I'm wondering if I should change the oil in my Bronco? The facts:

Bought it fall 2013, had been sitting for 10 years with the oil. Last registration renewal 2003.

Engine has between 70,000-145,000 miles on it...

Engine has either an exhaust leak or something else ticking...

I've only put 500-800 miles on it (speedometer doesn't work) and probably only will put 1000 miles on it this winter.

Oil looks good on dip stick, oil look crappy and black shooting out the exhaust.

I'd like to keep the oil in it for Moab next spring.

I've taken it to the car wash 3x and already gotten rid of the outside engine oil, it doesn't smoke so much going around the neighborhood. The engine oil probably wants to now stay in the engine.

Should I change it now or wait until after the CCB Moab trip?





J.E.

If it's good on the stick it's probably okay, there are a couple of oil stabilizers on the market if you want to throw a bottle of that at it.

You should know I'm not a fan of hasty oil changes, I run all my stuff for 7500 miles.

Um did you change it when you first got it? if not then yes change it. otherwise I dont see a need.

Could always take a oil sample to have anylized. I think they cost around 10 to 15 dollars and it would give you an idea of the condition of your engine. Personally, oil and filters are cheap.

Like Kevin said oil and a filter are cheap. I would have changed it even before I started it. Cheap insurance.

x3. Oil is way cheaper than an engine. Seems like the peace of mind would be worth the $25 it'll cost you.

That's like asking..."Should I change my underwear" after a weekend hunting trip???

If your really curious about the condition of your engine, the oil sample test could help you there, in terms of metal particle count, etc............but changing the oil is so inexpensive

Maybe you want to consider doing both

I've done a couple of oil tests just for fun. It's a really interesting look at the metallurgy of your engine. I used these guys: http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

Update: Still thinking about changing the oil, but can't decide if regular or synthetic is best for this engine. I bought the Bronco in 2012, it had sat for at least 10 years.

I did take a sample and send off for the report about a year ago, not sure where the report is now...still looking for it in its unopened envelope.

One factor is what type of rear end seal does this motor have: rope or one piece synthetic? We going to have to take a look before any decisions are made...

Regular is fine. If you want to go fancy, I will run Motul 8100 5w40 in the Audi, but that's ridiculous overkill for these engines. If you're really interested, go do some reading at bobistheoilguy.com.

I'd vote just change the oil. But it doesn't hurt to sample it. The trouble with that is that you really need to sample several times to get a baseline for your engine. This is what Blackstone told me several years ago when I was sending in samples for my superduty. It had elevated levels of something, but they said there was no cause for concern until we establish a baseline.

Stop being so cheap and change the oil already. It's 13yrs old. I wouldnt care what the test says. Either cheap insurance and change it or possibly pay for it later with a new engine.

I've been trying to figure out if this is a real thread or if Unaweep is having fun with us.

Not that I ever thought of doing anything similar.

I agree just throw in some oil. These engines don't care, I am running regular oil in a stock 302 in my 72 and it had been sitting for over 12 years outside. Runs great.