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OIL LIFE SENSOR Question

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Old 07-28-2008, 01:45 PM
  #11  
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Originally Posted by Leon
That other post said the "Change Oil Soon" will come on at 10%, I just changed mine at 9% and never saw anything. When is it supposed to say to change the oil?
The message appears when it goes below 10%, since yours didn't you need a new engine.
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Old 07-28-2008, 01:49 PM
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Originally Posted by HHR_ROX_CALI
So what do you guys think about THIS explanation of the oil life monitor on another forum?
I take zinc when I feel a sore throat coming on. So it must be good for our engines too.
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Old 07-28-2008, 04:09 PM
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Originally Posted by hyperv6
Keep in mind the SS will be set for Syn since it comes with it.
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.
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Old 07-28-2008, 08:45 PM
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Originally Posted by 02z28
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
I lived in Alaska in the late 70's. Ran straight 5 wt
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Old 07-28-2008, 08:53 PM
  #15  
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Originally Posted by ChevyMgr
The message appears when it goes below 10%, since yours didn't you need a new engine.
You know this is a bit off but a year back when i had the truck, I bought some of those tire valve caps that stay green when there isproper air in the tires and turn red if they're low.

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!
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Old 07-29-2008, 05:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Hib Halverson
The oil life monitor only reads two parameters: number of engine revolutions since the last reset and the oil temperature history since the last reset.......
This isn't exactly correct, Hib. According to the May 2003 GM Techlink article titled "GM Oil Life System Revisited", the OLS monitors miles driven, temperature, and engine load. The system is programmed with a set number of engine revolutions and decrements the count as each revolution occurs. The OLS monitors temperature for high and low readings along with engine load for high readings and additionally 'penalizes' the engine revolution count by subracting more revolutions during these events.

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
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Old 07-30-2008, 12:19 PM
  #17  
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Thats funny, I also have the same combo, A Vette an HHR
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Old 07-30-2008, 06:30 PM
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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!
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Old 08-09-2008, 01:41 PM
  #19  
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Originally Posted by 405HP_Z06
This isn't exactly correct, Hib. According to the May 2003 GM Techlink article titled "GM Oil Life System Revisited",
(snip)
[/CODE]
Will due respect....actually, what I said before IS correct.

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
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Old 08-09-2008, 11:03 PM
  #20  
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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.
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