GM Oil Life Monitor - OCI With Synthetic

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Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
Originally Posted By: tig1
I change my oil at 10K regardless of what some gadget says.

I change my oil at the OLM regardless of some people's obsession with the number 10k.

10K OCIs has not been an obsession, but a proven OCI for me the last 39 years in all types of engines. The real obsession may be our society's reliance on electronic gadgets to govern our lives. Poor you.
 
Me? If so, no - it is Mobil 1 Formula M ... runs smooth & quieter on that - so got some M1 0w40 for a much lower price - and ordered a test kit. Think I'll wait until the 0w40 run is over.
 
Originally Posted By: SilverFusion2010
I would run M1 HM 10w-30 in an ecoboost and UOA at 5k. These turbo motors need viscosity
I have a feeling that is what I am going to end up doing. I am going with the 0W-30 AFE this winter, but that 10W-30 HM is hard to ignore.
 
15% on any SL/SM/SN 5w30

Remember, dexos didn't come out until 2011, so back then even dino can be used to the full OLM-recommended OCI with no problems
smile.gif


For OLM cars, I like to use the cheapest synthetic on sale and use the OLM's recommendation. Napa Synthetic is often on sale and is rebranded Synpower. But if that is still too much money for you, Kmart puts Smitty's on sale for $8 for a 5qt jug.
 
Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
Originally Posted By: tig1
I change my oil at 10K regardless of what some gadget says.

I change my oil at the OLM regardless of some people's obsession with the number 10k.

10K OCIs has not been an obsession, but a proven OCI for me the last 39 years in all types of engines. The real obsession may be our society's reliance on electronic gadgets to govern our lives. Poor you.


But given the miles that your vehicels are purportedly racking up, they never experience so much as a cold start....the OLM would support this.

My Colorado has a 15,000km service ingerval (10,000 miles is 16,100km)...and will run out to 20,000km+ on the OLM.

On the other hand, at 4,600km (when I bought it) as a demonstrator, it had less then 40% left in the OLM, due to the particular manner in which it was operated.

You can't discount the worth of the OLM to the average punter just because your particular application makes it irrelevent.

Oh wait, that's your standard M.O. isn't it.
 
Currently have M1 EP in my GM (3.5 High Value V6 - Pushrod engine with VVT). I ran the OLM down to 0%, then reset it and am running it down again (even though it only has a 4 quart sump!). Will end up being around 15,000. GM's older naturally aspirated pushrod engines are super easy on oil.
 
I've got that engine in a 06 Rainier. It lived most of its life on 10w-30 full syn every 5k. Overkill ? Yes. Now at 186k runs smooth as when it had 60k. If I had to do it over again I'd run Mobil 1 10w-30 HM for a 10k oci. No problem especially with a 7 quart sump. One of GM's best engines, too bad it had such a short life. Maybe it lived on overseas idk.
 
OP Here : Running the GM OLM down to about 10% ~ 15% would appear (after replies) to be my comfort zone - that's about one year and 12,000 miles .
I keep the oil topped off and figure once a year I get to check out underneath real good and change the oil . Sump holds 7 qrts. so I feel running it down to even 0% with a major brand 5W 30 synthetic oil would do no harm .
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
Originally Posted By: tig1
I change my oil at 10K regardless of what some gadget says.

I change my oil at the OLM regardless of some people's obsession with the number 10k.

10K OCIs has not been an obsession, but a proven OCI for me the last 39 years in all types of engines. The real obsession may be our society's reliance on electronic gadgets to govern our lives. Poor you.


But given the miles that your vehicels are purportedly racking up, they never experience so much as a cold start....the OLM would support this.

My Colorado has a 15,000km service ingerval (10,000 miles is 16,100km)...and will run out to 20,000km+ on the OLM.

On the other hand, at 4,600km (when I bought it) as a demonstrator, it had less then 40% left in the OLM, due to the particular manner in which it was operated.

You can't discount the worth of the OLM to the average punter just because your particular application makes it irrelevent.

Oh wait, that's your standard M.O. isn't it.


You said" your vehicles never experience so much as a cold start". I live in Illinois and every day in the winter(3-4 months each year) we start our engines in temps down to +32F to -10F. Your cold start comment was without fact. When I lived in Maine often we had temps from +15F to -20F for weeks at a time in engines with carburetors. So once again your comments are irrelevant. Again the 10K OCIs I do have proven very successful for the last 39 years.
thankyou2.gif
 
Last edited:
cmon tig...400 bllion successful miles on a dozen engines since 1978, and there's a single cold start ???
 
And in keeping with irrelevance...the thread is about GM OLM...not about tig1, M1, Ford and anecdotes...
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
And in keeping with irrelevance...the thread is about GM OLM...not about tig1, M1, Ford and anecdotes...


Many folks here persist in their belief that somehow all engines are the same. That would seem somewhat naïve to many.

GM's oil life monitor is actually very accurate in their V8 applications we run here. Silverados can go well beyond 10k miles, I think we've seen 14k. But our service vans with tons of stationary operation never make it past 5k.

Extremely helpful to get the proper use from both your oil and your vehicle despite the anecdotal stuff...
 
tig1's thing about favoriting 10k miles is an excellent example of what NOT to do.
Engine conditions don't care about round 10k numbers. The OLM does account for engine conditions. Numbers of miles don't matter.
Very on topic, BTW.
 
Here is why OLMs are the best possible way to predict oil changes, instead of blindly targeting X miles:
Backup_199901_Graphics_GM4.gif

from Machinery Lubrication magazine.

Notice the main idea of the oil change game is to predict when PIN insolubles (sludge, etc.) begins to pollute the oil.
How does one know when this is happening? The OLM is your best guess, not old wives tales about when to change oil.

If your car doesn't have an OLM, I'd suggest the next best thing is to try the blot test on a porous paper to see if there are significant changes in the amount of PIN, forming visible rings on the paper.
 
So, if you are always changing it before the OLM indicates, how is that not accomplishing the same thing? I don't see many people advocating for changing it past what OLM indicates(although I've seen a few). What OLM is this article referring too? They use different parameters. In addition this is comparing OLM change to UOA change, not OLM to old wives tales(OWT?)
There are too many variables in these engines to wait for pentane insolubles to show up. That graph is very generic and is only adressing oil aging, essntially oxidation, not anything other issues. My guess it is from some industrial/commercial diesel program. These engines have huge sump capacities, but run a long time between changes, so oxidation can be an issue.
 
I have that same engine in my '04 Trailblazer with 171K miles. (My son drives it now.). Most of it's life I used Mobil-1 5w-30. Later in it's life it has been whatever full synthetic that was on sale.


With my driving habits/conditions, the "change oil" light usually came on around 11k on the oil. With the 7 quart capacity, 11k is not an issue for me. GM did it right with this engine. No leaks and just as quiet as the first day I drove it.
 
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