The Accuracy of OIL LIFE Indicators REVEALED!
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- Ever wondered if your car's oil life indicator is more of a guess than a guarantee? Discover how accurate oil life indicators really are as we compare used oil analysis results to what the GM Oil Life Indicator predicted. They don't actually test the oil, so how close to correct are they? These test results provide the proof of just how accurate these indicators are. We've got the answers, backed by a detailed used oil analysis test you won't want to miss!
It is worth noting, this engine was already broken-in, so these results do not apply to a brand new engine. For more information on that, check out this video on oil change intervals for new engines:
• AVOID the ONE MISTAKE ...
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Who is the @themotoroilgeek ? I'm a Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Certified Lubrication Specialist and Oil Monitoring Analyst (I've maintained both of those for over a decade). I also worked for Joe Gibbs Racing for 12 years as their lubricant specialist. During that time, we worked with Wix Filters (one of our sponsors) to test and develop filters for our race engines. We also worked with Lubrizol and Chevron-Phillips Chemical to test and develop oils for our race cars. Following that, I was the head of R&D for Driven Racing Oil. During that time, I formulated and tested over 50 products. We also worked with Cummins, Comp Cams, Oak Ridge National Labs and General Motors on various R&D products. Those efforts are recorded in peer reviewed white papers published by SAE International and ACS Sustainable Chemistry journals. I also own and operate SPEEDiagnostix, which provides used oil analysis.
#oilchange #motoroil #engine #syntheticoil #oilanalysis
When Lake does an oil analysis of a rental car, then you know he's THE MOTOR OIL GEEK!! Thanks for doing this video on OLI's.
Thanks!
He's not going to let his own car get down to 9% remaining life!
@@themotoroilgeek do you have a video on changing your oil filter every other time? I have some hobby cars that only get maybe 1000 miles max a year. I don’t always change the filters every oil change.
I’m not talking anything exotic. 2 hot rods with high mileage 403 Oldsmobile engines. I’m running synthetic diesel oil because I got it for free from a friend. Also have an 87 Dakota with the 3.9 that I run around in during the summer.
I am a chemical engineer and your channel is a treasure trove of knowledge and additional information that I can learn and understand about oils
Thank you!
Agreed 👍🏻 💯
@bf, do you have any experience with PAO's , and are you near Atlanta?
Change oil every 3 to 4000 miles irregardless of the monitor.
@@bradhodgkinson7996 Must be low quality oil not to last no longer than 4K. I high quality synthetic should go 7500K minimum. If not your are wasting money.
Personally speaking here:
I have a f150 with the 3.7 in it, and I use pennzoil ultra platinum full synthetic 5-20w. And for the last 5yrs I don’t let the oil life get below 50% (it averages out to about 5,000 miles) before I get my oil changed. I have a 20min commute (10city/10highway) Mon-Friday, and I drive with common sense (my daughter says I drive like an old man 🤷♂️ lol). I do take longer drives/trips on the weekends, but my driving habits are the same. I know getting my oil changed at 50% is definitely early, however I see it as oil is cheap but engines are expensive. She runs like a top (with 130k on it); no leaks, no hesitation, no sputtering, just silky smooth. 🤷♂️ 😊
Interesting, you should try out the blackstone labs oil sampling. See what your's is doing
It's nice to see someone understand that oil is cheaper than engines. I've seen people be cheap trying to skimp on filters, push longer miles between changes, using cheaper oils not rated for teh application and in the end you spend a few thousand on a turbo or some other repair. THe money you save on cheap oil changes wont pay the taxes on one of those big engine repairs.
@@wethepeople1776x you should just double the oil change intervals. The oil manufacturers say it's OK. I'm joking. Keep taking great care of the engine.
That Ford 3.7L V6 N/A engine is excellent. We've had many Transit cargo vans w/it get huge mileage before we sell vans (running great & employees will bid on em). Consistent basic maintenance practices is key. Only full synthetic engine oil (that meets Ford specs) like Pennzoil Platinum or Motorcraft Full Synthetic which i use both personally & business uses predominantly Motorcraft. OEM filters fine as well if stay below 6k mis. Top Tier rated fuels highly recommended by Ford & everyone. My 24 Ranger Raptor 4wd truck had 1st oil change (Motorcraft full synthetic 5w30) b4 1500mis - use top tier rated midgrade 89/93 fuel only. Gen2 3.0L twin turbo seems like it so far! Engineering perspective.
@@sasquatchcrew Blackstone is def okay. There are better oil analysis places I've learned for same price. Use top tier rated fuel in your vehicles esp if GDI/GTDI.
Honesty and Intelligence= Lake Speed,Jr.
Thank you!
@@themotoroilgeek most welcome and well deserved!
I used to be that guy who trusted oil life monitors or intervals determined by the manufacturer. That stopped when a company I worked for saw ~30 F150 5.0 engines go bad. They asked us to start doing 5K changes and I adopted that for my personal cars.
I can’t say it definitely helped, but the later trucks seemed to have fewer problems.
There maybe some who agree but all I can speak for are the two current members who wrote the algorithm in GM’s software. The 3 lake discussed retired decades ago. 2000 was the introduction of the drivers info center with oil life for most models and all had it by 2002. They tested the oil every 1,000 miles at a 3rd party lab and it took the 2 yrs to cover all engine / vehicle packages. It is very conservative software.
I rebuilt Ford engines from the 70’s will at a shop in 82. I was shocked to find all ring ends lined up and two #3 rods stamps and five #7’s. Go figure? Customer said he bought it new.
@@deankay4434
Piston rings are always rotating while the engine is running and the end gaps can align at any time. I've rebuilt hundreds of both 2 & 4 stroke motorcycle, ATV, PWC engines and occasionally I found ring ends aligning.
Two #3 and five #7 rods? That's only a seven cylinder engine. What about the other one? I believe the letter on the rods represents the weight of it. If so they all should be the same letter unless the crankshaft is out of balance. The lighter part of the crankshaft would need a heavier rod while a heavier part would need lighter rod to balance the assembly.
Also u should not just change the oil according to mileage it also goes according to months so if you did not drive much in 3 months u still need to change it even if you drove 1 mile cause the oil goes bad with time in the motor not just mileage
@@settledontheprairie5524 There is a differencebetween GM's oil life monitor and the simple mile counters nearly every other manufacturer is using. The subject of this vehicle was the GM monitor.
