travis9935 Posted August 16, 2014 Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 So I have a 13' 3.6 bought it last Dec with 26k miles. Had it in last month cause of oil pan leak. So it's been 2k miles now and the oil change due light came on? They said it had a synthetic oil change. The oil is full and mostly clear. Wtf? The 2k miles were 80% interstate miles due to a long trip. If I reset it will it come back on if it thinks it's dirty or was this a mileage reminder from the last oil change? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey_SeXT Posted August 16, 2014 Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 The oil change monitor wasn't reset after your last oil change and the reason why it came on this soon....just reset it according to the manual instructions and either change it when the message comes back on or better yet keep track of the mileage and change it at the maximum allowable mileage according to the owners manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted August 16, 2014 Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 I pay not attention to my oil change light. It comes on at EXACTLY 2,500 miles no matter what. Highway, city, it doesn't matter. I use Mobil 1 and change it every 5,000 I just reset it at 2,500 and when it come back on I know it's at 5grand. Also use my second trip odom to keep track. In my opinion the oil change reminder in the 09 is there to make the dealer $. runcnc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Official Dodge Support DodgeCACares Posted August 18, 2014 Official Dodge Support Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 The oil change monitor wasn't reset after your last oil change and the reason why it came on this soon....just reset it according to the manual instructions and either change it when the message comes back on or better yet keep track of the mileage and change it at the maximum allowable mileage according to the owners manual. Journey_SeXT, I wouldn't recommend waiting until the maximum allowance if for example the vehicle is telling you to change the oil. The indicator system doesn't work at random like some may believe rather calculates all the relevant conditions affecting oil life in said vehicle. In other words, the manual has a specified maximum allowance but your vehicle may require a change long before this increment. jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travis9935 Posted August 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 So why did it happen so soon? The oil is pretty clear yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travis9935 Posted August 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Will the change oil light come back on again if it reads the viscosity being low? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 It does not "read the viscosity", it bases intervals on driving times, distances, etc. Complicated algorithim. Just reset the light and check it again in a 1000 miles or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travis9935 Posted August 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Check it again? It was to the fill level now, pretty clear yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Yes, if you are worried, check it again in 1000 miles or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey_SeXT Posted August 20, 2014 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) Journey_SeXT, I wouldn't recommend waiting until the maximum allowance if for example the vehicle is telling you to change the oil. The indicator system doesn't work at random like some may believe rather calculates all the relevant conditions affecting oil life in said vehicle. In other words, the manual has a specified maximum allowance but your vehicle may require a change long before this increment. Understood but they have new "synthetic oil" with only 2,000 miles (3200 km's) which I highly doubt needs replacement already even if we are talking about severe driving conditions. The oil change monitor from my understanding doesn't monitor the condition of the oil nor does it know what type of oil you are using but based on driving conditions during each interval...is that right? If that's the case then I would just reset the monitor and wait for a mileage interval like 5000 miles to change the oil but not exceeding the maximum allowable mileage in the owners manual that can void your warranty. Edited August 20, 2014 by Journey_SeXT jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Official Dodge Support DodgeCACares Posted August 20, 2014 Official Dodge Support Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 Understood but they have new "synthetic oil" with only 2,000 miles (3200 km's) which I highly doubt needs replacement already even if we are talking about severe driving conditions. The oil change monitor from my understanding doesn't monitor the condition of the oil nor does it know what type of oil you are using but based on driving conditions during each interval...is that right? If that's the case then I would just reset the monitor and wait for a mileage interval like 5000 miles to change the oil but not exceeding the maximum allowable mileage in the owners manual that can void your warranty. Journey_SeXT, You are correct in saying that the system cannot monitor the type of oil or the condition. Essentially, the The PCM continually monitors numerous sensor inputs to determine the duty-cycles to which the engine is being subjected. A pre-programmed algorithm within the PCM then determines when to light up the indicator lamp. So it's a bit more complicated than one might think however regular oil changes even if every 5000 kms is advantageous. jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted August 20, 2014 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 Journey_SeXT, You are correct in saying that the system cannot monitor the type of oil or the condition. Essentially, the The PCM continually monitors numerous sensor inputs to determine the duty-cycles to which the engine is being subjected. A pre-programmed algorithm within the PCM then determines when to light up the indicator lamp. So it's a bit more complicated than one might think however regular oil changes even if every 5000 kms is advantageous. Agreed, there is nothing wrong with too frequent oil changes other than it is a waste of money. As I have stated numerous times in the other threads on the subject, I change mine at 6 months/6000 miles using full synthetic and a top quality oil filter. The oil light is never on, but I perform the reset anyway so hopefully it restarts the "clock". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travis9935 Posted August 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 Um yeah my 2012 Avenger 3.6 which I purchased new went on oem oil till 2k. I was paranoid and changed it since it was a "new" motor. Then synthetic mobile 1. That lasted till 10k! Then I switched to Dino oil, that went almost 3k. Then back to synthetic, that had almost 8k on it when I traded for my journey. So I think it must do a pretty good job of calculating oil life. But with this goin on, this was my first oil change that I've had since I've owned it. Why so little mileage? Unless the dealer used Dino vs synthetic, but still that's not alot of miles, considering it was all interstate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted August 20, 2014 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 Seems fairly obvious that they didn't reset the system at this point (to be fair I have NO IDEA is it is even possible to reset it without the light being on). I wouldn't worry about it, just change it in a few thousand miles to ease your mind and carry on from there... done deal. jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.