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Oil Blends vs. Oil Life Indicator

13K views 29 replies 18 participants last post by  Fj4080 
#1 ·
I know the debate can go on forever, but I'm wondering if anyone has actually noticed a difference in milage via the oil change indicator when using different blends?

How long has the indicator given you with conventional and how long with synthetic?
 
#4 ·
The 'viscosity' of the oil will have a very small effect on mileage, however unlikely that can be measured with any accuracy. In addition the 'blend' would even have a smaller impact if any.

For example 5W20 motor oils were introduced into North America to meet CAFE emissions targets across several thousand vehicles, with any one vehicle having only a very small impact.

Regarding the sensor (copied from another post on the forum...)

The manual indicates the following:
Your vehicle is equipped with an automatic oil change indicator system. The oil change indicator system will remind you that it is time to take your vehicle in for scheduled maintenance. Based on engine operation conditions, the oil change indicator message will illuminate.

This means that service is required for your vehicle. Operating conditions such as frequent short-trips, trailer tow, extremely hot or cold ambient temperatures will influence when the “Oil Change Required” message is displayed. Severe Operating Conditions can cause the change oil message to illuminate as early as 5,600 km (3,500 miles) since last reset. Have your vehicle serviced as soon as possible, within the next 800 km (500 miles).

Your authorized dealer will reset the oil change indicator message after completing the scheduled oil change. If a scheduled oil change is performed by someone other than your authorized dealer, the message can be reset by referring to the steps described under “Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)” or “Driver Information Display (DID)” in “Understanding Your Instrument Panel” for further information.

NOTE: Under no circumstances should oil change intervals exceed 16,000 km (10,000 miles) or twelve months, whichever comes first.

Severe Duty All Models: Change Engine Oil at 6,500 km (4000 miles) if the vehicle is operated in a dusty and off road environment. This type of vehicle use is considered Severe Duty.


Additional information if it helps...

The Oil Change Indicator system is not a "sensor" that interacts with the oil. In fact if you changed out your oil and put in water or apple juice, you would have serious issues, however it would not indicate you needed an oil change !

The Oil Change Indicator system uses the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) to process a variety of inputs and then decides on an oil change interval. The factors which are measured include:

•Ambient Temperature (looking for low temperature operation)
•Average Vehicle Speed (indicate stop-and-go driving)
•Run Time / Prolonged Idling
•Trip lengths / Coolant Temperatures (indicate shorter trips)
•Engine RPM / Engine Load (indicate trailer tow usage)
•Fuel Indications / Ethanol Percentage

Based on those items the PCM can determine the type of use and then appropriately send out a message to change the oil in advance of the 16,000 km, sometimes well in advance. It is far from perfect, however better than someone not measuring anything and not being alerted at all to that they 'may' require an oil change service prior to the 16,000km / 12 month benchmark.

Similar to what has been mentioned by sciond I also strongly recommend the www.bobistheoilguy.com website. The type of oil can play a role. 5W20 by its very nature is at least a blended synthetic in all cases, however not all motor oil is created equally. What I have seen when it comes to used oil analysis (UOAs), brand names such as Mobil 1, Pennzoil Platinum, and Amsoil are generally being mentioned more frequently than others allowing for a bit more buffer should you forget or draw out an oil change.
 
#6 ·
Yep. The consensus is that the indicator works on the assumption that conventional oil is being used.
 
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#7 ·
Will the obsession for synthetic oil ever go away? Unless you're driving 100,000 miles a year don't waste your money on synthetic oil. 90% of the people who buy a car trade it in after 100,000 miles or less anyway. Conventional oil works fine at the recommended change intervals. I speak from 50 years of MOPAR ownership and millions of miles without an oil related failure. ......Spend the money on good leather conditioner instead.
 
#16 ·
Science says otherwise... experience is valuable, and you are correct that 95% won't experience a problem using the tried/true methods. But, synthetic does have better properties depending not just on how you operate your motor, but also relative to the external enviro it runs in. Not quite accurate to tout you 'experience' as an owner and in same breath say all the other detail are meaningless to 'normal' drivers.
 