@@cliffords.8341 I am not going to write a letter to someone I don’t know. This is true information and if you choose to pick it apart, so be it. I will not engage in a battle of Witt’s with an unarmed person!
I wonder how many heads exploded this morning? I know its going to be a good day when my friend Lake uploads a video.
Thanks!
Great video. I was in a driving situation that almost mirrored the little old lady driving to church but my ambient temperatures were 90-100F. The car hit 5% oil life at around 1200 miles and I would say 5 months. I think you are right that they are not accurate but can be trusted in the sense that it will get most people to change their oil on a more appropriate timetable without having to be mechanically inclined.
His point is that they are accurate... At least GM's is.
@@bobbygetsbanned6049meant to say precise, but he did say they were conservative and the test reflected that
that's why even a highly praised system being "conservative" should tell you that the 3k/5k oil change mark is still a good standard to stick by.
2011 GMC Sierra 4.8. 170k. Changed oil when OLM showed 4%/7k miles on oil. Sent it to Blackstone for analysis. They said I could go another 2k on the oil. No issues at all. Penzoil Ultra Platinum 5W/30. I will continue to use the oil life monitor. Even if it can go 9000 mi, I do not mind changing it 2000 miles earlier.
2016 3.6 LFX. Use same oil, ran to 0%, sent a sample to black stone less than 5PPM/1kMI. Viscosity and TBN showed plenty of life left. I still change at 5%, but now I trust the computer.
Yes another win for the PUP
The bigger issue is oil level indicators that don’t work
Yup, what year bmw had a broken oil level ratio system? 2016? They had new and full oil but would keep saying to “add oil to engine” after an oil change
@@knucklesskinner253 bmw is exactly who i was referring to. I also think some stop working entirely and always read “full” which could explain why you see so many engines getting trashed from rod bearing failure
I’m a Volvo technician and I saw it on a customer car. She said sometimes she would get a low oil pressure message. Oil level indicator on the display read “full”. Even when I used the factory scan tool to check the oil level, it was ok. Finally, when I drained the oil into a bucket to measure how much came out, I got the truth. It had 1.5 quarts of oil in the engine that has a capacity of 6.0 quarts!
@@ericsproutthe rod bearing failure was the clearances for the rods and the high viscosity oil the engines required. You only saw rod bearing issues on the M cars S engines. The normal non M engines didn’t have rod bearing issues.
Anyone who drives should be taught how to physically check engine oil. Sure an electronic monitor is convenient but. .. ...
I once went 8000 mostly highway miles with a 130k mile 2012 Avalon (GRE-V6) using Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, and began getting valve train noise. I changed it and it drastically lessened, then changed it again after 1000 miles and we haven't had that noise since. I'm never going over 6000 miles again. I now aim for 4-5k.
The same thing happened to my Chevy Equinox. I went for oil changes every 7k miles and started noticing excessive engine kicking noises.
Changed the oil immediately and started changing the oil every 2k miles from then on. Never had that knocking issue since.
Try bonding a lubricant to your engine. It will reduce wear by 50~90% and extend the life of your oil. You'll never get that valve train noise again without having to resort to more frequent oil changes.
@@MichaelCzajka How is this done?
Try Quaker State Full Synthetic 5W30 (not Ultimate Protection/must be 5W30). As per 540RAT Engineering Blog it’s his dynamically tested current #1. He says the thinner mandated oils were designed to save fuel that we can never measure in our own usage. He said modern liquid cooled gasoline engines are “better served” using a highly ranked 5W30 on his list
You probably got the valvetrain noise because it was low on oil..these systems don't seem to take into account increased oil consumption as an engine wears and mileage increases...I don't EVER let an engine run low on oil, even if it consumes quite a bit of oil...here again, extra oil is cheaper than an engine....
I have been telling my customers for years on changing thier oil more often when driving fewer miles. I always told them that buying a car from a traveling salesman would be a good deal. I loved all the information that you shared. Thank you
Thanks!
I find driver's seat wear vs milage is a good indicator of short trips. If the seat is trashed at relatively low miles then the driver was in and out a lot per mile.
I did not realize how sophisticated these programs are. But we had a 2006 suburban that drove around 250k miles before we traded it and I used the oil life indicator to change oil. I guess they work.
Did you drive a 2006 Chevy suburban? Or was that another car brand?
For many newer cars, the engine pistons and piston rings are so thin/light that it only takes a little bit of bad oil to ruin the whole engine.
Have a travel pattern that puts you at 100k miles in the same number of years while using that oil life counter and thenoutcome is WAY different. I see few problems with do it when it says to cars 6 years old and 100k miles. Same deal but 12 years at that milage and they've spent money on leaks and maybe need cam phasers and chains and hardware.
Yep, a friend of mine drove less than a mile to work in his '95 Silverado. His oil always looked like a butterscotch milkshake and the back end of his exhaust rusted out several times ---until he retired, then the issues stopped.
Your friend is a dullard. White male MAGA dullard. Impossible to repair a MAGA males brain. Incapable of learning. Incapable of accepting information which is contrary to their confirmation bias.
I do a lot of short trips and idling in the winter. I try to get it up to highway speed and operating temp a couple times a week. I reduced my idling in winter a lot by putting in one of those Chinese diesel heater eberspacher knockoffs
Ask any owner of an early 3.6 liter 24v GM V6 owner how inaccurate these were. Customers believing a 10K change interval, and never checking oil levels led to numerous lower end engine failures. A very informative video, thank you!
I had a 2004 Cadillac DeVille with 10,000 mile oil change interval. The engine did not make it to 100,000 miles. Cylinder #5 got fouled with oil. I'm guessing piston ring failure.
You are voting for donald aren't you? Be proud sport.
@@joe-p9k4n You are voting for donald aren't you? Be proud sport.
Well the OLM has nothing to do with oil level so if they never checked the oil level, that is on them, no matter the interval recommended.
But it is entertaining though to read people go, " The OLM says my oil is at 10%, do I really need to refill it?" I mean first it is oil life monitor not a level monitor.... But even if it was a level indicator, why would you wait until 10% to refill it? You would be starving the engine for oil at that point.....
