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Oil Change light

Rarebird

Full Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2013
Messages
47
Location
Near Hickory, NC
Got a question on the Oil Change message in the Driver Information Center on a 02 Avalanche. Can it be disabled to no longer function?

Reason I am asking is I took it in for a oil change and the message has yet to display. I have went ahead and changed the oil at the milage interval myself, did not press the accelerator pedal to reset the system and now I am due for another oil change and it still has not indicated oil change. I am thinking the time I took it in due to lack of time and had the oil changed at a nonlocal auto center they may have somehow disabled it. If so could it be as simple as a wire or maybe they done a ecm modification?
 
I'm sure it can be disabled but it wouldn't be as easy as you are thinking so I doubt it has been disabled.

I'm guessing the oil life monitor still thinks your oil is good.  It doesn't work on a mileage interval - I've seen mine go over 10,000 miles before saying it is time to change the oil.
 
The GM "Oil-Life" interval is an algorithm in the EMC based on mileage, load, revolutions and more. Under ideal conditions it can go as much as 10,000 miles and up to 15,000 on some vehicle/engines.  It works for most and is good to follow but you should still fall back on a maximum mileage and change it like you did.

GM has reprogrammed and shortened it on some vehicles because of problems, especially on AFM motors where dirty oil, viscosity and grime build up in the passages that control the lifters has been a problem.

Bottom line, oil is the life blood or your motor and should be changed if it goes more than 5,000 miles, if your using synthetic 6,000 regardless of the Oil-Life monitor. If you don't drive that many miles a year you should change it annually. Remember the old rule was 3,000 miles OR 3 months which ever comes first.
 
I know of the algorithm but truck has never went this long without indicating a change. this will be the second oil change (8000 miles) that it has not illuminated. As much as I don't want to, I think I will disconnect the battery for about 2 hours and attempt a total reset (if that's possible). I am a stickler when it comes to something not working correctly on any of my vehicles. Just noticed this morning that the heated seats are not working, made for a butt numbing ride home from work. That will eat away at me for a while till I get it fixed. temperatures too cold to be working with leather.

anyways... thanks for the input guys.
 
You probably just put some easy miles on it so it's going farther. I changed mine at about 4,500 miles once and didn't reset it. I wanted to see how long it would go and it finally did at about 7,500 miles and enoniam said his went 10k. So just keep an watch and it will probably pop up soon...
 
Hmmm...the dealership must have put some cheapo oil in my Avy then, or exaggerated about it altogether.  (Supposedly) Changed out about 1500 miles ago and I am down to 15% oil life expectancy.  Not driven hard, primarily highway miles.  Time to make the change before too long.
 
oih82w8 said:
Hmmm...the dealership must have put some cheapo oil in my Avy then, or exaggerated about it altogether.  (Supposedly) Changed out about 1500 miles ago and I am down to 15% oil life expectancy.  Not driven hard, primarily highway miles.  Time to make the change before too long.

The oil change monitor would have no way of knowing if you used a "cheap" or top shelf oil.

There is no monitoring of the actual oil, rather the change interval is calculated as mentioned above using math and circumstances.

If your monitor is already at 15% with only 1500 miles of use, most likely the monitor never got reset at the oil change or there is something goofy going on with the truck's computer.

If you find the oil monitor isn't indicating somewhere between 5000 and 10000 miles between changes on a consistent basis after being reset, I would think the computer isn't calculating properly and I would just track the mileage on my own and change accordingly like we did before the monitors were used.

The oil monitor for my 6.0 in my EXT indicates an oil change is due consistently between 7000 and 7500 miles based upon my normal driving.

When I have taken the truck on vacation and spent more time out of the highway than normal, the change interval will be a little higher, closer to 8-9000 miles.

The monitor in my wife's CTS likes to go closer to 10,000 miles, which I feel is about twice what it should be, given the oil in that V-6 gets much dirtier much faster than the oil in my 6.0.

Back in the day,  I always changed the oil in each of our vehicles whenever the odometer rolled over an even 5000 miles.

Just made it easier to keep track of on several vehicles, especially when I was not the main driver of some of them.

Have a peek at the odometer, if it is close to or has recently rolled over an even 5000 miles, schedule time to get the oil changed.

No need to be exact.

Easy.

 
If anyone intends to rely on the Oil Life Monitor then it is important to make sure it is reset at every oil change. Sometimes the technician forgets to reset it so don't count on it being reset at every oil change. This has happened to me several times over the years. Just check to make sure it is at 99% or 100% (depending on GM model) when you first get into the vehicle, and if not, then reset it right away.

Also it is very important to change the oil as soon as possible after the monitor displays an oil change warning, which is why it is not a good idea to wait for the warning.

My dealer now puts a reminder sticker on the windshield for five months/5,000 miles.
 
Finally after 3 oil changes and no reset of the light it finally came on this morning as I was leaving from work. I had logged the mileage from the last oil change and its only 700 miles past the estimated mileage from my last oil change. Still do not understand how it went over 9000 miles before activating again. So my next day off I will be changing the oil and resetting the light and see how far it goes this time before it illuminates again.
 
I have a 2002 Z71 Avalanche with 232,000 miles on it. Purchased it new and have always changed the oil once the "change oil" lite came on the dash.  Never any sooner. I would say it would "lite up" around 4000 to 7,500 miles. 

Engine still is pulling strong and has no major work, other than a new alternator, belts, and a water pump.   These oil monitor things work. My opinion is you are just wasting your money if you change any earlier then they say. 
 
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