#8 ·
The service advisor at my dealer told me not to waste the money on synthetic. I'm due for my first change this weekend and I am going the conventional route. My oil life is still almost 40% but I want to be a bit ahead of the game, heck it's only 40 bucks twice a year!
 
#9 ·
I speak from 65 years of car ownership, and I usually trade a car at 100,000 miles or less. Still I use synthetic oil after the break-in period. It does not cost that much extra when you only change oil once or twice a year, but I find that I never have to add oil between changes. And the few extra $$$ for synthetic gives me assurance that I am doing the best for the car, even if the second owner gets much of the benefit. - Ted
:wink:
 
#10 ·
I haven't researched this at all and am sure there have been a million discussions on the subject already... I suspect the motor oil industry isn't all that pleased with these newer oil change algorithms. Conventional oil wisdom has been thrown out the window. I live in a colder climate so we had a culture of changing oil at 3000 miles with conventional oil or 5000-6000 miles with synthetic. Blends ? Somewhere in between I guess... And we also had the knowledge that cold winters really did a number on motor oil so we'd be wiser to dump it come spring, regardless of mileage or oil molecular composition.

I do like full synthetic when it's -32C and I haven't plugged in the block heater, so I will continue to favor it for the winter months at least. Some may argue it's a must when towing heavy loads or just operating under more severe conditions and I wouldn't have a problem with that. Will it prevent any kind of engine problem/failure during the life of our cars as Jack stated above ? Statistics would probably say no...

I'm sure some car company execs have gotten angry phone calls from motor oil execs over this...
 
#11 ·
When I think about the things I have pissed money away on over the years, $40 for an oil change every 6 months is down right laughable.
 
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#12 ·
Just thought about this some more. Sunday I was stuck in an expensive downtown hotel bar out of town, waiting for an appointment the next morning. I watched a football game and spent the equivalent of 1 1/2 oil changes on some really good scotch. Maybe I'll change my oil again next week.
 
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#13 ·
You can spin it every which way you want. I don't mind, by the way.

Devil's advocate :

- $40 oil change ? You're out $20.
- Spend money on expensive whiskey ? You'd do it regardless because... it's good scotch... ;)
 
#14 ·
Spending money on GOOD scotch, your not out a nickel. LOL
 
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#15 ·
Using synthetic oil is somewhat of a mute point. All 5W-20 motor oils are using at minimum a synthetic base stock and partially synthetic as that is the only way you can get the oil that thin and still offer the protection required.

Of all things that can happen to a motor, it is very rare (not impossible, but very rare) you would have an issue caused by using a fair vs excellent quality motor oil.

That said, a good quality synthetic helps with vehicle start up under cold conditions, helps deal with contaminants that work their way into the oil and allow you a good cushion when it comes to your oil change interval.
 
#17 ·
All sound arguments. I like Mark's statement, as it holds true to me as well. Living in climate that hits -40C+ and everything in between, I have seen conventional oil get cloudy due to moisture from heating and extreme cooling. I've seen breather caps sludge up as well.

Nothing like the sound of a dry engine start in extreme cold. Personally, I use synthetic for this purpose alone. Though some have not had issues with conventional oil, I have, and will continue to use synthetics for piece of mind.
 
#18 ·
I will chime in quick. I do a lot of <3 mile drives, as that is how far it is from home to school and home to work. And it is starting to get chilly out. I pay and run AMSOIL in my engine, as I have done for years. It is NOT good to switch back and forth from conventional to synthetic as it does affect the engine seals. Pick one and stick with it. If I drove longer distances each time, I would double out my oil changes. However that is not the case. I also picked up the Lifetime Warranty earlier this month, because I plan to keep this Jeep until it dies. I will be doing an oil change next month, before it starts to get too chilly. I will also be changing out my diff and PTU fluids as well.
 
#23 · (Edited)
No matter how they start off, topics about motor oil invariably turn emotional. Fascinating ;)

Just to address something said earlier about 5W20 being generally full synthetic or synthetic blend, I checked around quickly. Though this may have been the case some years ago (I recall this as well), today we have quite a few conventional 5W20s out there.