@@stephencurry8552here comes the troll.
At GM, two guys took samples at 1k mile intervals at 21 different perimeters from drive cycles, time at temp, re-fueling. An algorithm, not a 3k counter. They sent the sample out to a 3rd party lab for analysis. Then repeated this on 16 different engine families. They set oil life monitors readings on the conservative side as they knew that people would ignore the display for what other reading! We had a lady who bought a new Buick 3.6 V-6 and had it towed at 16,000 miles with no oil & factory yellow chalk mark on the filter. She indicated the 0% reading came on at 12,000 miles. At 0% it still had 7% usage for her driving habits. Short trips kill oil. We have to educate customers on driving habits and the oil life monitor. This used 32 inputs to calculate oil life. How do your customers drive?
Retired Master tech.
Somestimes I need to use my motorcycle and I like to run for 3-7km. Is that considered a very short trip?
@@magichatake Depends on if air cooled or not? But this is why guys check it and wipe a small amount across their finger. If opaque and you can’t see thru it, change is due. If the oil retracts away from the edges of the dip stick, then it was gasoline (Petrol) in it, change. If you see thru it and see finger prints and it sticks to the stick, it’s good!
It’s just like reading spark plugs on a race engine. Too lean and the insulators are white, the engine can blow up! Top fuel dragsters are torn down between races, fitted with new rings, gaskets and piano wire combustion chamber seals.
ASE Master tech since 1978.
@@magichatake Yes - that's a short trip. The problem with short trips, especially at cold temps is that the oil doesn't get above boiling (212 F - 100 C) for long enough to clear water and fuel dilution from the oil.
@@MathewPollard-vj4uq Oh, I forgot to say that I live in Brazil in a city where most of the time it's above 30º C (86º F)
@@magichatake great.
I bought a '98 Camry that was driven once a week 3/4 mile to the grocery store and back. I had no idea how bad that was for the engine. It burns a bunch of oil, and eventually burned a valve. Short trips are terrible!
Absolutely. Short trips are very hard on the oil.
I have a 2023 f250 7.3 and sent my oil off to be analyzed. It might be a coincidence, but it matched up to the oil life monitor of 8500 miles. Oil had plenty of life left and they said everything looked good. I did heavy off roading and some towing. Penzoil platinum ultra was the oil.
Thanks for sharing!
As a person who spent most of their life doing QA\QC in labs (and aircraft maintenance background prior), I have to throw a flag on your conclusion. You ran an analysis on a SINGLE sample. I will never make that sort of conclusion from a single. I need, at minimum, three sample FROM THE SAME CAR before I would have any confidence in the result. And that would be dependent on using the exact same oil (in this case I would buy enough for three complete changes and thoroughly mix it in a container that could be held under controlled conditions) AND three identical oil filters, hopefully from the same production lot. Then I have something for that SPECIFIC vehicle that I might hang my hat on. To say that all vehicles from that one manufacturer then would be the same would contain the same error is careless. I know the mega-gigga-wonerbytes of data that they have for their algorithms work out some of the issues, but I'd need to test every engine at least the three times before I'd sign off on it.
I have a Ford and a Mazda that have these monitors. The only thing I do with them is make sure that they have been properly reset after each oil change. Oil is much cheaper that a new engine. 5,000-mile intervals are good for this old QA guy. And oil is cheap. Edit: forgive me for not acknowledging that Mr Speed is "da man" in this field. This isn't meant to slight him at all.
He did point out that this is a random sample from a rental car.
I conclude that might be a good example of the random cars driven randomly.
I also note that rental cars are probably not driven short in town trips but rather are going somewhere on a highway.
Why don't you do an oil analysis to see? Can do one at 5,000 miles and if good increase it some. Maybe you may get to where the car says to change it and find the same thing.
It’s UA-cam, not a lab. Smh. People
@@cliffh8486 well, he does say that's what he does...
@@cliffh8486 and, I might add, I did add that I'm not just a random dude watching his videos. I have engine oil experience with B-52H and B-1B aircraft, as well as cars. Not to mention all the years in a quality lab. Hope you don't hurt yourself shaking your head 🙃.
GM debuted OnStar at the 1996 Chicago Auto Show, and it would hit the market in most 1997 Cadillac models as a telematics system, a precursor to contemporary connected cars. As cell phones were still relatively rare, OnStar's primary function was to serve in case of emergencies. With a touch, the driver could have doors locked or unlocked remotely or connect with an OnStar operator in case of an accident. If a vehicle's airbags were deployed in an accident, OnStar automatically connected an operator to aid as needed.
OnStar wasn't only useful in accidents. Its constant read on a vehicle's location not only made it useful in case of theft, but it also meant operators could possibly provide navigation guidance or recommend restaurants and hotels. OnStar functioned like an app long before apps were even a concept.
As OnStar's availability in GM vehicles expanded, so did its use. By early 2002, there were more than a million OnStar members, with that number eclipsing two million by the end of that year.
Thank you. I've been driving since the mid-'70s and I sure don't recall OnStar being around in the 1980s.
Thanks Lake! 👍
I'm about 100 miles past my 95 Cadillac Seville STS oil life change mileage, thanks to a front wheel bearing that decided it was time to Retire!
Being medically Retired myself, I'm on a TIGHT budget, and had to buy the parts and a few new tools to change the bearing before doing the oil change.
Interestingly enough, the OLI recommended oil change at 3000 miles, which is where I change it at anyway!
Going to change from Valvoline VR1 conventional 10w30 to the new Valvoline Restore and Protect 5w30 to see if I can reduce my current oil consumption down from about 800 miles per quart due to piston oil rings. Not unusual for a Northstar V8 with 125,000 miles, but I would like it better if I can get it down as it will reduce fuel contamination as well! 👍🤞
Mike in San Diego. 🌞🎸🚀🖖
Thanks for sharing!
This is why its important to plug in a block heater in cooler weather even if the owner thinks they don't need to because "it starts fine", in really cold weather it takes quite a while to warm the engine up from stone cold dead vs partly warmed up by the block heater. In fact with a V8 engine that is set up with a block heater on one bank of 4 cylinders, that side of the engine becomes warmer than the other side even though the coolant gets warmed up in general but not not as warm everywhere. It was shown that after a number of miles accumulated and yes this is in Canada with our harsh winters, testing the cylinders compression showed time and time again ( This is the GM 350 engine example ) that the bank of cylinders with the block heater had a notably higher compression than the cylinders in the bank on the opposite side. So just think of what happens if the block heater was not plugged in at all and doing the same cold weather starting day and and day out, how much faster an engine would wear out.
