[Z06] Would parking downhill trigger a "low oil level" warning?
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 69,020
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From: Bagpipes put the "fun" in "funeral"
Would parking downhill trigger a "low oil level" warning?
I got that earlier today after visiting my parents. The car was parked downhill for about an hour.
After that, the low oil level warning came on when I started.
I went to walmart and got some mobil 1, but when I left the store the warning was no longer on.
I added a LITTLE bit (like 1/5 of a quart) just in case.
Now the car's been sitting in my garage for about 90 minutes, and I swear the dipstick design is retarded because I can't tell where the friggin oil level is. There's oil on the bottom up partway through the "operating range" where it sort of gradually gets thinner but there's still a long narrow strip of oil (on just one edge of the dipstick) going 2 inches past the operating range.
You see, there's no definite boundary between "oil" and "no oil" on the dipstick. It gradually fades away.
It stupid inexplicable things like this that cause people to ask silly questions in C5 forums like "how can I tell how much oil I have."
So either I have too little oil, or I have like 10 quarts of it in my engine. Both are bad.
After that, the low oil level warning came on when I started.
I went to walmart and got some mobil 1, but when I left the store the warning was no longer on.
I added a LITTLE bit (like 1/5 of a quart) just in case.
Now the car's been sitting in my garage for about 90 minutes, and I swear the dipstick design is retarded because I can't tell where the friggin oil level is. There's oil on the bottom up partway through the "operating range" where it sort of gradually gets thinner but there's still a long narrow strip of oil (on just one edge of the dipstick) going 2 inches past the operating range.
You see, there's no definite boundary between "oil" and "no oil" on the dipstick. It gradually fades away.
It stupid inexplicable things like this that cause people to ask silly questions in C5 forums like "how can I tell how much oil I have."
So either I have too little oil, or I have like 10 quarts of it in my engine. Both are bad.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 69,020
Likes: 0
From: Bagpipes put the "fun" in "funeral"
Re: Would parking downhill trigger a "low oil level" warning? (Thud)
Heh... well I finally figured out what those little holes are in the dipstick (all cars have 'em).
Hold it up to a light.. if the bottom hole is filled with oil, but the top hole isn't, you're good.
:crazy:
Hold it up to a light.. if the bottom hole is filled with oil, but the top hole isn't, you're good.
:crazy:
Racer
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 416
Likes: 0
From: Burleson TX
Re: Would parking downhill trigger a "low oil level" warning? (Thud)
Check out this thread: https://www.corvetteforum.com/techti...101&TopicID=1. It may take a little mystery out of the oil level inconsistencies. :cheers:
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 13,292
Likes: 0
From: Hockessin Delaware
Re: Would parking downhill trigger a "low oil level" warning? (MAK)
I've had my low oil message triggered several times when stopping the car while pointed downhill and then restarting.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 69,020
Likes: 0
From: Bagpipes put the "fun" in "funeral"
Re: Would parking downhill trigger a "low oil level" warning? (MAK)
I've had my low oil message triggered several times when stopping the car while pointed downhill and then restarting.
Good to know!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 5,555
Likes: 9
From: Indiana
Re: Would parking downhill trigger a "low oil level" warning? (Thud)
Welcome to C5 oil level hell. :)
I always read mine cold, like first thing in the morning. Others may differ on this, like the owner's manual.
The official refill capacity is 6.5 qts. If I thoroughly drain mine (butt high) and add exactly 6.5 quarts, the oil level is at the very bottom of the hatched area on the dipstick. Most people add 7. It seems to depend some on how you drain it. If the butt is kept high, it drains more thoroughly than if the car is level. On my car, if I keep the oil level at the top of the hatched area, it seems to gradually eat the excess. Just keep it somewhere in the hatched area.
If you scuff up that area of the dipstick with a little sandpaper, it's easier to read. It's also easier when the oil gets a little dirty.
And yes, parking on a fairly steep hill can trick the sensors momentarily .. but don't rely on the computer. Pull that dipstick every week or so. By the way, it really does help to pull the dipstick, thoroughly clean it and reinsert to get a read.
I always read mine cold, like first thing in the morning. Others may differ on this, like the owner's manual.
The official refill capacity is 6.5 qts. If I thoroughly drain mine (butt high) and add exactly 6.5 quarts, the oil level is at the very bottom of the hatched area on the dipstick. Most people add 7. It seems to depend some on how you drain it. If the butt is kept high, it drains more thoroughly than if the car is level. On my car, if I keep the oil level at the top of the hatched area, it seems to gradually eat the excess. Just keep it somewhere in the hatched area.
If you scuff up that area of the dipstick with a little sandpaper, it's easier to read. It's also easier when the oil gets a little dirty.
And yes, parking on a fairly steep hill can trick the sensors momentarily .. but don't rely on the computer. Pull that dipstick every week or so. By the way, it really does help to pull the dipstick, thoroughly clean it and reinsert to get a read.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 6,362
Likes: 30
From: Oak Harbor WA
Re: Would parking downhill trigger a "low oil level" warning? (Jerry Velders)
Seeing that our LS engines are notorious oil eaters, not all, but more than a few it seems. I guess we need to start doing the full service treatment while getting gas. Check the fluids while waiting.
Supposed to wait X amount of minutes for all oil to drainback though, right? Better to check in the am I guess before that days startup. Then you know for sure.
Hills will upset the sensors, which is why we check it on level ground to begin with.
Supposed to wait X amount of minutes for all oil to drainback though, right? Better to check in the am I guess before that days startup. Then you know for sure.
Hills will upset the sensors, which is why we check it on level ground to begin with.
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