Most mornings with sub-freezing temperatures I start my car and let it run for about 5-10 minutes. I do that so I can get in a somewhat warm car. I drive about 9.5-10 miles each way and for about 5 miles of that, the engine has not reached full operating temp. Most other trips i take are about the same distance, with maybe a few 20 mile trips in there. I don't trust the OLM in Honda's either
Severe service?
- Thread starter lawman1909
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Yeah the short trips are killer. I have a much bigger commute, so I don't let the car warm up, I just get in it and go. I try not to let the rpm's go over 1500 for the first four miles, or so.
If you don't trust the OLM, then don't use it.
At 20miles/day, that's 100miles/week. It'd take a full year to hit 6k, no? Toss in a few trips, nothing major.
Run the oil through the winter, change in spring.
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The 5 miles that it's not at temp is not what would worry me, it's the time spent with it at temp, to boil off anything. The other 5 miles at temp would make think "severe service". I mean, I suspect weekend trips will warm it up good, so I'd be in no ways worried. But yeah, change it in spring, lots of short trips. Why not? Nothing wrong with two oil changes/year.
At 20miles/day, that's 100miles/week. It'd take a full year to hit 6k, no? Toss in a few trips, nothing major.
Run the oil through the winter, change in spring.
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The 5 miles that it's not at temp is not what would worry me, it's the time spent with it at temp, to boil off anything. The other 5 miles at temp would make think "severe service". I mean, I suspect weekend trips will warm it up good, so I'd be in no ways worried. But yeah, change it in spring, lots of short trips. Why not? Nothing wrong with two oil changes/year.
I just make it easy and service the car every 5,000 miles. Am I over-servicing it? Probably. But it's easy, I don't lose ANY sleep over whether I've waited too long, and it's something for which I can plan ahead.
You know, there's a big difference between not relying solely on the OLM and "not trusting" it. IOLMs seem to do a great job of incorporating different driving conditions into estimating oil life: for example, your (bad) idling time will be reflected in "oil life remaining" calculation while it will be ignored if you go strictly by months/miles.
So even if you don't "trust" the OLM to be the sole determinant of oil life, why not use the technology? Pick a % oil life remaining (25%?, 30?, 50?) you're comfortable with and change it then. It's a heck of a lot more reliable than a simple months/miles schedule and will take care of your "severe service" conundrum.
So even if you don't "trust" the OLM to be the sole determinant of oil life, why not use the technology? Pick a % oil life remaining (25%?, 30?, 50?) you're comfortable with and change it then. It's a heck of a lot more reliable than a simple months/miles schedule and will take care of your "severe service" conundrum.
This is where the GM OLM shines.
It calculates cold starts, excessive idling, and short trips much differently than long, lazy trips on the interstate.
The OLM on my niece's Grand Am (Ecotec) had me changing the oil around 1000 miles sooner in the winter months, than in the spring/summer/fall months.
One summer, she took it on a road trip to Florida. That change went a little over 7000 miles (when the "norm" was usually every 4500 miles).
It calculates cold starts, excessive idling, and short trips much differently than long, lazy trips on the interstate.
The OLM on my niece's Grand Am (Ecotec) had me changing the oil around 1000 miles sooner in the winter months, than in the spring/summer/fall months.
One summer, she took it on a road trip to Florida. That change went a little over 7000 miles (when the "norm" was usually every 4500 miles).
You can reach normal oil temp in 5 miles of driving in the cold?
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
You can reach normal oil temp in 5 miles of driving in the cold?
YES!
With you foot on the gas to the floor, with a trailer, up hill, flat tires, a quart low on oil,coolant and brains, and the radiator grille blocked by snow.
I think I'm missing something though...
You can reach normal oil temp in 5 miles of driving in the cold?
YES!
With you foot on the gas to the floor, with a trailer, up hill, flat tires, a quart low on oil,coolant and brains, and the radiator grille blocked by snow.
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Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
I just make it easy and service the car every 5,000 miles. Am I over-servicing it? Probably. But it's easy, I don't lose ANY sleep over whether I've waited too long, and it's something for which I can plan ahead.
I'm in line with this one....every 5k with quality oil and filter and no worries either way.
I just make it easy and service the car every 5,000 miles. Am I over-servicing it? Probably. But it's easy, I don't lose ANY sleep over whether I've waited too long, and it's something for which I can plan ahead.
I'm in line with this one....every 5k with quality oil and filter and no worries either way.
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
This is where the GM OLM shines.
It calculates cold starts, excessive idling, and short trips much differently than long, lazy trips on the interstate.
The OLM on my niece's Grand Am (Ecotec) had me changing the oil around 1000 miles sooner in the winter months, than in the spring/summer/fall months.
One summer, she took it on a road trip to Florida. That change went a little over 7000 miles (when the "norm" was usually every 4500 miles).
My Element and my gf's Civic seem to do the same thing, summer OCIs run longer than cold winter OCIs. So far, I feel confident following the OLM. I'm actually planning to extend the intervals slightly since both vehicles seem to be geared towards a conventional oil and my UOAs indicate that on synthetic, there's plenty of life left in the oil.
This is where the GM OLM shines.
It calculates cold starts, excessive idling, and short trips much differently than long, lazy trips on the interstate.
