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I know there are many posts on this. Is there a absolute answer? I have a 2008 C6 with the automatic and the Z51 package. What is the oil capacity of the engine? Some say 5.5 or 6.0 quarts. Some say it depends on if it's a manual or auto. It seems even the capacity on either one of those can be different. Extra cooling on some not others. Is the extra oil cooler always on driver's side in front of radiator? Is it just whatever you got, or is there some kind of guideline for different models? Seems like no standard answer. Thank you.
My 2008 w/Z51 and auto takes 5.5 qts. to sit right at the top fill line. I added 6 qts. when I changed oil the first time and was well over the full line so next time I put in 5 qts. and added a bit more to bring it full and it took 1/2 the bottle so every time now it's 5.5 qts. and perfect.
Last edited by Rockgeezer; Jan 5, 2017 at 08:57 AM.
The difference is that a 2008 Z51 will have an oil cooler if it's a stick shift, or no oil cooler if it's an automatic.
IIRC, the official capacities are 5.5 qts without the cooler and 6.0 qts with the cooler, but the Owner Manual doesn't explain that very well.
Our 2009 Z51 A6 (no oil cooler) takes about 5.6 - 5.8 qts to get to the Full line on the dipstick with oil temp around 200'F. I've always tried to keep our various Corvettes (all have the normal wet sump) between Full and .5 qt over Full, to reduce oil starvation in long high G corners. Seems to be working well after about 200k miles on the three cars over time.
Easiest way is to fill with 5 1/2 quarts, drive it for a day, then add whatever is necessary to go to the full mark. Depending on how much oil remained from the drain and the size of the filter, it'll always be perfect with that method.
The difference is that a 2008 Z51 will have an oil cooler if it's a stick shift, or no oil cooler if it's an automatic.
Page 5-103 of the 2008 owner's manual says the car takes 5.5 quarts of oil if the car does not have the oil cooler, 6.0 quarts if it has the oil cooler.
Sometimes people get confused by the term "extended oil cooler", which implies there is also a "non-extended oil cooler" on the narrow body 2008-2009. There is not. If you have a 2008-2009 Z51 with a stick shift, you got the basic oil-to-air cooler. No Z51, or no stick shift; no oil cooler.
GS with stick shift, and some years of Z06; had a similar-but-larger oil-to-air cooler. Later Z06's had an oil-to-water oil cooler in the radiator. And some have said that the 2005 Z51 had an oil-to-water cooler in the radiator. It can be confusing.
Last edited by Gearhead Jim; Jan 9, 2017 at 08:51 PM.
Very confusing. 2008 C6 manual shows 5.5 and 6.0 for vehicles with extended cooling. The 2009 C6 manuals I have seen show the oil capacity at 6.0 with no mention of Z51 "extended Cooling". I talked to a friend of mine who is a Chevrolet dealer mechanic, and he couldn't explain it either. I thought maybe they all had oil coolers starting with 2009, but I guess that is not the case. Likewise, you can find posts from people with a C6, A6 transmission and Z51 package that say they have the extra oil cooler. No strict standards with vehicles. When I had BMW's, everyone debated even simple things like what was the correct power steering fluid to use. With Corvettes, this is my 4th, it seems no one can even agree on which oil filter is the correct one to use. Funny sometimes...........
Don't be confused about the external oil cooler on the Z51 and oil CAPACITIES which is different than FILLS or refills. After the initial factory fill, the half quart that accounts for the oil cooler never drains out. Unless you can turn your car on end when you're draining oil, there will already be 1/2 qt remaining in the cooler and lines when changing oil. So, with or without the external cooler, the fill capacity is the same.
Don't be confused about the external oil cooler on the Z51 and oil CAPACITIES which is different than FILLS or refills. After the initial factory fill, the half quart that accounts for the oil cooler never drains out. Unless you can turn your car on end when you're draining oil, there will already be 1/2 qt remaining in the cooler and lines when changing oil. So, with or without the external cooler, the fill capacity is the same.
