Community Forums

M&EM · 10-18-2005, 05:54 PM

Is engine oil life remaining an item that can be made to show up on the IP? I see this parameter from the OBDII scan tool and it is active. It is shown as a percent of max. oil life. It appears to decrease as miles accumulate. However it also exceeds the 3000 mile interval.

At 4200 miles this parameter shows 42% of oil life remaining? Is this for real? My change oil lite has not yet come on either so I'm assuming the lite is triggered by this parameter. That may not happen until over 7000 miles racks up on this oil change as it goes now. Anybody??

M&EM · 10-18-2005, 05:54 PM

Is engine oil life remaining an item that can be made to show up on the IP? I see this parameter from the OBDII scan tool and it is active. It is shown as a percent of max. oil life. It appears to decrease as miles accumulate. However it also exceeds the 3000 mile interval.

At 4200 miles this parameter shows 42% of oil life remaining? Is this for real? My change oil lite has not yet come on either so I'm assuming the lite is triggered by this parameter. That may not happen until over 7000 miles racks up on this oil change as it goes now. Anybody??

jobrien · 10-19-2005, 03:42 AM

The oil change warning on the dash comes on every 7,000 miles.

I just had to reset mine. I chnage my oil between 3 and 5,000 miles.

LandHo · 10-19-2005, 07:41 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by jobrien:
The oil change warning on the dash comes on every 7,000 miles... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I changed my oil before a big trip out west...reset the oil change thingee.

drove up and down the rockies and 3100 miles later, the change oil warning came on. I think it does do some computing...I don't know the paramters...probably, avg engine rpm, speed, and high rpm duration...number of downshifts????

Tom N · 10-19-2005, 10:15 AM

I don't "think" it's that smart.

jdrogers · 10-19-2005, 11:41 AM

Yes, it is that smart (I think). It is computed by the engine computer.

You can see it by holding the MODE button for more than 5 seconds and the scroll the the menu to the choice for Oil Life Remaining...

Logthumper · 10-19-2005, 12:03 PM

Actually it may be that smart.

From an artical by Schwartz, S. E. and D. J. Smolenski, "Development of an Automatic Engine Oil-Change Indicator System," SAE Paper 870403.

The following is a part of that paper:
"The patented engine oil change technology involves computerized monitoring of engine revolutions, operating temperature, and other factors to optimize the change interval selection. The typical recommended interval for gasoling-fueled passenger cars and light-duty trucks is 3,000 miles (4,800 km) or three months, whichever first occurs, when outside temperatures are below freezing nd trips are short. These conditions are considered severe duty. For ideal driving conditions, relating to long trips with mild outside temperatures, the interval can be expanded to 7,500 miles (12,000 km). Starting with 2000 model year on certain vecicles, GM will raise the maximum mileage allowed for Oil-Life System-equipped vehicles to between 10,000 and 15,000 miles, depending on vehicle brand and engine.

While the Oil-Life System does not actually monitor and single quality or physical property of the oil, it does incorporate the use of a highly sophisticated mathermatical model. This model applies the known influence of oil service temperature and revolutions to characterize the remaining life."

I have scanned the complete paper as 2 pics. They are at the end of my pics below.

Tom N · 10-19-2005, 01:10 PM

I don't think Workhorse is using technology that this article (From an artical by Schwartz, S. E. and D. J. Smolenski, "Development of an Automatic Engine Oil-Change Indicator System," SAE Paper 870403) is referring to.

The only calculation that is done is the % of oil life remaining. The miles on a change are preprogrammed. And the computer does not change the warning based on the parameters stated in the Schwartz article.

I reset my service back to 0 according to Workhorses procedure so I'll see when the warning comes up. But I change at 3000 miles so if the preprogrammed change interval is more than 3000 I'll never see it. My coach is sitting
with a fresh oil change and I'm leaving for Myrtle Beach Friday. First oil change 3368 miles and the servie warning wasn't showing.

What mile intervals have others seen on their dash???

max49 · 10-19-2005, 04:18 PM

I've 5700 miles on mine and did'nt even know it showed when to change the oil. I changed it at 5000miles but did'nt reset any thing. If it is a smart computer, I would have thought it would want it changed earlier for the break in, 1st oil change.

M&EM · 10-19-2005, 05:18 PM

First time my oil change lite came on was at 7050 miles. Already had done 2 oil changes so I just reset the lite. Didn't pay much attention to the lite after that since I was on a 3000 mile schedule. Now that I have switched to Synthetic at 28000, I may use a different longer schedule.

Tom N · 10-20-2005, 03:49 AM

So the warning light must be programmed for 7000 mile service. Unless the computer calculates the service interval as some have stated. I also chnage at 3000 miles so maybe I'll reset the light every other oil change and change at 3500. At least it be correct every other change. LOL

If you change dino oil at 3000 miles why not change syn at 3000 miles?? I think the syn oil would be carrying the same amount of dirt and contaminates at 3000 miles as the dino.

LandHo · 10-20-2005, 08:01 AM

WCC 8.1 engine and tranny from GM will contain whatever oil % life calculation and algorithim software that GM put in all their engine/trans combo...why would WCC spec that software/feature be deleted? (assuming it can be ordered that way) All the info is there in the ECU (OBDII), it is very simple to have a display to tell us some info...

And this next line is my opinion...(so don't flame me for saying this.)
The only way to tell whether the oil MUST be changed is to do an oil analysis...It is the filter that probably needs to be changed sooner than the oil...If the oil is carrying dirt and crud around, it is because the filter is not doing its job...Amsoil even recommends this schedule when you use their syn oil.
1. oil chg + filter change
2. Filter change + top off oil (around 3000 or so)
3. oil chg + filter change (at 7500)

If you are doing your oil+filter changes sooner...no harm done, I presume. That is ok with 6.5 qts of oil. Imagine a large trucking company with oil changes in the 4-5 gallon ranges changing oil based on mileage...I am sure the economics would dictate doing some oil analysis rather than following oil company's self promoting schedule...

Horsepowerfan · 10-30-2005, 03:07 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by M&EM:
Is engine oil life remaining an item that can be made to show up on the IP?
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

(Sorry for the late reply to this post...)

I believe it is available to display on the IP only on newer ('05, '06 ?) Workhorse chassis. As some of you mentioned it can be viewed in a data list of engine computer parameters with a hand held scan tool. It is a calculated % of oil life remaining based on a very complex computer model. See this post HERE for more discussion of the GM Oil Life Monitor and also a link in one of my posts with some very good info.