How much oil ?
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 6,457
Likes: 297
From: corpus christi Texas
How much oil ?
[SIZE="2"]I have a 08-Z51-3LT.OK: I have only put 5.5 quarts in when i get my oil changed,well i read on threads that it takes 6 quarts & that is what the manual says.I had it changed this wk.& i had 6 quarts put in,well i checked it today & it is above the hash marks,maybe .5 of a quart.???????????/SIZE]
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 6,709
Likes: 1
From: Pacific Northwest
St. Jude Donor '06
Until it's at the top hash mark on the stick. If you're .5 qt over, I wouldn't worry about it.
My non-Z51 auto LS2 is supposed to take 5.5qt and it takes 6qt to get it to the hash mark, so go figure. Maybe you're car is averaging out mine.
These threads have come up before and it's clear that cars can vary .5qt from specs. I don't think it's been determined whether it's variation in the dipsticks or something else. I did go from the stock dipstick to one of Pipedreams and mine stayed the same.
My non-Z51 auto LS2 is supposed to take 5.5qt and it takes 6qt to get it to the hash mark, so go figure. Maybe you're car is averaging out mine.
These threads have come up before and it's clear that cars can vary .5qt from specs. I don't think it's been determined whether it's variation in the dipsticks or something else. I did go from the stock dipstick to one of Pipedreams and mine stayed the same.
Last edited by C-INRED; Apr 3, 2009 at 10:17 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 13,298
Likes: 14
From: Somers NY
I think you guys "worry" TOO much about how much oil you have... I only put in 5 qts.... and I drag race it almost every week.. i take it to 6500 rpm...
I agree if you are "ROAD RACING" and hard into cornering yes maybe you should use 6+ qts... but for street driving (even FAST) street driving 5.5 is MORE than enough..
I know MANY drag racers who have "purpose" built race cars (drag) that have run with only 3 qts of oil... But you have to remember they are only running it 1/4 mile w/ no turns for 9 -10 sec... with the oil pick up in the rear of the oil pan...
so the engine is never starved for oil.. I had a 96 LT1 (bought it new) drag raced it almost every week during race season.. and changed the oil every 3000 miles I'd use 4 qts... the car had 70,000 miles when I sold it.. ran like a raped ape.. & never had any engine problems...
I say if your NOT road racing 5.5 qts is more than enough... as for me (speaking for myself) I only use 5 qts in my C6 Z51 (A4)
I agree if you are "ROAD RACING" and hard into cornering yes maybe you should use 6+ qts... but for street driving (even FAST) street driving 5.5 is MORE than enough..
I know MANY drag racers who have "purpose" built race cars (drag) that have run with only 3 qts of oil... But you have to remember they are only running it 1/4 mile w/ no turns for 9 -10 sec... with the oil pick up in the rear of the oil pan...
so the engine is never starved for oil.. I had a 96 LT1 (bought it new) drag raced it almost every week during race season.. and changed the oil every 3000 miles I'd use 4 qts... the car had 70,000 miles when I sold it.. ran like a raped ape.. & never had any engine problems...
I say if your NOT road racing 5.5 qts is more than enough... as for me (speaking for myself) I only use 5 qts in my C6 Z51 (A4)
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Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 22,757
Likes: 1,697
From: South Carolina
[SIZE="2"]I have a 08-Z51-3LT.OK: I have only put 5.5 quarts in when i get my oil changed,well i read on threads that it takes 6 quarts & that is what the manual says.I had it changed this wk.& i had 6 quarts put in,well i checked it today & it is above the hash marks,maybe .5 of a quart.???????????/SIZE]
Your DIPSTICK is too short....
if it were too short he would show not enough oil... LOL 
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 45,600
Likes: 892
From: Texas
CI 1-4-5-8-9-10 Vet
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '10, '17
I think you guys "worry" TOO much about how much oil you have... I only put in 5 qts.... and I drag race it almost every week.. i take it to 6500 rpm...
I agree if you are "ROAD RACING" and hard into cornering yes maybe you should use 6+ qts... but for street driving (even FAST) street driving 5.5 is MORE than enough..
I know MANY drag racers who have "purpose" built race cars (drag) that have run with only 3 qts of oil... But you have to remember they are only running it 1/4 mile w/ no turns for 9 -10 sec... with the oil pick up in the rear of the oil pan...
so the engine is never starved for oil.. I had a 96 LT1 (bought it new) drag raced it almost every week during race season.. and changed the oil every 3000 miles I'd use 4 qts... the car had 70,000 miles when I sold it.. ran like a raped ape.. & never had any engine problems...
I say if your NOT road racing 5.5 qts is more than enough... as for me (speaking for myself) I only use 5 qts in my C6 Z51 (A4)
I agree if you are "ROAD RACING" and hard into cornering yes maybe you should use 6+ qts... but for street driving (even FAST) street driving 5.5 is MORE than enough..
I know MANY drag racers who have "purpose" built race cars (drag) that have run with only 3 qts of oil... But you have to remember they are only running it 1/4 mile w/ no turns for 9 -10 sec... with the oil pick up in the rear of the oil pan...
so the engine is never starved for oil.. I had a 96 LT1 (bought it new) drag raced it almost every week during race season.. and changed the oil every 3000 miles I'd use 4 qts... the car had 70,000 miles when I sold it.. ran like a raped ape.. & never had any engine problems...
I say if your NOT road racing 5.5 qts is more than enough... as for me (speaking for myself) I only use 5 qts in my C6 Z51 (A4)
Race Director
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 13,298
Likes: 14
From: Somers NY
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...
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...
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 10,399
Likes: 26
From: Austin Texas
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.
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.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 8,514
Likes: 235
From: Currently somewhere in IL,IN,KY,TN,MO,AR,MS,AL, or FL
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.
Racer
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 250
Likes: 1
Until it's at the top hash mark on the stick. If you're .5 qt over, I wouldn't worry about it.
My non-Z51 auto LS2 is supposed to take 5.5qt and it takes 6qt to get it to the hash mark, so go figure. Maybe you're car is averaging out mine.
These threads have come up before and it's clear that cars can vary .5qt from specs. I don't think it's been determined whether it's variation in the dipsticks or something else. I did go from the stock dipstick to one of Pipedreams and mine stayed the same.
My non-Z51 auto LS2 is supposed to take 5.5qt and it takes 6qt to get it to the hash mark, so go figure. Maybe you're car is averaging out mine.
These threads have come up before and it's clear that cars can vary .5qt from specs. I don't think it's been determined whether it's variation in the dipsticks or something else. I did go from the stock dipstick to one of Pipedreams and mine stayed the same.
