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GM Oil Life Monitor - When Will It Go Off?
- Thread starter jsjonz01
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Can you bring it up on your driver information center to see what the % is left?
On my Cobalt, the CHANGE OIL SOON indicator comes on starting at 5% oil life.
I have used the GM OLM on a '00 Alero - 3.4 (now the daughters college car) since new. Now at 191,000 miles, I have never added a quart of makeup oil to it. Usually goes off between 5,800 (winter)and 7,100 (summer). Used whatever dino oil was on sale with the orange can of death. My flex fuel Suburban (5.3) goes quite a bit longer, almost to 8,500 miles. I use syn in that.
Works for me.
Works for me.
My gf's 04 Tahoe let the oil go 14,000 miles.
I sell GM autos. On most vehicles, you can go until it reaches 0%. When it hits 0%, you should change oil within the next 600 miles (or two tanks of gas). I purchased my 2005 Impala in December. It was a one-owned vehicle with 23300 miles. The oil had just been changed, so I did an Auto-Rx treatment for 3k miles. Then did a 3k mile rinse cycle. Currently, I am using Mobil1 0W/30 synthetic and will use the oil life montior to determine OCI's. My oil life monitor is just a light that comes on that says "Change Oil Soon". I drive 75 highway miles to work one way each day. I would expect to do 10k-12k mile OCI's, but time will tell.
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js
Do you understand how the OLM works? To simplify, it considers how hard you work the engine and base its recommendation on that. Think of a bell shaped curve with short, cold trips on the left of the curve in a short mileage oil change situation. The middle of the curve is easy driving, up to temperature, long mileage oil changes. The right of the curve is hot & heavy running like towing a trailer in summer, another short oil change situation. GM's engineers have evaluated these and other driving situations with the condition of the oil and invented the OLM. It does not test the oil. It does not add miles for synthetic oil. It does seem to work well.
Do you understand how the OLM works? To simplify, it considers how hard you work the engine and base its recommendation on that. Think of a bell shaped curve with short, cold trips on the left of the curve in a short mileage oil change situation. The middle of the curve is easy driving, up to temperature, long mileage oil changes. The right of the curve is hot & heavy running like towing a trailer in summer, another short oil change situation. GM's engineers have evaluated these and other driving situations with the condition of the oil and invented the OLM. It does not test the oil. It does not add miles for synthetic oil. It does seem to work well.
What vehicle is that.
Originally Posted By: Ken2
js
Do you understand how the OLM works? To simplify, it considers how hard you work the engine and base its recommendation on that. Think of a bell shaped curve with short, cold trips on the left of the curve in a short mileage oil change situation. The middle of the curve is easy driving, up to temperature, long mileage oil changes. The right of the curve is hot & heavy running like towing a trailer in summer, another short oil change situation. GM's engineers have evaluated these and other driving situations with the condition of the oil and invented the OLM. It does not test the oil. It does not add miles for synthetic oil. It does seem to work well.
I bet they did all this, then found out that it pretty much gives the same results as just measuring how much fuel was used.
js
Do you understand how the OLM works? To simplify, it considers how hard you work the engine and base its recommendation on that. Think of a bell shaped curve with short, cold trips on the left of the curve in a short mileage oil change situation. The middle of the curve is easy driving, up to temperature, long mileage oil changes. The right of the curve is hot & heavy running like towing a trailer in summer, another short oil change situation. GM's engineers have evaluated these and other driving situations with the condition of the oil and invented the OLM. It does not test the oil. It does not add miles for synthetic oil. It does seem to work well.
I bet they did all this, then found out that it pretty much gives the same results as just measuring how much fuel was used.
"I bet they did all this, then found out that it pretty much gives the same results as just measuring how much fuel was used."
If I remember correctly amount of fuel used is part of the equation for the OLM.
Rickey.
If I remember correctly amount of fuel used is part of the equation for the OLM.
Rickey.
Originally Posted By: jsjonz01
I have decided to start using the GM oil life monitor for oil change intervals. Will it state to change oil at 0% oil life, or at some point sooner? I am really wanting to perform an oil change!!! Hahaha...
jsjonz01,
I believe mine tells me when it reach 5-7 I think..... You made a wise choice to use your OLM monitor. It'll save you money by getting the most out of your oil like I do when using my Mobil1 synthetic. My average indicated an oil change/service every 6K.
Durango
I have decided to start using the GM oil life monitor for oil change intervals. Will it state to change oil at 0% oil life, or at some point sooner? I am really wanting to perform an oil change!!! Hahaha...
jsjonz01,
I believe mine tells me when it reach 5-7 I think..... You made a wise choice to use your OLM monitor. It'll save you money by getting the most out of your oil like I do when using my Mobil1 synthetic. My average indicated an oil change/service every 6K.
Durango
This is on a 2005 GMC Yukon (5.3L). I am familiar with the logic behind the OLM. I just didn't know when it may say change oil. I currently have the engine running on Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30. I may switch to Ultra on the upcoming change.
It should let you know around 5%. I recently bought a new pick-up and I will follow the OLM as well. I work at a GM dealer and I have seen too many high mileage vehicles with owners who change according to the OLM to ignore it.
My G6 goes off at 1700 miles or so. Needless to say, I think it needs to be reprogrammed. That's 70% highway miles.
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If you read the manual it should say to change withing 600 miles of the "Change Oil Soon" message. I find on the G6 it varies depending on the length of the OCI as to when it comes on. A longer summer OCI at 10000km it will come on with less % left than a 5000km winter OCI. I have seen mine come on with over 10% left in the winter. The G5 I'm not as familiar with as last week was the first time I've ran it down to an indicated change. It was a lower % left than the G6 (both done last week) but also a longer OCI.
When my oil life monitor in my cts is at 0% oil life left, there's a laps of miles/times before it writes "change engine oil"
I recently sold a 1998 3.8L Buick with 168,000 miles that has been in the family since new. We used the OLM since new with Valvoline dino, and most of the time it would go off around 5000 miles or so. Not a single issue with the engine.
We use the OLM on my wifes 2006 Impala too, and we generally get somewhere around 6k miles between changes. Currently we have 72k miles on the car, and I expect to get another 100k out of it by using the OLM and Dino oil.
I reserve synthetic oil for use in my 383 stroked Caprice.
We use the OLM on my wifes 2006 Impala too, and we generally get somewhere around 6k miles between changes. Currently we have 72k miles on the car, and I expect to get another 100k out of it by using the OLM and Dino oil.
I reserve synthetic oil for use in my 383 stroked Caprice.
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