GM Oil Life Monitor real world example

[JasonA]

http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultima...ic;f=3;t=002940

Guys at BobIsTheOilGuy.com are all over themselves praising the GMOLM, and how "that GM engineer" was right after all, that the system works flawlessly.

[Scotty]

That cracks me up.. The guys on that site broke the guru's ballons badly over the OLM! That is what I mean, people should shut up and listen, take in, analyze and make their own assessments before they shoot their mouths off.

The more I read that thread the more PO'd I get remembering the way they treated the guru... I think they actually banned him, don't you just love people with big EGO's

[JimD]

Good to see the word is finally getting out on the reliability of the OLM. It took me over a year to convince the woman across the street that she could trust the OLM in her Buick.

My DTS is 8,723 miles into the oil and showing 15% remaining. That projects to an oil change at 10,262. I think I remember 'that GM engineer' mentioned the OLM was set to a maximum value of 10,500 for 2004 models.

Even at that point, the OLM was on the conservative side of additive depletion such that adding a quart or two of fresh oil would extend the life.

[Ranger]

VERY interesting. I sure would have like to see his posts and what he got banned for. As I recall it was Amsoil bashing.

[Bob D]

VERY interesting. I sure would have like to see his posts and what he got banned for. As I recall it was Amsoil bashing.

It really wasn't bashing. Merely enlightenment from a qualified source..

To qoute Jack Nicholson's classic line in "A Few Good Men":

"YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!"

..I think that applied there...

[Scotty]

Hell, if everyone paid attention to the OLM, we might save some OIL and affect the price, instead of blindly changing it every 3,000 miles like SHEEP....

[Bob D]

Hell, if everyone paid attention to the OLM, we might save some OIL and affect the price, instead of blindly changing it every 3,000 miles like SHEEP....

Jeezz...can you imagine how many barrels that would be saved if the majorty of consumers out there dropped the archaic 3000 mile mentality, and went to even 5000?

Think about it...

[JasonA]

This is from a presentation I did a few months ago:

Americans drive about 1 trillion miles each year. I don't know remember where that statistic came from, but I take it at face value, and I assume it to be in the ballpark. If the true value is higher or lower, it's easy to adjust the figures below.

If Jiffy Lube had their way (3000 mile oil changes), that's 333 million oil changes, each year. Average 5 quarts per change for most vehicles, and that's 1.6 billion quarts each year, or about 10 million barrels.

In essence, we use 10 million barrels of oil just doing oil changes every 3000 miles. If we used our lubricants to their FULL LIFE, which is probably DOUBLE that on average, we'd save 5 million barrels, each year. 5 million barrels, and all you have to do is not take the oil out until you need to. It doesn't just make environmental sense...it makes huge economic sense, both from a personal standpoint and nationwide. The less petroleum we collectively use, the better off we'll be, on many fronts.

It's frustrating how hard some old habits are to kill sometimes.

[keith_99_sts]

Let's look at the actual numbers.

Oil change every 3000 miles - say 5 quarts (1.25 gallons).

Gasoline used @ 20mpg = 3000/20 = 150 gallons.

Oil changes, at worst, add up to less than 1% of hydrocarbon usage. Besides, I recycle my used oil so those numbers aren't as good as they appear, and they don't appear that good to start with.

Any savings are worthwhile, but let's not get carried away with the massive savings. They aren't there.

[Ranger]

VERY interesting. I sure would have like to see his posts and what he got banned for. As I recall it was Amsoil bashing.

It really wasn't bashing. Merely enlightenment from a qualified source..

To qoute Jack Nicholson's classic line in "A Few Good Men":

"YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!"

..I think that applied there...

Yeah, I thought about that after I posted. I Probably should have said for failure to tout the Amsoil party line.

[JasonA]

Any savings are worthwhile, but let's not get carried away with the massive savings. They aren't there.

Nobody is comparing motor oil usage to gasoline usage. There's no question that motor oil usage is a much smaller number. But add it up and, collectively, the savings are big. Don't forget, once you burn gasoline, that's it -- it's in the air. But motor oil doesn't disappear. You not only have the energy costs associated with producing it, but you also have the energy costs associated with recycling and/or re-refining it. We need to look at the total life cycle.

As you say, "any savings are worthwhile", and that (and only that) is the point. Let's not be more wasteful than we need to be with our engine lubricants.

[parrothead]

Call me ignorant but I have a question about the OLM. The percentages shown on the read out are they the percent of protection left in the oil? I mean if it gets to say 10% is that how much protective qualities left in the oil? OR is iit a measurement of therotical miles (based on current driving patterns) left until the next change?

[JasonA]

Parrothead, in theory, it's amount of engine oil protection left. Read this post on BITOG from the master...it's a good one:

http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultima...ic;f=1;t=010523

[Scotty]

Let's look at the actual numbers.

Oil change every 3000 miles - say 5 quarts (1.25 gallons).

Gasoline used @ 20mpg = 3000/20 = 150 gallons.

Oil changes, at worst, add up to less than 1% of hydrocarbon usage. Besides, I recycle my used oil so those numbers aren't as good as they appear, and they don't appear that good to start with.

Any savings are worthwhile, but let's not get carried away with the massive savings. They aren't there.

Keith, are you the same Keith from Bob is the Oil Guy that has 1,580 posts there that just mentioned Guru and caddyinfo? Your profile states you are in sales if this is you. What kind of sales are you in?

[JohnnyG]

Well, I AM in the gasoline business, and am VERY conscious of the effects of motor oil, as well as fuel, on the environment. For those of you that have not yet guessed, I work for MPC... sorry, I didn't reply to the "What's Your Job" thread.

http://www.marathon.com/Our_Values/Living_Our_Values/

All of us strive to do our utmost for the environment as well as the economy. I feel I was instrumental in helping those at BITOG realize that the GM OLM is for real.

