When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
FWIW:
The volume is NOT IMPORTANT IT'S THE OIL LEVEL!
This is what it says in the 2014 Service Manual, quoting:
Page 1-36 OF 4 Volume Manual
Approximate Fluid Capacities:
"When adding, be sure to fill to the approximate level, as recommended in this manual (table is the same as in Owner's Manual.) Recheck fluid level after filling."
To check a dry sump the oil needs to be hot and must be checked using a watch after 5 but before 10 minutes after shutting the engine off. All takes too long for many mechanics! Wait more than 10 minutes and oil will drain back to the pan and you'll get a false low reading! Wonder how many mechanic's helpers know that? Take a coffee break and measure after 30 minutes and it will read low and then you would overfill to get it to the MAX level. For fun I checked my oil before starting the car one morning and it was below the oil dip stick tip >5 quarts low!
FUN STORY ABOUT THE 502 CID ENGINE IN MY STREET ROD:
Have a wet sump Chevy crate engine in my ’34 Ford street rod. First, even in a wet sump it is NOT the volume of oil that it critical, it's the oil level. The key is you don’t want the oil level in the pan to be close to the 6000 rpm rotating crack causing foam, drag etc. To have access to the dip stick with my large diameter long tube headers I bought a billet aluminum **** Lokar dip stick. It comes with a universal flexible dip stick that must be cut to the proper length. No problem, I thought, just check with the initial fill of oil!
Except here is what GM says is the required amount of fill: “After installing the engine, ensure the crankcase has been filled with 5W30 motor oil (non-synthetic) to the recommended oil fill level on the dipstick!” The engine instructions say nothing about an oil volume, not even and estimate! Just fill to the proper level.
But the dip stick the OEM tube has to be installed-it does not fit with the long tube headers. A Catch 22! Had to cut the top off the steel OEM dip stick and make measurements of the dip stick tube length and then fill with oil! Then I could cut the Lokar flexible dip stick to the proper length!
I see your pain, I assume with initial install of engine it would of been nice to somehow run the engine with standard exhaust manifolds measuring oil level with OEM dip stick, just to get reference of volume oil for motor, then go to your headers and flex dip stick kit cutting to size. Your way seems like a no brainer thinking your close to volume needed.
I see your pain, I assume with initial install of engine it would of been nice to somehow run the engine with standard exhaust manifolds measuring oil level with OEM dip stick, just to get reference of volume oil for motor, then go to your headers and flex dip stick kit cutting to size. Your way seems like a no brainer thinking your close to volume needed.
Was not that bad, just measured the OEM dip stick tube then cut off the handle and top of the dip stick and inserted it in the opening in the block. Scratched my head at first!
The engine does not come with exhaust manifolds since it's put in whatever car. Your job to find headers that fit. Actually the long tube Sanderson headers get the collector out of the way!
This actually happened to me on my 500 miles oil change as well. I suspect the tech did not drain both plugs, as a 0.2 qt overfill will not cause oil to leak into the air filter. My oil was overfilled by 0.5 (I siphoned out the extra and measured) and I had no problems, you can see other people on the forum where oil was overfilled by 1/4 - 1/2 qts and nobody got any oil in their filters. It's usually when the tech doesn't drain the 2nd plug and you get a massive overfill that you see the issue you are having. I would call the dealer and have them thoroughly clean the intakes, MAF, new filter, etc. This seems tobe rather common and shouldn't have any long term problems as you discovered the issue promptly.
When I had my 500 mile oil change, I asked the service mgr. to put in 9 qt. and give me the 10th. He said he couldn't do it that way, because they have Mobil 1 in bulk. They put 9.2 qt. in the engine and when I got home I properly checked and it was filled to the max line on the dipstick. I also checked out the GM part number for the oil used and it was for Mobil 1 in bulk. For the second oil change they put in 9.8 qt. I was surprised because it was more than the first time. I properly checked the oil level when I got home and it was 3/8" higher than the max line. I immediately took it back to the dealership and they changed the oil a second time. They didn't tell me how much they added, but commented that there was some confusion about the proper amount of oil to add. I checked when I got home and the oil level was right at the max line.
3/8 inches is about 3/8 quart. My Grand Sport when new was overfilled 1/2 quart by the factory as I instructed the dealer not to add any oil as I keep in half way between Max and Min. The C7 Tech told me he knew I did it want them to add oil and he when checked the level, as required in the prep check list, it was “about a 1/2 quart over Max.”
