Vet

I know there have been many threads about oil capacity. But just wanted to report my capacity since I promised I would.

2006 Z51... when I received the car brand new, the oil level was at the full mark on the dipstick. I just changed the oil recently, draining the oil out with car in a level position, a PF46 came off and a PF46 went back on, etc... car took 5.75 quarts to get the level back to the full mark on the dipstick.

The manual of course states "6.0 quarts" for Z51. Some will recommend just putting in 6.0 quarts and ignoring the dipstick since the dipstick is a cheap mass produced part and is not accurate. Others will say that you SHOULD follow the dipstick and that the Z51 will not take a whole 6 quarts since some of the oil remains in the oil cooler lines when the oil is changed.

My take on all this... who the hell knows. One thing I feel confident about... I can't go wrong running with the 5.75 quarts I added. Guess I could put in another .25 quart but I have to question if it would make any difference. I think I'd rather run .25 quarts below the theoretical optimum "full" level than to run .25 quarts above it. Might not make any difference either way anyhow. I don't "race" so I don't need to overfill the crankcase.

Plus, I think I have a little more faith in the dipstick than most, I feel good keeping the oil level at the "full" mark and not above.

Anyway... in sum, it took 5.75 quarts.

BigJoe

Good to know. Now I can complain to the dealer if (when) he charges for 7.

Vette_DD

Note what the 2006 owner's manual says in 2 different places on page 5-101.

The following approximate capacities are given in English and metric conversions.

All capacities are approximate. When adding, be sure to fill to the appropriate level, as recommended in this manual. Recheck fluid level after filling

Vet

Thanks SilverCoupe

Then there's page 5-18 of the 2006 manual, under the section "When To Add Engine Oil", it says, "Do not add too much oil. If the engine has so much oil that the oil level gets above the cross-hatched area [of the dipstick] that shows the proper operating range, the engine could be damaged."

Page 5-18 implies that the dipstick reading IS important. Page 5-101 says that the listed oil capacities are "approximate". So, together this would imply that, when in doubt, we SHOULD follow the dipstick reading.

This all sounds fine to me. But I know that in past threads, some have felt strongly that the dipstick is a very inaccurate piece that should not be relied upon. I personally did not fully agree with this idea though, but I suppose it's not impossible for a dipstick (or dipstick tube) to go by that may be a little out of spec.

Regardless, I filled my engine with 5.75 quarts, oil level is at the "full" mark on the dipstick, and I'm happy.