What oil percentage do you let your oil get to before changing it out?
05-20-2018, 11:32 PM
#41
05-20-2018, 11:37 PM
#42
No it won't blowup but the acid etc formed in the oil is corroding the metal parts. Your car do as you wish!
If the OLM actually isn't saying change there is something wrong but expect from the way you are saying it and the illogic in many of your posts you're zeroing it out!
Amazes me that folks will spend ~$60,000 for a car and not want to change oil once a year!
If the OLM actually isn't saying change there is something wrong but expect from the way you are saying it and the illogic in many of your posts you're zeroing it out!
Amazes me that folks will spend ~$60,000 for a car and not want to change oil once a year!
There's nothing wrong with the car. What I'm demonstrating is your level of detachment by making up stuff the GM Owners Manual doesn't state.
Last edited by Skid Row Joe; 05-20-2018 at 11:52 PM.
05-20-2018, 11:38 PM
#43
I do not pay any attention to the OLM what so ever. My car is a daily driver 12 months of the year and I put about 13,000 miles on annually . I check the oil level about every third fill up and change it when it looks dirty. I'm guessing that might be at about the 5,000 mile mark ,maybe about 30 -40 % left on the OLM
How dark is dirty?
05-21-2018, 05:02 AM
#44
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St. Jude Donor '12
My 2017 vert has 15.5k on the clock and it will be going in for the fourth oil change. I let the GM tech that I have a good comfort level with tell me when to change the oil. The tech gives me a note as to the miles that he wants to change the oil.
Its funny the tech takes a interest in the cars that he takes care of even if he sees one out in public he will make a point to ask if everything is ok.
I think the price of a oil change is a small price to take care of a car that we all love so much. I'm retired on a fixed income and I still get the oil changed, So I may give up a dinner date with the wife. it's ok
Its funny the tech takes a interest in the cars that he takes care of even if he sees one out in public he will make a point to ask if everything is ok.
I think the price of a oil change is a small price to take care of a car that we all love so much. I'm retired on a fixed income and I still get the oil changed, So I may give up a dinner date with the wife. it's ok
05-21-2018, 07:10 AM
#45
Wet sump ( Base ,LT1)
How dirty, that is a good question and hard to quantify and certainly subjective.
After an oil change it is hard to actually see the actual level on the stick as the oil is so clear.However, you can see the low level hash marks through the oil. After a couple of thousand miles the oil is darker, can still see the low level hash marks through the oil and it wipes off onto the rag with light colorization . I find by about the 5000 mile mark I can no longer see the low level hash marks through the oil. It wipes onto a rag as very dark, just looks dirty, and is now about one half to three quarters of a quart below the full level. Rather than add a bit at this point I just do a change.
Given the high quality of today's oil and filters I am sure I could safely run another 2,000 miles or more without harm to the engine.
I guess part of my rationale is that long before OLM'S were invented mileage and how dirty the oil looked were major factors in the oil change decision.........also having done it this way for 50 plus years I guess I am a creature of habit.......and a bit long winded
How dirty, that is a good question and hard to quantify and certainly subjective.
After an oil change it is hard to actually see the actual level on the stick as the oil is so clear.However, you can see the low level hash marks through the oil. After a couple of thousand miles the oil is darker, can still see the low level hash marks through the oil and it wipes off onto the rag with light colorization . I find by about the 5000 mile mark I can no longer see the low level hash marks through the oil. It wipes onto a rag as very dark, just looks dirty, and is now about one half to three quarters of a quart below the full level. Rather than add a bit at this point I just do a change.
Given the high quality of today's oil and filters I am sure I could safely run another 2,000 miles or more without harm to the engine.
I guess part of my rationale is that long before OLM'S were invented mileage and how dirty the oil looked were major factors in the oil change decision.........also having done it this way for 50 plus years I guess I am a creature of habit.......and a bit long winded
05-21-2018, 07:37 AM
#46
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^^
Hmm,
Color is NOT a good way to define when to change. Lots written on the net about the subject. Below is one of those I found from a good source that was logical to me! Quoting:
"If you're conscientious about keeping your car in good running order, you probably worry from time to time that your oil has gotten dirty and is causing sludge to build up in your engine. So you pull the dipstick out and check the color of the oil at the tip. Chances are, it's starting to turn dark, no longer the light amber color that you saw on the stick when your oil was fresh. So now it's too dirty to use, right? It's depositing sludge in your engine and needs to be changed.
