Moreover, oil can't do everything. No matter how good it is, there are other products which are necessary for an oil to do it's job. It's hard to play a whole golf course with just your driver. A putter and a few irons would be nice.

I think you see where I am going with this. I am going to recommend a great many products on this page. I will let you know just how important they are and whether they are completely necessary. However, you are going to be the final judge of what products you purchase. Just don't purchase half the products you need and then come crying because AMSOIL didn't live up to the claims. Do it right the first time, and I can guarantee that you will be pleased with the results and the money you save.

Why Can't I Find AMSOIL in Stores?

I don't change my own oil, what can I do? How can I use AMSOIL when my Lube Shop doesn't carry it?

Don't worry about doing your own oil changes. No need to. Take your AMSOIL Synthetic Oil, AMSOIL Super Duty Oil Filter, and any other products such as the AMSOIL Air Filter in to your local Quick Lube. Tell the Lube Shop manager that you would like them to change your oil and filter and that you have your own brand oil that they don't carry. They want your money and will not turn you down. They will charge labor only.

The Basics

First of all, you're going to need oil. I guess that seems pretty obvious, right? Well, just make sure you're getting the most bang for the buck. If you are running a gasoline fueled passenger car or light duty truck, take a look at the "AMSOIL For Your Vehicle" page.

If you're running a diesel engine, yep, you guessed it, take a look at our Synthetic Diesel Oils.

And, if you're running a motorcycle or ATV type application, see our High Performance 10w40 and 20w50 Synthetic Motorcycle Oils at the page called "Motorcycles".

I would recommend that, if your application allows it, go with the Series 2000 Oil if at all possible. It is significantly more expensive, but the protection is absolutely unbeatable and the fuel mileage improvement is incredible. In addition, the Series 2000 0w30 gives you 35,000 mile drain intervals as opposed to 25,000 with our standard synthetics. There is also a Series 2000 20w50 Racing Oil which is the formulation the 0w30 is based on. In my opinion, they are both well worth the extra.

However, you'll pay for that kind of quality. A solution for those wanting the protection benefits of a quality AMSOIL synthetic without such a hefty price-tag is to go with the AMSOIL standards (5w30, 10w30, 10w40, 20w50). They are less expensive and still do a superb job of protecting your engine. And, they are still long drain oils, allowing you to go 25,000 miles or one year between oil changes.

There is a third choice for those with gasoline engines, and that is AMSOIL's new XL-7500 Synthetic Oils. These oils were originally designed for use at Quick Lube Centers, but turn out to be an excellent alternative for those people who are still uncomfortable with the idea of going 25,000 or 35,000 miles without an oil change. The XL-7500 oils are 100% Synthetic but have been designed with a recommended oil change interval of 7500 miles. Choose either the 5w20, the 5w30 or 10w30 viscosity grades.

In addition, the XL-7500 oils can be used with conventional oil filters and will still go 7500 miles before the necessity of an oil change. Nevertheless, I would certainly recommend using AMSOIL's oil filters as they deliver far superior filtration and are much more durable.
 

Oil Filters

If you are going to run any other AMSOIL Synthetic Oil besides the XL-7500, you should definitely stick with an AMSOIL full flow oil filter for your engine instead of trying to use a conventional filter of another brand. 

These AMSOIL full flow oil filters should be changed at 6 month or 12,500 mile intervals on gasoline engines. For diesel applications, they should be changed at 6 months or one half the AMSOIL oil change interval. Therefore, if you are using a standard 25,000 mile gasoline engine oil, you would need one filter for the initial oil change and another filter for the 12,500 mile filter change (as well as a quart of oil to top off the system).
 

By-Pass Oil Filters

Now, if you want to go a step beyond full flow filtration and 25,000 mile drain intervals, consider intalling a by-pass oil filtration system. With a bypass system and periodic oil analysis you should be able to go at least 100,000 miles without an oil change. Pretty amazing, eh? Not really. Haywood Gray was able to put 409,000 miles on his Mack truck without an oil change.

Just change your by-pass filter once per year or every 20,000 to 25,000 miles and your full flow filter every 6 months or 12,500 miles (yes, you will have both filters installed - see the "Ultimate Oil Filter" page for details). Be sure to top off the system with enough oil to bring it back to the full mark - shouldn't be more than two quarts at the very most when both filters are changed.

At each filter change an oil analysis should be done. On the by-pass filtration system you can install a valve for draining off a small amount of oil for testing. AMSOIL provides a kit for you to send the sample in to an established laboratory which will test the oil for any abnormalities or detrimental contaminants. Inevitably, these analyses come back fine for at least 100,000 miles. Think of all of the time an oil you would save. If you're interested in reading more about these systems take a look at the by-pass filter product description page.
 

