How does the oil life remaining gauge work?
How does the car know that the oil is whatever? What's there a little lab in there some where. Or does it use some sort of formular?
Also when I change the oil do I have to reset the darn thing or does it auto. reset itself.
Once again thank you all.
:chevy :cheers:

 

As I understand it, the oil life monitor keeps track of the number of ignition cycles since it was last reset. In other words, it counts how many times you turn the key to start the engine. There are probably other factors, but I believe this is the primary one.

And yes, you must manually reset it after each oil change.

 

I'm not so sure about your answer.....at 3000 miles I changed my oil and filter with mobil 1 10w30 but forgot to reset the counter. About 200 miles later I saw only 60% life and reset it then. Now at 4300 miles it says 44% left. I'd also like to know the criteria for oil life and if using 10w30 is a detriment. :confused:

 

I think it has something to do with the miles........... :seeya

 

As I recall, it checks about 5-6 different parameters of the engine---i.e. the number of starts, rpms, miles, etc. It may be explained in the Owner's Manual. Yes, you have to reset the inidcator manually and that, too, is explained in the manual.

 

It's a very sophisticated algorithm that takes a lot of factors into account, and keeps track of them over time. Short trips, incomplete warm-up cycles, low rpm, etc all shorten life. Longer trips, complete warm-ups, etc extend oil life. The oil life thingy doesn't reset itself, because it doesn't know when you've changed your oil. To reset it, bring up the oil life msg on the DIC, and press AND HOLD Reset until it clears.

 

I believe high temperatures also subtract from the "ideal" which starts out at 10K miles on the 2001 and older and 15K on the 2002 and newer (or is it 2001)? Anyway any deviation from an ideal norm subtracts from the life. As mentioned above there is no oil analysis going on here so the car doesn't have a clue that you have doing anything to the oil until you reset the oil life.

 

I use Mobil 1 10W30 Oil in my car also primarily because of an article I read here on the forum. Here is the link:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zero...rint&id=248356

 

The fact that this statement was submitted in response:

"I run Mobil1 10W-30 in the summer, but keep in mind that the Bragg-Smith school is running 6-8 cars several days a week with oil temps over 290, and they have no problems using 5W-30 !"

has persuaded me to do further investigation. I was under the impression that Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes recommend 5W-30, but I am not absolutely sure of this. More info to follow......

 

I discovered this interview with a couple of Mobil chemists; you may find it interesting:

"In response, we spoke with Bob Lierle and Bill Maxwell at Mobil Lubrications (the company is now known as ExxonMobil) to find the answers to a substantial quantity of questions we thought were worth addressing.

We first, thought that a short history of the ExxonMobil Corporation is important to understand who they are and why their Mobil 1 oil is the exclusive Corvette “factory fill.”

That, however, will not be included in this article due to the fact that Mobil’s history is rather lengthy and to present a limited version, would not serve the immediate purpose.

With exception, there is an important part if its history that deserves to be mentioned. John D. (Davison) Rockerfeller was the founder during the late 1800’s and first named the company Standard Oil Trust. He then incorporated two refining and marketing companies which were named the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey and the Standard Oil Company of New York. “‘Jersey Standard’ and ‘Socony,’ as they were commonly known, were the chief predecessor companies of Exxon and Mobil.”

Now, for those who don’t know what “factory fill” means, it refers to the production procedure stage when all C5 “engines are filled at the factory with Mobil 1 Synthetic oil” along with all other C5 recommended fluids and lubricants meeting GM’s specifications. The oil is subject to GM’s Specification 4718M.

It “should also be identified with the American Petroleum Institute (API) Certified For Gasoline Engines Starburst symbol.”

GM engineers stated that engine oil viscosity (the oil’s thickness) does have an effect on fuel economy, starting of the engine and oil flow during cold weather operations. It is also important for those who do not reside within North America and who are not readily able to obtain oil with the aforementioned specifications, to know that GM suggests owners to “look for oils that meet API Service SJ and ACEA A3-96 requirements.”

GM specifically recommends SAE engine oil with a viscosity of 5W-30 for overall best performance and they also specify as an alternative, 10W-30 when “temperatures are above -18C (0F).”

It is extremely important to note that oil not having “the GM4718M specification designation and viscosities other than those recommended, can cause engine damage not covered by the warranty.” It is also specifically noted by GM, to “not use engine oil additives in Corvette engines.”

In other words, it means that no additional additives whatsoever, should be added to the specified engine oil.