40 yrs ago, I walked past the Parking Lot at the Police Station, in Edmonton, and even though it was in the Summer and the Temp was 20+C, every Cop Car was Plugged in. I went inside, and asked why. I was told that the Car might be needed in a hurry, and they may need Full Power from the Get Go. A Cold Engine, even at 20C, would still have Cold Oil, and the Choke would still be applied, both of Which are bad for the Engine when Heavy Throttle was applied. I was also told that all the Cars had more than One Block Heater, so the Engine stayed Hot even in the Winter, which can go down to -40C.
The problem is that using an algorithm, you can trust it till your engine is in good conditions but when it gets older or if something happens and your getting problems (like fuel contamination do to piston rings wearings or problems to the fuel injectors ,coolent in your oil) and you don't realize in having problems, you can't trust it any more.
Yeah, I’m surprised he didn’t point this out. Maybe he did and I missed it. I feel like this video is setting people up for failure, thinking they can just go till it goes to 0% or beyond when this is only with one car with one specific engine and one specific oil. This is the least scientific test he could’ve done.
@@calvinwalker4654 I had an '03 Grand Prix and the manual said aim to change the oil at 20% oil life or 1 year, whichever comes first. The algorithm sounds like it's pretty conservative to begin with, so between that and advising an oil change with 20% remaining even wear should be accounted for.
@@calvinwalker4654 YESS!..when the engine gets on up in miles and starts consuming some oil, these systems are setting you up for trouble...USE THE DIPSTICK....
I drive a 2019 Chevy impala I didn't trust the oil life indicator before and i still don't trust it after this video. I change my oil every 5k miles and the oil life indicator will usually be at 30% to 40% oil life remaining when I change the oil
That's fine. They are very good vehicles & far more fun to drive than a Camry etc. Good choice. Stick to 5k mis max OCI using any good full synthetic oil meets GM Dexos rating. Pennzoil Platinum is great one that i use on our 22 BMW X6 & 2 Ford 4wd trucks. Use top tier rated fuel too. That's huge! Grade (87/89/93) doesn't matter ..the quality of fuel does. Use fuel system cleaner too every 10k mis. Lucas/Redline/Techron. Engineering perspective.
Same here!
I change mine @ 5k as well. And the monitor also usually indicates between 20-30%.
My wife had an equinox that she just took in whenever the monitor told her to. Engine was in rough shape by the time it got up around 75k. Mechanic at Chevy told her she was nuts for just going by the monitor. And that it’s well known amongst the GM technicians that monitor is nowhere near accurate or what’s best for the engine. His own experience was that monitor lets you go far too long. And they see wore out engines more often than not, from customers who just went by the monitor.
Do an oil analysis if you want to check?
If you want more protection bond a lubricant to your engine.
You will reduce your wear by 50~90% and the oil lifespan is increased by ~1/3.
This will be more than adequate to keep your engine wear low even if you adhere to the normal oil change intervals.
5000 km's is fine not 5000 miles cause that ends up being 8000km so guys miles is a lot worse when u convert it to km's
@@1967friend when u say 5k are u in Canada cause if u are in america that is 8k cause your shit is in miles
When I had a newer GM vehicle with an oil life monitor I did use it, but my target was changing at 30%
That's a good way to do it. If you normally change your oil at 5K miles and have normal driving habits, you can track what % you're at when you hit 5K miles and just go off that. You might hit that % earlier or later depending on your driving conditions and will have a good buffer. Miles is a wildly inaccurate way of tracking oil life, it's just all we had to go off for many years.
The Engine collects dirt on the inside of the Engine.
The more dirt.....the more fuel is used.
Always change Engine Oil often.....Unless You don't mind wasting money on more fuel.
The Engine needs to be clean on the inside to achieve best fuel economy.
@@gj91471 it's not Just dirt buddy. Oils start oxidizing as soon as they are put to use. That's why the premium synthetics can take it better for longer versus the cheap stuff.
I really appreciate your EDUCATED analysis. Thank You.
Don't forget to check your oil at least once per week to see if vehicle is consuming oil. If the car uses oil, you better keep an eye on the level and top off if it drops a half quart. It's a good idea because oil also extracts heat from the engine. Checking under the hood once per week gives you a good idea of what's going on with the motor and you may spot early a growing problem.
Stop buying crappy cars if you're so afraid you need to check oil once per week. Even on my performance vehicles I'd only check one per month at best. If you're properly taking care of your vehicles, it's extremely unlikely it will suddenly start consuming oil.
Check the oil every time I fill up with fuel.
I am not sure if it's developed a leak or not.
By the way no to the metric system.
@@stevetaylor9265I always check my truck on every fill up, which equates to once a week.
@@stevetaylor9265 Yall act like it's 1945 and modern engines still use cork gaskets lmao. Checking your oil every time you get gas is nonsense.
@@kamilb8232 Even crappy cars don't need it, if it's leaking that much oil it will leave oil spots where you park it and/or blow blue smoke while the engine is running. These people don't understand jack shit about engines.
Great video. Something I've frequently wondered. And now I don't need to get anxious if I'm on a road trip and it's approaching 0%. Thanks.
Thank you for sharing Lake, definitely depends on driving habits. Most individuals drive with the traits of a Severe Service Schedule.
Manufacturers want the cost of ownership to appear to be as low as possible. They only care if the engine makes it out of warranty. If you want it to last use synthetic and change it every 5k miles.
If you have the oil life indicator, it's WAY more accurate than miles, just change it before 0%, it makes no sense to keep relying on miles.
0W20 is mandated by CAFE. If you want your engine to last 100k miles you need to increase the viscosity. I change every 3k with 20W50. I also add a quart of ATF right before the change to do a flush. Never had an engine fail.
@@bobbygetsbanned6049 agree to disagree.
@arturjarosz6595 plenty of toyota engines I service use 0w20 oil and have over 300k miles doing 5k mile oil changes. No issues.
