Atul Thakkar
Active Member
Does any one know oil change frequency for clarity and does the computer shoes up on screen when to change, based on viscosity of oil ? Thanks
Oil Change Frequency for Clarity
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Atul Thakkar
Active Member
I read some where that the oil frequency is max 1 year or when it shows up on screen which ever is earlier. can some one who knows can confirm please ? Thanks
Oil does not go bad, someone that rarely uses the gas engine is being treated the same as someone that uses for regular trips. Honda is being overly cautious or lazy.
Atul Thakkar
Active Member
Thanks
Oil may not go “bad” in theory. However, it does collect condensation and unburned fuel, as well as HC’s and other chemicals. Many short trips are harder on the engine oil than long trips.
Oil is cheap. Engine rebuilds are not.
My $ 0.02,
-Skip
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megreyhair
Active Member
The oil in the engine is 0w-20. The last time I checked, all 0w-20 are synthetic . Which means the oil should last forever in Charity unless your ICE comes on all the time. I guess the best check would be to pull the dipstick out and see if the oil and black or not.
KentuckyKen
Well-Known Member
Ditto on what Skip said. Those are the two reasons you change oil along with getting rid of the abrasive micro particles that get past the filter.
Also if you have a warranty claim on a lubricated engine part and you can’t prove you followed the maintenance schedule (1 yr max as Atul and K8QM point out), you’re just giving Honda an excuse to deny your claim.
And btw, any tribologist will tell you that you cannot tell whether your oil needs replacing by just looking at the color.
You guys are so 1999
You guys are so 1999.
The only reason mfg has you change the oil due to time lapse is....well there isn't except it is tradition. The wear on the engine is due to volume and type of work.
Rules of thumb are set because if they are not set some people just don't do it. The computer could give us the warning now a days and record this stuff for warranty purposes.
Oil tends to become acidic with use, acids will damage the engine components over time, changing your oil every year helps reduce damage.
In my vehicles I have switched from mileage based oil changes to changing once a year regardless of miles. The Clarity I will follow recommendation since it is under warranty, even if it suggests oil changes more often then I would do (first was after burning about 80 gallons of gas), once warranty is out will change once per year.
Anyone who tells you engine oil doesn’t deteriorate is wildly ignorant at best. Honda’s MM is based on a lot of real-world validation. I posted the link to the Honda R&D technical article that describes their original system development in another thread. I’ll re-post it here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8czldw6exebirck/Development of Engine Oil Deterioration Monitoring System.pdf?dl=0
The current systems are a bit more sophisticated, based on some material that has accompanied a new model release or two, but the basic concept remains, AFAIK.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8czldw6exebirck/Development of Engine Oil Deterioration Monitoring System.pdf?dl=0
The current systems are a bit more sophisticated, based on some material that has accompanied a new model release or two, but the basic concept remains, AFAIK.
KentuckyKen
Well-Known Member
Spot on on the oil side of the equation.
The MM definitely works to correctly determine remaining oil life on regular and hybrid ICE Hondas based on a multitude of inputs, but the verdict is still out on whether the milage part of its algorithm is working correctly on the PHEV Clarity and whether or not the HV bug update will (or even needs to) address this part of it. More reports and more time will tell.
For example some report MM oil change at less than 6 months and 6,000 miles with hardly any HV usage. That doesn’t sound right. But mine is saying 1st sevice in about 12 months with my 4 m of driving (w less than 150 miles HV + 20 min of System Check ICE) projected to yield 7,500 miles/yr which does sound right.
Dana Mitchell
Member
Mine just came up a few weeks ago and I'm at 6 months on the dot. I have only put in 9 gallons since new. That's 405 miles max @ 45 mpg which we all know is probably less than that. I cycle the engine occasionally to keep it lubricated and burn off any moisture.
Why should I need to change more than once a year? Just because the MM says so? I think it's lazy on their part and it makes money for their dealers.
Why should I need to change more than once a year? Just because the MM says so? I think it's lazy on their part and it makes money for their dealers.
Johnhaydev
Active Member
FWIW, I had a Lincoln MKZ hybrid, drove only short distances, < 10 k miles per year, so very hard on the oil, oil change interval was 1 year based on maintenance minder.
DVoran
Member
Too bad there isn’t an engine clock, like there is on tractors, so you know the number of hours an engine has run. More importantly, what would be interesting is to be able to access that data to find out the average duration the engine is running. I’ve taken to using the HOV mode whenever I’m on the interstate for more than 10 miles just to get engine temperatures up to keep the oil “healthy” if there is such a thing.
That’s one more argument for an extended duration EV like the high end Teslas. Don’t have to worry about an engine, oil or other complicating issues.
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That’s one more argument for an extended duration EV like the high end Teslas. Don’t have to worry about an engine, oil or other complicating issues.
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Highland58
Member
Ah yes - "break in" oil needed to be changed after the break in period.
KentuckyKen
Well-Known Member
I installed an hour meter made for a lawn mower engine that was only $5.88 delivered from eBay. On a 500 mile round trip in HV, it showed the ICE ran 2/3s of the time. I started with a full charge and ended just one bar down.
Note that the car will perform System Checks automatically that will keep the engine lubed and ready and that the engine stays on whenever started to make sure condensation/moisture is burned off. So you don’t have to worry about it.
Here is my post with instructions and pictures on how to install the hour meter. It’s very easy to do.
https://www.insideevsforum.com/comm...n-hour-meter-for-ice-for-5-88.855/#post-12052
rickyrsx
Active Member
I'm a little confused. I've had the car for almost a month and I've driven in EV mode most of the time. I've used HV mode a few times on the highway but that was more to just use the ICE. I'm still on my original tank of gas from the dealer though which leads me to my three questions. Do I need to run the ICE intentionally every so often (to keep the gas fresh and to run the ICE) and do I change oil when the MM says or once a year or what? Is there any worry if I drove all in EV mode for like 6 months or longer without using the ICE at all?
weave
Active Member
If you don't use the ICE for a while the system will run it for you when needed. So no need to worry about it. However, gas sitting in the tank for a long time *is* possibly a concern. That is allegedly mitigated by the pressurized tank at least.
If you really know you aren't going to be using the ICE, then keeping it only around half a tank would help and shave off some weight. But I wouldn't go any lower than that for a long period of time. Basically conventional wisdom on a normal tank is that would introduce moisture into the fuel. That may not be as much of a problem with this car, but I think it's still good practice.
If you really know you aren't going to be using the ICE, then keeping it only around half a tank would help and shave off some weight. But I wouldn't go any lower than that for a long period of time. Basically conventional wisdom on a normal tank is that would introduce moisture into the fuel. That may not be as much of a problem with this car, but I think it's still good practice.