Mazda Changed the Maximum OCI for SkyActiv Lineup

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RamFan

RamFan

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Hi all!

As some of you may be aware, I've been doing several UOAs on my CX-5 as I thought the OLM system was a bit optimistic. Check out this thread for review. I mailed my 4th sample on 3/6 so hopefully I get those results soon. In doing more research I stumbled on a Mazda specific forum and was made aware that the OCI was shortened starting in '18. I decided to dig into that statement, at first I thought that this was perhaps done since Mazda introduced cylinder deactivation for MY18, but that wasn't correct. The change actually occurred for MY17, this means that Mazda decreased the maximum interval on a largely unaltered engine. Has Mazda perhaps noticed that their OLM was letting owners go a bit too far and decided to scale back?

The 2016 2.5l produces 184 horsepower, whereas the 2017 produces 187. I can't find any materials which highlight mechanical changes made to earn this increase, I have however read that there were tweaks made to throttle/transmission response so I assume that these were software/electronic changes. If anyone is has more information, please share.

Below are the snippets from each respective manual.

2016

2017
 
interesting. I know the OLM is very optimistic. I believe I had gone 8k miles and it said I still had 50% life left. I started changing my oil around 6k miles even though I can barely even make it to 3k without having to top off the oil.
 
For 2017 the SkyActiv 2.5 Engine got a slightly redesigned piston and newly designed rings.

For my CX5 I’m still sticking with 5k oci since I short trip and 5k is about one year anyway.
 
Maybe they've noticed too much fuel dilution with the longer intervals so they decided to scale it back just to be safe?
 
Originally Posted By: Patman
Maybe they've noticed too much fuel dilution with the longer intervals so they decided to scale it back just to be safe?


This is precisely what I'm wondering. If I had to assume, I'd say this is the answer.

I have an e-mail out to Mazda so we shall see what, if anything, they say.
 
When I picked up our 17 the salesman gave us the two options for oil change intervals, 5000 and 7500 miles. The IOM was never mentioned.
 
Originally Posted By: PimTac
When I picked up our 17 the salesman gave us the two options for oil change intervals, 5000 and 7500 miles. The IOM was never mentioned.


I'm actually impressed by this. I've never had a salesman know about the maintenance protocol when purchasing a vehicle. Wish more salesmen would truly learn about the vehicles they're selling.
 
The manual for my 2012 Skyactiv indicates 7,500 as the OCI. I've been going 30,000 with microGreen filters so I change the filter every 10K and the oil every 30K with a total of one quart of top-off oil after the filter changes. UOA results were decent, too.
 
Originally Posted By: DBMaster
The manual for my 2012 Skyactiv indicates 7,500 as the OCI. I've been going 30,000 with microGreen filters so I change the filter every 10K and the oil every 30K with a total of one quart of top-off oil after the filter changes. UOA results were decent, too.


Starting with 2016 Mazda put an OLM in the CX-5. The caveat was that if you reach 1 year or 10k miles you need to change the oil regardless of what the OLM says. This was changed in 2017 to a maximum of 1 year or 7.5k miles.
 
Originally Posted By: RamFan
Originally Posted By: PimTac
This video has some explanations of the changes for 2017.

https://youtu.be/nMke4Fl4gyw


The only change I know if for 2018 is the cylinder deactivation.


Great video, thank you!




There was another video by Dave Coleman where he held one of the new rings to show but I cannot find it anymore. It’s a bi-directional design.
 
The best OLM is on my 2010 Mustang GT. It always goes off within 5,000 miles so I can rely on it. Others have gone as long as 8,000 miles on GM cars. I think that's too long as many had issues with timing chains, etc.
 
Glad to know Mazda is using a real OLM now
thumbsup2.gif
 
Which is why I totally ignore the OLM in both my Jeeps. There are a few brands that changed oil grades or cut back on the OLM for various reasons. I'd rather spend the extra few dollars a year on oil and filters then rely on the OLM.
27.gif
 
After seeing the condition inside some engines that used the OLM I wouldn't trust one. How many times do we see manufacturers change their mind and shorted the OCI after engines start having issues.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
After seeing the condition inside some engines that used the OLM I wouldn't trust one. How many times do we see manufacturers change their mind and shorted the OCI after engines start having issues.


We have also seen it go the other way too. On the 97 and 98 Corvettes, the OLM counted down faster than it did on the 99-04s. That's because the maximum mileage the early ones would let you go would be 10,000 miles but then when they updated it they would allow for a max of 15k.

However a lot has changed since then, now that the Corvettes have direct injection, the OLM counts down quicker, I have not heard of anyone going longer than 7k on the C7s before it hits zero. It also now has a time factor too, so if you reset the OLM and don't even drive it at all, it will still be counting down that entire time and will hit zero after exactly one year.

Like I have done with all of my cars that have OLMs, I don't just immediately trust it and let it go right to zero. I always check via UOAs to make sure it's safe. On every car I've owned with an OLM, my UOAs have shown them to be safe to trust for my driving conditions.
 
Originally Posted By: Patman
Originally Posted By: Trav
After seeing the condition inside some engines that used the OLM I wouldn't trust one. How many times do we see manufacturers change their mind and shorted the OCI after engines start having issues.


We have also seen it go the other way too. On the 97 and 98 Corvettes, the OLM counted down faster than it did on the 99-04s. That's because the maximum mileage the early ones would let you go would be 10,000 miles but then when they updated it they would allow for a max of 15k.

However a lot has changed since then, now that the Corvettes have direct injection, the OLM counts down quicker, I have not heard of anyone going longer than 7k on the C7s before it hits zero. It also now has a time factor too, so if you reset the OLM and don't even drive it at all, it will still be counting down that entire time and will hit zero after exactly one year.

Like I have done with all of my cars that have OLMs, I don't just immediately trust it and let it go right to zero. I always check via UOAs to make sure it's safe. On every car I've owned with an OLM, my UOAs have shown them to be safe to trust for my driving conditions.


True but here's the rub. Imagine Joe car enthusiast who trusts the olm, but doesn't get a UOA to spot check it because he has faith in the engineers and car maker that designed and built his engine. A few years later he finds out there is a TSB to shorten the OCI. Extra wear, sludge, varnish etc. could be developing as a result, depending on how many miles is on the vehicle. There is no way of turning back the hands of time. OTOH if Joe car enthusiast got a UOA or two and determined with data that the OLM was working well for his application and driving conditions then by all means follow it. My UOA showed me I would be going too far on the oil had I opted to follow it. Yours confirmed you were OK, smart move on both our parts!
 
From reading various accounts on OLM behaviour on this forum and my own experience with Chrysler OLM, I think these systems are not well programmed for short trips, cold operation and city commutes. They do well for for long highway commuters though.

I've changed the the oil in our minivan without resetting the OLM several times now, to see how long it would go, and each time it would trip at about 8k miles. This thing is programmed for conventional oil and was operated almost 100% city trips less than 10 miles. And this is greater Toronto area, not some small town with few traffic lights.

There is absolutely no way I will follow the OLM in these conditions, even if I used synthetic oil.
 
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