@@arturjarosz6595 WRONG!!! DO NOT INCREASE VISCOSITY!! You will starve your bearings of oil if you use a thicker viscosity! Please actually do some research on how journal bearings work before you spread misinformation that will destroy people's engines! And ATF should never be in your crank case either!
Great info for those that have a GM that will tell them when it's time to change. I just changed my oil today, and will be sending in my sample. I wish my car had a dip stick tube to retrieve a sample of oil...less mess!
As a loyal 45 yr GM buyer i went from 3 to 4 thousand miles until the early 2000’s Then i switched to the 5,000 to 20% metric. I have the belief you cant undo wear, without an overhaul. Oh at least 4 vehicles over 200,000 miles. Ain 2019 i got an oil change an 3 weeks later i was back after a MI to Seattle trip pulling a trailer. Dealer service couldn’t believe it.
A friend of mine just bought a new GMC truck with this feature. Really good to know that it works, thanks.
Really impressed with the production / editing quality of this video, keep it up!
Thanks!
Thank you, I am new to GM and didn't know if I could trust this. I feel much more relieved now.
Pro tip: Don’t move your car out the driveway then immediately switch off your engine. Go around the block for like a solid 5mins or more if you can’t let the engine at least idle for a while.
My situation was so bad. Basically our garage has one exit so if one car is blocked we have to move both cars etc. I noticed when I did the car swaps the one car would struggle to idle the next day and it got really bad to the point it started knocking hard made like weird sound. That sound was the lack of compression in the cylinders as the fuel washed down all the oil. From that day I take the car around the block to gain some temperature before switching off. Plus that cold start the fuel is very aggressive as the car is trying to generate heat from that cold start especially.
Love this feature by GM. Great video as always man. 🔥🇿🇦
That reminds me of a write up years ago about the example of the guy who would drive home from work and park the car on the driveway with the possibility that he might need the car for an errand but almost always never did so late evening comes and he goes out and starts the car to move it the few feet into the garage. The point of the story was that the cold start and moving a few feet every night showed up in the engines sludge and wear from doing that so many times.
We need more videos like this,short but full of potent info👏
For an algorithm developed in the 80s, we needed a computer with a 5 1/4 floppy disk, not 3 1/2 and CD-rom 😂😂😂 PS- SAE rules 😊
As a delivery driver for UPS since 2015, the majority of our trucks are built on a Freightliner Chassis, some newer ones being Ford, Workhorse was in the game but they've since worked with FedEx or their new electric division. With that said, almost all gas powered trucks have come with the 6.2L LS2, the Fords had the Triton V10 until a couple of years ago where they swapped to the 7.3L Godzilla engine. All of the GM variants would randomly put up a warning about "check oil filter" or "check trans oil" warnings and I've always wondered where that came from, being that these step vans were industrial grade and highly abused. Of course UPS being a multi-billion dollar corporation, you basically drive it until it blows up, but the mechanics do appreciate when you write things up so that they can keep the fleet going as long as possible. I can always tell when the differential gear fluid is ready for a flush because you can smell it after a trip on the highway, but getting them to change it is another story 😂
Good info and thank you. Now do a dive into Ford's system please
I don't know about the newest Ford's but the older ones use the calculation too. If I check oil life left before the change it will show around 40% at 5k miles. It's almost all highway miles for about 50 miles each way. If I drive it a -little rough-, which is hard not to, the % drops between oil changes. Oil life % or mileage didn't change when I started using a different oil brand and heavier viscosity.
Making it more complicated than it is. Change your oil every 4000 miles regardless. You ad the high of 5000 miles to low of 3000 miles and you get the avarage of 4000 miles oil change interval. Moreover, you don't have to be confused by oil guru on line. Now if you have time and money to do it every 3000 miles then that's the optimum.
I do 5k or 2 years no matter what
My daily driver is a 94 chevy s10 2.2 L ! 663 k miles on her and never rebuilt ! Gets an oil change every 4k - 4 months or 125 hrs of use which ever comes 1st ! And i say any oil that meets ILSAC GF6 specs is ok ! Even walmart supertech 10,000 mile synthetic for less than $20 a 5 qrt jug !
Good to know it's reliable. I always doubt stuff like that until proven otherwise. Especially because manufacturers like gm are not known for reliability
My experience with Honda and Toyota is that their oil life indicator doesn’t sufficiently adjust or debit the oil life for severe cold and short trips. I’ve proved this used oil analysis on my wife’s CRV.
Thanks for sharing!
@@themotoroilgeek thank you! Keep up the great work!!
Amazing as always ! Good job. Looking forward for the next test. 🔬 From Canada
I learned from the previous generation to change the oil and filter every 3000 miles and drive gently from people that used to keep their cars trouble free for years and rack up lots of miles.
Depends on the engine.
On high performance cars you should change every 2 to 3k, yes.
Also depends on how you drive. Short distance driving is an oil killer, so you need to change it sooner.
Ditto. But today's oils are totally different as are the fuel injection cars.
Always being gentle 100% of the time isn't great for an engine either. I've fixed a couple old lady cars with some hard RPM on the highway that the car hadn't seen in ages.
Old timers called it the "Italian tuneup" bc the small displacement high cylinder count engines coming out of Italy were especially susceptible to needing to clear their throat
That's what I still do also.
Those were people stuck in the 1960s. It isn't the 1960s any more.
Can't trust oil life monitor on GM. Daughter does alot of short trip driving 3 to 5 miles. Have a 24 Trax 1.2l GDI turbo. Oil life 50% at 3k 6 month old oil with 4.5% fuel dilution.
you let your daughter drive a 1.2 Trax? theres your problem
Whats the problem?@MrApplesaucestuff
@@MrApplesaucestuffkeyboard warrior
So I'm one skeptical person, so my oil only goes to 3/4 of the indicators oil life in all my vehicles, that's just peace of mind.
I love learning from you the WHY behind the DO. Always great information.
Excellent info! Guess it's time I start trusting my oil life indicator in my GMC truck! Thanks!!!