I also remember starting out on this board when Guru had time to address each problem with his PERSONAL attention, and felt that I owed him all that I could in order to "validate" his statements on that board. (pun intended) Just a way to thank him for the help that he has given me over the past 2 or 3 years.

Also, if anyone has not yet guessed, I am the same JohnnyG that posted the 12,650 mile UAO on Havoline 5W-30 that has raised the "awareness level" of many over there at BITOG. Yes, the 2004 Silverado is a company car.

[Scotty]

Thanks Johnny, for proving and supporting our friends point.

[Bob D]

In essence, we use 10 million barrels of oil just doing oil changes every 3000 miles. If we used our lubricants to their FULL LIFE, which is probably DOUBLE that on average, we'd save 5 million barrels, each year. 5 million barrels, and all you have to do is not take the oil out until you need to. It doesn't just make environmental sense...it makes huge economic sense, both from a personal standpoint and nationwide. The less petroleum we collectively use, the better off we'll be, on many fronts.

It's frustrating how hard some old habits are to kill sometimes.

They do die hard.

Good job, Jason.

[Oldgamer]

Call me ignorant but I have a question about the OLM. The percentages shown on the read out are they the percent of protection left in the oil? I mean if it gets to say 10% is that how much protective qualities left in the oil? OR is iit a measurement of therotical miles (based on current driving patterns) left until the next change?

10% doesn't mean oil protecive qualities are only 10% of a new oil. It just means that this oil can still be in use for some time, this is it. When oil life reads 0% it means that by computer calculations this oil isn't clean enough or good enough to use in engine. I think GM set some minimum quality standarts to the oil (I think they are much higher than 10% of protective qualities of a new oil).

[tjtjwdad]

For once since owning my STS I'm going to let the oil change go until the OLM says 0%. Currently, have right @ 4000 miles with 57% remaining.

Jim

[juruiz]

Oil changes depend a lot on the territory you ride in.

Hot Dry Dusty territory needs more early changes.

Highway, Humid, Hot or Cold need less changing.

The biggest enemy is the DUST.

I am an retired experimented mechanic.

[franey]

I totally agree with the conservation issue , but lets face it the bulk of car drivers do not change oil every two to three thousand miles. Ask any service station or oil change place , sure they have their regulars, but the bulk of their customers have no idea when it was changed last or the sticker in the window is completely faded out from the sun. They roll in and ask DO YOU THINK I NEED MY OIL CHANGED, you check the oil, it is either not registering on the stick or it is way down and has the consistency of mud . Those of us here are not the norm, we either have old school which changes it regularly , or new school which goes by the computer , or a modified version of both schools. The older people here , of which i am one of them probably have known at least two or three people in their life time that NEVER changed their oil , yes never, they merely added to it when it was low for the entire time they owned the car . I had two friends that drove over 200.000 , before they traded the car and never changed the oil or filter. The only time the air and fuel filter got changed was when the car quit due to a totally stoped up filter. A friend of my daughters came over one day and i could here the lifters rattling as he drove in the drive way, i asked him if he had checked the oil lately. His response was NO I CHANGE MY OIL EVERY 2000 MILES, I DO NOT NEED TO CHECK IT. Now this guy is about 28 and is well educated, i said well why dont you pop the hood and we will check it, HE SAID WELL IT IS NOT TIME YET I STILL HAVE ANOTHER 200 OR SO MILES TILL IT IS TIME TO CHANGE. I finally got him to raise the hood and it was almost 3 quarts low in a four and half to five quart max engine. Even after we had added the oil , he kept insisting that it was not necessary since he changes it regularly, he did not comprehend that it was also burning it at a about six hundred miles to the quart. We who take care of our cars are in the minority .IF you are keeping your tires inflated, car tuned up , and stay on top of your maint. then you are doing more than the majority of the population. Give yourself a pat on the back.

[parrothead]

I change my oil every 3 to 5k, When I check it its still clear (light yellow). I guess I am the extreme but I have to believe that the oil will last 10k nowadays. If we can put a man on the moon, oils sure as heck have been developed to last at least 10k under any circumstances.

[JasonA]

Parrothead, you're right. Not only has oil chemistry itself advanced DRASTICALLY since the '60s, so has engine design, which probably plays at least as big a part. Bee-bee has said before that there's no way he'd run any oil past 3000 miles in his old Chevelle...because that engine has a high-volume oil pump with distributor drive gears and oil pump drive gears and solid lifters and rocker arms, etc. All those high-wear surfaces deplete the oil quickly, apparently. Today's engines don't have any of that. Our Northstars don't have distributor drive gears. No twin-gear oil pumps. No pushrods and rocker arms. The 2000+ engines don't even have flat-tappet cam followers. Combine that with the greatly improved oils and it's a no-brainer that the oil could stay in the engine for 10k miles under the right circumstances.

Enter the GMOLM. "The right circumstances". Driving 2 miles at a time in the winter is not the right circumstance. And the OLM will tell you to change it at 3000 miles or even sooner. Driving hundreds of miles at a time in mild weather is pretty darn easy on the oil, and the OLM might let you go 7, 8, 9 thousand miles between changes. I think it's a good balance of minimizing the petroleum we do use, but not at the expense of the engine in the car.

[parrothead]

Amen!

[JasonA]

What I'm excited about is now even admited oil FANATICS, like those members on BITOG, are starting to accept that Jiffy Lube's advice is a thing of the past and the GMOLM really works. There are still some on there who think that "a dino oil should never go beyond 3000 miles". Recent threads about GM's OLM and Honda's new OLM (and near 10k mile oil change intervals) are really turning skeptics into believers.