When I got the car home, about 30 miles all at low rpm, I pumped out 1 quart with my brake bleed pump to get it to where I kept my Z51 for 3 1/2 years. A dealer has never changed the oil in my 5 Vettes and if I was sure they would use my 4 jack pads I would ask to have it filled with only 9 quarts and bring it home and add as necessary! This whole idea of added oil by volume, is not right per what I have done 65 years and the statement in the Service Manual. Always should underfill, check the level and fill as desired!
Only 75 so when I get “old” will have to consider allowing a dealer to change!
All this sounds as if GM wants to make it harder for us to change our own oil! My wife's Q7 dumb a$$ Audi says Not to drain using the drain plug as it will strip?? So they suck out the oil?
The two drain plugs are necessary because of the low profile oil pan design required because of low ground clearance. The dry sump is to protect the engine from oil-starvation during high-G cornering.
I you don't like the extra complexity, you don't need to purchase a low-profile sports car, and you can even purchase a C7 without a dry sump system. The design is dictated by by the car's intended use, and certainly not to keep you from changing your own oil, which is very simple to do with just rudimentary knowledge.
One of those rudimentary factoids, is that there's no need to put more than 9 qts. in during a dry sump oil change, and adjust the level later. Another is that it's impossible to get all the old oil out of any engine, unless you drain it for long, long periods of time. Even then small traces will remain. Dealer mechanics don't have more than 20-30 minutes to let an engine drain, because that's all GM will reimburse them on free oil changes.
For those wondering how much excess oil it takes to cause problems, note that the Owner Manual recommends running the dry sump engines 1/2 qt overfilled for competition, but the wet sump should not be overfilled at all.
For those wondering how much excess oil it takes to cause problems, note that the Owner Manual recommends running the dry sump engines 1/2 qt overfilled for competition, but the wet sump should not be overfilled at all.
In a track session, the oil is continuously circulating very quickly at high rpms, and the extra is recommended to ensure enough oil coverage. In that situation, burping from the dry sump tank to vent lines to air intake isn't going to happen because the tank is never overfilled while on the track. The manual also recommends removing that extra quantity as soon as the track session is over.
In a track session, the oil is continuously circulating very quickly at high rpms, and the extra is recommended to ensure enough oil coverage. In that situation, burping from the dry sump tank to vent lines to air intake isn't going to happen because the tank is never overfilled while on the track. The manual also recommends removing that extra quantity as soon as the track session is over.
When you count startup, idling in the staging area, a warmup lap and then a cooldown lap at the end; the engine spends a large amount of "track" time operating at rpm and load similar to normal street use. Then the oil typically gets pretty hot out on the track and what was .5 qt over when checked at 175', will be more as the oil heats up and then you come off the track while it's still pretty warm. If the .5 qt overfill was going to cause problems at low rpm, there would be plenty of time for it to do so. It doesn't.
None of my dry sump C7 buddies have had any problems over the last four years, keeping the oil at or slightly above Full. The trouble comes with more significant overfills. I've been keeping our 2017 Z51 right at the Full mark (175', 7 minutes) for the last 15k miles. The engine runs fine, the oil level decreases at a very steady low rate (about 1 qt/15k-20k miles), and I don't have any oil spillage.
^^^
I'm sure "slightly above" the MAX line is OK but why?
To reinforce what Foose said about at high rpm there is a lot of oil in the engine coming from the spinning crack and rods, GM says the reason also is the engine may Use MORE Oil.
These are GM quotes from the owner's manual: Track Events and Competitive Driving
If the vehicle is used for track events and competitive driving, the engine may use more oil than it would with normal use. After the competitive driving, remove excess oil so that the level on the dipstick is not above the upper mark that shows the proper operating range.
Checking Engine Oil (Z06, Grand Sport, and Stingray with Z51) If the oil is below the cross-hatched area at the tip of the dipstick, add 1 L (1 qt) of the recommended oil through the oil fill cap opening in the oil tank and then recheck the level.
Caution (From the dry sump section) Do not add too much oil. Oil levels above or below the acceptable operating range shown on the dipstick are harmful to the engine. If you find that you have an oil level above the operating range, i.e., the engine has so much oil that the oil level gets above the cross-hatched area that shows the proper operating range, the engine could be damaged. You should drain out the excess oil or limit driving of the vehicle and seek a service professional to remove the excess amount of oil.
