Oil recommendation for 95 Aerostar

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I just bought a 95 Ford Aerostar with 128K miles that has been well maintained with 3K dino OCIs. The engine is a 4.0L v6. I will be using this van mainly for highway driving, and was wondering what everyone thinks would be a good oil to go with. I was debating between Motorcraft 10w-30 synthetic blend or Amsoil XL 10w-30.
 
maxlife 5w30.. cheaper than m1.. plus you can run it 5k miles easy..... just my opinion here. its a mini van not a sports car so i dont really see the justice of using syn in your case. highway miles are easier on oil...
 
If he's considering Amsoil i don't think price is too much
of a concern.

syn. is always a win win situation when heat and cold come
into play.
 
Your on track....Run the syn/blend Motorcraft for a few OCI's then put the Amsoil in for the rest of the engines life. The only thing I would do different is to Run Amsoil ACD 10/30w and the Eao. I would run the oil for 10K, dump the oil, leave the filter on....add 4 quarts of fresh ACD and go another 10K. The filter will do 2-10K runs easy, and the oil will do 10K standing on its head
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The price of the XL or ACD is close, and the ACD will be cheaper in the long run and a better choice.
 
First, congrats, the Aero is a great machine.
Now, my '97 is a 3.0, which derives from the Brit engine family, while the 4.0 comes from the German side of the house, but I will tell you that my 3.0 is happy with anything you put in it.
I have 124K on the machine, and I change every 4K. It has seen years of M1 0W-30 (no longer available), several runs of RTS 0W-40 (a great oil, and still a decent buy at Wally World), as well as a number of runs of various brands of 10W-30 syns.
If I were suggesting an oil for extended drains, RTS 0W-40 would be a good choice, and so would the still available GC.
Good luck with your new acquisition. You should probably change the plugs and ignition wires, a really entertaining Saturday's worth of hard labor on an Aero.
 
I run Maxlife Blend 10w30 in my wife's '92 Aerostar, here in Detroit, year round. I would run Maxlife full synthetic, but this one (3.0 engine) consumes a quart every 1300 miles. I also recommend Redline D4 ATF for the auto tranny.

You a east sider or a west sider or downriver? I am west side by Livonia.
 
Quote:


I just bought a 95 Ford Aerostar with 128K miles that has been well maintained with 3K dino OCIs. The engine is a 4.0L v6. I will be using this van mainly for highway driving, and was wondering what everyone thinks would be a good oil to go with.




I've put over a million miles on four Aerostars. In my opinion you are putting too much worry in the engine and need to concentrate on the transmission. The 3.0 engine will about last forever and the 4.0 will usually last a long time unless it is overheated. You already stated that the engine has 3K OCI so you need to regularly change the tranny fluid. If the tranny's previous maintenance is in question you need to change it now. The Aero tranny will last longer than the vehicle, but only if you give it regular service. I'd also avoid towing with the Aero unless you have an excellent tranny cooler. Go with 20K transmission flushes (yourself, not at the dealer) and just run about any 10W-30 oil you want in the engine and your Aero will rust away before it wears out.
 
the 4.0L OHV Ford has a track record of leaking intake manifold coolant port gaskets and leaking headgaskets
first order of business is get a UOA, looking for high sodium/potassium and antifreeze glycol.

if no coolant leaks, then a quality mineral oil 5w30 year around in your cold N. country winters if parked outside. if garaged, then 10w30 is fine. whatever is on sale at less than $2 a qt, Havoline, TropArtic, Chevron Supreme

the A4LD dies with ATF mistreatment...change filter and do complete 12 qt. gentle flush out the cooler line....you get your money's worth with full synthtic ATF in these weaker hot running auto tranny's....Mobil 1, Amsoil, Redline D4, RP, will all go 50k to 80k miles between 12 qt changes. yours uses Mercon/DextronIIIh.

only 20k if a mineral oil ATF
use a bottle of Lubeguard "Red"

the engine/tranny will go 250k with proper maint.
 
I have several Aerostars that I use in my work fleet. I have two over 200,000 miles one over 300,000!

The 4.0 OHV while not state of the art is a solid performer. Not fast but they seem to run as well loaded as empty! LOL

I have used every type of oil you csn imagine in these. They have run well using QS 10-30 SUV oil that a BITOG poster gave me to M1....and everything in between.

Running TropArtic blend from Walmart the past year or so. No problem. Also put in Rislone add anytime additive 700 miles from OC a couple of times a year (I know many will say snake oil, but they have lasted so who knows? LOL)

Use what you want and relax. If you are not into the Rislone thing, AutoRX could be a good idea so you can start off fresh.

Enjoy!

BTW while mine have 5 speed autos, the 20,000 mile service is a great call. I have found the trannies last if you do proper maintenance.
 
I wouldn't switch a 12 year old higher mileage vehicle to synthetics because oil leaks drive me crazy and in my experience they have become an issue with higher mileage engines switched to synthetic. This is an often argued issue and I didn't used to believe it until I had the same problem myself. If you can live with 3k OCIs then any good conventional (including the misleadingly labeled Motorcraft "blend") will do you fine.

As other have said, be more concerned about the transmission. Also at that mileage there is a good chance the rear diff fluid has never been changed and is overdue. Likewise the coolant and brake fluid. Pull the power steering fill cap and have a good smell. If it smells burnt, time to change that out as well.
 
I did have a leak problem when I switched my Escort to Penzoil platinum at 150K miles. I ended up going back to 3K OCI with dino and no more leaks.
 
I like both of your choices...Motorcraft if you are gonna change at 3000, Amsoil if you are gonna go a little longer...I am currently using the XL 5w30...Car runs like it should...Talk to TallPaul I believe he has Aerostar...We had one when I was a teenager...3.0 V6...power-steering pump always whined...to this day when I hear a Ford power-steering pump...I cringe in fear thinking the step-mom is gonna come around the corner shouting, "Get your ----, home!"
Reliable as all get out...! I read an article once about how GM cars from the 70's were self-healing...it seemed the Star was this way too...Us teen boys drove that van like it was an F1 racer...
 
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