Welcome to Just Commodores, a site specifically designed for all people who share the same passion as yourself.

New Posts Contact us

Just Commodores Forum Community

It takes just a moment to join our fantastic community

Register

Engine oil life

Joined
Oct 31, 2017
Messages
34
Reaction score
2
Points
8
Age
48
Location
Sydney
Members Ride
2009 WM STATESMAN
So just checking your process. You are in Engineering Mode, you scroll down to Oil Life, it shows percentage. Press the accelerator 3 times flat to the floor - wait a few seconds it should change to 100%, if not repeat. I just tried this on my 2009 VE SS, oil life was showing 0% then it reset to 100%.
As has already been said in this thread, this is just a counter that presumably just counts the Km down from 15,000 expressed as percentage (so presumably would show 50% after 7500 Km etc, not sure if it may also factor in time, for example if you haven't driven the car for 6 months after changing the oil, would it also show 50%? The car does not sense the actual oil quality. If you log your oil changes and know the kms when it was last changed, there is no particular benefit to resetting this counter.


Hi Everyone,

I have been reading the post and found it interesting to see that everyone thinks that he Oil Life Monitor is just a counter, I hope I can help with this post as the Engine Oil Life monitor's is far more invoved in momitioring the Oil than just counting the km's even though some do just that, but others can be more technical and even sophiticated. Please Read Below.


Can Oil Life Monitors Be Trusted? (Mechanic's Portal).

Most of us know why many new models are fitted with oil life monitors, but more to the point; if a someone should ask you, or the expert technician, if he could trust the oil life monitor in his new car, what would you tell him? There is no simple “yes” or “no” answers to this question, so in this article, we will take a closer look at oil life monitors, and under what conditions you may or may not want to trust these systems to assess or calculate the condition of the engine oil in a vehicle accurately. Let us start with this question-

Why use oil life monitors in the first place?
For all and for experienced technicians, we know that improvements and advances in both lubrication and engine technologies have obviated the need to replace engine oil at regular 5000 km intervals, but that is only half of the story. The other half involves the fact that car manufacturers the world over are coming under increasing pressure from governments and environmental pressure groups to increase oil change intervals as a means to reduce the several millions of litres of used engine oil that end up in the environment each year.

However, even the best engine oil formulations have finite service lives, so to both satisfy the demands of environmentalists and to maintain proper lubrication in engines, car manufacturers have developed oil life monitors. In theory, an oil life monitoring system has the function of monitoring the quality of the engine oil in order to extract the maximum useful life out of the oil in order to prevent replacing oil that is still serviceable, but the practice is often a whole lot different.
Essentially, the problem of how to make oil life monitors accurate revolves around four issues, these being accounting for all the factors that contribute to oil degradation, oil quality, how people drive and/or use their vehicles, and the fact that different car manufacturers use different oil monitoring systems, each of which depends on different parameters to work. Each of the above points influence the accuracy of even the most advanced oil life monitoring systems, so let us look at these points in some detail, starting with-

What causes oil to degrade?
The single biggest factor that causes engine oil to degrade is heat, with oxidation and the formation of various corrosive acids following closely behind in second and third place, respectively.
Although modern engine oils contain additives that resist excessive changes in viscosity, the biggest issue that comes with high temperatures is air that can become entrapped in the oil in various ways. In practice, air can exist in oil in one of four ways; the air can be dissolved in the oil, air can be en-trained in the oil, or the oil can contain air in the form of air bubbles (foam), or free atmospheric car air can exist in the oil. From the perspective of an oil life monitoring system, the biggest problem is en-trained air, which is microscopic air bubbles that become trapped in the oil as a result of the normal operation of the oil pump.

According to Boyle’s Law, when trapped air is compressed, its temperature rises but in engine oil, these bubbles can be heated to the point where the oil that surrounds the bubbles reach boiling point, which in turn, causes the formation of various gums, varnishes, and waxes on a microscopic scale. Eventually, when enough of these harmful substances are created, they are deposited onto metal surfaces where they interfere with, or prevent the operation of almost all beneficial oil additives.

There are many other factors that contribute to oil degradation such as particle scrubbing, water washing, surface adsorption, rubbing contact, condensation settling, and evaporation of additives, among others. We do not have to delve into these mechanisms here, but suffice to say that since oil life monitors are not created equal, it could happen that some oil life monitoring systems might under or over report the oil’s remaining useful life as a result of the combination of premature degradation of oil, and an oil life monitoring system’s inability to detect oil degradation.

