Z51 M6 Trans Temp ?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 941
Likes: 38
From: Franklin Lakes, NJ
Z51 M6 Trans Temp ?
Anyone know what typical ranges of temps are on the M6 trans with the Z51's cooler ? Please specify with conditions, as I'm sure that type of use and outside temp can make an incredible difference. Can this be read out on the DIC or only with a scan tool ? Thanks.
Dean
Dean
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 264
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
I have a trans and diff temp gauge. Trans runs 180 to 190 on the highway and doesn't get above 110 on the street. The diff runs hot; 210 - 220 on the highway, not bad on the street. I'm worried about the diff on road course days, I wish I had the Z06 diff cooler. My C5 used to peg a 260 gauge on track days so I got a 300 degree gauge this time. By the way the Z51 trans cooler works. My buddy has a C5 Z and his trans runs hots like the diff. He overheated and ruined a trans by the way last Sept at Sebring so you have to be careful. The Z51 has a trans overtemp sensor that says high trans temp on the Dic but you cannot get the temp. I heard the indicator comes on at 285.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 397
Likes: 0
From: East Longmeadow MA
rear runs hotter
I just found out for sure the rear diff runs much hotter than the tranny.
I'm on a late model crew on Friday nights here at the local short track. Anyways, we won this week and technical inspection was the rear differential. That was smokin' hot 30 minutes after the race ended! By comparison, the transmission seems much cooler during tear down.
We run the same mobil1 synthetic in each.
The rear does much more work now that I think about it. We run a 5.14 ratio. The higher the ratio, the more work and friction is going to happen and build heat in the rear. The tranny has low ratios, we happen only use 2 gears, but even in the Corvette with a M6 1st gear is probably 3:1 or so. And the gear faces are much smaller compared to the rear, so less friction is there.
Just makes sense, higher gear, higher friction, higher heat.
FWIW, I'm changing the rear fluid at or before the 500 mile breakin period is over. Probably use Mobil1 with the additive.
I'm on a late model crew on Friday nights here at the local short track. Anyways, we won this week and technical inspection was the rear differential. That was smokin' hot 30 minutes after the race ended! By comparison, the transmission seems much cooler during tear down.
We run the same mobil1 synthetic in each.
The rear does much more work now that I think about it. We run a 5.14 ratio. The higher the ratio, the more work and friction is going to happen and build heat in the rear. The tranny has low ratios, we happen only use 2 gears, but even in the Corvette with a M6 1st gear is probably 3:1 or so. And the gear faces are much smaller compared to the rear, so less friction is there.
Just makes sense, higher gear, higher friction, higher heat.
FWIW, I'm changing the rear fluid at or before the 500 mile breakin period is over. Probably use Mobil1 with the additive.
Bow-Tie Guy
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,057
Likes: 30
From: Chesapeake VA
I have a trans and diff temp gauge. Trans runs 180 to 190 on the highway and doesn't get above 110 on the street. The diff runs hot; 210 - 220 on the highway, not bad on the street. I'm worried about the diff on road course days, I wish I had the Z06 diff cooler. My C5 used to peg a 260 gauge on track days so I got a 300 degree gauge this time. By the way the Z51 trans cooler works. My buddy has a C5 Z and his trans runs hots like the diff. He overheated and ruined a trans by the way last Sept at Sebring so you have to be careful. The Z51 has a trans overtemp sensor that says high trans temp on the Dic but you cannot get the temp. I heard the indicator comes on at 285.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 264
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
Happy to help. By the way let me save you some brain damage if you decide to get trans and dif gauges. I used one gauge and a toggle switch to go back and forth. The Autometer cobalt oil temp gauge comes with sensor adaptors for the trans but the diff is an odd metric size. Only one I found was to buy a magnetic diff fill plug from Ecklers and drill it out and tap it for the sending unit.
