Understanding How The GM Oil Life Monitor Works
Learn how the GM oil life monitor works
The GM Oil Life Monitoring System is designed to help vehicle owners optimize their oil change intervals and maintain their engines’ health. This system is available in various GM models and has become an essential tool for drivers who want to keep their vehicles running efficiently and reliably. In this article, we’ll explore how the GM Oil Life Monitor System works, its benefits, and why it’s an important feature for vehicle maintenance.
It starts with data collection
The system collects data from various sensors located throughout the vehicle. For example, the system tracks the following information:
• Engine temperature and number and frequency of cold starts— Overheating causes more rapid oil breakdown. Cold starts reduce the oil’s anit-wear and anti-corrosion additives
• Engine Speed, load percentage, and total number of revolutions between oil changes— All these factors can help determine the oil’s condition.
• Number of months since the last oil change— Oil degrades over time and exposure to oxygen.
• The type of driving you do— Hard acceleartion. Stop-and-go-traffic, Long periods of idling , speed, load, and the number of engine revolutions affect oil life
The data is run through an algorithm calculation
The Oil Life Monitoring System employs a complex algorithm to calculate the remaining oil life. The system assumes you’ve used the recommended oil type and viscosity and checked the oil level and topped it off when necessary. If you don’t check the oil level and top it off when needed, the oil life calculations will be way off.
The GM Oil Life Monitor Then Displays an Oil Life Percentage
The system then calculates the percentage of oil life remaining, which is displayed to the driver via the vehicle’s information display. This percentage gives a clear indication of how much usable life the engine oil has left before it needs to be changed. A higher percentage means the oil is still in good condition, while a lower percentage indicates that an oil change is due soon.
Maintenance Alerts
When the oil life percentage drops to a certain threshold, typically around 15%, the system will alert the driver with a warning message or indicator light on the dashboard. This alert serves as a reminder to schedule an oil change. If the percentage drops further, the message may become more urgent, indicating that an oil change is immediately necessary.
The Original GM Oil Life Monitor was introduced in 2007
The monitoring system was first introduced in 2007. It tracked engine usage and told you to change oil in as little as 4,000 miles if you drive under “severe” conditions or as long as 12,000 miles in optimal conditions. However, the system didn’t tell you how much oil life remained; it only told you when it was time to change your oil.
GM Oil Life Monitoring Changes in 2013
Starting with the 2013 model year, the oil life monitoring system bases the remaining oil life on the factors shown below. The system assumes you’ve used the correct DEXOS oil and that you check the level and top if off when needed. If you don’t check the level and top it off or you fill with a non-DEXOS oil, all bets are off.
What the oil life monitor tracks
After each oil change reset, the GM oil life monitor tracks
• Engine revolutions —The GM oil life monitor starts with a factory preset number of engine revolutions stored in memory. Every time the engine is started and run, the oil life monitor tracks the number of revolutions run and subtracts those from the factory programmed target.
• Engine temperature— The algorithm incorporates multipliers that reduce the number of engine revolutions and thus remaining oil life, based on how far engine oil temperature varies from normal oil temperature. If the PCM records an engine temperature above 260°F, the remaining oil life will immediately show 0% remaining life. Cold starts reduce oil life and the algorithm takes that into account by reducing the number of revolutions accordingly.
• Miles since last reset—The monitor records miles traveled since the last oil reset and maintains a MAXIMUM value of 7,500 miles for ALL 2013 and later GM vehicles (except the Volt) before it show 0% remaining oil life.
Time—The oil life monitor records the amount of time the engine runs since the last oil change reset. The time tracking is a liner measurement and decreases remaining oil life on a straight life basis in conjunction with the other tracked variables. The monitor will show 0% after one year regardless of miles driven, engine revolutions or time run.
When to change oil on a GM vehicle
Regardless of what self-proclaimed experts, oil distributors or oil companies may claim, the maximum oil life on GM vehicles (except for the Volt model) is 7,500 miles or less. Oil life depends on time, miles, temperature and engine revolutions. Do not be fooled into thinking you can go beyond this limit.
Factors that degrade oil and reduce oil life
Oil Oxidation reduces oil life
Oil contains anti-oxidant additives to combat oil breakdown due to oxidation. But as oil meets heat, foam and water, those additives get used up and the oil oxidizes, turning into sludge.
• Idling in slow traffic causes oil oxidation
• Cold starts with a rich fuel mixture causes raw fuel and water to enter the crankcase and mix with the oil, causing oxidation and breakdown.
• Turbochargers operate at very high heat. Driving at highway speeds and then shutting down the engine can oxidize the oil left in the turbo.
• Not checking oil level causes the remaining oil to work harder and use up its antioxidation additives much faster.
Engine overheating will deplete remaining oil life
If the engine coolant temperature exceeds 260°F, the oil life monitor will immediately to to 0% remaining oil life.
©, 2017 Rick Muscoplat
Posted on by Rick Muscoplat