Oil quality
In all cases, the accuracy of oil life monitoring systems is predicated on the notion that the oil life monitoring system on the vehicle is monitoring oil that is recommended for that particular engine. However, we know that many vehicle owners use the best oil they can afford, as opposed to the best that is available or recommended for their vehicles, which means that in such cases, the monitoring system will almost inevitably over or under report the oil’s remaining useful life.
The issue here is not a failure of the oil life monitoring system, but the fact that for instance, the unsuitable oil’s viscosity may increase or decrease beyond the limits that some oil life monitoring systems are programmed to accept as a normal, or to recognise as acceptable given other inputs from various engine sensors.

Vehicle use
Many, if not most car owners (as well as many mechanics and technicians) fail to recognise that recommended oil change intervals on a given vehicle are based on that vehicle being operated under ideal conditions.

However, asking what constitutes “ideal” conditions is akin to asking how long a piece of string is. As a rule of thumb though, “ideal conditions” could be described as not operating a vehicle in extremely dusty conditions for long periods, not doing only very short trips, not operating the vehicle at high engine speeds for extended periods, not accelerating aggressively, and perhaps most importantly, not operating the vehicle without keeping to its prescribed service schedule(s).
In practice though, many, if not most car owners are under the impression that their vehicles are always operated under ideal conditions when in fact, the opposite is true. In rural areas, most vehicles are almost always operated in dusty conditions, while in urban and city environments, many vehicles are subjected to stop-and-go traffic almost daily, while others are used almost exclusively on short trips to schools, shops, and the like. Under such conditions, oil will degrade much faster than it would in vehicles that see long(ish) periods of highway driving at constant speeds, which is the most effective way to allow water to evaporate from the oil. This point is particularly important, since the presence of water in oil is the mechanism that triggers the formation of various harmful acids in engine oil.

Therefore, depending on vehicle use, and the oil life monitoring system in use on the vehicle, an oil monitoring system might alert a driver to the fact that he needs an oil change only a few thousand kilometres since the last oil change, or an oil change might only be recommended several thousand kilometres beyond the interval stated in the manual.

None of the above necessarily indicates failures in, or malfunctions of oil life monitoring systems, but given the fact that all oil life-monitoring systems have inherent limitations, it is important to understand that these limitations bear directly on how oil change intervals are calculated, which raises this question-

How do oil life monitoring systems work, exactly?
When the question of whether or not oil life monitoring systems are accurate, it should be remembered that?
a), there are four types of systems in common use today, and
b), that some systems are several orders of magnitude more complicated than others. Therefore, it is important to understand how the four main types of oil life monitoring systems that are in common use today work. Let us start with -

Distance measurement-based systems
These systems are the most basic of all, and only measure the distance travelled since the last oil change. This type of system is in common use on some Toyota, Hyundai, and Honda applications, and at their most complex, they merely illuminate a warning light, and/or display a warning message when a pre-programmed distance had been covered since the last oil change.
In practice, when these types of systems are reset they count backwards from a pre-programmed value, which value represents the recommended oil change interval on that vehicle. When the counter reaches zero, it may record a negative distance, and a warning message might then read something like “Oil change is 600 km overdue”.

More importantly though, this type of system takes no account of operating conditions such as the number and duration of short trips, engine coolant temperature, engine speed and/or load, ambient temperatures, or any other factor that contributes to engine oil degradation. As a practical matter, this means that vehicles that are never driven hard may have their oil changed prematurely, while vehicles that are driven hard while towing trailers or boats may not get an oil change when they really need it.

Systems that keep track of operating conditions
This type of software-based system was introduced by General Motors as long ago as 1998, and while it is not perfect, other manufacturers such as Ford and Fiat/Chrysler have made significant improvements to the algorithms that control the system.

These types of systems use four basic parameters, or vehicle operating conditions, these being normal driving at steady highway speeds, high engine temperatures/loads, short trips in city driving conditions, and cold starts combined with frequent, but very short trips. These conditions are based on original research by GM that showed that there is a direct correlation between the rate of oil degradation and oil temperatures.

Note though that further research revealed that low oil temperatures combined with frequent short trips created conditions where water and other contaminants that are related to fuel delivery during cold starts, degraded oil at a similar rate than high temperatures do. Thus, the rate at which oil degrades as a function of both high and low temperatures is the basis of the algorithms that determine oil quality in applications that use this type of oil life monitoring system.

In practice, systems such as these also use input data from a variety of engine sensors, including IAT, ECT, and the TPS to make routine adjustments to the calculated oil change interval, based on changing driving and operating conditions. Note though that the version of this system used on Ford applications also incorporates a timer that illuminates a warning light one year after the last oil change- regardless of the distance travelled. Moreover, the version of this system used on Fiat/Chrysler applications can take account of the cumulative concentration of ethanol in the fuel used since the last oil change.

Having said the above though, the oil life monitoring systems used on GM, Ford, and Fiat/Chrysler applications all assume that the correct, and recommended oil for these applications is present, and that all required reset procedures had been carried out after the last oil change.