Glad to help
As a 40 year Master Tech and Shop Owner, I learned the functions of the algorythm working for GM in the early 90s and have been explaining to clients how they don't NEED a sticker since their vehicle has or may not have a monitor system. Also, how those who like my Titan don't have such tech( which sucks if you ask me) . So also I find 1 that other shops as a means of driving work including the dealers( more on the why there ) will still use and support the sticker 2 they don't reset the life or plug in and set up the miles a milage reminder system ( leaving it to the default). So much fraud in the PM world it's sickening. " we rotated your $400 per tire as required sir" YEAH front to back so I get half or less the life and they can say it's mechanical issue that caused the wear pattern makes your car sound like the bearings are shit or sell struts and parts as "upgrade" so it won't happen again. GRRRRR Dealers are now the worst as over the long history of them NOT having any part of the PM market they wanted it bad. 2008 Obama crash the independent shops and chains let their hard sales people go and they needed jobs. So, off to the dealer as service managers they go. They took with them their play book of PM over PM sell water to a drowning man skills and showed their bosses how their was a space in the PM market they could own, PROOF? Sure, before 2008, did you EVER HEAR of a maintenance for life at a dealer? Right, only at chain shops.
So I love your proof and support of the monitor system and explanation. The only real issue is DID someone who previously in their drive way ( I don't know how to reset, (google yt knows)) or at another shop FAIL to reset the monitor or indicator.
I have a 2016 Ford Taurus. This is my first vehicle with an oil life monitor. I was hesitant on trusting the monitor at first. I did my first oil change at 5,000 miles, The second oil change I went by the monitor, changed the oil around 8,500 miles and sent a sample to a lab. The lab said my oil looked good and go further on the next oil change. I have also done this with my motorcycles as well. I did an oil change 2 weeks ago on my car, going by the oil life monitor and didn't realize I had put 10, 283 miles on the oil. The lab results came back on Friday and wouldn't you know it. The oil was still in good shape, with below average wear levels. I have over 174,000 miles on my car and it still runs perfect. I have stuck with Mobil 1 5W 20 synthetic most of the time. I gave Amazon Basic full synthetic 5W 20 a try, sending the second oil change to the same lab. The Amazon Basic came back with a perfect report as well.
After installing my SLT oil catch can, i went to the mountains of northeast NM in winter time. I checked the can each a.m. before driving ( because I had driven hundred or so miles the previous day) and noticed some creamy colored sludge. The oil life is precious to me because I run twin turbos and keeping the gunk from recirculating has significantly improved engine endurance.
Lake, you should do a video on oil dilution, especially with DGI. Honda had a major oil dilution problem with early DGI.
Will do!
Onstar was released in 1997, around the time when cell phone service was becoming affordable, long after the oil life algorhithym was developed. My 1988 Toronado had an oil life indicator in it, which I thought was a great feature!
I would like to see this done on a Ford Hybrid to see what the oil life monitor says about how those are on oil. Lots of shutting off and restarting, resulting in high fuel dilution, not getting up to temp on the oil and getting contaminated with moisture. It would be interesting to see how the oil looks after several thousand miles.
Great suggestion!
This is crazy. The school is always open to learning. You have the art of teaching, and you investigate any little or big thing about oil. The oil gods put you in our way. Master...
I bought a brand new 2022 WRX off of the showroom floor in July 2022. I bought the 3 year maintenance plan just so I could have paper receipts of its early life in case I needed to sell the car. They recommend 6 month or 6,000 mile oil changes, among other things. According to their numbers I should be somewhere in the 27000-30000 mile range, but currently sit under 13,700 miles. But I still go in every 6 months to get er done. On a car that was sold as having a chonkier motor, a smaller turbo, not needing E91+ fuel, etc. etc. I looked at the head sales guy after all of this and said, "I'm already overpaying too much for this car, I'm going to make sure she stays on the road as long as possible."
They already had my money, but he nodded and smiled and said, "Welcome to the Subaru family" lol
It works great for average driving and passenger cars, but with performance cars there has been problems. The 2010 Camaro SS with the L99 engine (vvt and cylinder deactivation) had major problems with lifter collapse because the oil life indicator was not conservative enough. Engines would get stuck in v4 mode because the oil was worse than what the indicator said, and this happened especially around the 50,000 mile mark. Later model years had revised algorithms that solved the problem. When I bought mine I looked for a low mileage car and change oil every 3000 which is about what my summer driving is. And I got rid of v4 mode altogether as many camaro owners do. Lot cheaper to have a little less mileage than a full lifter replacement. Keep up the great videos Lake!
I've been waiting to see this video! I've forwarded it to a bunch of friends because they also need to see it haha.
Thank you. This reassures me on my Buick the fact I replace the oil at 20 percent oil life is not doing and damage to the car. It happens at about 6000 miles with my driving. Which seemed reasonable. My last car I did the same thing, a 2006 Saab 9-3 and it is still running with the second owner with 270,000 miles. So I guess through experience I figured out the oil life monitor if used conservatively works pretty well. Thank you for confirming it!
I think I’m happy with Honda’s implementation of their maintenance reminder. Almost no sensors meaning less electrical failures even though it’s slightly less accurate. As long you understand your car maintenance schedule you only really need to keep track with the trip computer as a backup.
Zeroed my trip at a fresh oil change on my 2015 Honda Fit. Set the oil life percentage to 100. At exactly 3,000 miles, my oil life percentage was at 50 percent. That’s exactly where I like to change my oil at.
Thank you very much for this video, mate! I'd like to provide a content like yours here in Brazil because there are some crazy dudes suggesting to change or vehicle oils every 2-3 thousand miles only no matter the usage type. In motorcycle, they said we have to change every 600 miles, otherwise you're not taking good care of it
Great Video Lake! Thanks for highlighting GMs OLM and that it isn't simply a "mile counter" and is much more sophisticated algorithm built on real data and engine operation. Going the extra mile with a UOA to prove it is ok is just the icing on the cake! Data, Data, Data! So many people have latched onto an arbitrary number.
Your report was spot on - thank-you. I own a 2003 Corvette (C5) and a 96 Impala SS. Both cars are very well maintained and were purchased new. Like clockwork, I used to change their oil at 5,000 mile intervals. As I got older (I'm 71 now), I got lazy. I knew about GM's oil monitor and how it works. I decided to go ahead and trust GM's algorithm. But, I was curious at what mileage would the oil monitor activate the "change oil" light. Well, for both cars it turned out to be about 6,200 miles. Both cars only see pure synthetic Mobil One 10W-30, so I am comfortable letting the change interval go that high. (I already subscribed and gave a "thumbs up"). 👍
Thanks for sharing!
