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Oil change light @ 2500 miles?

froggy47

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 24, 2002
Messages
1,000
Location
CA
Corvette
Black 1996 LT4 Coupe/ 2004 Z06/Z16
I was wondering what measurements the computer uses to turn on the change oil light. I've got one at 2500 miles & yes I did correctly reset it last oil change.

I will grant you that I autox'd it 4 times (6 or 7 runs ea) plus 2 days car control clinic - probably 25 or 30 runs in 2 days.

Do "racing" miles make the oil change light come on quick?

Thanks.
 
As I understand it the oil change interval is measured by several factors. Things such as distance traveled, stop and go and RPM's are all factors. (Feel free to jump in here all you guys with much more experience than myself). Therefore, I assume that stop and go driveing would turn on the light faster than highway miles and that racing would need more frequent oil changes than city driving etc. Personally, I would "listen" to the light. Probably very frequent oil chages when racing would be a good idea anyway, high heat and RPM's and all that.

But what do I know.

Aloha

Skip
 
Oil Temps & RPM are 2 of the main factors. Your computer is doing it's job.:Steer
 
There are only two pieces of data the Oil Life Monitor looks at: number of engine revoutions and the oil temperature sustained during those revolutions. No other information is used or needed.

The reason the monitor came on after 2500 miles is, no doubt, the aggressive driving done in the autoXing and the high oil temperatures the engine may have seen.

If the engine is run with either Mobil 1 5W30 or 10W30, the Oil Life Monitor is quite accurate. The only exception to this is if the car is operated regularly or continually in a dusty environment. Under those circumstances the OLM is inaccurate.
 
Just change the oil filter and reset it again and press on.

Oh and top off the oil.
 
Thanks guys for the posts.

The oil temp never got above 230 f (these autox runs average about a minute each with maybe 5 - 10 min in between runs. However I do often hit the rev limiter (6,300 on an lt4?) because the 2/3 shift is not desirable when you are hard onto another sharp 2nd gear turn.

If the computer just uses engine revolutions ( 2500 miles) and oil temp it still seems to have come on early to me.


I use 10/30 Mobile 1. Of course I'll change it (&reset the light).

I always top off the oil, can't imagine running even a 1/4 quart low. When I race I fill about 1/4 over just to be sure. Lateral g's have a way offsetting gravity when it comes to fluids. I found that out when I raced with about an 1/8 tank of gas. Fuel starvation!
 
"If the computer just uses engine revolutions ( 2500 miles) and oil temp it still seems to have come on early to me"
I think your confusing engine revolutions(RPM) with you miles(2500 miles)
 
I think you are right about rpm's vs. miles. I guess if I'm at the redline a lot (racing) I may not be putting many miles on the oil monitor, but the revolutions of the crank would be MANY. Thanks for pointing that out.
 
Computer vs. mileage

Mine comes on extremely often, about every 1500 miles. I drive like an old woman most of the time, so I feel like it is entirely bogus. If the rpms and oil temp set the light off properly mine would be coming on every 5,000 miles.

Since the oil lasts at least 6,000, I change around 3,000 and ignore the idiot light.
 

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