[clawlan]

I use Mobil 1 extended performance full syth on my 2012 GT. Live in Atlanta, no tracking, dragging, etc. Standard daily driver about 50/50 highway and surface streets. I'm thinking I should get at least 10k miles between changes (mobil 1 says 15) but the Oil Life indicator is telling me to change now (~7000 miles). I tried resetting it and within a day, it was back to 0% and telling me to change it. How does the car calculate this?

I am thinking of sending a sample to be analyzed as well just to see if there is life left in the oil. If there is, how do I reset this warning so it doesnt constantly pop up?

 

[NoVa5.0]

Do you want to go further than 7K miles on your oil?

Wait....you re-set your OLM and it went to 0 in one day?

 

[clawlan]

I want to go as many miles as the oil allows. And yes, I reset it without changing the oil, and it dropped to 0 in a day or two.

 

[PMDmustang13]

You really should be following your owners manual. Here is what is in mine. I would never go more than 5000 miles. Going 15000 miles would be a very poor decision. Why would you take that chance unless you want to blow up your engine.

Protecting your investment
Maintenance is an investment that will pay dividends in the form of
improved reliability, durability and resale value. To maintain the proper
performance of your vehicle and its emission control systems, it is
imperative that scheduled maintenance be completed at the designated
intervals.
Your vehicle is equipped with the Intelligent Oil Life Monitor (IOLM)
system which displays a message in the message center at the proper oil
change service interval; this interval may be up to one year or
10000 miles (16000 kilometers). When ENGINE OIL CHANGE DUE or
OIL CHANGE REQUIRED appears in the message center display, it’s time
for an oil change; the oil change must be done within two weeks or
500 miles (800 kilometers) of the ENGINE OIL CHANGE DUE or OIL
CHANGE REQUIRED message appearing. The Intelligent Oil Life
Monitor must be reset after each oil change; refer to the Instrument
Cluster chapter.
If your message center is prematurely reset or becomes inoperative, you
should perform the oil change interval at six months or 5000 miles
(8000 kilometers) from your last oil change. Never exceed one year or
10000 miles (16000 kilometers) between oil change intervals.
Note: The Shelby GT500 does not have an IOLM system; refer to your
Shelby GT500 supplement for oil change service intervals.
Your vehicle is very sophisticated and built with multiple complex
performance systems. Every manufacturer develops these systems using
different specifications and performance features. That’s why it’s important
to rely upon your dealership to properly diagnose and repair your vehicle.
Ford strongly recommends the use of genuine Ford replacement parts.
Parts other than Ford, Motorcraft or Ford-authorized remanufactured
parts that are used for maintenance replacement or for the service of
components affecting emission control must be equivalent to genuine
Ford Motor Company parts in performance and durability. It is the
owner’s responsibility to determine the equivalency of such parts. Please
consult your Warranty Guide for complete warranty information.
Ford strongly recommends the using only genuine Ford, Motorcraft or
Ford-authorized remanufactured replacement for parts because they are
engineered for your vehicle.

 

[PMDmustang13]

This post reminds me of a guy that I played ball with that said he only changed his oil filter after every other oil change. I think he had some issues from missing some fly balls that hit him in his head.

 

[clawlan]

ugh, here we go. No where did I say I was not going to change the oil or that I planned to go 15k miles between changes. The whole purpose of the thread was asking about the calculation behind the OLM. Obviously it doesn't just go by time or miles because when I re-set it to get rid of the warning, it dropped the % down to 0 within a day or two and the warning was back. I am changing the oil! I just wanted to know how it's calculated because it hit 0% before I expected.

For crying out loud people, settle down.

And hypothetically speaking, if some scientist created a synthetic oil that lasted 50,000 miles and during that time, its properties stayed within the tolerances outlined by the ford required certifications/performances, then why couldn't one change it at the 50,000 mile mark?

 

[Macabre]

I asked the dealer about this last time when they forgot to reset the OLM, and they told me it was some calculation based on time, mileage, average RPM, etc., and not some magic oil-quality sensor. Doesn't really make sense that yours would reset to 100 and drop right back down in a day or two. Now I'm confused.

 

[SquidBillyPaul]

plus1..gif Something's not right.

 

[PMDmustang13]

I want to go as many miles as the oil allows. And yes, I reset it without changing the oil, and it dropped to 0 in a day or two.

OK my apologies I was a little cruel with my comments. When you said this above and your previous post said that you heard Mobil 1 could go 15000 I automatically interpreted that you were thinking about going that long between oil changes.

I believe Macabre answered your main question based on what he had been told.

And I tend to agree with SquidBillyPaul that something may not be right when your oil life went back to 0 so soon. Unless your car detected that you reset the oil life without changing the oil somehow.

 

[Blazin72]

I just noticed the other day that my oil life monitor is stuck at 100%. I'm not sure when that happened but I don't worry too much about it.

