code" change oil"

[Michel Mainville]

Can't erase the code.try many time still there.

[2late4u]

read your manual ,watch some you tube and try again

[larryl]

One of the easier things to do on your vehicle

[5rebel9]

OK, the CLEAR this message is EASY....BUT I have a further question as to HOW the EVIC determines when to TURN IT ON.

  My T&C can be programmed to 3 different mileage settings, but on our '11 3.6AWD mainstreet(practically base) model there is no feature like that.

   Last oil change was in Jan. and it's been 6 months almost to the day and the message "popped up". Since we got the DJ it's had only full synth oil(2 changes ) and have the gear ready to do again the holiday(weather permitting). I just wonder if the message is by time or at how many miles, as it does not seem to be 5k miles intervals. Ours currently has 191.1 k miles on it and oil is clean and has NOT used a single drop.

[5rebel9]

OK, so I found a few other "discussions" on my subject thru the various forum pages. Most still do not give a definitive answer, and a number of responding members were saying mileage activation of message varies from one to another.

  I sure don't think my son has put 5k miles between oil changes when the message goes on. Oil price is getting expensive again (at least for Valvoline high mileage full synth.  5 - 30 and filter cost @ $9) but is far less costly than a blown motor. I'm going back to a STICKER system of 5k miles this time and go from there.

[Neto]

My impression is that it is monitoring things like how many times you start & stop the engine.  (Someone told me that each time you start it, they count that as 500 miles.)  So like today, when I hauled some mulch for my wife, there were many startup, then going only a few car lengths, then stop & shovel out more of the mulch.  Then this afternoon I was loading some railroad ties on the trailer, and I started & shut down the engine numerous times while I was positioning the trailer to be able to load those heavy things by myself.  (I didn't leave it running, because I don't like breathing the exhaust.)

[5rebel9]

Then it must be some crazed chip programmer that "cooked up" this kind of algorithm to use. I'll sure miss the ability to choose from 3 mileage settings of my 04 T&C when it gets replaced by my soon to be ready Buick Lucerne next month!

Still going to use a mileage change sticker on the DJ.

 

AND I understand about not wanting to breathe in exhaust while doing strenuous work... BUT I still love the smell of NAPALM in the morning!    LOL 

[OhareFred]

The one in my 09 is useless. I have used full synthetic oil since I had 500 miles on the car. It shows up at EXACTLY 2,500 miles. Every single time.  I just reset it and change the oil/filter at 5000 miles….

[2late4u]

2014 3.6 and i very seldom see the change oil message,as i always change my oil out between 5-6 k also use syn oil as well

[5rebel9]

Thanks all,.

  While I can't be exact as to total miles that it's been run(son drives it, not me), I can only guesstimate that this last time has only been around 4k. Going to change the oil/filter tomorrow and put a sticker on it(along with reset) and will make a point to monitor it more closely. Of course my son won't like that, as he will think that I'm tracking HIM!

 

May you all enjoy a SAFE and HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!   

[Neto]

On 7/4/2021 at 8:26 AM, 5rebel9 said:

Thanks all,.

  While I can't be exact as to total miles that it's been run(son drives it, not me), I can only guesstimate that this last time has only been around 4k. Going to change the oil/filter tomorrow and put a sticker on it(along with reset) and will make a point to monitor it more closely. Of course my son won't like that, as he will think that I'm tracking HIM!

 

May you all enjoy a SAFE and HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!   

My daddy taught me this, and I guess I'm every bit as picky - I keep a small spiral notebook in all of our vehicles, and write the date, gallons, and mileage for every gas up, and for maintenance, the date & mileage, plus a brief description of what I did.  I tried to teach my sons & daughter the same practice, but I don't think any of them do it for their vehicles.

[2late4u]

i do the same as well Neto, i sold my 2001 truck to my step son and showed him my list ,it even showed when i replaced the wipers from day one. he looked at me and just couldn't believe it...LOL

[5rebel9]

Sorry to drag this out... BUT I just had an "AHA" moment.

   2 months ago when trying to figure out my dash staying on problem(shorted radio module) I swapped out the BCM and left it in. Could the BCM be the memory storage for oi change miles and using data from the previous car it came from?

[John/Horace]

It’s possible, dealer electrical Tec would know for sure. I think ecm more likely, it even has the vin number programmed in. I do know it’s a combination of mileage and time and driving load characteristics. I’ve had the monitoring on more than one vehicle, the 2015 Ram pick up system seems not too bad compared to others. 

I think one of the defaults is 6 months maximum time between oil changes on some monitor systems, which I don’t really agree with when using full synthetic. Coil pad and all maint listed including oil changes, like someone mentioned, is what I do. I have read on other forums that the system is calibrated on the recommended factory oil. My older F150 specs were semi-synthetic so that is how they extended cycle a little longer. There is nothing wrong with just basic blended oil and shorter changes IMO. I only use expensive synthetic when it’s in sale. Costco has their own brand of syn that is always a good price, BITOG says it’s not bad.

Being old school...and old, I can’t bring my self to going more than 6-7k miles on oil, even full syn. 

 

[Ezpeezy15]

I have wondered that same question as to 'how' the vehicle knows and I am prompted with a message.

 

I have zero evidence or proof, but my opinion is that it is mileage based.   I did a full synthetic oil change (like I have since I owned the car) a little bit earlier than normal, and 850 miles later, I got the message pop up.  Checked it today, still looking about brand new.  

 

I know some vehicles have sensors that monitor every possible component of an oil's serviceability, but i do not feel like the DJ does.   At least in my 2014 SXT I don't.   

 

Again, just my own personal input, not based on anything factual.   I have tried to figure it out as well, but to no avail.   I stick with the good old sticker on the windshield to remind me.   But I change around 6-7k even though the synthetic says I can go 10.   The old 3k mindset gets the best of me everytime.

[NavalLacrosse]

FCA uses empirical method to determine when to tell the owner to change the oil. This differs from Toyota and GM which test the oil to give oil life.

the computer collects the averages of:

Mileage driven,

engine hours,

manifold(oil)pressure.

Then runs them through a very simple/dumb equation to determine how much sooner from the 7,000 mile interval the oil can go.
for example(s) if these conditions happen averaged out over months of driving:

 

low miles, lots of engine hours, low manifold pressures = lots of idling, (so change the oil sooner)
low miles, low engine hours, high manifold pressures = lots of idling, and fast accelerations (change oil sooner)

high miles, lower engine hours, normal manifold pressures = highway driving (change oil sooner)

normal miles. normal engine hours, normal manifold pressure = normal driving (give full oil life)

normal mile, normal engine hours, HIGH manifold pressure = towing/mountain driving = (change oil much sooner)