Systems that measure oil level and temperature in combination with tracking operating conditions.
While tracking only operating conditions is a fairly accurate way of determining the remaining useful life of engine oil, VW/Audi had gone a step further with their system, which also continuously measures the oil level and temperature when the engine is in operation.

In addition, this system also uses a time/distance-travelled algorithm that is especially useful in cases where the oil level had dropped to below the “FULL” mark. The practical advantage of this is that the system can calculate both accelerated wear rates in the engine and the depletion rate of additives in the oil with complex algorithms that are based on the temperature of the oil, which tends to be higher than normal when the oil level is lower than normal.
It should be noted that when VW/Audi adopted this oil life monitoring system, they also switched to using only synthetic oil as factory fills, and to recommending that only synthetic oil be used to replace the oil in their engines during routine servicing.

Systems that measure operating conditions in combination with the actual condition of the oil.
This is the most advanced type of oil life monitoring system, which apart from monitoring operating conditions, also uses a highly advanced sensor that measures the electrical conductivity of the oil.

Since water, metal wear particles and some types of combustion products conduct electricity, this system monitors the electrical properties of the oil on a continuous basis. Based on the changing properties of the oil, the system will recommend an oil change when the electrical conductivity of the oil approaches or exceeds a maximum allowable limit.

Moreover, some systems, such as the FSS (Flexible Service System) used by Mercedes-Benz also have the ability to both measure the rate of additive depletion in the oil as a function of the build-up of contaminants, and particularly of acids, and to detect the presence of fuel and/or coolant in the oil.

BMW uses a similar system with similar capabilities, and it is therefore not unusual to see oil change intervals of 20 000 km or two years, or sometimes more on these vehicles. However, for this system to work as designed, it is imperative that the recommended oil be used, and that the correct oil level is maintained at all times.

Conclusion
The short answer is a cautious yes, provided of course that?
a), the correct oil is being used in the engine in question, and
b), that the oil in the engine in question is not contaminated or diluted with oil types and formulations that are not recommended for use in that engine.

Unfortunately, though, we do not always have the ability to test oil for the presence of unsuitable oil or other contaminants. Thus, this writer’s advice would be to err on the side of caution, and to replace engine oil in strict accordance with maintenance and service schedules when there is any doubt about the condition of the oil in any engine. Hope this helps.
 
Joined
Oct 31, 2017
Messages
34
Reaction score
2
Points
8
Age
48
Location
Sydney
Members Ride
2009 WM STATESMAN
Hello again, just a follow up on the Engine Oil Life Service Reminder as I found this in a VF, WN Workshop Manual last night and it reads?

GM Oil Life System Resetting (Australia and South Africa Service Reminder)

Change Engine Oil Soon "Service Reminder" message appears in the instrument panel center. This message is triggered every 14,000 km from when last reset and is therefore not the same as Oil Life Monitoring. Oil Life Monitoring is switched off for Holden and South African Vehicles.

Service Reminder Reset Procedure
Service Reminder message is reset using the Global Service Tool (Maybe a Tech2 Scan Tool depending on the model of your car, as mentioned by member Imoengnr GDS2 scan tool for VF, WN models) or Manually by the technician, by switching the ignition to the On position and pressing the accelerator pedal 3 x times. (And that's all it say's)

Maybe some are turned off?
Maybe a Tech2 Scan tool can turn it back on?
So? for those who cannot reset the Oil Life Monitoring 0% your monitoring system may be turned off. Ask anyone with a (Maybe a Tech2 Scan Tool depending on the model of your car, as mentioned by member Imoengnr GDS2 scan tool for VF, WN models)

Hope this helps.
 
Last edited:

lmoengnr

Donating Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2012
Messages
6,889
Reaction score
44,495
Points
113
Location
Sunbury Vic.
Members Ride
MY12.5 Maloo R8, MY12 Redline ute, Magnum 224
Hello again, just a follow up on the Engine Oil Life Service Reminder as I found this in a VF, WN Workshop Manual last night and it reads?

GM Oil Life System Resetting (Australia and South Africa Service Reminder)

Change Engine Oil Soon "Service Reminder" message appears in the instrument panel center. This message is triggered every 14,000 km from when last reset and is therefore not the same as Oil Life Monitoring. Oil Life Monitoring is switched off for Holden and South African Vehicles.

Service Reminder Reset Procedure
Service Reminder message is reset using the Global Service Tool (Maybe a Tech2 Scan Tool) or Manually by the technician, by switching the ignition to the On position and pressing the accelerator pedal 3 x times. (And that's all it say's)

Maybe some are turned off?
Maybe a Tech2 Scan tool can turn it back on?
So? for those who cannot reset the Oil Life Monitoring 0% your monitoring system may be turned off. I would ask anyone with a Tech2 Scan Tool to investigate this for you.

