OIL LIFE SENSOR Question
#11
#13
This has to be correct because we have almost 2k miles on our SS and the display is reading 88% life remaining. Thats a 8+k change interval. I am going to change it at 3k, reset, and run whatever it tells me.
#14
anybody ever use 0W oil in their car? I saw it today and didn't think it could possibly be good, but I called up a friend and he said he's used and did actually see an increase in mpg. I've always used at least 5w30 synthetic in my newer cars, thicker standard oil in older cars
#15
I had newr tires ontheir for a year and nothing and I screwd these things on and had two flats the next morning but at least they did show red!
#16
There's a later article, that I can't find at the moment, that discusses additional factors for the Corvette that affect the engine revolution count.
Here's the article:
Code:
How often should engine oil be changed? - 3,000 miles (5000 km) - 5,000 miles (8000 km) - 7,500 miles (12000 km) - 10,000 miles (16000 km) Actually, all of these are correct, depending on operating conditions. Oil life is affected by many factors other than just miles driven. The type of driving, temperature, and engine load all play a part. That’s why GM has developed the GM Oil Life System, an electronic watchdog that keeps track of all these variables and notifies the driver when it’s time to change oil. We first told you about the GM Oil Life System in the March 2000 TechLink. Since then, the system has become standard equipment on nearly all GM products. Briefly, the Oil Life System is programmed with a certain number of engine revolutions. As the engine runs, this number is reduced until it reaches zero, and the Oil Life light or message comes on. But there’s more. Operating the engine under low or high temperatures, and under high load conditions subtracts (penalizes) extra revolutions, so the light comes on sooner. Changing engine oil according to actual need rather than an inflexible schedule provides several benefits. First is simpified determination about when to change oil. No more decisions about “normal” conditions vs. “severe” conditions. Second is reduced operating costs for GM’s customers, who now have to change oil only when it’s needed. Third is minimizing the amount of used oil that must be disposed of. And fourthrunning with suf- ficiently fresh oil, for long life. These benefits will be realized only if engine oil is actually changed as indicated by the GM Oil Life System. Some customers “get it” when it’s explained to them. Others may be reluctant to deviate from traditional oil change interval charts. So, part of the responsibility falls on retail service people to help get the message out. TIP: To help you do this, an IDL broadcast is being prepared. Consult the GM Training Program Guide and Schedule for “Understanding the GM Oil Life System” (PPS03.P1D). There’s More: Traditionally, the vehicle maintenance schedule has been based on miles or time, while the oil change interval is now based on the GM Oil Life System. This could result in customers having to bring their vehicles in for an oil change when the light comes on, only to find that the vehicle is due in a month for scheduled maintenance. That’s all changing. In the accompanying article “Simplified Maintenance Schedules”, you’ll learn how maintenance intervals are now being tied into the oil change intervals indicated by the Oil Life System. - Thanks to Jerry Garfield and Chuck Burns
#18
I use synthetic. If someone is pounding down the 1320 in 4 sec., dealing with 8,000 HP, is using Royal Purple or Red Line synthetic, that's all I need to know. I get mine serviced at the dealer, I go by the indicator (well, maybe at 20%), and doing this is cheaper than conventional oil every 5000 kms. If anything goes wrong...it's all warranty work baby! I got 4 more years and it'll be traded in before that! Maybe even another HHR, I love this thing!
#19
If you read that article and strip out all the fluffy stuff in it, the story says that the OLM considers two pieces of data 1) revolutions since the last reset and 2) the engine oil temp history during those revolutions. In the article you posted there is no reference to miles driven that I can find.
Now it might count the revs up or down and it may apply an oil temperature trend as a "penalty" that accelerates the count down, but in the end the Oil Life Moniter looks at two data parameters: number of engine revolutions and oil temperature.
Last edited by Hib Halverson; 08-09-2008 at 01:44 PM. Reason: added content
#20
What I read actually states "The type of driving, temperature, and engine load all play a part." That to me says a person that drives with a light throttle on the highway in the heat of the summer will get better life from their oil than one who does full throttle runs from stop light to stop light in cooler temps. Also, if you are driving a fully loaded car in hilly terrain, that will change the load which it says is taken into consideration in the "engine load" portion of the statement. These different types of driving can be done without changing the oil temp appreciably. If the algorithm also monitors the throttle, a very important piece of information is added. I don't know if that's how they do it, but they state that they do take those factors into consideration. Either way, I trust it.