I think that's the trip odometer, not the GMOLM.
GM Oil Life System
- Thread starter John W. Colby
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Triple_Se7en
$50 Site Donor 2024
I think that's the trip odometer, not the GMOLM
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Then why is this Oil Life Thingee in my trip odometer?
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Then why is this Oil Life Thingee in my trip odometer?
The owner's guide of my 2000 Silverado 1500 5.3 says the oil life monitor counts startups and engine revolutions. The computer has an hour meter too.
Guide says change when indicated or every 12 months, which ever first.
Recomends 5-30, but 10-30 acceptable for operating temps above 0 Degrees F.
Even 0-30 is mentioned to be acceptable for extened low temperature operation!!!
I just switched to 10-30 M1 with Bosch Premium Filter.
I have changed the oil every 12 months or when the OLM lights up, which ever comes first.
Guide says change when indicated or every 12 months, which ever first.
Recomends 5-30, but 10-30 acceptable for operating temps above 0 Degrees F.
Even 0-30 is mentioned to be acceptable for extened low temperature operation!!!
I just switched to 10-30 M1 with Bosch Premium Filter.
I have changed the oil every 12 months or when the OLM lights up, which ever comes first.
For the record, I read a page GM has about the oil life monitor. It doesn't count cold starts, but it DOES counts minutes/seconds spent operating at cold temperatures, and penalizes your OCI for them by shortening your OCI.
I had one in my '96 Caprice Classic. I have a mostly highway drive to work in very light traffic, and its reccomendations ranged from 6500 to 7500 miles. That seemed pretty reasonable.
We've had guys with wives that had the OLM in their soccer-mom-mini-van and they had their "Change Oil" light go on right around 3000 miles.
That computer isn't dumb, although it is not complex either. When they calibrated it, they used mineral oils, not synthetics. Its results should work for 99.9% of users. The other .1% have something seriously wrong with their cars, like intake gasket leaks.
I will say that my manual said "when OLM goes off, *OR* once per year, whichever comes first". While I've seen TBN hold up in 7 year old oil, it seems to me the OLM should have just gone off once a year.. why make me remember my last oil change date if I have a computer to do it?
URL for Oil Life Monitor:
http://www.gmfleet.com/us/about/news/articles/042203.html
Another one:
http://www.motorage.com/motorage/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=130933&sk=&date=&pageID=2
Quote:
"One way to customize the oil change interval based on actual driving conditions is to use an oil-life monitor (OLM). General Motors (GM) says its system ticks off engine revolutions since the last reset, counting down the percentage of useful oil life left until oil change time.
But OLM tracks more than how many times the crankshaft turns. It also notes what proportion of engine operation takes place before full warm-up. Because condensed moisture forms damaging acids in oil that hasn't warmed fully, the temperature sensor tells the computer that a greater percentage of operation than normal is cold, and the countdown speeds up. This will make Grandma's monitor read "Change Oil Now" sooner than Jerry's. Engine load is also watched by tracking throttle position, intake airflow and vacuum. Running the engine hard for extended periods also damages oil's lubricating properties, which, too, shortens the interval. If Jerry decides to tow a trailer on a vacation in the mountains, he'll see the "Change Oil Now" warning sooner than he's used to when commuting.
GM says that under ideal conditions it could be 12,000 miles or more before the oil change warning activates in some of their vehicles. However, adds the automaker, if the monitor's still counting after a year, it is time for a change. By now it's estimated 90 percent of GM's new vehicles include an OLM. The automaker calculates an annual waste-oil savings of 40 million quarts if customers don't change oil before the monitors say they should.
Remember, an OLM doesn't analyze oil; it tracks specific factors affecting it. If everything is normal, the monitor's information may be fine. But if the vehicle is driven under dusty conditions, the system has no way of recognizing when the oil has gotten grimier than usual. Ditto if an intake leak lets contaminants in. Intake manifold sealing has been a problem in some engines, and if seepage in this area lets traces of coolant enter the oil, an OLM has no way of spotting the silicate contamination that would result.
Forgotten Service
Anyone concerned with any of these possibilities might not want to wait for the "Change Oil Now" warning. On the other hand, drivers who choose synthetic oils to stretch their drain intervals won't get an accurate reading of potential oil life from the OLM if the OE-specified oil wasn't synthetic. This is because the system is programmed for the projected useful life of the type of oil the engine contained when it left the factory. "
The Colorado's Oil life cycle system does not tell you a percentage. The only thing you can do is reset it when you change your oil. It will only tell you that service is due.
I changed mine at higher intervals than ever before on any other vehicle since I switched to Mobil 1, and I have not yet seen the reminder. I did not reset it last time just ot see how long it would be.
I am at 11100 and it still hasn't told me to change the oil. I've done oil 2 analysis at around 7000 each and the tbn was still at around 2. I will try 7500, but I don't think I will go past it on the old Mobil 1 G3.
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