Oil life question

[iboughtatahoe23]

 

[iboughtatahoe23]

Not sure why the text didn’t upload but:

Oil life seems a bit low for only 1749 miles since last change. (2014 Tahoe)

Changed it at 168,832 miles. 2014 Tahoe 5.3 v8 doesn’t burn or leak oil. I can’t recall oil I used but iit was a decent synthetic brand and I used the right weight and all that. Added the right amount etc. typical oil change. Not to hard can’t really mess it up.

Anyways: for in town driving would this much oil life be acceptable for 1749 miles? I don’t ever travel. Just driving to work and stuff like that. And sometimes I let it idle for a bit to warm up. Maybe 5-10 min. My oil PSI is good too. And inspection on it recently

 

[B-train]

It used 63% that quickly? When do you normally change the oil? By the monitor (if so what %), or by mileage?

Is it possible the monitor didn't reset and now you are just seeing lower than before? I usually change mine at 5k, which is somewhere around the 40-50% oil life left per the truck. I occasionally forget to reset it, but don't really use it other than a check point.

If you did reset it, then my assumption is that lots of short trips with idle time in cold weather could cause that. There are all kinds of inputs that go into the calculation. The oil looks decent from what I can see.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

I'm not sure what your question is here.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

@iboughtatahoe23 That "oil life monitor" is just a timer, it doesn't actually mean anything.

As long as you can see your dipstick through the oil you are good, if the oil is so dark on the dipsticks that you can't see it then its time to replace it.

 

[Geotrash]

Is it possible the monitor didn't reset and now you are just seeing lower than before? I usually change mine at 5k, which is somewhere around the 40-50% oil life left per the truck. I occasionally forget to reset it, but don't really use it other than a check point.

+1. I find that oil change shops seldom reset the oil life minder.

My solution is to change the oil every 5K miles at 100K, 105K, 110K, 115K, etc so it's easy to remember.

 

[iboughtatahoe23]

+1. I find that oil change shops seldom reset the oil life minder.

My solution is to change the oil every 5K miles at 100K, 105K, 110K, 115K, etc so it's easy to remember.

I did reset the oil life gauge bc it was at 40% when I changed it last in August and there’s no way it used only 3% in 5-6 months.

Mileage is 170 K and it’s only been five months since I changed the oil and I’ve only put on less than 2K miles. Only factors I can think of is cold weather in the last few months, idling, high miles. Idk.

I changed it at 40% life last time to.

I bought it at 165k in February 23’ had fresh oil done that following march and changed again for 2nd time this last august at 168832 from 165k miles the first time and this time around I have oil life at 37% now in January and only have 1700 miles on the second oil change

 

[iboughtatahoe23]

It used 63% that quickly? When do you normally change the oil? By the monitor (if so what %), or by mileage?

Is it possible the monitor didn't reset and now you are just seeing lower than before? I usually change mine at 5k, which is somewhere around the 40-50% oil life left per the truck. I occasionally forget to reset it, but don't really use it other than a check point.

If you did reset it, then my assumption is that lots of short trips with idle time in cold weather could cause that. There are all kinds of inputs that go into the calculation. The oil looks decent from what I can see.

I did reset the oil life gauge bc it was at 40% when I changed it last in August and there’s no way it used only 3% in 5-6 months.



Yes to answer your question I do do a lot of short trips and idling and it is really cold here about 20° on average and been dipping below freezing lately. But my oil doesn’t look like 37% oil life?

 

[iboughtatahoe23]

I'm not sure what your question is here.

How my truck used 63% oil life In less than 2k miles basically. Did oil change myself and reset the oil life

 

[B-train]

I'd be more concerned with moisture accumulation in the motor given those type of miles and temps. Pull the fill cap and look for white snot from moisture. If it's clean, then I'd just run it

 

[Fless]

Short trips and lack of full warmups will contribute to decreased oil life. I'm not sure what the oil life monitor uses to calculate the percentage, but I would think it would take some of that into consideration. Otherwise it's useless.

 

[wjburken]

Do you have remote start? If so, how much are you using it? You're not putting miles on it, but the motor is still running.

 

[Geotrash]

Short trips and lack of full warmups will contribute to decreased oil life. I'm not sure what the oil life monitor uses to calculate the percentage, but I would think it would take some of that into consideration. Otherwise it's useless.

Curiosity got the better of me and I found this on another forum:

The GM OLM calculates an OCI based on idle time, engine revolutions, oil temp, coolant temp, ambient temp, oil pressure, and some other things. If it overheats, the OLM immediately goes to zero, upon reaching 260F.

Since the 2010s, GM also started including hard limits into the OLM: most GM cars from the past 10 years or so will have a max OCI of 7500 miles or one year, except the Volt, which has a max OCI of 2 years and no mileage limit. The hard limits probably started when GM introduced dexos oils, after they had some problems with the HFV6 timing chains from long OCI suggestions.

Older pre-dexos GM cars with the OLM didn't have any hard limits programmed into the computer, but suggested not to exceed a year or 12k.

