OLM for chevy DI engine

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My sis 2016 chevy equinox olm is to 38 percent.
She asked me when she should take it in for oil change. To be on the safe side I was thinking 25 to 20 percent as it is the 2.4 direct injection engine.

I have never had to deal with olm before so what would be a good percentage to take it in if i want that engine to be clean of deposits and wear.

Being the sister of bitog member she is required to almost continuosly monitor the olm on the screen. She came back from 400 mile hwy trip and noted olm dropped by 2 percent. I think thats what she said.

Now if i could make her read the owners manual!
 
Originally Posted By: merconvvv
My sis 2016 chevy equinox olm is to 38 percent.
She asked me when she should take it in for oil change. To be on the safe side I was thinking 25 to 20 percent as it is the 2.4 direct injection engine.

I have never had to deal with olm before so what would be a good percentage to take it in if i want that engine to be clean of deposits and wear.

Being the sister of bitog member she is required to almost continuosly monitor the olm on the screen. She came back from 400 mile hwy trip and noted olm dropped by 2 percent. I think thats what she said.

Now if i could make her read the owners manual!

My 2015 malibu is DI, i follow the OLM down to 15-20% and change it. 15-20% is usually 5-6k. Make sure to keep an eye on the oil level on the 2.4L, they can b oil burners. Also i did a UAO on my last oil change and it still had plenty of life left w 16% left on the OLM W/ 6,200 miles.
 
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It just so happens I picked up a '10 Terrain with the 2.4l DI engine, and about 60,000 miles. We had a prior model 2.3l Quad IV back in the day, so am familiar with the motor, what it's like, how it sounds, OCI, etc.

When we got the terrain, it was still cold out, but the motor was a bit too noisy for my liking on the top end. I knew that this motor is supposed to be using Dexos or full synthetic oil in order to deal with direct injection, piston oil spray cooling, etc. I suspect that the prior owner did not use this oil, and then also, went by the OLM. I've changed the oil twice since I've owned it, using the proper oil, and not relying on the OLM. I also threw a bottle of PEA fuel treatment at each oil change. The motor has quieted down, ALOT. I suspect that cam followers would have been the least of the repairs had maintenance continued as the original owner had done.

I read that GM had an update to reflash the OLM and lessen the interval, I'm just going to use miles traveled instead. For me, it will be every 3000 miles, synthetic oil (or Dexos) and filter. Currently at 2500 miles, OLM is at about 40%, although I've noticed that the engine is getting a little bit louder, nowhere near what it was, but a bit. Oil is plenty darker too, so what the heck, I'll change it at 3k.

I figure this will be costing me an extra $100-$200 over the life of the vehicle for the smaller intervals, and my piece of mind. Hope this helps.
 
I have already decided what I am going to do for our two new 2.7 Ecoboost F-150's. Had two dealer initial changes at about 2k miles. But I am going to go with dealer changes at every 5k miles for warranty purposes. In between, at 2500, I am going to dump just the oil, no filter change, and refill roughly 5 quarts with the same Motorcraft 5W-30. That'll take care of fuel dilution.
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
GM (for my Colorado) says change the oil at zero, and no more than 1,000km after 0%


Are you implying you actually listen to GM
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: merconvvv
Originally Posted By: Shannow
GM (for my Colorado) says change the oil at zero, and no more than 1,000km after 0%


Are you implying you actually listen to GM
smile.gif




You can listen to a group of engineers who put a lot of work into developing the algorithm... or ask a random group of people on the Internet.

I keep an eye on mine and change it around 10%. Not because I think there is that much harm from going past the 0% but because it nags at me to know it is close to zero. I also fill my fuel tank well before the light comes on. It is more for my own peace of mind.
 
I like engineers !

But the criteria for designing the olm presented to the engineers is unknown to most of us.
If you know do share !

Car longevity v cost v convenience etc etc
Imagine if the olm had a few modes you could select from !

And its always nice to read what other bitog members are doing !!!
 
