2011 Dry Sump Tank Capacity
05-07-2016, 02:52 PM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
2011 Dry Sump Tank Capacity
Let's say for some reason I only drained the sump side of they system and not the oil filter or oil pan. How much oil should I put back into the sump to get me back to 10.5?
05-07-2016, 03:46 PM
#2
You don't understand dry sump!!!!!
The majority of the oil will be in the reserve tank, pump and lines.
The sump pan as you call it, is just a collect area that will hold less than 1 qts at any given time, since it's just a collect area for the pump to draw the oil back to the tank instead. Again, the dry sump pan is only a collect area (not storage area), and the oil that falls to it, is drawn out to be pushed back to the reserve tank when the motor is running.
Hence when you stop the motor, then the dry sump collector (lets call it a oil pan, but it's not really that) will collect what is draining down off the stopped motor (about a quart), and as soon as you start the motor, the pump is going to pull that now more than normal oil amount back into the reserve tank. So when the motor is running,, there is only about a 1/2 quarts of oil in the collector pan at any give time instead (what is falling off the motor to the collector pan, before the pump pulls it back out to push it to the reserve tank)
So, to see how much oil you need to added back to the reserve tank, hold the gas pedal all the way down, hit the start button, and this will cycle the motor without it starting (starter will run for a few seconds and stop). This cycling will prime the oil pump and the lines, draw out the standing oil from the dry sump pan (needs to be less than 1 1/2 quarts in the collector pan if the motor is spun), and now you can check the oil amount in the reserve tank via it dip stick to full the tank back up to its correct level.
And never remove or pour oil in the passenger side valve cover cap, nor try to remove it. Its not a oil filler area, but instead just a snap on cap that seal the hole in the valve cover isntead. Worst yet, it has plastic tabs that locks it into the valve cover and if you try to remove the cap, you break the plastic tabs off, and they will end up in the motor.
Truth is, instead of the dry sump motor using the wet sump valve covers, GM would have better off just designing a passenger side cover without the cap opening isntead. Hence if the cover cap was not there (to cover up what becomes the filler snout snap in area for the wet sump motors) it would have solved a lot of problem with people trying to fill the dry sump motor with oil through the valve cover isntead.
As for back to the dry sump pan, it only holds about 1 1/2 quarts, and when someone tries to fill the motor with oil through the valve cover cap (10qts), it brings the oil level up past the bottom of the pistons, and when the motor is spun over, it will hydro lock the motor as the pistons are punching into the top of the standing oil instead.
So if you did add any oil to the valve cover, or remove the valve cap cover to begin with, then it time to pull the oil collector (pan), so you drain all the oil out of it, and find the plastic tabs that broke off the valve cover cap before they are pushed through the motor.
The majority of the oil will be in the reserve tank, pump and lines.
The sump pan as you call it, is just a collect area that will hold less than 1 qts at any given time, since it's just a collect area for the pump to draw the oil back to the tank instead. Again, the dry sump pan is only a collect area (not storage area), and the oil that falls to it, is drawn out to be pushed back to the reserve tank when the motor is running.
Hence when you stop the motor, then the dry sump collector (lets call it a oil pan, but it's not really that) will collect what is draining down off the stopped motor (about a quart), and as soon as you start the motor, the pump is going to pull that now more than normal oil amount back into the reserve tank. So when the motor is running,, there is only about a 1/2 quarts of oil in the collector pan at any give time instead (what is falling off the motor to the collector pan, before the pump pulls it back out to push it to the reserve tank)
So, to see how much oil you need to added back to the reserve tank, hold the gas pedal all the way down, hit the start button, and this will cycle the motor without it starting (starter will run for a few seconds and stop). This cycling will prime the oil pump and the lines, draw out the standing oil from the dry sump pan (needs to be less than 1 1/2 quarts in the collector pan if the motor is spun), and now you can check the oil amount in the reserve tank via it dip stick to full the tank back up to its correct level.
And never remove or pour oil in the passenger side valve cover cap, nor try to remove it. Its not a oil filler area, but instead just a snap on cap that seal the hole in the valve cover isntead. Worst yet, it has plastic tabs that locks it into the valve cover and if you try to remove the cap, you break the plastic tabs off, and they will end up in the motor.
