Question on oil life/change

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Philip

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Hey sorry for the newb question, I have a 2017 Ram 1500 w/Pentastar V6 which has 15K miles on it. I currently drive around 200 miles per month, my commute to work is only a mile which is a blessing! Otherwise I drive at street speeds, 25-45mph if traveling, I rarely use the highway. My oil change sticker from the dealer says to return @ 19K miles or November 2019, now it's almost March 2020 and I'm nowhere near the 19K miles.

Can I safely hold off on an oil change for a while? Money's tight right now, part of the reason I moved close to work to save.

I checked the oil, looks super clean/clear also if that helps.
 

Loudram

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What does your oil life monitor say? What % is left?
 

Jokybrto

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I only ask because Synthetic as we all know does not brake down as fast basically more forgiving I guess. Conventional oil and even a synthetic mix will brake down faster. Now what I'm about to say is not meaning to scare you.. but being you have such low miles on the truck and this is old school its still going through brake in periods so more things grinding like metal mixing in to things you kind of want to stay up on the oil changes to keep it flushed out etc.

Also look at what "Travelin Ram" said about comparing highway to city.

Hope this helps.
 

ram1500rsm

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I've been changing the oil whenever the message to change the oil appears in the dash regardless of vehicle since 2009. I keep track of the mileage for references.
 

crash68

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I believe there is a note in the user's manual not to exceed 12 months between oil changes.
The oil life indicator uses engine rpm, temperature, run time, etc to determine oil life, unfortunately it can only time how long the engine is running not how many days, weeks, months, etc. pass between changes.
 

tap4154

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oil life monitor only goes by mileage right????

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/understanding-ram-service-indicator-lights-by-brent-minderler


How the Ram Oil Change Indicator works and what to expect
The Ram Oil Change Indicator system is not a simple oil quality sensor, but a software-based, algorithm-driven device that takes into account various operating conditions of the engine - the engine size, engine revolutions, and even ethanol levels in the fuel - to determine when the oil needs changing. That said, the computer does not strictly track mileage or the condition of the oil, but also tracks certain driving habits that can affect the life of the oil, as well as driving conditions such as temperature and driving terrain. Lighter, more moderate driving conditions and temperatures will require less frequent oil changes and maintenance, while more severe driving conditions will require more frequent oil changes and maintenance. Read the table below to see how the Oil Change Indicator system determines oil life.
 

Flip-er

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https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/understanding-ram-service-indicator-lights-by-brent-minderler


How the Ram Oil Change Indicator works and what to expect
The Ram Oil Change Indicator system is not a simple oil quality sensor, but a software-based, algorithm-driven device that takes into account various operating conditions of the engine - the engine size, engine revolutions, and even ethanol levels in the fuel - to determine when the oil needs changing. That said, the computer does not strictly track mileage or the condition of the oil, but also tracks certain driving habits that can affect the life of the oil, as well as driving conditions such as temperature and driving terrain. Lighter, more moderate driving conditions and temperatures will require less frequent oil changes and maintenance, while more severe driving conditions will require more frequent oil changes and maintenance. Read the table below to see how the Oil Change Indicator system determines oil life.

Thank you for the insight on how it works, very good read.
 
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Philip

Philip

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Sorry for the late reply, the oil life indicator says 38% left, and it was last reset at the oil change 2300 miles ago. I believe they used synthetic but not sure to be honest, I usually change my own oil on past vehicles, but the last few times I had a half off coupon so like $80 for oil change & oil filter & air filter change w/tire rotation.
 

csuder99

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If there's 38% oil life left after only 2300 miles I'd say the algorithm is working. The short trips negatively affect oil life, in comparison the Pentastar I had (used as a daily driver 30-40 miles) would do 7000-8000 miles until the reminder came on.
 

18ram18

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Well it sure dosen't measure the quality of the oil. I forgot to reset the oil life indicator after an oil change, and about 2K later it showed oil life at 5%. I reset it and it went to 100%
 

tap4154

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Well it sure dosen't measure the quality of the oil. I forgot to reset the oil life indicator after an oil change, and about 2K later it showed oil life at 5%. I reset it and it went to 100%

It doesn't actually sample the oil but it continued to monitor your driving style, mileage and temperatures etc.
 

Barney556180

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It doesn't actually sample the oil but it continued to monitor your driving style, mileage and temperatures etc.

Yes, it is merely predictive of useful remaining life from new, based on your current driving conditions.

It is similar to the reported miles to empty based on how much fuel you’re using at that particular point.
 

averageguy

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I hope you’re getting on the expressway at some point and running that truck a little bit. 1 mile each way per day isn’t enough to blow all of the condensation out of the exhaust or get up to operating temperature unless you let it sit and run for a long time before you go or clean off the rotors.
 

Rug_Trucker

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1 mile? Walk, buy an electric scooter or a bicycle. The engine won't evaporate the acids and water present in the oil. It will ruin the bearings.
 

Gom

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Our truck is our 3rd vehicle so I change oil in spring for the summer towing season and then again in fall before winter because I hate changing oil in the winter. 2016 and I just turned 32k miles. The oil life monitor I don't think has ever been below 49% when I have changed.
 
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