One possibly important detail hasn't been discussed here yet : the Chrysler MS6395 certification. Motor oil that goes into our Cherokees *should* meet this certification, according to our beloved manual.
I found this nice write-up, for 5W20 : http://jeepoffroadadventures.com/wp/?page_id=787
Further searching led me to find that Mobil 1 Super Synthetic now meets Chrysler MS6395

=============

Searching for 0W20 (for the Tigershark engine) yields fewer results, and most seem to be blends or full synthetics.

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Dealerships usually purchase motor oil in bulk, and unless told otherwise, I am convinced they go with the cheapest fluids they can buy, meaning not a full synthetic or even a blend. 5W20 is now very popular so surely available in conventional bulk. Ask your service person and they should tell you what - exactly- they put in your engine.
For 0W20, they may carry bottles because of the rarity and chances are it would be a high quality oil (blend or full syn).

Anecdote : our FCA dealership lets customers supply their own oil for oil changes if they so desire. I've tried this at various shops and have been told *NO* because they make a living from profits on parts. I've even offered to let them charge me a full conventional oil change but use my jug of synthetic to satisfy my OCD (haha), but they refused. Needless to say I take my business elsewhere, or do it myself when possible. Most shops I see now charge an extra $30-$40 for synthetic, which is totally ridiculous and, quite frankly, insulting when you know what oil sells for... [/rant mode]

Anyhoots, enjoy your Jeeps and your oil ;)
 
#24 ·
I used to sit and listen to the "old" guys argue oil in my Dad's shop. This was in the early sixties and the debate raged over multi weight oil. We (they) had been used to using "summer weight" in the summer and "winter weight" in the winter. Then oil companies came out with "multi weight" and the argument was on. Multi weight claimed the ability to be thicker when warm and thinner when cold. My dad would just chuckle when one of the experts would exclaim "any dam fool knows that oil don't act like that..." And he'd say "I'll put what ever oil you tell me to in your engine, it's your car, your money, and your call ".
 
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#25 ·
I have a Chetokee Trailhawk 3.2 V6 (the larger engine), basic + factory tow package (heavy duty cooling system), 26,000 miles (factory order, delivered Feb, 2014). Oil change indicator had chage made at10,000 miles on the factory oil, multiple trips from OKC to Colo Spgs, CO, one with side trip up to Breckenride to ski. Second oil change on Jeep dealership oil and filter was, per the oil change indicator, at just over 7,500 miles, with more trips to CO, another side trip up to Breckenridge to ski, and one trip pulling a U-Haul car transport triler with an 89 Supra Turbo on board (those babies are heavy at 3,650 lbs drub weight). Thus, thr oil change indicator is more than a fancy clock that uses engine performance input. Perhaps, engine size to vehicle weight ratio, the 9-speed transmission, the heavy duty cooling system, what weight you may be pulling, change in altitude, weather conditions, weight of the ski gear one is hauling, etc. May have more of an affect than the grade/type of oil. The only true comparison would be identical conditions and use, with the only difference being the grade/ type of oil.
 
#26 ·
Forgot to mention that the second trip, also, included a bit of trailing (3-days worth) near Leadville, with a group of other Jeeps and a couple of IH Scouts - that,too, would have a affect on the oil change interval - that trailing was one of the few where the lead Scout got high centered on a snow drift just out of reach of the hoist (got to be thankful that one in the group had a high-jacker, so someone could use a shovel to remove some of the snow ahead of the differential). and where a couple got stuck going down hill on a loose trail of stones.
 
#28 ·
Just had my oil changed. 6% remaining on "oil life," and no indicators shown to me unless I pulled up that screen (had a red hue to the entire screen). Miles since last oil change, 7512. Approximately half the miles were pulling my near max weight travel trailer, so not sure if that is appropriate/proper mileage while using full synthetic oil....

Did decide though, to do my own oil changes from here on out. I had a $15 coupon AND a $20 check from Pennzoil to apply to an oil change, and still got nailed for $69 at Jiffy Lube. That is just nuts. Maybe I'll look around for a local shop, maybe they can do better!
 
#30 ·
When i bought my Cherokee the dealership had synthetic oil change for life. $530. I normally own my vehicles for 10 years or more so i bought the package.
 
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