The OLM on my niece's Grand Am (Ecotec) had me changing the oil around 1000 miles sooner in the winter months, than in the spring/summer/fall months.
One summer, she took it on a road trip to Florida. That change went a little over 7000 miles (when the "norm" was usually every 4500 miles).
My Element and my gf's Civic seem to do the same thing, summer OCIs run longer than cold winter OCIs. So far, I feel confident following the OLM. I'm actually planning to extend the intervals slightly since both vehicles seem to be geared towards a conventional oil and my UOAs indicate that on synthetic, there's plenty of life left in the oil.
After 5 mins of idling and then 5 miles, yes. I keep it under 3k rpms.
After draining my FF, the oil was quite thick for a 0w20 and was black and smelled like fuel. After putting in M1, i have not been convinced that the olm is accurate.
Originally Posted By: Dyusik
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
You can reach normal oil temp in 5 miles of driving in the cold?
YES!
With you foot on the gas to the floor, with a trailer, up hill, flat tires, a quart low on oil,coolant and brains, and the radiator grille blocked by snow.
I think I'm missing something though...
Oil takes a surprisingly long time to reach operating temperature.
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
You can reach normal oil temp in 5 miles of driving in the cold?
YES!
With you foot on the gas to the floor, with a trailer, up hill, flat tires, a quart low on oil,coolant and brains, and the radiator grille blocked by snow.
Oil takes a surprisingly long time to reach operating temperature.
I am waiting for the OLM on my 2013 Silverado to get below 10% then change and send in a sample. Right now at 14%. This was for my own curiosity. Probably after that, I will revert back to a mileage interval of some sort. Not that I don't trust the OLM, but it is one of many things on my pickup that I have either ignored or downright disabled because I didn't want something that the OEM feels I can't live without and is going to make me pay for it whether I want it or not. The cylinder shutdown, daytime running lights, park sensors all come to mind. Those are all disabled now. I will just ignore the OLM. Just because a technology is made available to the consumer doesn't mean they need or want it. They gave me Onstar and Sirius XM also. Those I have also let slide into history for this pickup. Just don't need or want to pay for. I have no personal vehicles used for commuter stuff, as I live rural and own my own business. The pickup is just a tool to get things done. I hardly ever even turn the radio on.
Check out page two for this specific comparison of ambient temperatures verses coolant and oil temperatures. The oil takes time to reach temperature after the water is up to temp.
Oil took about 17 minutes to peak while coolant peaked at nearly 5 minutes into the drove.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...nt=2&page=2
Oil took about 17 minutes to peak while coolant peaked at nearly 5 minutes into the drove.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...nt=2&page=2
I didn't finish my thought with that one lol I was leaving work! But I lost my trust in the OLM when I heard the stories, backed up by paperwork by a customer who I talked to at the dealership who had his timing chain expand due to too long of an oil change from the OLM. The filter along with the screens became so clogged up that the tensioner and chain began to stretch beyond allowable limits. Thankfully, a tech saw this and made it a note to the service manager who had this fixed under warranty. HONESTLY, the only time I can recall a dealership being honest.
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
This is where the GM OLM shines.
It calculates cold starts, excessive idling, and short trips much differently than long, lazy trips on the interstate.
The OLM on my niece's Grand Am (Ecotec) had me changing the oil around 1000 miles sooner in the winter months, than in the spring/summer/fall months.
One summer, she took it on a road trip to Florida. That change went a little over 7000 miles (when the "norm" was usually every 4500 miles).
I saw that as well on the '03 Park Avenue. However, the OLM in my '11 Regal seems to click down 1% every 60 miles or so, no matter whether I'm driving my usual 10 miles to work and back in colder temps, or on the highway to and from Amarillo in May. The OLM dropped at the same rate during that 2K road trip last year as if I'd been driving ~2 months of my usual 70% city routine, during which I'd have done about -- you guessed it -- 2K miles.
This is not to denigrate the OLM. The engine in the Park Avenue was the venerable 3.8, a low-revving old-school I6. The mill in the Regal is the new DI 4-cylinder Ecotec. So the OLM is clearly accounting for different conditions; it's not a one-size-fits-all device.
This is where the GM OLM shines.
It calculates cold starts, excessive idling, and short trips much differently than long, lazy trips on the interstate.
The OLM on my niece's Grand Am (Ecotec) had me changing the oil around 1000 miles sooner in the winter months, than in the spring/summer/fall months.
One summer, she took it on a road trip to Florida. That change went a little over 7000 miles (when the "norm" was usually every 4500 miles).
I saw that as well on the '03 Park Avenue. However, the OLM in my '11 Regal seems to click down 1% every 60 miles or so, no matter whether I'm driving my usual 10 miles to work and back in colder temps, or on the highway to and from Amarillo in May. The OLM dropped at the same rate during that 2K road trip last year as if I'd been driving ~2 months of my usual 70% city routine, during which I'd have done about -- you guessed it -- 2K miles.
This is not to denigrate the OLM. The engine in the Park Avenue was the venerable 3.8, a low-revving old-school I6. The mill in the Regal is the new DI 4-cylinder Ecotec. So the OLM is clearly accounting for different conditions; it's not a one-size-fits-all device.
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