More reading here:

GM's Oil-Life System Improves Timing of Oil Change

This past November General Motors announced the expanded inclusion of its oil change indicator on 90% of their production over the coming five years. The Oil-Life System is currently in use on some...

www.machinerylubrication.com

 

[j91z28d1]

Curiosity got the better of me and I found this on another forum:

The GM OLM calculates an OCI based on idle time, engine revolutions, oil temp, coolant temp, ambient temp, oil pressure, and some other things. If it overheats, the OLM immediately goes to zero, upon reaching 260F.

Since the 2010s, GM also started including hard limits into the OLM: most GM cars from the past 10 years or so will have a max OCI of 7500 miles or one year, except the Volt, which has a max OCI of 2 years and no mileage limit. The hard limits probably started when GM introduced dexos oils, after they had some problems with the HFV6 timing chains from long OCI suggestions.

Older pre-dexos GM cars with the OLM didn't have any hard limits programmed into the computer, but suggested not to exceed a year or 12k.

More reading here:

GM's Oil-Life System Improves Timing of Oil Change

This past November General Motors announced the expanded inclusion of its oil change indicator on 90% of their production over the coming five years. The Oil-Life System is currently in use on some...

www.machinerylubrication.com

volt limits are wild.. I'm surprised it says 2 years. I sware I've gone longer than that. one of my changes was at 26k the next at 65k and 84k

Gen 1's are a tank. sadly Gen 2's are like a ls after they added afm lol.

 

[Marky Dissod]

The GM OLM calculates an OCI based on idle time, engine revolutions, oil temp, coolant temp, ambient temp, oil pressure, and ...
... some other things ...

Like WHAT? Damnt! Thanks, GM.

If it overheats, the OLM immediately goes to zero, upon reaching 260F.

Cheezits Greisd. Overheating is 239F! Damnt again! Thanks again, GM.
And what's in Marvel Mystery Oil?!?!?!
ANYWAY ...

"Change the oil every 3000 miles" can only mean the exact same thing to the two vehicles sharing the exact same drive cycle.
Miles are so easy to count. Everything ELSE the Oil Life Monitor is counting is nearly impossible for normal drivers to count ...
... but ...
3000 city miles stuck in Manhattan or Los Angeles stop'n'go with several cold engine restarts a day simply HAS to be far worse for the engine than 4500 highway miles where the only reason to stop the vehicle / engine is to refuel and every restart is warm because the tank just got refueled.

I very much like the IDEA of basing the oil (and filter changes) on more factors than just miles ... in principle.
Then again, if GM says overheating is 127C - 260F? REALLY?! - the OLM's other calculation ceilings / margins are also likely too high / long / otherwise generous.

I say overheating is 239F, damnt; 9% less than GM says. Imagine if there were 9% less warped heads ...

... to be continued ...

 

[Marky Dissod]

Most NYC cabdrivers / livery drivers / chauffeurs apply the following 'skew' to the Oil Life Monitor:
If mileage is mostly all highway miles (NOT NYC), they'll change oil when the oil life monitor hits 17%, but NEVER over 5000 miles.
If mileage is more highway than local, they'll change oil when oil life hits 20%, but NEVER over 4000 miles.
If mileage is more local than highway, they'll change oil when oil life hits 25%, but NEVER over 3500 miles.
If mileage is mostly all local miles (NYC, 5 boros, stop'n'go, LOTS of idling, but also lots of restarts), they'll change oil when oil life hits 33%.
If they intend to keep that car after the lease is up, they may change the oil as often as every 2500 miles.

In all the years I've ever driven for a living, I NEVER met another driver for hire who would let the Oil Life Monitor hit 15%.
In all the years I've ever driven for a living, I NEVER met another driver for hire who would change the oil and filter AFTER 5000 miles.

In a previous post I mis-stated that "Monthly oil changes are normal for them."
What I meant to write was
An oil and filter change every five to six weeks is normal for NYC cabdrivers / livery drivers / chauffeurs.

 

[Geotrash]

Based on this learning I’m going to change my habits similarly. Nice.

 

[Foggy]

I did reset the oil life gauge bc it was at 40% when I changed it last in August and there’s no way it used only 3% in 5-6 months.



Yes to answer your question I do do a lot of short trips and idling and it is really cold here about 20° on average and been dipping below freezing lately. But my oil doesn’t look like 37% oil life?

Been almost 5 months.... IMO, doesn't matter what the oil life monitor says...
Change That Oil !!!

 

[iboughtatahoe23]

Been almost 5 months.... IMO, doesn't matter what the oil life monitor says...
Change That Oil !!!

The oil looks fine though. I’m confused guys. Less than 2k miles on the oil and yall say change it? Only thing I can think of is half idling and other half is due to restarts. I try not to let it idle. It is very cold where I am from in northeastern South Dakota

 

[iboughtatahoe23]

I want to say run it because my job uses all third Gen Tahoes and suburbans for our shop trucks because we travel around the state and we sample grain from grain elevators and we’re partnered with BNSF railway and agtegra locations

Anyway, these are invincible you know we run the oil up to 10 K miles some times. Highway miles tho. And they’ll take the beating no issues and if anything happens, we just slap a new engine in it and go.


I want to say I’m good and it’s just due to the cold weather and idling and a lot of stop and go traffic because I do not travel outside of town at all guys.

The 2008 Burban is pushing over 300k at my job lol