antipeterleague

this is unrelated but what style front bumper is that?

Norm Peterson

That 30,000 mile interval applies to "Special Operating Conditions", specifically listed as towing a trailer, using a car-top carrier, extensive idling and/or low-speed driving for long distances, heavy commercial use (delivery, patrol, taxi), dusty environment, unpaved roads, or off-road.

If your vehicle has significant (the maintenance guide says "primarily") use that falls under any of those categories, you'd follow the SOC schedule. Occasionally encountering any of those conditions does not require that you do so.

Unfortunately, the guide does not mention frequent heavy acceleration as a SOC, though I think that it should perhaps be treated similar to more than just occasional trailer towing.

My '08 guide lists a 150,000 mile AT fluid replacement schedule for "normal" use. However, "normal" use may well be less severe than the use demanded of these cars by members of automotive enthusiast forums in general, and cars such as the Mustang in particular. 30,000 might still be a little sooner than necessary, but 150,000 is way too long. Without knowing anything more, I'd probably consider a 50,000 - 60,000 mile schedule to be adequate.

Hope this helps.


Norm

siberian.mist

thanks ill get it it somewhere between 40-50 to be safe... 30 sounded early anyway

antipeter - its a street scene gen 1

157dB

The engine oil?
Dirty from what?
Are you pouring sand in your oil filler neck?
Last time I checked the only way for
dirt to get into my engine would be thru
the air intake, a leaking vacuum port,
dipstick tube or the oil flller neck. I am
not counting the by-products of the
combustion process or babbitt material
from the bearings....

Appearance has little to do with the
diminished lubrication properties of the oil.
Oil thats changed based soley on the appearance
is probably being changed before its time.

But this 'oil going bad from dirt' is just silly.
Bad from combustion by-products, maybe.
I really want to know just exactly what is
getting in my clean oil that a filter can remove
partical size wise.
Whats the filter filtering anyhow.

Riptide

If you're judging the need for an oil change by the color of the oil then you are making a mistake.

Derf00

FYI ATF is not just for auto's anymore. My 00 MANUAL transmission V6 Mustang uses ATF for the tranny fluid as well. Many manufacturers now use ATF for manual tranny's, FoMoCo included.

Derf00

Good grief, this entire thread failz...hard.

to the OP 30K is a bit premature for a fluid flush. As stated 40-50K is more reasonable.

to others:
- ATF is used in manual transmissions as well these days.
- Dirty fluid as in the build up of "dirt" from tranny components that are wearing (metal flakes, plastic bits, etc. Not just dirt from the ground.
- Anyone that waits for 100K + to replace auto tranny fluid is asking for problems. If there are any big chunks of crap in the fluid, it could clog very small passage ways causing tranny failure. (Yes a tranny can crap out after a long overdue flushing because all of the dirt is now clogging vital passageways that would have otherwise just resitricted flow.)

Bmr4life

No it doesn't unless there's something terribly wrong with your car.

GeritGoul

alright alright...ill change it every 5k miles...

Norm Peterson

I think 3000 miles IS the official SOC engine oil change interval . . . so all that's left is to decide whether your use fits the SOC criteria (or somewhere between that and so-called "normal").

I'll go dig my owner's manual out again if I have to.


Norm