OP, the best way to know how long you can actually run with your oil is do to periodic oil sampling. I use Amsoil and they advertise up to 1 year or 25,000 miles but I don't go anywhere near that long. I usually try to change it around 7,500 miles but I've gone as long as 9,000 miles and the sample results suggested that I could have gone a bit longer. But... Have you ever heard an engine a lot of miles on the oil? It gets loud. As soon as you put fresh oil in it everything quiets back down. So, even though the oil sample results say my oil is good the sound of the engine is usually what drives me to change it sooner.

 

[Malern28us]

I use Amsoil also. Would love to tell you how it works but I honestly don't know. My oil gets changed after very 5k miles even though it says 25k.

 

[moonrakercat]

I'm not sure exactly how the monitor works but and educated guess is a combination of an internal computer timer -and also an oil life engine sensor that detects the oil quality. Either one being able to trigger the monitor independently. I have several buick rivieras years from 95-99 that have an oil life monitor - but they only work based on oil quality - not time between the oil changes.

My 2014 has about 1850 miles on it, is about 14 months since I bought the car. The car is in storage. It is telling me I must change the oil - my issue is why? - I know it may have some condensation in it or minor contamination from the factory. But it is still clear - and I'm hesitant as I have a concern that the engine may develop the dreaded tick if the oil is changed too early. I still believe it has an additive in it - although I have no proof - and ford says there is none.

I may try a reset also. I don't know why this olm is in place - I don't believe I have it on my 2009. And I've seen engines run with oil black and thick like molasses in them - and when stripped down have little or no damage to bearings or mains... Yes I know someone will pipe up and say the tolerances today are much tighter than decades ago - I have my doubts though.

Either way this might be something Deysha could clear up for us - it should be a simple answer and she is a smart rep.

 

[Blazin72]

I'm not sure exactly how the monitor works but and educated guess is a combination of an internal computer timer -and also an oil life engine sensor that detects the oil quality.

My understanding is that it's based strictly on a computer algorithm.

My 2014 has about 1850 miles on it, is about 14 months since I bought the car. The car is in storage. It is telling me I must change the oil - my issue is why? - I know it may have some condensation in it or minor contamination from the factory. But it is still clear - and I'm hesitant as I have a concern that the engine may develop the dreaded tick if the oil is changed too early.

For starters, drive your car more!

Time is the reason it is telling you to change your oil. 10,000 miles or one year is the recommendation. Resetting the oil life monitor will reset the time. Resetting it assumes the oil has been changed, although you can reset the oil life percentage as well. Remember that oil color isn't a good indication of oil quality. Even though you have very few miles on your oil, it has been in the car for a long time. With so few miles you do risk condensation buildup within the engine and over time that could lead to corrosion problems. Other combustion byproducts in the crankcase can be harmful too, although there probably isn't much to worry about with just 1850 miles on it.

I had one oil sample come back from an oil change while my car had been sitting on jackstands for two weeks. It did show increased water in the oil when I drained the cold oil. See "Water" in sample #1 in my attachment. An engine has to run at full operating temperature for an extended period of time to burn that condensation off. Over time it will build up, even in relatively fresh oil.

Don't think twice, change your oil.

 

[blu13gt]

It's not just the condensation of water.
Also the combustion gasses that find their way past the rings into your crank case have corrosive properties to them. These gasses do leave traces of the corrosive materials in the oil causing erosion of your crank rods and bearings over time.
Fresh oil reduces or eliminates the effect of these corrosives. That is why ford recommends changing the oil before an extended time in storage.

 

[David Young]

Just to add something. My Moms 2010 Taurus 'CHANGE OIL NOW' came on in one year and 3 weeks. The car had 930 miles on the oil. Time does have a lot to do with the oil life. Just saying....

 

[moonrakercat]

I just noticed the other day that my oil life monitor is stuck at 100%. I'm not sure when that happened but I don't worry too much about it.

Amazing - you have the one in a billion no oil change ever required stang !!! Either that or that oil you use is really really good !!:shigrin

 

[JBert]

. . . . I tried resetting it and within a day, it was back to 0% and telling me to change it. How does the car calculate this? . . .

Like the other guys said, that does not seem right -- I am 99.99% sure the car has no way to know whether you actually changed the oil or not, the computer just measures/tracks various factors from the time you reset it, to figure out the oil life remaining.

Also, just personal preference / opinion -- I would not try to stretch out the oil changes that long (10,000 miles) . . . the oil is the life blood of the car and changing it more often is "cheap insurance" to keep the engine clean and in good shape . . . that said, I also think 3,000 miles is WAY overkill, especially for Mobil 1 . . . so with my mustang I compromise, I use Mobil 1 and change it when the life meter says to change it or a little before, which usually ends up being somewhere around 7.000 miles.

 

[matthewr87]

I just follow what the OLM says too. Went to 4% after around 5000 miles, so I changed the oil.

 

[Blazin72]

I just follow what the OLM says too. Went to 4% after around 5000 miles, so I changed the oil.

That's where it gets a little tricky because some of the 2011s (maybe 2012) actually have a TSB out to correct the oil life monitor readings. Mine consistently told me to change the oil at 5,000 miles until the TSB corrected it.

 

[Thereaper]

The factory oil in my car has 5,100 miles on it and the OLM says 47 percent. I'll change it at 7500.