Have the vette, 96 LT1, about 6 weeks now. I've seen on the Forum discussions about when to change oil. People make referance to the reading that shows % of oil life left. I checked the owners manual and the mention the oil life monitor which will show up on the DIC when its time to change oil. How do I see this % left reading? Also about 2 weeks ago I left the house and went about 2 blocks before I realized I had a problem. The righ rear tire was almost flat. Doesn't the DIC indicate low tire pressure? It showed nothing. People discuss reading "codes". You need an external code scanner to do this, right?
Thanks
chimknee

 

The DIC should have indicated low/flat tire provided the tire sensors are working properly

 

My '96 CE does not have option to check the life of the oil - it only comes on when it thinks I have been 3K with the same oil. As for the low tire pressure, you have to have that option (I forget what it is) LTPW system for the DIC to indicate it. If you have that option and it did not show up, the sensor is probably bad.

 

Oil change light comes on between 3,000 and 7,500 miles depending on how you drive it.

 

Do not rely on any fancy doodads looking to tell you when to change your oil. Your Vette is either an investment, a toy, a daily driver or any or all of the aforementioned ways you think about your car.

The frequency of when to change your oil is based on numerous factors. Some of them are how many miles you drive, how long your car sits, the environment your car is driven in (ex. dusty conditions) and how hard you drive your car. Obviously there's more, but they all cannot be listed. The majority of people out there that determine when it's time to change the oil base it on the mileage put on the motor.

If this is the owner's only determining factor, he/she will eventually have a rude awakening. Many people do not realize that it is not a good idea to allow a car to sit for an extended period of time. Seals dry and will eventually crack, gas will turn into varnish and if the engine is carbureted, it will gum up, fuel lines and gas tanks will clog and there are a host of other problems associated with a car sitting for a great deal of time at idle.

But back to oil changing. If your car is a daily driver, there is nothing wrong with changing your oil and filter at 3,000 miles. Personally, I presently do not do much daily driving, but when I did years ago, I religiously changed my oil and filter at 2,000 miles. Was it necessary? Probably not. It gave me peace of mind knowning that I was doing everything I could to protect my car.

My daily driver sees about 500-1000 a month. I change the oil in that car every 2 months. Gas and water do accumulate in the engine and changing the oil is the only way to get them out. If left in there for an extended period of time, you are only asking for trouble. So why ask. Take the initiative.

At home, I keep a chart on the side of the fridge that lists the dates and mileage for my cars and has a column for each for the oil, coolant, hoses, belts, tranny fluid, brake fluid, air filter, and tire rotation. All I need to do is simply look at my chart and I instantly know when my next change is due. My oil is changed every 2 months, my coolant every 2 years, hoses 4 years, belts 2-3 years depending on look, tranny and brake fluid 2-3 years, air filter 15,000 miles, tire rotation 5,000-6,000 miles. In the column, I write the date due or the mileage due, so I need never to calculate anything. It's all written right in front of me.

Many of you probably think I've gone overboard, but I'm sure those of you who are just as **** about their cars as I, will contemplate doing something like this as well. If your driving habits are different than mine, you will need to adjust your time and frequency schedule accordingly.

Sorry for the long post, but there are many new menbers and I wanted to give them a little information and an idea if they want to run with it. Maybe it can give them an idea of their own if they don't like mine.

 

Not positive, but I believe the Oil Life monitor started with the '97 model year.

 

If you have the owners manual check to see what it says about when to change oil. Belive it or not these are based on actual tests done at the proving grounds on test vehicles. The vaarious proving grounds simulates every type of driving. Slow around town, High speed Interstate, Short trips not up to full temp etc. Then they take oil samples and test them for all sorts of things. From this they establish the service intervals and put it into the manual. I believe they will be on the side of caution. GM will not recommend anything that is extreme. So I feel their recommemdations are very conservative.

 

I think you are misinterpreting the oil life monitor. It wont show you a % of oil life. It just lights up the change oil lamp on the dash. I agree with Silver that it lights up whenever it thinks there is 3000 miles on the oil...whether there is or not.
As for your LTPW... It could be a sensor. I fixed mine by pulling the bulb and kicking my tires
And yes you need some very special equipment to check the codes..... I bought a used paperclip off Ebay... .. No seriously its not hard and I have used a paperclip before. Bend it into a horseshoe shape and jump the A&B terminals on the ALDL. then turn the key on, Dont start the motor. The Service Engine light will flash the codes.
I highly reccomend you buy the Helms Service manuals for your specfic year. I just notice yours is a 96.... mines a 92 so all the above info is 92 related. Most should crossover but........Go buy the Helms

 

The oil life monitor does not automatically reset, if you change your oil daily it will still tell you to change your oil 3k miles after the last time you reset it.

Synthetic oil is a magical thing, I change mine in the spring because it's been sitting too long, and in the fall to prepare it to sit for a while.

 

I've got a 92 and it has it...........
Could you have possibly meant 87?

 

Godd Evening Victor,

Have you had the Vette out in the Snow yet???

Read your post and thought I would pop in with some information for you. The Oil and Filter were changed on November 20, 2004 @ 57,565 miles so you may or may not be near the 7k miles recommended in the owners manual for the 96 LT1. And sorry you encountered a flat tire but your car was not equipped with the LTPWS. It requires the use of a regular tire pressure gage. If you had a nail or screw in the tire, I would have it dismounted and patched in the inside rather than just plugged.

If I can answer any additional questions or concerns about the car, I am just an e-mail away as I don't check into the C4 section very often but I usually check off-topic daily.

Meawhile, enjoy the ride and the drive and say hello to your lovely wife for me..