How much oil ?

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Apr 4, 2009 | 12:05 PM

#21

Cherokee Nation

Thread Starter

Le Mans Master

Joined: Jan 2008

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From: corpus christi Texas

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnodrake

I am under the impression that the reason that the Z51 takes .5qt more is that it has an oil cooler that the standard C6 does not have. You may not be getting all of the oil out.

Apr 4, 2009 | 12:15 PM

#22

Cherokee Nation

Thread Starter

Le Mans Master

Joined: Jan 2008

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From: corpus christi Texas

oil cooler

Quote:

Originally Posted by haljensen

Owners Manual says 5.5 quarts, I'll trust the Owners Manual.

The oil pan is a precision machined casting. I'll trust GM saying 5.5 quarts measured capacity before I trust the markings on a 2 piece dip stick that goes into a 2 piece tube with all 4 parts made by the lowest bidder.

If you want to be **** about it; Drain the car overnight, fill the filter with oil from your 5.5 quart purchase, install the filter then add the balance of the 5.5 quarts thru the oil fill cap. Start the car, run it till it reaches operating temp then shut it off. Let it sit overnight again, pull the dipstick, wipe it clean, re-insert the dipstick, pull it out again and mark the oil level by scoring the dipstick with the edge of a file. Now you have a 5.5 quart full mark that is accurate.

My is A6 & it has a small cooler up by the radiator & the manual says 6 quarts!!! P.5-103

Apr 4, 2009 | 12:50 PM

#23

RPHCRMZ51

Racer

Joined: Aug 2002

Posts: 469

Likes: 1

From: Sugar Land Tx

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnodrake

I am under the impression that the reason that the Z51 takes .5qt more is that it has an oil cooler that the standard C6 does not have. You may not be getting all of the oil out.

You are very correct.
I have had 2 z51's and they both took more oil because of cooler's.

Apr 4, 2009 | 08:29 PM

#24

jpee

Race Director

Joined: Oct 1999

Posts: 13,298

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From: Somers NY

Quote:

Originally Posted by FortMorganAl

The correct answer, already given several times, is it takes as much as it takes but better to be a little over than under. Not WAY over but a little over.

WHY ???? What will happen (I'm going to exaggerate) if you drive you Vette 1.5 Qts low.... I'm speaking of "NORMAL driving , NOT autoX or on a road course.. just normal driving even at 80 mph on the interstate... What exactly will happen? Suppose you are 1.5 Qts LOW again will the motor blow will it spin a bearing... will the oil get too hot...

I would like to know to prevent myself from damaging my car, as I only have been putting in 5 Qts of Mobil 1 when i change oil & filter every 3000 miles..

That includes about 6-10 trips down the drag strip, and I'm spinning the motor at 6500 rpm on every run...

I did the same with my 96 LT1 but would only use 4 qts... sold it with 70,000 miles on it and it was running as good (if not better) than the day I picked to up at the dealership...

I would like someone with more knowledge than me to explain if I am doing any harm by running a qt low..

My reason for doing it is NOT to save the price of 1 qt of oil.. its for the performance gain I get when racing.. and admittedly its NOT a big gain in itself but a lot of little things add up.. and I managed to get a STOCK LT1 to run 12.2 @ 110 mph..

My STOCK 05 with only a CAI (Vararam) has run 12.08 at 115.88 mph

Apr 5, 2009 | 09:49 AM

#25

haljensen

Race Director

Joined: Mar 2005

Posts: 10,399

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From: Austin Texas

Quote:

Originally Posted by dardenken

My is A6 & it has a small cooler up by the radiator & the manual says 6 quarts!!! P.5-103

Per many previous posts; The A6 DOES NOT have a seperate oil cooler for the Z51 option. Pg. 5-103 states 5.5 Quarts for 6.2L. 6.0 quarts is ONLY for 6.2L WITH the extended oil cooler.

My '08 A6 with a 5.5 quart refill shows ABOVE the hatched area of the dipstick with a 5.5 quart refill on an oil change.

Apr 5, 2009 | 11:16 AM

#26

need-for-speed

Team Owner

Joined: Feb 2000

Posts: 45,600

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From: Texas

CI 1-4-5-8-9-10 Vet

St. Jude Donor '03 thru '10, '17

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpee

When you race, and you have a full oil pan your crank shaft is splashing "THROUGH" the oil... (sort of like pushing an ore from a row boat through water... now if there was NO oil in the way of the crank shaft it would spin easier & make more HP (good for drag racers)

If you had a "Dry Sump" oil pump like the ZO6 then you could fill the oil as much as you want because the crankshaft wouldn't be pushing the oil aside...

I hope I'm making sense.... But we (drag racers) look at every trick in the book to make more HP... on a drag car its fine to run low oil but if your going to run road course's then you NEED all the oil to prevent it from being pulled to one side on hard cornering.. and starving the oil pick up...

In Drags you are only going straight, and if the oil pick up is at the REAR of the oil pan you won't have a problem...

Thanks. I understand - you could have just said : "windage" J/K

Apr 5, 2009 | 11:24 AM

#27

k0bun

Melting Slicks

Joined: May 2006

Posts: 2,891

Likes: 1

From: NJ..."the way I saw it, everyone takes a beating sometimes."

wait.....you're supposed to change the oil?

Apr 5, 2009 | 11:25 AM

#28

gota07

Le Mans Master

Joined: May 2005

Posts: 5,865

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From: Hope, Arkansas - '07 LMB Coupe

Cruise-In VIII Veteran

The manual states that oil capacity shown is an approximate amount and the dipstick should be used to as the real measure of when the proper amount of oil has been added.

The manual tells you how much oil to buy, the dipstick tells you when it's full.