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engine oil boo boo 850

My indie mechanie switched me to Ams Oil and told me that I could skipp the 3,000 mile oil change on my '94 85. It had 240,400 at the time and shoot for 5,000. Well, I tried it. I'm about 1,500 short of 5,000 and checked my stick yesterday. It was black. Did I goof or what??

He is out of town and now I can't find the oil at Auto Zone or Discount Auto? What should I do till he gets back from vacation? I have parked my car and am driving the gas guzzler.








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engine oil boo boo 850

Do what Klaus said--get a couple of quarts of cheap oil and fill it to level.

It is not unusual for an older engine to use some oil when first changed to AMSOIL (or another synthetic or non-synthetic). AMSOIL will start cleaning. Dirty oil doesn't seal as well as clean oil, so consumption can go up.
Usually an oil filter change and top-off will help. Sounds like you'll need a change about 5K, then watch for sudden increase in oil consumption. If you see that, change the filter and top off.

I've been using AMSOIL for over 32 years now, in Saab, Volvo and others. Normal drain for the turbos is 10,000. Non-turbos a year or up to 25,000.








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Don't worry about AmsOil (with pics to show a clean engine) .... 850

Don't worry about AmsOil. If it leaks, there's a mechanical reason, not that the oil did anything bad to the seals -- it's been years since synthetic manufacturers came up with the right formulation to keep seals from shrinking. The only time that I ever encountered sudden leaks after starting synthetic oil was when I first used Mobil-1, back in the late 1970s.

I've used AmsOil since the early 1980's on all my 240s (1978, 1980, 1983, 1984, and two 1993's), all bought used with anything from 70,000 to 180,000 miles already on them -- engines regularly last past 300,000 and in every case, I got rid of the cars because they rusted away (that's N.J.), not because of engine problems or emissions test failures.

Trust AmsOil -- if your car was already full of sludge, the AmsOil would get dark fast -- it's cleaning and keeping the dirt in suspension, and a simple oil filter change would be warranted (do it often, just adding some oil each time). But once the engine is reasonably cleaner, I change my AmsOil every 8,000 to 10,000 miles, and the engines' interiors always stay clean (I mean really, really clean).

Another benefit I've found is that the Flame Trap's screen and trap "box" stays clean -- you'll find (after using AmsOil a while) that you don't have to worry about changing/clearing it. But you have to give the AmsOil time to clean out your engine first.

Here are some photos of a look inside my engine (the valve train, seen through the oil filler hole):

My '84 (started with AmsOil at 80,000 miles, now has 230,000 miles)



One of my '93's (started with AmsOil at 120,000 miles, now has 190,000 miles)









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engine oil boo boo 850

Is it AMSOIL you switched to? That's a very fine oil and you should trust your garage. It's probably cleaning out the engine and holding the stuff in suspension. I would say you did not make a mistake and the color's not a problem. It should clear up after several more changes. I've beeen using Amsiol at 5k changes for years. You can wait for him.








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engine oil boo boo 850

So long as the oil is still "full" on the dip stick, no problem. If it were my car, I would just change the filter and add one can of same weight oil.

The fact that the oil is black, means that cleaning is in progress. I am surprised that your mechanic deceided to go synthetic. Be on the watch for minor oil leaks as the old sludge is removed from various seals.

Stop driving the gas guzzler and get back in the Volvo. Synthetic oils will last well over 7500 miles between changes.

Klaus
--
I still miss my 164








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engine oil boo boo 850

The dipstick is black. I don't see any oil.








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The dipstick is black. I don't see any oil. 850

Why didn't you say so sooner!!! Use you gas guzzler to get a couple of quarts of 10W30, the cheap stuff. If the dipstick is dry, it will use both quarts. So long as the CEL or idot light for oil pressure didn't come on, you should be OK.

Then check under the car and look for leaks, there will be some. Concentrate on both ends of the engine, driver and passenger side.

Klaus
--
I still miss my 164








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The dipstick is black. I don't see any oil. 850

Thanks!!!







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