Mike Ford - AMSOIL Independent Dealer

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...

Ed Newman | Mar 25, 2016 9:22:00 AM Clean is good.  It’s good to eat with clean hands, and wise to wash (clean) your vegetables before you stew them.  We brush our teeth after meals, and floss routinely in order to keep teeth free of deposits and the build-up of plaque. Clean clothes smell fresh and make us more presentable. Clean air is fresher, and healthier, to breathe. When we get a cut or abrasion, we clean it to keep the wound from becoming infected. Clean is very good. When it comes to the cars we drive, we also value cleanliness. Dirty windshields can be dangerous, and in the winter good wipers are important for keeping visibility clear. Washing your car not only keeps it looking nice, removing the road salt will help it last longer and prevent an early retirement due to r...

John Baker | Mar 18, 2016 8:55:01 AM The simple answer: Most oil manufacturers recommend changing their synthetic oils according to the service guidelines given in vehicle owner’s manuals. A few synthetic oils on the market, however, provide recommended service intervals on their back labels that are generally longer than those given in vehicle owner’s manuals. Each is different, so check the label carefully. AMSOIL Signature Series Synthetic Motor Oil , for example, protects so well motorists can use it for up to 25,000 miles/12 months (15,000 miles/12 months in severe service) if they choose. The detailed answer: Most motorists now understand that synthetic motor oil performs better than conventional oil. It delivers improved wear protection, offers better engine clea...

Do You Know the Seven Responsibilities of a Motor Oil? Ed Newman | Nov 20, 2015 8:26:43 AM There are so many things we take for granted and give very little thought to. Air is one of them. We seldom feel a need to understand what happens when we breathe, how oxygen in the atmosphere ends up in our bloodstream so as to nourish the cells of our bodies. Gravity is something else we give little thought to, even though it has a daily impact on our lives. (Be careful where your toes are when you drop something heavy.) Something else we usually take for granted is motor oil. If we've been properly trained we know we have to change it once in a while, but beyond that how many people really know why? What does motor oil really do anyway? Here are seven tasks that motor ...

from AMSOIL Newstand: Conventional Vs. Synthetics Oil, whether synthetic or petroleum-based, consists of molecular chains of hydrogen and carbon atoms, referred to as hydrocarbons. Petroleum crude oil is a thick, highly flammable dark-brown or greenish liquid with high energy densities. Many contaminating elements exist in this complex mixture of hydrocarbons, including sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen and metal components such as nickel or vanadium. Petroleum crude oil is the raw material used for a wide variety of petrochemicals, including solvents, fertilizers, plastics and lubricants. The oil refining process separates the various types of molecules in the oil by weight, resulting in a concentrated batch suitable for today’s uses such as gasoline, LPG, kerosene or base oils for lubricants. The chemical composition of conventional motor oil can vary substantially and depends on the raw crude oil refining process. While petroleum base oils are refined, ...

How to Get the Most Out of Your Turbocharged Engine John Baker | Nov 10, 2015 2:53:56 PM The industry trend toward smaller engines that deliver increased power and fuel efficiency has been well documented. The AMSOIL Newsstand contains articles about the key technologies that enable today’s advanced engines – turbochargers, gasoline direct injection (GDI) and variable valve timing (VVT). These articles have mainly addressed how these technologies affect motor oil. In short, they’re brutal on oil. It’s one of the reasons more automakers are installing synthetics at the factory. Fuel dilution can be a problem To summarize, GDI technology locates the fuel injectors directly in the cylinder (hence the name), as opposed to the manifold. This arrangement allows for great...

What Kind of Oil Does My Car Take? John Baker | Oct 29, 2015 11:30:14 AM One way to find out is to go out to your car, dig the owner’s manual out from under the napkins and pairs of sunglasses in the glove box and look it up. Or, you can consult the AMSOIL Product Guides at amsoil.com . Simply enter your vehicle information and follow the prompts. Your vehicle manufacturer will typically recommend an oil of a specific viscosity (e.g 5W-30) that meets the latest industry specifications. For most domestic cars and trucks today, it’s API SN. But some vehicle manufacturers recommend oils that meet their own, proprietary motor oil specifications. Although the practice is more common with European cars, General Motors recommends using a motor oil that meets its dexos1™ specification in many of its cars/light trucks. How do you know if your oil meets t...