Good to point out that todays oil is of such high quality it will last a long time, but as Oil Geek points out it´s the CONTAMINATION that´s the killer! Dirty oil will clog up screens and those small oil channels.
Regardless of the miles you have to keep an Eagle eye on the oils condition as no two vehicles are alike, some burn clean some don´t.
As my father said many years ago "Keep your oil clean son and you´ll car will last a long time!"
Great point on the contamination!
@@themotoroilgeek Have watches several videos of torn down engines, some like the Ford Eco engines that have duel turbos with oil wire strainers going into the heads that can easly get clogged if the oil gets too dirty or by flushing for old deposits. OIL STARVATION!!
As a guy who only drives about 5500 miles a year on my commuter car, I change the oil twice a year, no matter what. The only loss I have is a few extra dollars per year on oil and a filter, changing it earlier than may be strictly necessary. I'd rather change it early through routine maintenance than have a major engine failure. There's a reason my car has 200k+ miles on it and is still running smoothly!
Watching your channel is like a holiday in the world of entertainment and jokes. Thank you for your creativity and ability to make people smile!🦐🌌⌨️
I smell rotten chum.
Thank you Lake for educating me and many others about oils. You explain things so that everyone can understand. Great videos!!!
"It" also knows driving speed, hard brakes, centrifugal force and a myriad of information that it "gathers" from use. Lots of information out there stating how this information is used. Most is not good. At any rate, excellent video as always. I very much enjoy watching your videos. Thank you for the work you put into them.
I have a 96 Limited, Loaded 4.0L Explorer. It has an OLM, and there is a special sensor in the oil pan that reads oil temp for the computer. Oil Temp is a huge deal. It will always tell you to change the oil in 6 months, no matter what.
Thanks for sharing!
I suspect that the industry wide adoption of direct injection for gas engines, combined with the bad habit of short trips in cooler weather, is why timing chains, phasers, and AFM/MDS lifters have been so failure prone lately. GDI engines also produce diesel-like soot that results in lots of soot in the oil. Chains are wearing, phasers are wearing, lifters are getting stuck, etc. It would be interesting to delve deeper into this issue.
Soot from the GDI is the main culprit.
I have always been curious about this. My wife has had several Corollas and they all seemed to have time based indicators. She now drives a Volt and it very much seems like there is some intelligence behind it, the last oil change for it was nearly two years. I drive a hybrid Maverick that very much seems to have an intelligent oil life indicator as well.
Thanks for sharing!
I use my oil life indicator religiously and always change my oil and filter at 50%
Since the oil indicator is being very conservative in the first place and getting you to change the oil at about half way through the oil's life, you're being doubly conservative, and probably changing the oil at a quarter of its life!
My sister's honda had her go 13k miles between oil changes. She only uses cheap oil, so it's a miracle the engine survived
Have an 08 gmc with a diesel engine and did an oil analysis with Blackstone labs and i told them the oil sample has 31k miles on it i got the report back and was amazed by the results everything was normal for example the viscosity was still the same 15w40 no fuel or coolant in oil bearing wear was normal just to name a few and they said i could have taken the oil another 4k miles so now i change my oil at 35k miles currently i have 320k miles on my engine. So now when my oil life monitor says 0% i resets it back to 100% until i reach 35k miles then i change my oil....by the way i never take short trips in my truck
Interesting- I always figured that the Oil Life % indicator was an extremely simplistic mileage ratio calculator which would start out at 100% after resetting after an oil change, and then would decrement %s based off how many miles have been driven within the semi-universal 5000 mile interval. So 80% would mean you have 4000 miles of driving left, or in other words 1% would be decremented for 50 miles driven.
I still stick with my 5000 mile interval though.
Why do Americans have to change their ways for the rest of the world seriously z
Nothing like being less accurate on the temperature scale.
Instead of saying one degree f, we can start talking in fractions or decimal places, for simplicity. 🙄🙄🙄
Note that time of 1:49 pm is NO longer a "quarter to 2"... And 12:25 isn't "half past" anymore.
That isn't accurate enough.
Ya. No. Its plenty accurate enough for me.@hotrodray6802
Exactly. Let them change to us or figure it out.
@@stevetaylor9265 Exactly you should be ashamed to call yourself an American citizen and want to change everything to please others before long speaking Spanish will be the American language it will never stop.
Watched until the end before commenting, it’s pretty neat to see the telemetry being pretty accurate. 5k mile is still a good rule of thumb though, my dad’s MDX stopped burning oil when he switched back to doing 5k mile oil changes instead of the 7~9k advertised on a lot of oils
The last Ford vehicle I had, I changed the oil every 5000 miles, like I do with all my cars and vans. Sure enough, every 14,000 miles that damned oil light would come on as it didn't know I'd been changing well ahead of schedule. Never had moment's trouble from that engine, but if I'd stuck to the recommended intervals, I don't know how true that would be. To me, oil is the cheapest form of engine insurance.
I know you're the "motor oil" geek, but can you speak on transmission and gear oils, specifically with mention of "yellow metal" friendliness and why some oils contain additives that will damage "yellow metals"?
That one is coming soon!
People, just change your oil! There are sooooo many variables in how we all drive - start up temps, idling time, stop and go traffic, how heavy or easy of a driver you are, trip duration, mileage/wear on engine, do you have real winters where you have to scrape ice off your car before driving away or do you live in southern California an can just start and go, blah blah blah. Like the video said, the one engineer said she can make any oil fail just by giving it to her mom (or was it grandma?) since she only drives exceptionally short trips.
Personally I drive short trips as I live in a small-ish town. Gym is 3km (2 miles) away, grocery store is about half that. I change my oil every 5-6k kms because I know I'm getting condensation and just by smell, gas in the crankcase. My oil life monitor is usually still at 60% or so oil life left by this mileage. No way and I going to let that get down close to 0%. Oil changes are cheaper than an engine repair.
Just change your oil people. No idea where the brilliant idea came from of people spending $40-50-60k plus for a vehicle just to save the cost of an extra oil change a year. Makes zero sense.
