Yea... sorry for all the posts. I didn't know how to respond to all of them in one message.

As for trading for something more efficient. Ehh... I don't think that I'll be able to trade this beast for another 4-wheel drive vehicle that's more efficient, without dropping another grand or few to compensate. I have a car too, I just don't drive it in the winter. It's much much safer up here to have 4wd or awd than 2wd. We have some very steep hills, and during the winter, the roads are basically compacted snow/ice ... covered in a 90% sand, 10% salt mixture that the plows put down. From December to late March, I never see the pavement.


The reason I got the trans. fluid changed was because it was "burned" or had a burnt smell.

For doing the diff. fluids and transfer case ... why would it be a bad idea to change them?

To change my oil, diff & transfer case fluids over to Royal Purple, it'd cost me about $160 from amazon.com (free ship ... much cheaper than local shops). I honestly haven't looked into dinosaur fluids yet for the diff & transf... just haven't had the chance yet. I doubt I'd recoup the costs for those ... but then again, I never plan to change those again. The oil I would recoup the cost ... maybe not from gas mileage, but from not having to change my oil as often.

Really?
Hrmm. Mine always turns black/dark :confused: It goes in clear/translucent.
That's why I usually change mine every 3,000 miles or 6 months. If I'm going on a long trip, I usually always change it if I hadn't changed it in the last 3 months (and it is still dark then too).

And yea... I USED to get fram "heavy duty" oil filters... then I went to the shop one day, and they had cut open all these diff. oil filters as an experiment to see which was best. They always use AC Delco oil filters... and it was honestly one of the best ones (from looks), behind like amsoil.

Need to do the air filter too, but all walmart up here carries is Fram air filters. Was thinking about a K&N, but don't think I wanna drop $60 on that (I did for my car, and it's awesome :) ). Do you have an air filter brand you'd recommend?

I don't know if it matters, but we have most of the big auto-parts stores up here (napa, carquest, etc)... There's no Autozone or that other store just like it (name escapes me).

Waste of money. You drive a $1000 beater 5,000 miles per year...it doesn't need the gear oil in the differentials changed.

Get it professionally analyzed. Most oil turns black while it's still good.

My truck is OBD-I, right? Or ODB-II
It'd be awesome if I could get a scangauge thing, but those are only ODB-II.

I saw one of the other threads on here about a DIY one using the fuel injector wire... interested in that to help out, just need the time (maybe winter break in december?).

Wix is a great brand of filter to get. They aren't terribly expensive, and they are very well rated. Usually your independent auto parts dealers will have Wix in stock. Try your local independent dealer. I had heard that WIX made the NAPA brand filters, but that was a while back. I don't know if they still do. In any event, a NAPA brand filter is probably decent quality, unless Fram is making filters for them now. K&N filters are nice, but overpriced.

Is this something any repair shop can do? ... how would I get it analyzed?

I just checked. The only 94 model Fords that a scangauge will work on are the Mustang, Cougar, and Thunderbird.

trade them both in for a junker $1200 subaru

I think most people get it done by mail. Check https://www.bobistheoilguy.com forums to find recommendations for an oil analysis company.

That might be unnecessary effort. As far as I can tell, most vehicles never suffer a failure that can be blamed on not getting the oil changed often enough (or not using good enough oil); they go to the junkyard with a good engine, a failed head gasket, a failed fuel injection system, or whatever else.

OTOH, your 3000 mile oil changes only happen once every 6 months so it's not like you're pouring huge amounts of money into it anyway...

https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=11675 :D

As HC said, black oil isn't a bad sign. It's actually a good one. The detergents in the oil are doing their job keeping the scorched oil and dirt in suspension, and not settling out forming sludge. If it worries you, put on a new filter. I did that at 6700 miles on the HHR. Along with a 1/4 quart of top off oil, noticed and improvement in the color on the dipstick. Wal-mart's supertech oil filters are a decent filter, and made by Champion Labs. The motorcraft filter might be price competative for you though. The basic Fram air filters should be fine.

My wife's Sable runs up 7 to 8 thousand miles a year. I just change the oil in the spring with motorcraft synthetic blend. A plain, certified oil should go at least 5000 miles. A 0w-30 synthetic should give you some gains in fuel economy during the winter. It just might not be enough for the additional cost.

At least check the fluid levels in the diff and transfer case. A friend didn't on a beater truck, and had a wheel come off on the highway. I've done the diff on the Ranger myself. It's a pain, messy, and the through method of removing the diff cover takes 2 days. I went with Mobil1 for it, if you are considering it.

I've looked into oil analysis. Mail in tests that include TBN analysis tended to cost more than what the oil change does for me. On a vehicle that you will put a lot of miles on, it might be worth it to initially find out just how far a synthetic oil will go.