The Handyman’s Manifesto   John Baker   | Oct 2, 2015 9:37:32 AM Many signs point to the death of the handyman – and woman. Industry statistics tell us fewer people change their own motor oil each year. In fact, by next year, 80 percent of the population is expected to take their vehicle to an auto service center, quick lube or other business to have the oil changed. The percentage is no doubt higher for transmission, differential and other, “more difficult” services. The reasons are many. An aging population. Smaller engine compartments that make performing maintenance more difficult. Sophisticated new vehicles that require specialized tools and a degree in electrical engineering just to open the hood. It’s as if car manufacturers and circumstances are conspiring to rip the ratchets from our hands. And it’s for our own good, right? Who wants to spend a gorgeous September Saturday crawling like a bug on a filthy garage floor as his or her five-year-old daughter points a...

Low-Volatility Motor Oil Helps Unlock Your Vehicle’s Performance   John Baker   | May 26, 2015 3:16:00 PM Modern engines, particularly those equipped with performance-enhancing technologies like direct fuel injection and turbochargers, generate increased heat compared to their predecessors. At elevated temperatures, such as during severe service or when driving in hot summer weather, the oil’s lighter-weight molecules can volatilize, or literally “boil off.” The more volatile a lubricant is, the lower the temperature at which the lubricant will begin to evaporate. The more it evaporates, the less oil is left to protect equipment and the faster a user must replace the lost oil. You may have experienced this phenomenon by owning an automobile that “uses” motor oil in irregular intervals. Volatility affects more than the rate of oil consumption. When light elements in oil evaporate from heat, the oil’s viscosity increases. This thicker oil forces the engine to work ha...

Can I Mix Synthetic and Conventional Oil?   John Baker   | Apr 13, 2015 3:58:45 PM Some things simply don’t mix. Oil and water, for example. Alcohol and firearms. Around these parts, Green Bay Packers fans and Minnesota Vikings fans. With synthetic lubricants continuing to grow in popularity, the question of whether  synthetics and conventional oils  can be safely mixed often arises. I’m guilty of having mixed different types of motor oil with reckless abandon back in the day. A dash of synthetic blend to top-off my early 90s Buick Century one month and maybe a shot of cheap conventional oil the next. Though I’m sure performance suffered some, my engine never blew up as a result. So, yes, you can safely mix synthetic and conventional oil. But barring an emergency, it’s not a great idea. All motor oil, whether synthetic or conventional, is a combination of base oils and additives. Synthetic base oils are manufactured using a process that remove...

How Does Motor Oil Become Contaminated? Written by John Baker.  Mar 17, 2015 5:25:47 PM from AMSOIL Inc Blog Motor oil deteriorates and becomes unfit for service due to accumulation of contaminants in the oil and chemical changes (additive depletion and oxidation) in the oil itself. Abrasives • Dust and Dirt The design limitations of air cleaners, some oil fill caps and crankcase ventilation systems allow a certain level of dust and dirt into the engine, while leaks in the intake system can permit unfiltered air to enter the engine. Proper maintenance of the engine and its accessories can minimize the amount of contaminants entering the lubrication system and extend engine life. • Metal Particles Normal wear of engine parts produces very small metal particles that are picked up and circulated by the oil. Particles of road dust and dirt increase wear rates and generate larger, even more abrasive metal particles that are circulated through the engine by the oil. While ...

With the price of crude oil decreasing, why hasn’t AMSOIL INC. reduced lubricant prices? Posted: February 17, 2015 - News Article (AMSOIL Inc) The price of oil has decreased to levels not seen in years. Several lubricant manufacturers have recently responded with finished-lubricant price reductions of roughly 3-4 percent. AMSOIL Dealers and customers may be wondering why AMSOIL INC. has yet to follow suit. The competing manufacturers that have announced finished-lubricant price decreases, including Shell, Phillips 66, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Castrol and Valvoline, each implemented numerous price increases since spring 2013. Since March 2013, Shell increased prices four times, Phillips 66 and ExxonMobil three times each and Chevron, Castrol and Valvoline two times each. AMSOIL held the line on pricing through this time of increasing raw material costs. While Group I, II and III base oil prices have decreased, Group IV and V have continued to increase. In addition, prices of many o...

AMSOIL Expands the Signature Series Line AMSOIL Signature Series Synthetic Motor Oils deliverextraordinary lubrication in all types of automotive gasoline engines. By combining industry-premier synthetic technology with AMSOIL premium additives, Signature Series Synthetic Motor Oils exceed the higher performance demands of modern engines. New viscosities to the line up are 5w-50 for specific Ford Mustangs and 0w-40 for Chrysler and Nissan. Please check with us to see if your vehicle can use one of these new viscosities.