Oil life question!

[can-amsledder]

Hey Guys.
My 01 Sierra was totaled a couple months ago so I bought a 07 Avalanche. It has the new type of oil life system. Now my question is at what % of life remaining do you change your oil? I’m sure most of you don’t wait until you’re at 0%.
What about if you are using synthetic oil? I used mobile 1 in my last truck and will be using it again with this one.
What do you guys do?

[daman1]

using a good syn. oil you should be able to go to 0 or 10% with
no problems at all..

[gfh77665]

Don't read too much into that indicator. It just calculates hours, rpm's, speed, etc., and basically guesses on your oil life. It doesn't know, for example, if you are using some 10 year old off brand oil you bought at a garage sale, or, Mobil 1 Extended performance full synthetic (lasts for 15K).
You are by far the best judge of when to change.

[chrias]

My oil life indicator comes on at 4.7% in my 2000 Suburban. The mileage I've driven varies from 4000 to 5000 km.

[redvett01]

My four current trucks 2000-01-03 & 04 have used Mobil 1 and always used the OLM from there delivery day, the oldest has 243000 mi without any internal repairs. Oil usage is about the same as new considering there business vehicles.
The OLM is very accurate and with the Mobil 1 its well protected.

[1996Silverado]

Originally Posted by gfh77665

Don't read too much into that indicator. It just calculates hours, rpm's, speed, etc., and basically guesses on your oil life. It doesn't know, for example, if you are using some 10 year old off brand oil you bought at a garage sale, or, Mobil 1 Extended performance full synthetic (lasts for 15K).
You are by far the best judge of when to change.

You might want to read up on the OLM, it does a lot more than that.

[redvett01]

Here is the info on the OLM.
GM OIL LIFE SYSTEM...HOW DOES IT REALLY WORK
This is taken from the May 2003 GM Techlink publication
How often should engine oil be changed? 3,000 miles, 5,000 miles, 7,500 miles, 10,000 miles? 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. This system has become standard equipment on nearly all GM products since 2000.
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 simplified 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 fourth, engines will always be running with sufficiently fresh oil, for long life.
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.
When the change engine oil light or message comes on, it means that service is required on the vehicle. I should be serviced as soon as possible within the next 600 miles. It is possible that, under the best conditions, the engine oil life system may not indicate that vehicle service is necessary for over a year. However, engine oil and filter must be changed at least once per year, and at this time the system must be reset.

[mudbuddy]

letting GM tell you when to change your oil is almost as dumb as thinking you have to use GM oil and filters

[Jamal]

Originally Posted by mudbuddy

letting GM tell you when to change your oil is almost as dumb as thinking you have to use GM oil and filters

I just wanted to state that in the manual of my wife's HHR, it specifically states that I should not get an oil change until the indicator tells me so.

not saying I agree or disagree, just stating that the manual they put in the cars say so....

[redvett01]

243000 mi on my oldest truck 2000 Silvi EXTSB and still running great. OLM has worked great on mine and my Blackstone lab. oil reports say so too.

[daved931]

Originally Posted by redvett01

243000 mi on my oldest truck 2000 Silvi EXTSB and still running great. OLM has worked great on mine and my Blackstone lab. oil reports say so too.

I was going to suggest that very thing. Use Mobil 1, run it down to 10% and get a Blackstone Labs test on it when you change it.

[mudbuddy]

Originally Posted by Jamal

I just wanted to state that in the manual of my wife's HHR, it specifically states that I should not get an oil change until the indicator tells me so.

not saying I agree or disagree, just stating that the manual they put in the cars say so....

it also says to take your car/truck to the dealer and have genuine gm oil and filters installed lol

[kcb37]

Oil is not a living thing!

Theirfor it has not life.

[gfh77665]

Originally Posted by 1996Silverado

You might want to read up on the OLM, it does a lot more than that.

Ummm...I just did, I read the quote from redvett01's May 2003 GM Techlink publication.
Actually, it comfirms just what I said. It measures hours, rpms, etc., and guesses. It does not know what kind (quality) of oil you are using. I use Mobil 1 Extended Performance , gauranteed for 15K. The OLM doesn't know that from 10 year old junk oil.

[Stratosman]

This is all too complicated. Just change it somewhere in the 3000-7000 mile range-whereever you are comfortable. Use the OLM if you want. 3000 is probably overkill, but that's what I do because I only drive 3000 miles every 6 months or so. If I drive it more I'd probably to to 5000 miles because that easier to remember with the odometer. 7000 is fine-I've seen many cars last years doing that.

Just make sure you do it enough to avoid warranty trouble if for some reason something does go wrong.

I know for a fact that a 1999 Malibu will last exactly 67,000 miles on the original oil. I saw one. Locked up without an ounce left in it, but not bad considering.

[can-amsledder]

Originally Posted by redvett01

My four current trucks 2000-01-03 & 04 have used Mobil 1 and always used the OLM from there delivery day, the oldest has 243000 mi without any internal repairs. Oil usage is about the same as new considering there business vehicles.
The OLM is very accurate and with the Mobil 1 its well protected.

I guess I'd have to agree with you. I’ll be changing the oil at around 0% and using mobile 1. That is a little overkill but oil is way cheaper then a new motor.

What king of filters do you guys use?
I have one mobile 1 filter left and a buddy just gave me about a dozen AC filters.

My new truck!

[redvett01]

When i worked a GM engineering (retired) i saw engines that power-train ran Mobil 1 and used the OLM & only changed the oil filter at the OLM requirements and many engines went 1 million miles. That convinced me that the OLM was doing its job but since i have been using M1 since it came out in around 1973 & i really didn't have to be convinced about Mobil 1. I have been using the OLM in my vehicles since the early 90"s. I am happy with modern day engines getting 300K without any internal repairs.

[kenman1717]

does it not sound stupid to wait until a warning light comes on in the dash, that tells you you should do something, why not just go with the old 3000mile/5000km oil change interval, just look at the sticker in the corner of the window.

i mean i work at a dealer and have to deal with these things every day, and i don't like them, i honestly beleive this makes people lazier, they just drive till the light comes on, whats the point, when you hit 3000miles just take it in,or do it youself, simple.

[enine]

The OLM is not a warning light, its simply a timer/counter as others have stated.

My first vehicle was an 1988 s10 we got from a repo auction and dad changed the oil every 6 months. When I moved graduated college I started changing the oil every 3000 miles. I tore the engine down at 170,000 miles and took the block to a machine shop and they still saw the crosshashes from when it was machined and were surprised that I had it in for such low mileage, they thought it had under 50k on it. So when I got my newer S10 I switched to mobile 1 and went to 6k changes. Now with my silverado the OLM says change oil at around 6k anyway so I go by it. I rotate the tires and grease the joints and such at the same time.

[redvett01]

Originally Posted by kenman1717

does it not sound stupid to wait until a warning light comes on in the dash, that tells you you should do something, why not just go with the old 3000mile/5000km oil change interval, just look at the sticker in the corner of the window.

i mean i work at a dealer and have to deal with these things every day, and i don't like them, i honestly beleive this makes people lazier, they just drive till the light comes on, whats the point, when you hit 3000miles just take it in,or do it youself, simple.

If you work at a GM,Ford or Chrysler dealership they have been given a notice not to change or promote the oil change at 3000mi and in GM's case to use the OLM. Modern engines are clean running and very little contamination gets in the crank case.
Changing oil at 3K is a waste of resources.