How Do I Install AMSOIL Synthetic Oils?

Always flush automotive type engines (if they have over 10,000 miles on them) with AMSOIL Engine Flush when converting from petroleum oil to AMSOIL. Motorcycle engines should not be flushed.

Petroleum oils create sludge and varnish on the inside of engines. If you put AMSOIL (or most other synthetics) directly into an engine without flushing you risk clogged lifter ports and at worst, destruction of the engine. At the very least, you will suffer oil consumption due to debris which is cleaned out by the detergent additive package of the synthetic oil.

Most synthetics are very high in detergent action. They will break loose the sludge and varnish the petroleum oil made in large particles. These large particles will circulate throughout your engine, potentially clogging oil galleries and ports. No matter how good an oil is, it does you no good if it can't get to all the places it should in an engine. If a component becomes starved for oil it dies!

AMSOIL Engine Flush cleans the crankcase, cylinder walls, pistons and rings for maximum efficiency, protection and performance. It preps engines for installation of AMSOIL synthetic motor oil. One can per vehicle is sufficient.

Before you change your oil take off your old oil filter and install a new AMSOIL full flow filter (you will need two AMSOIL oil filters for your initial switch to AMSOIL; you may even wish to purchase a third for your six month/12,500 mile FILTER change so as to avoid paying freight for such a small item). An AMSOIL oil filter will help remove the gunk that the engine flush breaks loose much better than your old conventional filter would.

Then just pour one 16 oz can of engine flush into your oil system (make sure that you are a 1/2 quart low first--the removal of your old oil filter should do the trick) and let the car idle for 20 to 30 minutes. Then, while the oil is still warm, drain it. Finally, install a new AMSOIL full flow oil filter and pour in your AMSOIL synthetic oil.

NOTE: If your vehicle has over 100 or 110,000 miles on it or is more than 9 or 10 years old, and you are not currently using another synthetic oil, you may not wish to switch over to AMSOIL. Vehicles with such high mileage may have dry, cracked seals and gaskets. Having used conventional oils for so long (even with 3,000 mile oil changes), the sludge and deposits from oil burn-off may have caused a build-up to occur which is plugging the gaps around these seals and gaskets and preventing leaks.

Flushing such an engine with AMSOIL Engine Flush might uncover these leaks and create the need for replacement. Depending upon your situation, you may not wish to do this. Even if you don't flush the engine and simply put synthetic oil in the engine, the high quality detergent additives in the oil would eventually clean out these deposits anyway. This is a decision that you will have to make on your own.

However, if you are currently using a synthetic oil and have seen no detrimental effects, you would probably be ok to switch over to AMSOIL even on a high mileage vehicle.
 

Air Filter

Now, you could stop here and call it good. Already you have done some amazing things for your vehicle by simply flushing your oil system and installing AMSOIL synthetic oil and an oil filter. However, if you want to do it right, there are a few other things to consider.

Since 80 percent of the dirt, debris and contaminants that enter your oil do so through your air intake system (how else would it get in there?), does it make sense to ignore this aspect of filtration? Why make the oil filter do all of the work?

By installing an AMSOIL Two Stage Foam Air Filter you would greatly increase the air flow into your engine and enhance the filtration of the incoming air by at least 50%. Seems like a pretty significant difference to me. In addition, AMSOIL Foam Air Filters are made to last the life of your vehicle. They NEVER need to be replaced. Just wash, re-oil and re-use once per year. It's that simple. Take a look at our AMSOIL Filters page for more details.
 

What Else?

At this point you may be thinking to yourself, "This is going to cost me a fortune. Can I possibly afford to purchase any more AMSOIL products?" My answer is this: First of all, don't overlook the long-term savings that you enjoy by using AMSOIL products. With enhanced engine protection you will probably get 2 to 3 times more use from your vehicle than you would have otherwise. You are going to eliminate a great many oil changes each year. It is likely that you will get at least 5% up to 10% or more better gas mileage after switching to AMSOIL. Should I go on? I think you get the idea. Please, don't lose sight of these benefits.

Second, you don't have to do everything all at once. You can switch your oil system over first. Then, when you feel more comfortable, you can install an AMSOIL air filter and possibly switch your transmission fluid transmission over to AMSOIL. You might also want to clean out your fuel system by adding a little performance improver gasoline additive . You'd be amazed at what an improvement it can make, especially in older vehicles.

Don't forget that AMSOIL also sells gear lubes and other lubrication products as well. Feel free to ease your way into using AMSOIL products. It doesn't have to be instantaneous. Your switch to AMSOIL will be just as rewarding if it takes a year as it would be if it only took two weeks. Go at your own pace and feel free to e-mail or call us and ask as many questions as necessary to make this a comfortable transition.