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merconvv, That is a 2016. GM reduced OCI's on those DI engines, and their 3.6L V6, amongst other DI engines, a long time ago. They are on top of it now.

A lot of dumping of oil above. You can have your cake and eat it too. Here is how: Use an oil that is better than the worst dexos1 oil available. Like Castrol Edge gold bottle or M1 EP or M1 Ann Prot or Amsoil SS or a dexos1 Gen2 (timing chain wear test in there) , with a Fram Ultra or Microgreen oil filter for better filtering, and then simply go to 0% OLM. ... That way you have the comfort margin we seek. ....

Do a motor oil blot test http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/348/check-car-oil to check for too much soot or sludge building up, like once a month or so.
backup_200207_Editor-Hand.jpg
 
On our 2.4 the olm was at 20% at 6800 miles so I changed it. I will do the same this go round and get a uoa. I am using Mobil1 AFE 0w30
 
Originally Posted By: merconvvv
I like engineers !

But the criteria for designing the olm presented to the engineers is unknown to most of us.
If you know do share !

Car longevity v cost v convenience etc etc
Imagine if the olm had a few modes you could select from !

And its always nice to read what other bitog members are doing !!!


When I got my car it was a demo, with 4,600km on it, and 15,000km/9 month servicing.

The engine had about 130 hours, and 30+ of them were idling...the OLM was 36 or 38% remianing, at
Now it's got 9,720km on it, has had two more hours idling, and a whole bunch more highway...OLM is at 10%.

I did 800km recently and it didn't move a jot (that could be 1+% depending on the unshown decimal positions).

So the OLM, based on it beaing a dealer demo is going to pull me up around the 11-12,000km mark, but would have at 6,500 if it has stayed at the dealer.

In the absence of such, we would have been stuck with a "binary" answer of "normal, 15,000km", "severe 7,500km", but I'm getting a mid point as the driving style changed.

So I think the GM engineers have factored a lot of what appears to be sensible logic into their OLM.
 
I would stick with the OLM. I forget the year but by 2016 they recalibrated the OLM for the DI engines which is very accurate and should be trusted. If she has limited miles I would just change it once a year
 
Yes sis was getting oil changes 3 mo/3k whichever comes first per dealer request. I figured she should save some money towards transmission flushes
smile.gif

So recommended her to balance oil changes by atleast monitoring the olm and her "nerves".

One interesting read on gm olm stated it uses mostly rpm and oil temp. Cold and hot oil temps in contrast to normal operating temp get penalized.
 
I should add that dealer does the ac delco full synthetic oil changes for 39.95 which is not bad. Thats why the which ever comes first 3k/3mo oil change seemed excessive and needed to be balanced by monitoring the olm too.
 
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Originally Posted By: KevinP
Originally Posted By: merconvvv
Originally Posted By: Shannow
GM (for my Colorado) says change the oil at zero, and no more than 1,000km after 0%


Are you implying you actually listen to GM
smile.gif




You can listen to a group of engineers who put a lot of work into developing the algorithm... or ask a random group of people on the Internet.

I keep an eye on mine and change it around 10%. Not because I think there is that much harm from going past the 0% but because it nags at me to know it is close to zero. I also fill my fuel tank well before the light comes on. It is more for my own peace of mind.


Yeah, the same engineers that screwed up the algorithm on my 3.6L in my Cadillac and there was a recall to reflash the ECM to get the OLM back in line where it should be for the engine. It was taking the drains far too long, upwards of 11,000 miles, and many were experiencing engine damage, specifically timing chain problems.

I never had that issue. I just change at 5000-6000 and call it good.
 
I have a Cobalt 2.2 Ecotec (not DI) that I've followed the OLM to 0% most of its life. Nearing 280K on a variety of syn and conv oils, all name brand tho. Wife's 11 Equinox is DI, I change at 5K intervals. Had M1 5w-30 Dexos since new, at 55K change I switched to Delvac 1 5w-40. No reason other than the more I read about DI, the less I trust no fuel dilution.
 
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