C6 Oil level
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 504
Likes: 42
From: SW Florida
C6 Oil level
Is it typical for a 2005 Corvette to burn or use oil? Earlier this year, in Feb or March, I had the check oil level warning and found none on dipstick. I did an oil change at that time. Yesterday I randomly checked the oil level and found it to be below the hash marks. One quart brought it up to right level. My C6 doesn't have a sump (as far as I can tell). It just has a regular oil pan and filter. I never see any oil on my driveway.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 7,753
Likes: 210
From: North Western Connecticut
Is it typical for a 2005 Corvette to burn or use oil? Earlier this year, in Feb or March, I had the check oil level warning and found none on dipstick. I did an oil change at that time. Yesterday I randomly checked the oil level and found it to be below the hash marks. One quart brought it up to right level. My C6 doesn't have a sump (as far as I can tell). It just has a regular oil pan and filter. I never see any oil on my driveway.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 498
Likes: 211
From: Wisconsin
2023 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
You have not given much info. How many miles between the oil change and being down a quart. If it was 5,000 mi's that not to bad if it was 1,000 mi. its alot. If you still have cats you won't see blue smoke ,but it will kill the cats.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 504
Likes: 42
From: SW Florida
I did not write the mileage down when I changed the oil in Feb or March but I did reset the oil life counter. Right now the oil life is at 80%. So it appears I used or burned a quart in that first 20% in about 7 months.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 4,587
Likes: 1,667
From: Pearland / Houston Tx
Owned my LS2 for 16.5 years and 107,000 miles and have never had to add any oil between my 8,000+ mile interval oil changes.
One quart at 80% remaining oil life may come out to about 2,000 miles.
One quart at 80% remaining oil life may come out to about 2,000 miles.
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,614
Likes: 163
From: Davis CA
No. First get good information. Change oil, mark full on dipstick, record miles on odometer. Drive as much as 1,000 miles and check level. If lower, record how much is required to bring to correct level. Then you would know quarts or part of quarts per 1,000 miles. Come back with the results.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 53,774
Likes: 5,623
From: Plantation Florida USAF(Retired) 1966-1990
U.S. Air Force
St. Jude Donor '05 thru '26
NCM Sinkhole Donor
I have 2005 for last 12 years I check it all the time, never been low, bought it with 17,000 and now have 87,000.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 498
Likes: 211
From: Wisconsin
2023 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
No. First get good information. Change oil, mark full on dipstick, record miles on odometer. Drive as much as 1,000 miles and check level. If lower, record how much is required to bring to correct level. Then you would know quarts or part of quarts per 1,000 miles. Come back with the results.
This
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 4,448
Likes: 1,386
From: SC
When VW first brought out their water cooled 4 cylinder, they wouldn't do anything about oil consumption unless it was worse than 1 qt in 300 miles! I wouldn't be concerned about 1 qt in 2000 miles. Mine uses zero.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 504
Likes: 42
From: SW Florida
My oil and filter change was Saturday March 18, 2023. The recent check, where I found the oil level to be a quart low was on September 14, 2023 so the length of time was 6 months. This is a daily driver but I only go short distances and not every day. Probably about 75 miles per week at most so about 2,000 miles since my March oil change.
My harmonic balancer was replaced twice, once in early July and then in mid August. Long story as to why that happened but can you lose some oil during that work?
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...owing-hot.html
But the odd thing is the low oil warning in March just before I changed the oil.
61471 is current mileage.
My harmonic balancer was replaced twice, once in early July and then in mid August. Long story as to why that happened but can you lose some oil during that work?
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...owing-hot.html
But the odd thing is the low oil warning in March just before I changed the oil.
61471 is current mileage.
Last edited by C6SEUSA; Sep 16, 2023 at 11:01 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 6,500
Likes: 717
From: Sausalito CA
+ 1 Post 11.
My experience is similar to Post 17, my 60K mileage LS2 will use a 1/4 to 1/2 qt every 1000 miles, definitely not a quart!
Blue smoke is a signal to observe.
Then a compression test and a leak-down test would offer mechanical insights.
Not much else I could say, except emphasizing Post 11.
Good luck.
My experience is similar to Post 17, my 60K mileage LS2 will use a 1/4 to 1/2 qt every 1000 miles, definitely not a quart!
Blue smoke is a signal to observe.
Then a compression test and a leak-down test would offer mechanical insights.
Not much else I could say, except emphasizing Post 11.
Good luck.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 498
Likes: 211
From: Wisconsin
2023 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
My oil and filter change was Saturday March 18, 2023. The recent check, where I found the oil level to be a quart low was on September 14, 2023 so the length of time was 6 months. This is a daily driver but I only go short distances and not every day. Probably about 75 miles per week at most so about 2,000 miles since my March oil change.
My harmonic balancer was replaced twice, once in early July and then in mid August. Long story as to why that happened but can you lose some oil during that work?
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...owing-hot.html
But the odd thing is the low oil warning in March just before I changed the oil.
61471 is current mileage.
My harmonic balancer was replaced twice, once in early July and then in mid August. Long story as to why that happened but can you lose some oil during that work?
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...owing-hot.html
But the odd thing is the low oil warning in March just before I changed the oil.
61471 is current mileage.