Home Diagnosis and TroubleshootingEngine Oil and Lubrication How To Reset The Oil – How To Get Rid Of This Notification?

How To Reset The Oil – How To Get Rid Of This Notification?

by Jordan Harris
How To Reset The Oil

Are you planning on flushing your oil for the first time and you are looking for how to reset the oil? If that’s the case then you are at the right place because there is a lot to cover on this topic and we are going to explain everything you need to know in great detail. After reading this you will learn how to change the oil as well as how to reset the oil.

Modern cars are packed with technology and sometimes it can be a real pain to deal with. You probably don’t want to imagine what pain is to get rid of these lights on the dash. They are there to inform us. But sometimes they are not doing anything and only annoy us.

So, knowing how to reset them, which in this case is is the oil light is essential for you. You need to learn how to reset the oil if you want to have an easier life and stop seeing a Christmas tree on the dash. But you shouldn’t worry because we are going to guide you through the whole process.

In this article, we are going to start from the basics. So, jump to the part that is essential for you if you prefer and that is how to reset the oil. First, we are going to learn what is motor oil and why it is so essential for your car.

Then we will learn the different types of motor oil and when this oil should be flushed. After we will learn the things to consider before flushing and how you should flush the oil, then we will learn how to reset the oil. So, let’s get started.

What Is Motor Oil, And Why Bother With A Reset?

Motor oil also known as engine oil is an important lubricant that internal combustion engines use to work properly. Without engine oil, your engine simply would stop working after a couple of minutes. There will be damage to the internals of the engine, scrapping the whole engine altogether.

Motor oil lubricates many important pieces inside of the engine. Namely, it keeps the rod bearings in perfect health as well as the cylinder walls. Motor oil makes sure that there is no friction inside of your engine and everything works perfectly smooth.

If your engine oil is low or not replaced on time, there is a high chance that there will be some damage to these components. The rod bearings will wear and some problems like rod knock will start to creep up. When the rods start knocking, the entire balance of the engine shifts and damages other components. That’s why motor oil is key in the health of your engine.

So, replacing it on time is one of your top priorities. In addition to this, motor oil also dissipates the heat from the engine. The engine produces a ton of heat during its work. So, the oil is circulating around the system and goes through many heat cycles. Removing the heat from the engine and making the engine is always well and healthy.

Whenever you need to replace the engine oil you are going to receive a warning on the dashboard and this warning is a service notification. And after you replace the oil you need to know how to reset the oil. But how to reset the oil? More on that we are going to cover later in the article. For, now, let’s discuss the motor oil types (and understand what kind of oil does my car take).

Motor Oil Types

Before we cover how you can flush the oil and how to reset the oil. It is worth noting the different types of oil. As you know, there are a few types of oil that you can purchase out there. The oil you choose widely depends on the engine that you are running.

Some engines like older classic motors prefer more mineral oils rich with zinc. Meanwhile, more modern engines require more modern solutions. But more on that in the following chapters, where we will cover these three different oil types in detail. So, if you want to learn more, follow along.

1. Mineral Oils

Mineral oils are oils that were first introduced in motor vehicles. Once in history, these oils were widely used, but not so long ago, they are slowly being replaced by semi and fully synthetic oils.

The base of these oils is mineral-based, meaning that they are manufactured out of crude oil. They are in fact a by-product of oil manufacturing. So, instead of burning these oils and wasting them, companies that refine crude oil found ways to use these oils in cars.

So, they were widely used. But what is bad about mineral oils is their ability to last. Most mineral-based solutions do not last even close to modern alternatives that are made out of synthetic materials. What is worse is that they also give worse performance compared to synthetic alternatives. Meaning that the wear and tear of the engine is increased with using these oils.

In addition to this, learning how to reset the oil is also essential when you are flushing the mineral oils as well. But more on that a bit later.

2. Semi-Synthetic Oil

The semi-synthetic offers the best of both worlds, the performance of the fully synthetic oil at a more affordable price point.

This type of oil is one of the most common motor oils out there. These oils are often marketed as a “synthetic blend”. So, whenever you see a synthetic blend oil on the shelves it means that you are dealing with a semi-synthetic oil which is mostly mineral oil with some synthetic blend in it.

How To Reset The Oil

Adding synthetic oil inside of the mineral oil greatly improves its heat-dissipating ability as well protecting the engine from wear and tear. Making it near perfect oil for modern vehicles that cannot run with big tolerances.

This oil also lasts quite a bit more than your regular mineral oil. Let’s say that when it comes to mineral oil, you can expect to do a flush every 5 to 6,000 miles. With the semi-synthetic, you can expect to run this oil for about 6,000 to 8,000 miles with no problem whatsoever.

But to be on the safe side. Make sure that you inspect the oil level always and also the condition of the oil. Find an oil that works well on your engine and don’t replace it.

