"Oil Service"

wrote:

> How does it know you have changed the oil? A microswitch
> on the drain plug?:-)
>
> Dan
>

I think you have to "tell" it. Last time I had a GM rental I remember
reading how in the manual, but I've forgotten. Pretty simple, though.

> wrote:
> How does it know you have changed the oil? A microswitch
>on the drain plug?:-)

On the 535, you put a meter across two pins of the maintenance connector,
then short two other pins with the jumper. When the meter pulses seven
times, you remove the jumper and the counter is reset.

You can buy a tool to do this for you in an automated fashion but I am
too cheap to do so.

No doubt the GM system will require a proprietary GM workstation to be
connected up to the car's ECU...
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

"Scott Dorsey" > wrote in message news:fd1681
> No doubt the GM system will require a proprietary GM workstation to be
> connected up to the car's ECU...
> --scott


In previous years, it could be as simple as pressing a button to reset the
system
upon fresh oil change.

There were other ways to get to the reset on some models. Probably some
scanners could reset as well, but I dont know this for fact.

My Avalon is set up to set the dashlight in accordance with preprogrammed
mileage limits.

On Sep 21, 1:32 pm, (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
> > wrote:
> > How does it know you have changed the oil? A microswitch
> >on the drain plug?:-)
>
> On the 535, you put a meter across two pins of the maintenance connector,
> then short two other pins with the jumper. When the meter pulses seven
> times, you remove the jumper and the counter is reset.
>
> You can buy a tool to do this for you in an automated fashion but I am
> too cheap to do so.
>
> No doubt the GM system will require a proprietary GM workstation to be
> connected up to the car's ECU...
> --scott
>
> --
> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On my 2000 Silverado, you turn the key without starting the engine and
then pump the gas pedal all the way to the floor 3 times. Of course,
mine take 5 or 6 pumps but it eventually resets.

Derek

Steve wrote:
> wrote:
>
>> How does it know you have changed the oil? A microswitch
>> on the drain plug?:-)
>>
>> Dan
>>
>
> I think you have to "tell" it. Last time I had a GM rental I remember
> reading how in the manual, but I've forgotten. Pretty simple, though.

On the Cobalt it's a selection in the DIC...

(Driver Information Center)

"Steve" > wrote in message
...
> Scott Dorsey wrote:
>> hls > wrote:
>>
>>>I was surprised to learn that the GM oil service lights are activated
>>>according to
>>>a rather rigidly developed mathematical model. It is not on the basis of
>>>any particular
>>>"oil quality" sensor. I dont know how Bayerische Motoren Werke does
>>>theirs.
>>
>>
>> On my old 535, it comes on after 6,000 miles, I believe.
>>>I dont trust these lights either, and change my oil when I want to (and
>>>that is at
>>>3-4000 miles)
>>
>>
>> I'd be curious to know what the inputs to GM's model are. Odometer
>> certainly, and maybe integrated fuel consumption. What else?
>
> Temperature (both engine and ambient) as a function of time, RPM and time
> spent at given RPM (to detect prolonged idling or crawl-along traffic),
> probably manifold pressure (which is an indicator of torque and therefore
> an indicator of main bearing contact prssure), etc. LOTS of information is
> available to a modern engine management computer.


As you say, GM's algorithm uses about 5 variables to compute the condition
of the motor oil. Makes no difference whether you use synthetic or lowly
dinojuice.

I found out that BWM (but I dont know when they started) use a system which
is
not too different. It is reputedly not just a mileage counter.

Ford apparently is a very simple algorithm which starts you with 5000 miles
, and subtracts mileage since last oil change. They also start you with 6
months and subtract the time since your last oil change. Those two values
are compared as percentages, and you may be reminded
to change at 5000 miles, or six months, etc.

I suspect all these methods are, or have been, in transition.

Scott Dorsey wrote:
> > wrote:
>> How does it know you have changed the oil? A microswitch
>> on the drain plug?:-)
>
> On the 535, you put a meter across two pins of the maintenance connector,
> then short two other pins with the jumper. When the meter pulses seven
> times, you remove the jumper and the counter is reset.
>
> You can buy a tool to do this for you in an automated fashion but I am
> too cheap to do so.
>
> No doubt the GM system will require a proprietary GM workstation to be
> connected up to the car's ECU...
> --scott
>

Uh, yeah, on my 01 Firebird you hold down the trip odo reset until the
oil change light flashes. Other GM's have a "reset oil change light"
button with the fuse panel.

Ray

"Steve" > wrote in message
...
> wrote:
>
>> How does it know you have changed the oil? A microswitch
>> on the drain plug?:-)
>>
>> Dan
>>
>
> I think you have to "tell" it. Last time I had a GM rental I remember
> reading how in the manual, but I've forgotten. Pretty simple, though.

On the Chevy full-size vans I've had (all since 2003), all you do is turn
the key on, mash the accelerator 3 times, then turn it off. Then it's reset.

On Sep 20, 8:37 pm, " > wrote:
> If a BMW says "Oil Service" and shows a red and yellow set of lights
> when you turn it on, does this mean the oil needs to be changed?

Well, I can't think of anything else that Oil Service idiot lights
might indicate, so the answer must be yes. Have you read the owners
manual recently?