Hope this helps.

Tech 2 doesn't work with VF, needs a GDS2 scan tool.
 

mpower

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2007
Messages
5,078
Reaction score
1,713
Points
113
Location
Brisbane
Members Ride
V2 CV8 Monaro and VF SSV Redline
there's a guy on youtube does a lot of comparisons of different stuff (he's a bit of a hick but give him the benefit of the doubt).

He's done some oil stuff recently that's kinda interesting. Just does "real world" testing and backs it up with measurements sometimes lab tests.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2rzsm1Qi6N1X-wuOg_p0Ng/videos
 

lout

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 13, 2006
Messages
5,493
Reaction score
4,138
Points
113
Age
60
Location
Langwarrin Victoria
Members Ride
VXii Executive V6 , VYii Adventra LS1
Hello again, just a follow up on the Engine Oil Life Service Reminder as I found this in a VF, WN Workshop Manual last night and it reads?

GM Oil Life System Resetting (Australia and South Africa Service Reminder)

Change Engine Oil Soon "Service Reminder" message appears in the instrument panel center. This message is triggered every 14,000 km from when last reset and is therefore not the same as Oil Life Monitoring. Oil Life Monitoring is switched off for Holden and South African Vehicles.

Service Reminder Reset Procedure
Service Reminder message is reset using the Global Service Tool (Maybe a Tech2 Scan Tool) or Manually by the technician, by switching the ignition to the On position and pressing the accelerator pedal 3 x times. (And that's all it say's)

Maybe some are turned off?
Maybe a Tech2 Scan tool can turn it back on?
So? for those who cannot reset the Oil Life Monitoring 0% your monitoring system may be turned off. I would ask anyone with a Tech2 Scan Tool to investigate this for you.

Hope this helps.
service due is triggered every 15,000km and groups of 15,000km. it appears 1,000km before service is due. it is reset with scan tool or by holding trip button in when turning ignition to reds, release trip button and press enter for 3 seconds
oil life is reset by (edit- hold left scroll wheel in, then turning ignition to reds, release scroll wheel, then use scroll wheel to highlight oil life, then press accelerator to floor 3 times, reasonably quickly, maybe 1 second intervals)
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 31, 2017
Messages
34
Reaction score
2
Points
8
Age
48
Location
Sydney
Members Ride
2009 WM STATESMAN
service due is triggered every 15,000km and groups of 15,000km. it appears 1,000km before service is due. it is reset with scan tool or by holding trip button in when turning ignition to reds, release trip button and press enter for 3 seconds
oil life is reset by turning ignition to reds, then press accelerator to floor 3 times, reasonably quickly, maybe 1 second intervals


Yes, the Service reminder is set that way, but people (Like myself) are have no success resetting the Engine Oil Life 0% percentage. I and many others have tried all the different methods out there on the internet and in workshop manuals, but no success???
 

lout

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 13, 2006
Messages
5,493
Reaction score
4,138
Points
113
Age
60
Location
Langwarrin Victoria
Members Ride
VXii Executive V6 , VYii Adventra LS1
just rechecked my notes.
to reset oil life
enter engineering mode,
hold left scroll wheel in, turn ignition to reds, (do not start if resetting oil life), when self check complete, release scroll wheel
then use left scroll wheel to highlight oil life
then press accelerator pedal 3 times quickly but smoothly, dont stab the pedal
 
Joined
Oct 31, 2017
Messages
34
Reaction score
2
Points
8
Age
48
Location
Sydney
Members Ride
2009 WM STATESMAN
just rechecked my notes.
to reset oil life
enter engineering mode,
hold left scroll wheel in, turn ignition to reds, (do not start if resetting oil life), when self check complete, release scroll wheel
then use left scroll wheel to highlight oil life
then press accelerator pedal 3 times quickly but smoothly, dont stab the pedal

Thanks @lout, I have done that process (and will try it again because that's the method that keeps popping up)
You can enter engineering mode and go directly Engine Oil Life by holding "BOTH" the Trip button and the Enter/Ok button (scroll wheel) and turning the ignition to the On position.

I will try again.
 

VTS5

TechJunkie
Joined
Jul 26, 2005
Messages
1,373
Reaction score
300
Points
83
Location
Sth.East\Melb
Members Ride
VE OMEGA 3.6L Dual Fuel
just rechecked my notes.
to reset oil life
enter engineering mode,
hold left scroll wheel in, turn ignition to reds, (do not start if resetting oil life), when self check complete, release scroll wheel
then use left scroll wheel to highlight oil life
then press accelerator pedal 3 times quickly but smoothly, dont stab the pedal
This method works with my 2006 OMEGA(Dual Fuel LW2) every time...
 
Top