3. Fully Synthetic Oil

And the last of the types is fully synthetic oil. This oil was patented by the Wehrmacht in WW2 and served a role in the eastern front where temperatures were getting low below zero.

This engine oil basically outperforms everything when it comes to working at sub-zero temperatures and endurance. This oil as its name implies is made out of fully synthetic composites. Which means that it doesn’t include mineral oil.

In the past, there was no great need for these highly advanced oils. But as the engines evolved during the years, the need for such oils greatly increased.

How To Reset The Oil

They started to be used back in the ’70s in the automotive industry, more often in racing applications. But in recent years, the engines in regular cars started to use fully synthetic oils.

These oils deliver the best performance and also improve the engine life by a big margin and can tolerate some overdue oil changes. The average oil change on these oils is about 15,000 miles. Even though some of them are marketed as 20,000-mile oils.

But the best from experience is to flush the oil and learn how to reset the oil at 10,000 miles or less. Don’t run the engine with old oil. The sooner you flush the better the engine will work and deliver a better performance in the long run. That’s why flush the oil and learn how to reset the oil on time.

What is rather bad with this type of oil is that it is quite expensive. So, you cannot expect that your synthetic oil flush will cost the same as your regular oil flush. But you get what you pay for and that is quality oil and good performance.

Oil Viscosity, And Why Reset The Oil?

Oil viscosity is also an important aspect when you are looking to flush your old and how to reset the oil. Why is this the case? This is the case because some oils work better at lower temperatures and some of the oils work better at colder temperatures.

So, it is of great importance where you live and then choose the oil accordingly. Even though some vehicles have recommended oil on the oil cap. But if you live in extremely cold or hot environments this might be a problem if this oil isn’t the right for you.

When picking your new oil for your car you need to learn the oil viscosity chart when it comes to different temperatures and learn which oils might be of great benefit for you. But how to know which oils perform better in cold and what oils perform better in hot environments? Let’s find out.

When you see an oil chart, you will probably be confused because there will be numbers like 5w30 or 10w40. What do these numbers mean in the first place?

Well, the first numbers are indicating the winter performance of the oil. So, if the oil is 5w, it means that it works well up to temperatures of -22 degrees Fahrenheit. If the number is lower, like a 0w for example it is even better since this oil can withstand even more cold.

The second number on the viscosity chart is the performance in hot temperatures. So, if you live in a hot climate where temps are getting boiling hot you will need a thinner oil. Something like 10w40 or 5w40.

Oil viscosity is important and you should make sure that you follow these charts to pick the right oil for your car.

When The Oil Should Be Flushed?

The oil flush intervals greatly depend on whether your car is under warranty or not. If the car is under warranty, you need to comply with the dealership and follow their intervals. They do how to reset the oil every time you visit the dealership and flush the oil. Then when this interval passes you need to go to the dealership and flush the oil and do other required maintenance like replacing the filters and doing regular checks.

If the vehicle is not under warranty, it is quite easier for you because you can flush the oil whenever you desire and learn how to reset the oil whenever you need it. So, what are the recommended intervals for doing your regular oil flushes?

Engine fluid flush

This depends greatly on the oil. For regular semi-synthetic oil, you can expect to do an oil flush every 6,000 to 8,000 miles. The sooner you replace the oil, the better for your engine life. Doing so-called preventive oil changes 500 or 1000 miles before it is required is beneficial because it will extend the life of your engine.

When it comes to long-life oils, also known as fully synthetic. Many of the manufacturers are claiming that these oils can easily last for 20,000 miles or more in some cases. But this isn’t always true and running your engine with this old oil will result in worsening of the engine life.

Even though these synthetic oils can last for many miles, it is recommended to do your flush at about 12,000 to 14,000 miles.

Monitoring the oil regularly will give you the right input when you should do your oil flush. After flushing, you need to learn how to reset the oil. But more on that a bit later.

Should You Pay Someone To Flush And Reset The Oil?

This is a topic that bothers a lot of car owners and it deserves an elaborate answer. And the answer is that it really depends on you. If you are willing to learn and buy some tools and learn how to flush your oil and then learn how to reset the oil.

Doing an oil change is the perfect beginner task when it comes to mechanics and it is really easy to do. Especially if you are running a cheap car where you don’t have to worry a lot about if something breaks. And when it comes to oil changes, there really isn’t much that can go wrong if you follow the instructions carefully.

How To Reset The Oil

But precautions need to be performed if you want to perform this task successfully. You need to secure the car first and make sure that it doesn’t roll because you might end up hurting yourself.

Another thing is the convenience, if you have the right tooling you can do an oil flush in 30 minutes max. But if you don’t have the right tooling for the removal of the filter and jacking up the car, this procedure can be a real pain to perform.