Wrong. In fact, just the opposite is true. If you're using a detergent engine oil (and most modern engine oils have detergent additives), the oil is working just the way it's supposed to, dispersing the tiny particles that can result in engine sludge and holding them in suspension in the oil itself so that they can't build up. That's why the oil appears darker, but this in no way impedes the oil from performing its normal functions of lubricating and protecting the metal surfaces inside the engine. Of course, the oil is limited in how many of these suspended particles it can contain and will eventually need to be changed when it becomes saturated, but use the oil change interval recommended by your car's manufacturer to decide when to change the oil, not the color of the oil on the stick."
USING OIL ANALYISIS:
Just my opinion after reading our forum oil expert's (LDB) comments and my own subjective feeling. Not worth it for a C7!
As LDB said (don't like to shorten what I recall as his response as they are loner and more accurate) by the time one of the metals it detects are found - it's too late. My thought as well and IMO any measure of depletion of antiware additives like zinc compounds etc etc is also probably not needed IF you change when the OLM says they will be more than enough left.
Not sure if they measure acids and other contaminates that corrode metals etc but the OLM should take care of those as well. Especially for those Vettes used infrequently and for short trips, far better to follow the OLM than to follow what it said in my '93 Vette Owner's Manual when an OLM did not exist. Quoting the '93 manual: "For those cars where most trips are less than 4 miles: change at oil at 3000 miles of 3 months whichever occurs first,"
If I had a truck fleet and expected to get 200,000 miles plus from my engines and wanted to minimize oil changes, an oil analysis would be great! Perhaps if Tracking it could pick up a possible issue of excess bearing, rocker arm wear etc. For a passenger car following the conservative OLM is just fine, IMO.
Just Sayn'
Hmm,
Color is NOT a good way to define when to change. Lots written on the net about the subject. Below is one of those I found from a good source that was logical to me! Quoting:
"If you're conscientious about keeping your car in good running order, you probably worry from time to time that your oil has gotten dirty and is causing sludge to build up in your engine. So you pull the dipstick out and check the color of the oil at the tip. Chances are, it's starting to turn dark, no longer the light amber color that you saw on the stick when your oil was fresh. So now it's too dirty to use, right? It's depositing sludge in your engine and needs to be changed.
Wrong. In fact, just the opposite is true. If you're using a detergent engine oil (and most modern engine oils have detergent additives), the oil is working just the way it's supposed to, dispersing the tiny particles that can result in engine sludge and holding them in suspension in the oil itself so that they can't build up. That's why the oil appears darker, but this in no way impedes the oil from performing its normal functions of lubricating and protecting the metal surfaces inside the engine. Of course, the oil is limited in how many of these suspended particles it can contain and will eventually need to be changed when it becomes saturated, but use the oil change interval recommended by your car's manufacturer to decide when to change the oil, not the color of the oil on the stick."
USING OIL ANALYISIS:
Just my opinion after reading our forum oil expert's (LDB) comments and my own subjective feeling. Not worth it for a C7!
As LDB said (don't like to shorten what I recall as his response as they are loner and more accurate) by the time one of the metals it detects are found - it's too late. My thought as well and IMO any measure of depletion of antiware additives like zinc compounds etc etc is also probably not needed IF you change when the OLM says they will be more than enough left.
Not sure if they measure acids and other contaminates that corrode metals etc but the OLM should take care of those as well. Especially for those Vettes used infrequently and for short trips, far better to follow the OLM than to follow what it said in my '93 Vette Owner's Manual when an OLM did not exist. Quoting the '93 manual: "For those cars where most trips are less than 4 miles: change at oil at 3000 miles of 3 months whichever occurs first,"
If I had a truck fleet and expected to get 200,000 miles plus from my engines and wanted to minimize oil changes, an oil analysis would be great! Perhaps if Tracking it could pick up a possible issue of excess bearing, rocker arm wear etc. For a passenger car following the conservative OLM is just fine, IMO.
Just Sayn'
Last edited by JerryU; 05-21-2018 at 07:50 AM.
05-21-2018, 08:22 AM
#47
^^
Hmm,
Color is NOT a good way to define when to change. Lots written on the net about the subject. Below is one of those I found from a good source that was logical to me! Quoting:
"If you're conscientious about keeping your car in good running order, you probably worry from time to time that your oil has gotten dirty and is causing sludge to build up in your engine. So you pull the dipstick out and check the color of the oil at the tip. Chances are, it's starting to turn dark, no longer the light amber color that you saw on the stick when your oil was fresh. So now it's too dirty to use, right? It's depositing sludge in your engine and needs to be changed.