The Corvette Tech at our dealer says he puts 6 qts in them regardless of cooler, he says the non-cooler cars end up slightly overfilled but the cooler cars are right on.
The Corvette Tech at our dealer says he puts 6 qts in them regardless of cooler, he says the non-cooler cars end up slightly overfilled but the cooler cars are right on.
Wow, that's extraordinary. So a dealer tech intentionally, regularly overfills LS engines by 1/2 qt.?
Is he the same tech that'll get about $1200/$1500 labor for replacing an LS rear engine seal in a C6?
He should just go for 7 qts and take the seal out that much faster.
Last edited by BlindSpot; Jan 12, 2017 at 06:49 AM.
Don't be confused about the external oil cooler on the Z51 and oil CAPACITIES which is different than FILLS or refills. After the initial factory fill, the half quart that accounts for the oil cooler never drains out. Unless you can turn your car on end when you're draining oil, there will already be 1/2 qt remaining in the cooler and lines when changing oil. So, with or without the external cooler, the fill capacity is the same.
I here what your saying, but my 2006 has the oil to water engine cooler and I have to put in exactly 6 qts. of oil to come up to the full line, oil at operating temps.
When draining, I configure the car to get every last drop possible out of the pan.
For the factory Z51 oil cooler, the lines connect to the TOP of the oil pan. The line then drops and runs to the front of the car and attaches to the cooler. The drop in the lines create a P-Trap similar to a plumbing trap. There is NO WAY the last 1/2 qt of oil can drain, unless you disconnect the lines, let them hang down on a lifted car and reattach. I know BC when I removed my cooler and lines there was substantial oil in the cooler and lines. At least a half qt. So the Chevy tech who is putting 6 qts in all LS Corvettes is ending up with 6 1/2 qts in the Z51 and 6 in the non cooler ones, or 1/2 qt too much in every car
Last edited by BlindSpot; Jan 12, 2017 at 09:23 AM.
Easiest way is to fill with 5 1/2 quarts, drive it for a day, then add whatever is necessary to go to the full mark. Depending on how much oil remained from the drain and the size of the filter, it'll always be perfect with that method.
To answer the OP's question, yes, there is an absolute answer. You will need to buy six quarts so just do that. Then put in five and run the engine for a couple of minutes. Then turn it off and let it sit for a few minutes. Put in enough of the sixth quart to fill it to the correct place on the dipstick...done and done. The correct spot on the dipstick is your absolute answer...that's how much oil your engine needs. Simple.
To answer the OP's question, yes, there is an absolute answer. You will need to buy six quarts so just do that. Then put in five and run the engine for a couple of minutes. Then turn it off and let it sit for a few minutes. Put in enough of the sixth quart to fill it to the correct place on the dipstick...done and done. The correct spot on the dipstick is your absolute answer...that's how much oil your engine needs. Simple.
Your method is even better than mine, since it works in every case equally. After several changes, I learned how much I could add initially that a first timer wouldn't know.
Wow, that's extraordinary. So a dealer tech intentionally, regularly overfills LS engines by 1/2 qt.?
Is he the same tech that'll get about $1200/$1500 labor for replacing an LS rear engine seal in a C6?
He should just go for 7 qts and take the seal out that much faster.
Originally Posted by extrapilot
I here what your saying, but my 2006 has the oil to water engine cooler and I have to put in exactly 6 qts. of oil to come up to the full line, oil at operating temps.
When draining, I configure the car to get every last drop possible out of the pan.
As mentioned, ours (no cooler) takes 5.6-5.8 to reach the full mark with the oil at 200'. So 6 qts puts me about 1/4 qt over full, and I'm happy with that. The manual recommends overfilling by one qt for track use, and then draining out before normal street driving. I've never known anyone to drain out that qt before driving home, and most just leave it in until it slowly gets burned out or until the next oil change.
I'm not sure if the discrepancy is due to the actual capacity being different from spec, or the dipsticks being slightly mismarked. In the past, there have been lengthy threads about this and neither side convinced me.
"Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with a piece of chalk, and cut it with an axe."
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2008 Z51 Oil Capacity