I have a bmw with 150K miles. Since new the oil used was rated LL-1. Change intervals were based off the oil life monitoring system which is between 15 and 20K miles on average. First oil change 18 years ago was at 12k miles. Did the pan gasket recently and the inside of the engine was absolutely mint.
I have a 2019 Ford raptor 3.5 eco. I changed the oil and reset the oil life indicator. And then the truck sat in the garage for 18 months never started it not once. When I did start it after those 18 months the oil life indicator came on in in center of the dash saying change oil now 0% oil life left. Never started the truck and it needs an oil change NO. Fuel dilution NO. Seems to me the Ford system uses mostly time for its analysis.
Watch Lake's video about additives settling out of the oil into the bottom and then don't get remixed back into the oil.
@@hotrodray6802 I thought we were talking about the oil life indicator? no comments about old stale gas you all are slipping
Thank you, Gilbert and/or Lewis....
I went 10 years on my 2004 LB7 Duramax which is at a little over 58,176 miles. I used Mobile 1 for diesels and I started feeling guilty so I changed the oil and did a lab test. Black Stone results said to keep driving and re-test in 1000 miles, I had already changed the oil by then. The Oil Life Indicator said I had about 30% life left in the oil. I only use the truck to pull my utility trailer and get two 30 gallon drums filled with diesel every October or November for the tractor. Round trip into town and back is about 15 miles so the engine does get to heat up before going back in the heated barn until the next time I need it. I bought the truck in October 06 with 39,000 miles on it.
That’s why I use amsoil 5w-30 every 5,000 miles or six months whatever come first. Nicely done Lake keepem coming
6 months? Way too early, try 2 years
I like to keep it simple. Use a good quality synthetic oil. No additives. Change oil and filter at factory recommended interval OR when the oil monitor goes off OR at 12 months, whichever comes first. This has served me well.
I like the fact that Lake did an oil sample on a rent a wreck and that it came back good. So either it's a dealer rent a wreck or a higher end rent a wreck company, I still think it's funny that Lake did the test. I can just picture in my mind, Lake is driving and has a light bulb moment when the oil change reminder light came on and says to himself, "I should do a oil sample on this rent a wreck, what a great idea for a video!!!!😂😂😂. So before anyone says something, Rent a Wreck is what I call all rental cars, no matter what. By the way Lake, great video as usual, keep up the good work. This one made my laugh and choke on my biscuit, when you told us it was a rent a wreck. 👍👍
LOL, I've been looking for one all year that actually had an oil life monitor and was close to an oil change. This one made the video, but it's not the only one I've scoped out, LOL.
@themotoroilgeek that's some funny stuff there, Lake
Absolutely fantastic watching your videos! Evidence based results and analyses versus the usual oil myth tales.
Thanks!
My Ram 5500 work truck with a 6.4 Hemi gas engine has a pretty good system...I run 7 days a week... My truck is over 15,000lbs EMPTY.... and with the miles I put on it... I can tell it knows what kinda driving I'm doing if it's stop n go, highway, loaded heavy and even seasonally by temperature..... certain conditions drop the oil life percentage faster than other types of operation. The truck runs 7 days a week & in 7 years... It runs Perfectly, no leaks, drips, smoke, no Hemi tick.. I'm in Minnesota & our winters are Long & it's not unusual to see -20F below actual temperatures every year.. & upper 90s & Very high humidity & dewpoints... and every time it gets loaded, it's at Max weight or more.... I run Either Mobil 1 Full synthetic or Pennzoil Ultra platinum 0-40. Oil gets changed every 5k regardless of miles because of alotta run time operating a PTO hydraulic system..... Zero issues... but I can tell the Ram system takes driving style, speed, load etc into its calculations.
My 08 STS had the OLM, and in about 2010, Cadillac reprogramed the OLM because the Undersized Timing Chains were Stretching excessively. Once reprogramed, the OLM would lose 1% for just going to the Store 6 blocks away, when the Ambient Temp was just above Freezing. 5% if below -18C. That was with Synthetic Oil. My 95 Buick and 95 Fleetwood Brougham, also with OLM, will go 12,000k before the Change light pops up, and that's calibrated for Dinosaur Oil. The Buick has gotten to 300,000+, using the OLM and has never even had the Valve Covers off, except the Time a Backfire blew one of them off. That was caused by a Badly corroded Ignition Wire at the Coil.
Lake, O I remember your Dad from his early days of racing watching his interviews on TV, believe it was the 1985 Daytona when he was in tears talking about his #75 Rahmoc team get a sponsor the night before the race with Nationwise Auto Parts coming on board. But his #83 Purex car had the prettiest paint scheme, too bad he's gonna sell the old friend. He should keep it for your collection one day if he's gonna sell it. Maybe you would get the itch to drive in the old vintage races.
I have found that about 30% oil life left is in the 5-6K mileage on the oil. GM had a software update about 15 years ago to change the software to prevent it from going past 7500 miles.
The minus 30 temps are coming soon here in my area of Canada. Just changed the oil and will again before Christmas. 50 bucks for oil and filtre is cheaper than a tank of gas.
On my 2019 Acura RDX, I did the oil change at 40% on the monitor. Averaged at 8 months/6,000 miles. Same for my 2023, but changed the oil filter at 500 miles.
I change the oil in my 5.7L Hemi Grand Cherokee every 5,000kms, the oil minder goes off after 6,000kms, and the next time it goes off after 12,000kms, thus I don't trust it! I also never idle it except for really cold weather in the winter (Alberta Canada) so it'll run for 5 mins when its below -20C otherwise 30 seconds to let the oil lube everything up before going.
I am so excited for the video 😊
On my 2005 Silverado pickup I change the filter and add a quart at 5000. I do a full change at 10,000. I have 285,000 on the odometer and I’ve never had to add oil between those changes. I am not hearing any nor experiencing any engine issues here in Minnesota. Lately I’m only doing 8000 per year so I am now doing a full change at 15 months. Before you write all kinds of comments, my owners manual only says to change oil at least annually if the change oil light doesn’t come on. And it holds 10 quarts as it’s a diesel. 😊
Thank you" Lake " so much for this info,this was one of my suggestions to you awhile back,this is exactly the information I was wanting,I own two Chevy vehicles and was always wondering if they were accurate,now I know I can go farther between oil changes. Thank you so much for answering my question. Larry C
Glad it was helpful!