Wrong. In fact, just the opposite is true. If you're using a detergent engine oil (and most modern engine oils have detergent additives), the oil is working just the way it's supposed to, dispersing the tiny particles that can result in engine sludge and holding them in suspension in the oil itself so that they can't build up. That's why the oil appears darker, but this in no way impedes the oil from performing its normal functions of lubricating and protecting the metal surfaces inside the engine. Of course, the oil is limited in how many of these suspended particles it can contain and will eventually need to be changed when it becomes saturated, but use the oil change interval recommended by your car's manufacturer to decide when to change the oil, not the color of the oil on the stick."
USING OIL ANALYISIS:
Just my opinion after reading our forum oil expert's (LDB) comments and my own subjective feeling. Not worth it for a C7!
As LDB said (don't like to shorten what I recall as his response as they are loner and more accurate) by the time one of the metals it detects are found - it's too late. My thought as well and IMO any measure of depletion of antiware additives like zinc compounds etc etc is also probably not needed IF you change when the OLM says they will be more than enough left.
Not sure if they measure acids and other contaminates that corrode metals etc but the OLM should take care of those as well. Especially for those Vettes used infrequently and for short trips, far better to follow the OLM than to follow what it said in my '93 Vette Owner's Manual when an OLM did not exist. Quoting the '93 manual: "For those cars where most trips are less than 4 miles: change at oil at 3000 miles of 3 months whichever occurs first,"
If I had a truck fleet and expected to get 200,000 miles plus from my engines and wanted to minimize oil changes, an oil analysis would be great! Perhaps if Tracking it could pick up a possible issue of excess bearing, rocker arm wear etc. For a passenger car following the conservative OLM is just fine, IMO.
Just Sayn'
Hmm,
Color is NOT a good way to define when to change. Lots written on the net about the subject. Below is one of those I found from a good source that was logical to me! Quoting:
"If you're conscientious about keeping your car in good running order, you probably worry from time to time that your oil has gotten dirty and is causing sludge to build up in your engine. So you pull the dipstick out and check the color of the oil at the tip. Chances are, it's starting to turn dark, no longer the light amber color that you saw on the stick when your oil was fresh. So now it's too dirty to use, right? It's depositing sludge in your engine and needs to be changed.
Wrong. In fact, just the opposite is true. If you're using a detergent engine oil (and most modern engine oils have detergent additives), the oil is working just the way it's supposed to, dispersing the tiny particles that can result in engine sludge and holding them in suspension in the oil itself so that they can't build up. That's why the oil appears darker, but this in no way impedes the oil from performing its normal functions of lubricating and protecting the metal surfaces inside the engine. Of course, the oil is limited in how many of these suspended particles it can contain and will eventually need to be changed when it becomes saturated, but use the oil change interval recommended by your car's manufacturer to decide when to change the oil, not the color of the oil on the stick."
USING OIL ANALYISIS:
Just my opinion after reading our forum oil expert's (LDB) comments and my own subjective feeling. Not worth it for a C7!
As LDB said (don't like to shorten what I recall as his response as they are loner and more accurate) by the time one of the metals it detects are found - it's too late. My thought as well and IMO any measure of depletion of antiware additives like zinc compounds etc etc is also probably not needed IF you change when the OLM says they will be more than enough left.
Not sure if they measure acids and other contaminates that corrode metals etc but the OLM should take care of those as well. Especially for those Vettes used infrequently and for short trips, far better to follow the OLM than to follow what it said in my '93 Vette Owner's Manual when an OLM did not exist. Quoting the '93 manual: "For those cars where most trips are less than 4 miles: change at oil at 3000 miles of 3 months whichever occurs first,"
If I had a truck fleet and expected to get 200,000 miles plus from my engines and wanted to minimize oil changes, an oil analysis would be great! Perhaps if Tracking it could pick up a possible issue of excess bearing, rocker arm wear etc. For a passenger car following the conservative OLM is just fine, IMO.
Just Sayn'
I used oil analysis when I owned aircraft with Continental engines...an important part of preventative maintenance.
05-21-2018, 08:27 AM
#48
Race Director
If people want their LT1 engine to last, definitely do not push the oil beyond what the oil life monitor tells you to do, that's just foolish advice you're giving Joe.
05-21-2018, 09:12 AM
#49
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But just like listening to Jiffy Lub who says change after 3000 miles, IMO the OLM provides a conceravtive time to change! Perhaps the fellow who listens to his mechanic is not wasting oil IF he puts on few miles and most trips are under 4 miles! His mechanic may know that and suggest a shorter change interval the OLM may not fully compensate for that abuse!
