OCI Based On Hours Not Miles ?

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While my 2017 Sonata doesn't have a OLM it does show miles as well as elapsed hours on the current oil fill . So the question is for mostly suburban driving is the number of hours on an oil fill a more accurate way to judge when the oil should be changed (i.e. 100 hours vs. 5,000 miles using Mobil 1 5W30 ?) Your thoughts and experiences ?
 
I have heard of those who do measure their OCIs based on hours(mainly for farm equipment) but, IDK anyone personally who does so. You can try totaling up your hours to the e.g., 100 hours and compare to your total miles driven in that timeframe in order to form a baseline for yourself.

Also, member here would want to see a used oil analysis based on these figures even if for curiosity sake.
 
You could, but since most vehicles don't have an hour meter like yours the mileage is simpler. Hours are more for engines that run constantly, like taxis.

In either case you need to take operating conditions into account.
 
IMO hours is a much more reliable system than months or miles. Just by doing the math, a person covering 5,000 miles @35 mph verses a person going the same distance at 15 mph the hours can really pile up. To get all the bugs out I'd settle at lets say 200 hours, draw a sample, see how the oil is doing and establish my hourly OCI based on that.
 
Yessir, we used to use hours for our fleet vans as they operate at 1500-1700 rpm while sitting in a driveway.

It should be noted that GM deemed this unnecessary after the OLM came out.
 
Originally Posted by SteveSRT8
Yessir, we used to use hours for our fleet vans as they operate at 1500-1700 rpm while sitting in a driveway.

It should be noted that GM deemed this unnecessary after the OLM came out.


Hmmm, that's right!
Though not all vehicles have'em, they(MM/OLM/OLI) take into consideration all of the things we don't even realize such as:

*How many startups
*Run time per startup/total run time
*Vehicle speed(s)
*Engine temps and/or outside temps, and more I guess!
All taken into consideration in order to give the driver an accurate idea of remaining % of oil life per OCI
 
In my Chrysler manual it talks about the maximum OCI as well as the maximum hours the oil can be used if the OLM hasn't gone off by then. Then it goes on to say that the hours is mainly for those that do extended idling like fleet vehicles.

If you do want to go by hours instead of miles I would run a used oil analysis to confirm it's not too long. If you make drastic changes to your driving pattern. Eg: more short trips, or city travel versus highway, that you do another used oil analysis to confirm these changes are still ok under the amount of hours you are changing it at.

(Source - 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan Owners Manual)

Hours.webp
 
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Oil analyses proved that following miles change interval is accurate and does not pose a danger to the engine.
 
Is it just me or is it not unacceptable that Hyundai hasn't built an OLM into their cars? I've owned two and may even end up with a 3rd here soon and I've always found that ridiculous. It's 2018. I think even my 1999 Grand Am monitored variables like RPM, time, miles etc. to adjust the OCI as needed.

It's never been enough to keep me from buying them because well, I am a BITOG memeber and clearly the oil will be changed when it needs to be and likely before.
 
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I guess it depends on your indicated average speed. Mine is 27MPH even though my commute does see speeds at 60MPH.

My manual says the severe service interval for oil is 3750 miles. So for me that is about 140 hrs.
 
Originally Posted by Throt
Is it just me or is it not unacceptable that Hyundai hasn't built an OLM into their cars? I've owned two and may even end up with a 3rd here soon and I've always found that ridiculous. It's 2018. I think even my 1999 Grand Am monitored variables like RPM, time, miles etc. to adjust the OCI as needed.

It's never been enough to keep me from buying them because well, I am a BITOG memeber and clearly the oil will be changed when it needs to be and likely before.


After my Colorado incident, I would never go by the OLM. Heck, I didn't go by it, changed the oil early, and the engine still blew up and needed a total rebuild at 114k miles. I changed the oil at 6k miles, and the OLM would push it to 10k miles...

I just don't trust the manufacturers. They care about $$ and CAFE, and with 'lifetime' transmissions, I am not buying it.
 
How much idle time, the Issue is would it matter and how long will you actually keep the vehicle?
 
Originally Posted by Throt
Is it just me or is it not unacceptable that Hyundai hasn't built an OLM into their cars? I've owned two and may even end up with a 3rd here soon and I've always found that ridiculous. It's 2018. I think even my 1999 Grand Am monitored variables like RPM, time, miles etc. to adjust the OCI as needed.

It's never been enough to keep me from buying them because well, I am a BITOG memeber and clearly the oil will be changed when it needs to be and likely before.

My Highlander didn't have one either. Just went by mileage.
 
In the military I was taught 50 hours dino, 100 semi-synthetic, or 200 full full synthetic. Lots of equipment with hour meters...

Most farm and construction equipment has hour meters too..
 
Originally Posted by Brigadier
I guess it depends on your indicated average speed. Mine is 27MPH even though my commute does see speeds at 60MPH.

My manual says the severe service interval for oil is 3750 miles. So for me that is about 140 hrs.

Yeah the average speed is surprisingly low. My Sonata's average speed is usually around 32-33 mph, despite my 30 mile drive home being at 74 mph, and some city and highway in the morning.
 
Originally Posted by Brigadier
I guess it depends on your indicated average speed. Mine is 27MPH even though my commute does see speeds at 60MPH.

My manual says the severe service interval for oil is 3750 miles. So for me that is about 140 hrs.

The rule-of-thumb I was referring to was for OCI of stationary engines running a constant speed and, mostly, constant load using dyno oil. Synthetic was 100 hours. So in your case, under your driving conditions, your OCI would be shorter.
 
Originally Posted by Throt
Is it just me or is it not unacceptable that Hyundai hasn't built an OLM into their cars? I've owned two and may even end up with a 3rd here soon and I've always found that ridiculous. It's 2018. I think even my 1999 Grand Am monitored variables like RPM, time, miles etc. to adjust the OCI as needed.

It is acceptable for me since my Elantra is only driven about 8k per year. My thought is Hyundai needs to keep people coming into dealerships for a short OCI to generate revenue at the dealerships. Now if it was OLM based dealerships would be the looser.

I will just follow recommended intervals due to warranty even if the oil is still in good shape.
 
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