Truth is, instead of the dry sump motor using the wet sump valve covers, GM would have better off just designing a passenger side cover without the cap opening isntead. Hence if the cover cap was not there (to cover up what becomes the filler snout snap in area for the wet sump motors) it would have solved a lot of problem with people trying to fill the dry sump motor with oil through the valve cover isntead.
As for back to the dry sump pan, it only holds about 1 1/2 quarts, and when someone tries to fill the motor with oil through the valve cover cap (10qts), it brings the oil level up past the bottom of the pistons, and when the motor is spun over, it will hydro lock the motor as the pistons are punching into the top of the standing oil instead.
So if you did add any oil to the valve cover, or remove the valve cap cover to begin with, then it time to pull the oil collector (pan), so you drain all the oil out of it, and find the plastic tabs that broke off the valve cover cap before they are pushed through the motor.
Last edited by Dano523; 05-07-2016 at 03:49 PM.
05-08-2016, 08:38 AM
#3
Racer
Thread Starter
Thanks for the explanation of the workings of the sump.
So here is what happened. Last week I took the car to the dealer and they put 11+ qts instead of 10.5. I gave them a case of Redline and only got back 1 qt which was open. I was planning on pumping out the extra and the damn tube connected to my pump fell in the sump tank. Yesterday I pull the tank out of the car, disassembled the tank, retrieved the lost tube and reassembled everything. I had fresh Redline in the car so I only drained the sump side. I didn't replace the oil filter or drain the pan side. I was curious how much oil to add to the system. I ended up putting in 7 qts which puts me right on the third or highest mark on the dipstick. I thought I would end up putting in 8 but I checked the dipstick several times with the proper method and it always looks good.
So if I put in 7 and the pan as 1.5 then does the oil cooler, oil filter and the remaining lines contain the additional 2?
So here is what happened. Last week I took the car to the dealer and they put 11+ qts instead of 10.5. I gave them a case of Redline and only got back 1 qt which was open. I was planning on pumping out the extra and the damn tube connected to my pump fell in the sump tank. Yesterday I pull the tank out of the car, disassembled the tank, retrieved the lost tube and reassembled everything. I had fresh Redline in the car so I only drained the sump side. I didn't replace the oil filter or drain the pan side. I was curious how much oil to add to the system. I ended up putting in 7 qts which puts me right on the third or highest mark on the dipstick. I thought I would end up putting in 8 but I checked the dipstick several times with the proper method and it always looks good.
So if I put in 7 and the pan as 1.5 then does the oil cooler, oil filter and the remaining lines contain the additional 2?
05-08-2016, 06:14 PM
#4
Hence when the motor is running, the pump is always pulling what it can out of the sump pan, and the half qt is what is dropping down from the motor, on the sides of the pan that the pump has not pulled out yet at any give time.
So start with your cycle without starting to allow the pump to prime and pull as much oil it can out of the sump pain, check the reserve tank for oil amount, do a quick fill,
then start the car and let it idle for a few mins to get all the air out of the lines, turn the motor off, the check the reserve tank again for oil level again (and fill if needed).
05-11-2016, 05:15 PM
#5
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Yes, but although the pan will hold about 1 1/2 qts safely, when running, it's only has about a half quart, and then when you stop the motor, about another half qt will drain from the engine as it sits instead.
Hence when the motor is running, the pump is always pulling what it can out of the sump pan, and the half qt is what is dropping down from the motor, on the sides of the pan that the pump has not pulled out yet at any give time.
So start with your cycle without starting to allow the pump to prime and pull as much oil it can out of the sump pain, check the reserve tank for oil amount, do a quick fill,
then start the car and let it idle for a few mins to get all the air out of the lines, turn the motor off, the check the reserve tank again for oil level again (and fill if needed).
Hence when the motor is running, the pump is always pulling what it can out of the sump pan, and the half qt is what is dropping down from the motor, on the sides of the pan that the pump has not pulled out yet at any give time.
So start with your cycle without starting to allow the pump to prime and pull as much oil it can out of the sump pain, check the reserve tank for oil amount, do a quick fill,
then start the car and let it idle for a few mins to get all the air out of the lines, turn the motor off, the check the reserve tank again for oil level again (and fill if needed).
The other thing you could do, is measure what you drained out of the tank. Little messy but that is another option too.
Given how much oil the cars can hold, you can generally get away with putting in a little like you did, starting it and checking....top off as needed.