Like Foosh and others I keep my level half way in the hatched area, about a half quart over MIN. GM does NOT say the proper level is at MAX. They say to add IF it is below MIN.
We each can do as we wish but an overfill is not necessary and could be harmful depending on the level!
I recently took my 2018 Grand Sport to a Chevy dealership for the 500 mile oil change.
After I got it home I checked the oil level and it was overfilled (above the hash marks and twist). I called the dealership and scheduled an appointment the next day to have it corrected.
I took the car in and told them it was overfilled. The adviser looked at the system and said it seemed like they put 10 qts in when they should have only put 9.8 in. They pulled the car around to fix the issue. While a I was waiting, my wife called and told me there was a large pool of oil on the garage floor. I let my adviser know and we went out to talk to the tech that was working on my car. They lifted it up so we could take a better look and sure enough there was oil all over the underside. He wasn't sure where it was coming from but they cleaned it up, corrected the overfill and told me to keep an eye on it.
Once I got home I checked the oil again and it was at or slightly above the hash mark. A little bit later I checked under the car and sure enough it was leaking more oil. I called the dealer again to set up another appointment. I also decided to check the air filter to see if oil had gotten in there and was greeted to this:
Oil on air filter. Oil pooled in air intake. Throttle body intake.
Now I'm not sure what to do. The car has not thrown any codes but I'm not sure if the oil has caused any lasting damage yet.
If I clean things up is it safe to drive? Or should I have it transported to the dealership?
I would appreciate any advice people could provide. Thanks.
Two tenths of a quart extra wouldn't cause that kind of a problem. That is less than half the amount of the half quart over fill GM recommends in the Owner's Manual under Track Prep. They recommend adding a half quart over fill when taking the car to a road course. That takes you from 9.8 quarts to 10.3 quarts. The system can handle that level of over fill with no issues and there are plenty of people that do that all the time. The half quart over fill puts the oil level just below the characters stamped into the dipstick which are a couple of inches above the full mark.
Here is the statement from the OM which is on the next page from some of the other comments about higher oil consumption:
Z51 and Z06 Only: Check the oil
level often during track events and
competitive driving and keep the
level at or near 0.5 L (0.5 qt) above
the upper mark that shows the
proper operating range on the
engine oil dipstick. After the
competitive driving, remove excess
oil so that the level on the dipstick is
not above the upper mark that
shows the proper operating range.
Lots of people are adding this half quart and driving several hundred miles to and from track events plus running the engine at very high rpms while at the event and not getting the oil leak or oil into the air inlet as you seem to be getting. Since you indicate the oil level is only a small amount over the full mark that indicates they didn't add a large amount of extra oil. Thus, I think there is something else wrong. If I can get a chance to bring the oil up to temperature today I will get a picture of where the oil level comes to at a half quart over and post it here. If you are significantly above that point then you may have an over fill problem.
Really hard to get the iPhone Camera to focus on the dipstick rather than all of the other stuff it decides to focus on, Here are two pics. One has my finger pointing to where the oil level is and the other shows a different angle showing the oil higher than the top mark.
Some waxers may hyperventilate or get heart palpitations if their level is this high but it is fine. If your oil level is lower than the level on my dipstick you don't have a problem with oil level.
Bill
Last edited by Bill Dearborn; 04-23-2018 at 07:19 PM.
If your oil level is lower than the level on my dipstick you don't have a problem with oil level.
Thanks for the additional info and the helpful pictures. Just to clarify though, I believe the oil was significantly overfilled during the initial oil change. The level on the dipstick was well above the twist. When I took it back the next day I believe the tech adjusted the oil to a somewhat acceptable level but failed to discover the leakage that had already occurred into the air handling. When I discovered more oil coming out, I opened up the air filter as that seemed to be where some of it was coming from.
Following the advise given here, I cleaned things up to the best of my ability. I had another appointment scheduled to look into the issue, however I was reluctant to drive it with a saturated air filter. I spoke to my service adviser about that and he offered to have a new filter brought to my home. With a dry filter in place, I drove it back to the dealership so that they could check it out.
That is where things stand right now. I am really hoping that my only problem was the overfill but we shall see.
04-22-2018, 01:09 PM