As I try with my Street Rod, I do not to pull the C7 out of the garage to access a ladder etc and then pull it right back in! Especially with a dry sump the oil takes time to get hot and must be at that temp long enough to evaporate the excess blowby from a cold start. Water is a main product of combustion and can form acids when mixed with the oil, nitrogen compounds from combustion, etc.
However, never convinced my wife with her dry sump, Porsche Cayenne those 1 mile trips to her girlfriends were not great for the engine or oil! Suspect many forum members will not be convinced either!
Last edited by JerryU; 05-21-2018 at 09:20 AM.
05-21-2018, 10:45 AM
#51
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St. Jude Donor '16-'17,'22,'24
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that OnStar notifies the dealer on record that your C7 needs to have the oil changed and that notification is triggered when the system says 10% of life remaining. I know I get notified before it reaches 0%. With me, it gets changed once per year because I'm not reaching 5K miles between each change.
05-21-2018, 11:00 AM
#52
I figure GM knows what it's doing on this, I get down to 10% or less, I bring it in, not sooner. I might bring it in more frequently if I drove less miles and the car sat around more. But it only really sits between December and April. When the OEM tires are done, I'll replace them with all seasons so I can drive the car more in the winter months.
05-21-2018, 11:04 AM
#53
Le Mans Master
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that OnStar notifies the dealer on record that your C7 needs to have the oil changed and that notification is triggered when the system says 10% of life remaining. I know I get notified before it reaches 0%. With me, it gets changed once per year because I'm not reaching 5K miles between each change.
If you leave it at 0 and change your own oil but never reset the monitor, will GM eventually deny warranty work for lack of maintenance, or try to? I've never heard of that happening.
Last edited by davepl; 05-21-2018 at 11:05 AM.
05-21-2018, 11:14 AM
#54
That would be GM and Mobil 1
That would be GM and Exxon/Mobil. They collaborated extensively on the new 0W-40 factory fill for 2019s. Backward compatible to 2014+ C7s. Only available at dealer right now. Wally World 0W-40 is European engine formulation.
05-21-2018, 12:20 PM
#55
E-Ray, 3LZ, ZER, LIFT
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Page 213-214 PDF version:
"For the LT1 6.2L engine, premium unleaded gasoline meeting ASTM specification D4814 with a posted octane rating of 93 is highly recommended for best performance and fuel economy. Unleaded gasoline with an octane rated as low as 87 can be used. Using unleaded gasoline rated below 93 octane, however, will lead to reduced acceleration and fuel economy. If knocking occurs, use a gasoline rated at 93 octane as soon as possible, otherwise, the engine could be damaged. If heavy knocking is heard when using gasoline with a 93 octane rating, the engine needs service."
Yep you can do that with most engines! Retard the timing that reduces the tendency for knock but at reduced power output. Also operate with a richer fuel/air ratio to help reduce tendency for pre-ignition! So if you really use 87 octane your getting less power and reduced fuel economy! Brilliant!
Last edited by JerryU; 05-21-2018 at 12:30 PM.
05-21-2018, 01:12 PM
#58
Burning Brakes
I'm hoping the GM Card will offer $100.00 for service/parts in December, as it did last December. I took advantage of the offer and had the oil/filter changed - cost me $1.18!
Hopefully I won't be 'below' 0% life at that time.
Hopefully I won't be 'below' 0% life at that time.
05-21-2018, 03:28 PM
#59
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St. Jude Donor '13
Regarding Oil Analysis-
The best comments I've seen were on BITOG, where it was explained that analysis does a good job of telling you the condition of your oil but not so good at telling you the condition of your engine.
So when I get a few reports on samples of the new 0W-40, I'll look at the wear metals. But I'll pay more attention to things like TBN, viscosity, etc; especially with a lot of miles on the sample.
The best comments I've seen were on BITOG, where it was explained that analysis does a good job of telling you the condition of your oil but not so good at telling you the condition of your engine.
So when I get a few reports on samples of the new 0W-40, I'll look at the wear metals. But I'll pay more attention to things like TBN, viscosity, etc; especially with a lot of miles on the sample.
05-21-2018, 04:38 PM
#60
My brother was an exec @ Mobil way back in the 70s when they first introduced Mobil One (I think it was 1974, he started with them a few years after that). He knew some of the engineers who had worked on that project. From those stories, it sounds like you could run your Corvette 100K+ miles and NEVER change the oil before you'd start having engine issues. They really did have some amazing R&D stories, like running motors hundreds of thousands of miles with zero damage. That stuff never loses viscosity.
I wouldn't lose sleep about going by the manufacturer's book or a little over on this.
I wouldn't lose sleep about going by the manufacturer's book or a little over on this.