And when you consider things and see that an oil flush is about $35 at some places, you should ask yourself is this worth it? If you are a real car guy and want everything to be done the right way and use quality parts, then this is the right job for you. If not, you should pay others to do it for you.

Also if you spend too much time in your car driving, oil changes will be very frequent. So, it is far more convenient to learn how to flush the oil in your car and also how to reset the oil. But more on that in a bit.

Things To Consider Before Flushing And Resetting The Oil

When learning how to flush the oil and how to reset the oil, you need to consider some things in advance. You need to get the right type of oil for your vehicle as well as the proper oil filter for your car. You don’t want to end up with low-quality products. The oil quality has to be on par with the demands of the vehicle.

New motor fluids

If you pour some bad oil, it could result in increased wear and tear of the engine. That’s why we think about you and we will help you out by listing the best oils out there as well as the best oil filters that you can get for your money. All the products are from Amazon and they are one of the most well-rated products around. Later we will see how to reset the oil.

Engine Oil: Our Take

  1. Castrol 03128C Edge High Mileage 5W-30 Advanced Full Synthetic Motor Oil
  2. Mobil 1 – 112798 120763 Synthetic Motor Oil 5W-20
  3. Valvoline High Mileage with MaxLife Technology SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Blend

How To Change The Oil?

As we mentioned, changing the oil is a relatively simple procedure that anyone can do at home using common tools and a little bit of ingenuity if you don’t have the tools required to remove the oil filter. So, how this work is done right? Let’s see.

The first thing you would need to do is to jack up the car in the air. You need to jack it up real tight and make sure that the car doesn’t move, if it does, it can hurt you or kill you in the worst case. So, this is your main priority. You don’t want to throw your life in danger.

The next thing you need to do is to flush the oil. Get a big bucket and place it under the drain plug.

After making sure that there is a bucket for collecting the oil, remove the oil cap and get under the car.

Un-torque the oil drain bolt and let the oil drain. Wait a few minutes if you want to drain all of it.

After this, you can move on to remove the oil filter. If you don’t have a tool. Get a belt and wrap it around the oil filter. Tighten the belt with vice grips and then turn. Then remove the filter.

After removing the filter move on to install the new filter and tighten back the drain plug. After performing these steps, the next step is filling the car with recommended oil and making sure that you don’t overfill it. Check the oil a few times and pour more oil to make sure that you don’t overfill it. Then you are done. Move on to how to reset the oil.

How To Reset The Oil?

Now we came to the important bit and that is how to reset the oil. Resetting your service interval is key if you don’t want to mess up your oil changes. Because even if you replace the oil and don’t reset the oil interval, you still will get the same message service needed to be done soon.

So, in order to remove this message from the dashboard, you need to do an action.

The first thing you need to do is to put your key in the ignition but don’t crank the car. After the lights turn on on the dash, press the button that is located on the cluster. There should be a long plastic button that comes out from the cluster right in the right corner.

Press this button, the button should flash or turn off. Hold it like this for a few moments and then turn the ignition off. After this wait for a few moments and turn the ignition on and the light or message should be gone. It is important to know that this does not work on every car and you should always look for a solution specific to your vehicle.

Oil Change Light Reset Facts:

  1. Modern vehicles have several indicator lights to notify the owner when something needs attention, including the oil change light or maintenance light.
  2. The oil change light is designed to indicate when the engine oil needs to be changed based on the car’s odometer reading.
  3. The oil change light won’t turn off on its own, even when fresh oil has been added.
  4. Resetting the oil change light is necessary to remind you of the next oil change.
  5. Not all vehicles have an oil change light, so check your owner’s manual or online for your vehicle’s specifications.
  6. The procedure for resetting the oil change light varies from make to make, and some require three quick presses of the gas pedal to reset.
  7. The article demonstrates the oil change light reset on a 2003 Toyota 4Runner, but the basic procedure is similar for other makes and models.
  8. The first step to resetting the oil change light is to find the reset button and turn on the vehicle system.
  9. The second step is to set the odometer to display mileage and turn the ignition off.
  10. The third step involves holding the reset button and turning the key, and the final step is to start the vehicle and ensure the oil change light is now off.

Conclusion To How To Reset The Oil

In this article, we have covered quite a bit when it comes to learning how to change the oil and how to reset the oil.

First, we learned what is the oil and why does it matter to change it regularly. We saw which are the main types of oil. There are mineral oils, semi-synthetic and synthetic oils. The first is the worst when it comes to longevity while the last are lasting the longest.

Then we learned what to consider before doing an oil change and if you should do an oil change on your car alone. If you feel like you are capable and able to secure the car then you should try to do it. If not let the mechanics do this work for you.

Lastly, we covered how you can flush your oil and how to reset the oil. The key thing is that little button on the cluster, you hold it pressed and it will reset the service interval.

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