunt them. If you’re a seasoned hunter, you know that your clothing, your choice of hunting products and your hunting spot all help determine whether you go home empty-handed or dine on fresh meat that evening. How well can animals smell? We humans don’t survive by our noses. Unless, of course, you’re a professional candle tester with a calibrated nose able to detect the faintest fragrance. In contrast, most animals use their noses for security. How good is their sense of smell? It’s said the average dog can identify smells more than 1,000 better than us . Of course, we don’t hunt dogs. What about bears? Of all the animals in the woods, bears have the best sense of smell and can d...

John Baker | Nov 29, 2017 8:22 AM First Signature Series Synthetic Motor Oil , then XL Synthetic Motor Oil . Now, OE Synthetic Motor Oil is our latest oil to undergo a formulation change and facelift. What’s New? Everything. The oil inside the bottle, the label…essentially everything except the name. Excellent Wear Protection The protection the oil delivers is even different, as in better. The added protection is particularly important in the extreme environments produced by today’s smaller displacement engines that often run lower viscosity oil. Camshaft wear, for example, can result in poor valve timing, greatly reducing engine efficiency and leading to expensive repairs. The Peugeot TU3M Wear Test (CEC L-38-A-94), which must be passed to meet the GM dexos1® Gen 2 specification, determines a motor oil’s ability to limit wear. For 100 hours the four-cylinder test engine is subjected to extreme, wear-inducing conditions. AMSOIL OE Motor Oil provided 4...

How To Dispose of Used Motor Oil Josh Kimmes | Mar 15, 2017 11:11 AM Changing your own oil may not always be enjoyable, but it is fulfilling and worthwhile. DIY projects such as changing your own oil promote self-reliance and extra peace of mind that the job was well done. One of the often-overlooked aspects of changing your own oil is properly disposing of the used motor oil. Here are a few essential tips before your next oil change. Contain used oil First, you need to safely catch the used motor oil. While draining the crankcase and removing the oil filter, it is ideal to catch every drop of used oil. I use a GarageBOSS drain pan , which has a screen on it to catch the filter or drain plug, a feature I sought out after dropping the drain plug in my bucket on many occasions, causing me to fish it out. Some oil may end up on the ground. Absorb it with kitty litter (or an oil-absorbent powder), sweep it up and clean with a degreaser  to help rem...

Written by Daisy Quaker, AMSOIL Inc. Why does honey flow more slowly than water? Because of the difference in its viscosity. Viscosity is the measure of a fluid’s resistance to flow. Water, for example, flows much faster than honey or maple syrup (if you prefer that in your morning coffee) when poured from a container. Thin and light  describe fluids with low viscosity Thick and heavy  describe fluids with high viscosity What causes differences in viscosity? Molecules, honey (get it?) I think best in visuals, so let’s think of molecules as a group of people in a room. In one group everyone is holding hands very lightly. It’s flu season and they don’t want to get sick. On the other side of the room, everyone is holding hands fairly tightly. It’s a close-knit group, that one. If you weave through both groups and break through the chains of people, you have an easier time weaving through the first group than the second. ...

  Ed Newman | Jul 06, 2016 9:29 AM My first car was a 1961 Mercury Meteor, which I got for $125 and drove for four years. I have a lot memories associated with that car. One memory has to do with a problem butterfly valve in my carburetor. Sometimes the engine would stall when I was idling at an intersection. When this happened I had to pop the hood and shove a screwdriver down the throat of the carburetor to hold the valve open so I could get it started again and head on down the road. I became very quick and efficient at jumping out of the car to deal with this. The problem was a sticky valve that didn’t open and close as it should have. The valve controls the air/fuel mixture that is essential for an internal-combustion engine to run. Had I known about AMSOIL Power Foam at the time, I would have used it to keep the valve clean so it wouldn’t stick. AMSOIL didn’t exist when I was in school, but engines with carburetors continued to be sol...

John Baker | Jun 10, 2016 8:42 AM   The simple answer: Yes, provided the diesel oil meets the appropriate specifications and viscosity requirements of your engine. For example, if your gas engine calls for a motor oil that meets the API SN specification, you can safely use a diesel oil of the correct viscosity that meets the API SN spec. For the typical gasoline application, a diesel oil isn’t required and the more appropriate choice is a quality gasoline motor oil for both performance and value. The detailed answer: It’s common for some owners of modified gasoline-powered vehicles to favor diesel oils over their gasoline counterparts. Many assume diesel oils are more durable and more capable of withstanding the increased heat of a powerful, turbocharged engine. Others lean toward higher-viscosity oils to protect against wear, and it’s sometimes easier to find a 40- or 50-weight diesel oil than a gasoline motor oil. Others favor the incr...

John Baker   Jun 13, 2016 1:37 PM   An eye-opening news report surfaced the other day: Norway plans to ban sales of new gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles starting in 2025. Elon Musk, CEO of electric-car-maker Tesla, tweeted his approval to the plan. It turns out the news report was inaccurate, with a press release later saying, “… there is no talk of banning the sale of diesel and petrol vehicles in 2025…” However, a Norwegian political party leader also said, “No, Norway isn’t banning diesel and petrol cars – yet”. I’m interested to see how this all plays out in the years ahead as governments continue pushing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But for now, let’s focus on how you can help reduce emissions in your fossil-fuel-powered vehicle today without swapping it for a plug-in unit. Synthetic motor oils can reduce tailpipe emissions We tend to associate only the byproducts of gasoline or diesel combustion with harmful t...

John Baker |      May 26, 2016 8:59 AM Tracker Marine/Bass Pro Shops Photography As fun as it is to own a boat, they can create several headaches if you neglect maintenance. Following these tips can help you stay on the water and out of the garage performing unplanned, expensive repairs. Check trailer tire pressure and condition – If you don’t get your boat to the lake, you can’t get to the fish. Trailer maintenance is often completely forgotten. It’s not uncommon to see someone pulled over alongside the highway because their trailer tire blew out. Trailer tires typically run at higher psi than automotive tires. Check the sidewall for the correct pressure, which is likely around 50 psi. A low tire equals a hot tire, and hot tires are more likely to blow out. Check for weather cracking. Trailer tires often sit outside year-round, exposed to the sun. Replace cracked tires and store your trailer with the tires elevated during the off-...

John Baker | May 12, 2016 1:00 PM The garage. Protector of vehicles, incubator of great ideas. Many innovative companies owe their beginnings to the humble garage. Apple, Harley-Davidson and Google, to name a few. It makes sense. The house is where we make sensible decisions, do our taxes and plan our kids’ lives. The garage, however, promotes experimentation, novelty, freedom. An array of tools spread across the workbench, a sturdy vise and a welder offer the promise of ideas reaching full fruition and things getting done. When it comes to vehicle maintenance, some of us enjoy the challenge of fixing nearly any problem that arises, like replacing an old timing belt or bad starter. Given how tough it is to work on modern vehicles, some only perform oil changes, serpentine belt changes or other relatively simple tasks. Whatever your level of commitment, working in the garage simply feels good. Keeping track of receipts, dates of service or vehicle mil...