Patent ID: 8392054

Claim:
A method for determining remaining oil life prior to an oil change in an internal combustion engine that uses a body of oil, the method comprising: transferring the body of oil to the engine, wherein the engine includes a combustion chamber defined by a bore diameter; determining a volume of the transferred body of oil; determining, based on the bore diameter, a factor representative of a volume of oil from the transferred body of oil that is exposed to a combustion event in the engine; determining, according to a mathematical relationship, the remaining oil life based on the determined volume of the body of oil and the determined factor representative of a volume of oil that is exposed to a combustion event; and activating an oil change indicator when the remaining oil life reaches a predetermined level; wherein said determining a volume of the transferred body of oil, said determining the remaining oil life, and said activating the oil change indicator is automatically accomplished via a controller operatively connected to the engine.