Since many of us own a variety of vehicles in which other viscosities may used, the four formula grades of Tri-Synthetic oils are shown in the above chart. The listing is intended to provide a better comparison related to those formula grades recommended for your Corvette.

Now, the alliance between General Motors and ExxonMobil (hereinafter referred to as Mobil) is longstanding and definitely provides advantageous opportunities related to the production and continued maintenance of any Corvette, not just the C5.

To further Mobil’s testing for high performance, race proven usage under severe conditions, there are other extremely important alliances with Roger Penske Racing for all their “INDYCAR and NASCAR racing cars driven by Al Unser, Jr., Rusty Wallace and Jeremy Mayfield.”

By reviewing Mobil’s comments and those of GM, we found that the Advanced Formula Mobil 1 provides excellent engine protection as a result of it being a uniquely synthesized structure composed of 100% synthetic based stocks such as polyalphaolefins and two other synthetic fluids which are pure chemicals and do not contain impurities and/or waxes found in conventional mineral oils. Mineral oils will dramatically thicken or thin when subjected to temperature changes.

The Tri-Synthetic formula has naturally high resistance to viscosity changes resulting from temperature and “provides a heavier, more stable protective film for engine bearings and piston rings than provided by similar SAE viscosity grade mineral oils.”

Upon reviewing a substantial variety of tests, we found that it actually decreases friction so efficiently, that it enables better fuel economy.

Other tests we were privy to, related to extreme temperature performance. All tests were consistent and showed it can withstand heat up to 475o F and it continued to flow when subjected to 55o below zero (“when conventional oils falter”). The newest 0W-30 oil is an example of even higher applied technology and innovation. It will continue to perform when subjected to even greater extremes of what is generally referred to as temperature extremes . . . extremes beyond extremes.

In addition to the Corvette manufactured by General Motors, the other manufacturers of the Aston Martin, Boxster Porsche, Viper and Mercedes-Benz AMG, found the Tri-Synthetic oil to be on the leading edge of technology and that’s why it’s the factory fill for them as well.

For use with the ultimate of extreme technology, Mobil 1 was “created for the exacting tolerances of the aerospace industry” and met the “de-mands for absolute reliability.”

As additional proof of reliability, Mobil stated that their one million mile test clearly showed “after the equivalent of sixty-six years of high speed driving, critical engine parts were still in excellent condition.”

As mentioned at the very beginning of this article, there were a good number of general questions which we in turn presented to Bob Lierle and Bill Maxwell during our candid conversations.

Their verbal answers were equally as candid and to further substantiate what they stated, they graciously and promptly provided every answer in written form for our files.

ML: “When using Mobil 1, how often should Corvette owners replace the oil and filter?”

BL: “A number of factors influence oil change frequency, including driving habits, typical road and environmental conditions. We recommend Corvette owners follow the oil and filter change frequencies shown in the owner’s manual, especially during the warranty period.

Nonetheless, its global reputation for the excellent protection Mobil 1 provides, further enhances the confidence to go the full length of the mileage or time frame recommended by General Motors.”

ML: “For some time, Mobil used to claim 25,000 mile drain intervals. Since we haven’t seen or heard the claim recently, why was it discontinued or why is it no longer promoted?”

BL: “Each automobile manufacturer develops and specifies oil and filter requirements for their vehicles. Mobil respects their oil drain recommendations and does not want to put the consumer in a position that may conflict with GM’s recommendations.

While Mobil 1 has provided excellent results in extended oil drain tests, we prefer to remain conservative with our oil drain recommendations and we do recommend that Corvette owners go all the way to maximum mileage or time shown in the owner’s manual for oil changes when using Mobil 1. By doing so, it allows the reserve protection capabilities of Mobil 1 to cover unusual or unexpected driving conditions.”

ML: “Let’s talk about viscosity. What is the best grade to use for the Corvette and would a higher viscosity than what GM recommends provide the best protection?”

BM: “This is a very important question. At times, some people inadvertently select an improper viscosity.

As Bob stated, Mobil recommends that owners follow GM’s recommendations which are indicated in the owner’s manual. Basically, the lightest oil viscosity recommended for an expected temperature range, will provide maximum wear protection and maximum fuel economy.

Moreover, heavier oils can lower fuel economy and actually rob horsepower. The current primary manufacturer recommendations for normal driving conditions are 0W-30, 5W-30 and 10W-30 grades. But, let’s look at the 0W-30 viscosity grade. It’s the newest available and it can provide equivalent high temperature protection to the 5W and 10W grades while offering better low temperature protection."