Oil change for a 96 aerostar 6 cyl

I just purchased a van from a man on craigslist. He said however it does need an oil change, now when I check the oil its very thick, and im not sure what to make of this and already its not driving well?? does any one know what would cause this because the engine just started knocking… some one talk to me!!!

If you haven’t completed the sale, run if you can. I would surmise he is using a thick oil to hide some engine issues, or flat neglected to change the oil at all.

Engine knock can be related to inadequate oil pressure or other items.

This vehicle really needed to be inspected by a good mechanic before your purchase.

what are the the other reasons the engine is knocking?? is it serious??

Most likely serious. Long distance diagnosis isn’t too good, but you probably need to have a mechanic listen to the knock and provide a diagnosis. He may want to check oil pressure, cylinder compression, etc to confirm the source.

Don’t go to a quickie lube place, or a chain tire shop. Go to a real live mechanic and get the oil changed and have him listen to the motor. Could be serious, maybe not, you need a real mechanic to hear it and see it running to tell. We can only help so much via an internet connnection.

Sounds like engine trouble to me. An inspection should have been done BEFORE handing money over for this thing.

Maybe the reason the oil is “very thick” by your wording is that the guy dumped a few containers of Motor Honey or something like that in it to keep it quiet.
The MH did just what it’s supposed to; keep the engine quiet long enough for you to get out of sight.

I’ve worked for car dealers who have taken in more than one car in trade only to discover later that the owners stuffed the engine with this kind of product before dumping the car off on the dealer.

I thought by 1996 the Aerostar had been phased out and the Windstar had taken its place? Definitey suspect fraud here, run away from this one as fast as you can.