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Oil temps

Old May 29, 2017 | 02:14 PM
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Default Oil temps

This weekend at VIR I logged oil temps in my Z51 at 265 degrees, with 91 degree ambient temps. The motor has a Texas Speed stage III head & cam kit installed & a conservative tune.

Wondering if this is getting a bit too warm & I need to spring for the Z06 grill, secondary oil cooler, 600W fan & the Z06 NACA ducts...
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Old May 29, 2017 | 02:44 PM
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What year is it? My 2016 Z51 already came with the 600W fan.

I also got about 265s at the track, which I find very reasonable. I'd start worrying if I started hitting 290s.
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Old May 29, 2017 | 05:45 PM
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Originally Posted by X25
What year is it? My 2016 Z51 already came with the 600W fan.

I also got about 265s at the track, which I find very reasonable. I'd start worrying if I started hitting 290s.
I don't think you will hurt the car at this temp as long as you don't keep it at that temp for a really long time frame. Robert
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Old May 29, 2017 | 06:54 PM
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Hi guys, it is a 2015.

I was pitted with a guy that had a 2014 with the Z06 grill & the secondary cooler & he said it lowered his oil temps by 25 - 35 degrees.

Last edited by Newton06; May 29, 2017 at 06:55 PM.
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Old May 29, 2017 | 07:42 PM
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On our C6, the oil overtemperature warning came at 302'f, with 5W-30.
I once got to 293' for maybe 10 minutes while having too much fun, the next oil analysis showed no deterioration in the oil (Mobil1 5W-30) and no unusual wear in the engine.

On our C7 LT1, the red marks on the oil temp gauge start at something over 300.

Based on that, I wouldn't worry about 265 but would try to avoid going higher, just to be kind to the engine.
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Old May 29, 2017 | 08:11 PM
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Originally Posted by Gearhead Jim
On our C6, the oil overtemperature warning came at 302'f, with 5W-30.
I once got to 293' for maybe 10 minutes while having too much fun, the next oil analysis showed no deterioration in the oil (Mobil1 5W-30) and no unusual wear in the engine.

On our C7 LT1, the red marks on the oil temp gauge start at something over 300.

Based on that, I wouldn't worry about 265 but would try to avoid going higher, just to be kind to the engine.
Thanks!

I may hold off then on the purchases, which is good since I was just laid off from Dell.
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Old May 31, 2017 | 09:18 PM
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just getting warmed up for track session
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Old Jun 1, 2017 | 12:33 PM
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Normal on the track. I'd start paying attention at 280 and start worrying at 300. I know the oil's good to at least 320, but I bail by 300 myself.
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Old Jun 1, 2017 | 10:02 PM
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Surprised GM doesn't recommend 15\50 for the track for Z51 as they do for the Z's or do they? Agree with every one else here 265 is just fine. Many run constantly over 285. OP are you do a complete track prep as coolant temps are directly related to oil. 80\20 water \ coolant or as we use Royal purple Ice additive. Make sure there is not one piece of debris or leaves in the radiator area. A set of cat covers from DEI over the 1200 degree cats 3 inches from your stock oil\water cooler.
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Old Jun 2, 2017 | 07:33 AM
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They do. You shouldn't be running 0-30 on the track.
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Old Jun 2, 2017 | 09:46 AM
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I've dropped 20+ degrees off my temps with a Z06 grille, Z06 fan, DEI cat shields, and a bottle of Redline WaterWetter.

I've also wrapped my radiator hoses and ceramic coated my exhaust manifolds; both those lowered underhood temps, but didn't really effect engine running temps (coolant and oil).
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Old Jun 2, 2017 | 05:58 PM
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I would be nice to keep the cat heat away from the oil/coolant system.
But I wonder what will do to the cats over time?
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Old Jun 2, 2017 | 06:34 PM
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The DEI cat shields have standoffs to allow an air gap and some breathability to prevent them from totally baking. With that said, if something were to happen I'd either let the emissions warranty coverage take care of it, or just buy some used stock take-offs which are easy enough to come by on here for cheap.


Last edited by Kracka; Jun 2, 2017 at 06:37 PM.
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Old Jun 2, 2017 | 07:04 PM
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Last weekend with my GS I was getting to 280 on the mountain road and my brakes are wobbling now. The road is like a 1 hour road course.

Last edited by djnice; Jun 2, 2017 at 07:05 PM.
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