Transmission fluid temperature
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 373
Likes: 99
From: Mid-Missouri
Transmission fluid temperature
Happy motoring fellow enthusiasts.
I tried searching the Forum for any prior discussions but was unsuccessful.
I have a question regarding normal transmission fluid operating temperatures.
2020 Stingray, not a Z51, did get the performance exhaust though, like it matters.
My original plan was never to track the car, just drive it, enjoy it, and have fun.
Well, now I am going to do a little HPDE-1 track time with NASA Mid-America just for fun, no real high-speed racing type stuff.
I did have my dealer add the additional 2 quarts of fluid last week for mechanical safety and peace of mind.
I was out for an easy evening cruise tonight (cental Missouri) and noticed the transmission fluid temps were in the high 180's, yet it was only 76 degrees outside.
Coolant and oil temps were in the low 170s., where all three temps normally have been in the past.
Why would it suddenly start running higher after adding the 2 qts, or am I being paranoid?
THAT SAID, when I am doing my track time, what is considered high?
At what temp should I start worrying, and bring her in and cool off?
Thanks in advance!
I tried searching the Forum for any prior discussions but was unsuccessful.
I have a question regarding normal transmission fluid operating temperatures.
2020 Stingray, not a Z51, did get the performance exhaust though, like it matters.
My original plan was never to track the car, just drive it, enjoy it, and have fun.
Well, now I am going to do a little HPDE-1 track time with NASA Mid-America just for fun, no real high-speed racing type stuff.
I did have my dealer add the additional 2 quarts of fluid last week for mechanical safety and peace of mind.
I was out for an easy evening cruise tonight (cental Missouri) and noticed the transmission fluid temps were in the high 180's, yet it was only 76 degrees outside.
Coolant and oil temps were in the low 170s., where all three temps normally have been in the past.
Why would it suddenly start running higher after adding the 2 qts, or am I being paranoid?
THAT SAID, when I am doing my track time, what is considered high?
At what temp should I start worrying, and bring her in and cool off?
Thanks in advance!
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,709
Likes: 7,102
From: Fulshear, TX
170-190's is considered normal operating temp for these cars on the street, while the temp warning doesn't trigger until 270. 230-250 is pretty typical during track use (and no cause for concern). If you do get too hot, the car will let you know and ask you to slow down to cool off (not going to happen with the Z51 unless there's a problem).
Chevy did a great job with the C8's thermal management!
I suspect you're just being a bit paranoid, about your concern
I've been running the +2L track-fill for 3+ years/23k miles and the car has performed flawlessly.
Chevy did a great job with the C8's thermal management!
I suspect you're just being a bit paranoid, about your concern
I've been running the +2L track-fill for 3+ years/23k miles and the car has performed flawlessly.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 11,402
Likes: 8,561
Happy motoring fellow enthusiasts.
I tried searching the Forum for any prior discussions but was unsuccessful.
I have a question regarding normal transmission fluid operating temperatures.
2020 Stingray, not a Z51, did get the performance exhaust though, like it matters.
My original plan was never to track the car, just drive it, enjoy it, and have fun.
Well, now I am going to do a little HPDE-1 track time with NASA Mid-America just for fun, no real high-speed racing type stuff.
I did have my dealer add the additional 2 quarts of fluid last week for mechanical safety and peace of mind.
I was out for an easy evening cruise tonight (cental Missouri) and noticed the transmission fluid temps were in the high 180's, yet it was only 76 degrees outside.
Coolant and oil temps were in the low 170s., where all three temps normally have been in the past.
Why would it suddenly start running higher after adding the 2 qts, or am I being paranoid?
THAT SAID, when I am doing my track time, what is considered high?
At what temp should I start worrying, and bring her in and cool off?
Thanks in advance!
I tried searching the Forum for any prior discussions but was unsuccessful.
I have a question regarding normal transmission fluid operating temperatures.
2020 Stingray, not a Z51, did get the performance exhaust though, like it matters.
My original plan was never to track the car, just drive it, enjoy it, and have fun.
Well, now I am going to do a little HPDE-1 track time with NASA Mid-America just for fun, no real high-speed racing type stuff.
I did have my dealer add the additional 2 quarts of fluid last week for mechanical safety and peace of mind.
I was out for an easy evening cruise tonight (cental Missouri) and noticed the transmission fluid temps were in the high 180's, yet it was only 76 degrees outside.
Coolant and oil temps were in the low 170s., where all three temps normally have been in the past.
Why would it suddenly start running higher after adding the 2 qts, or am I being paranoid?
THAT SAID, when I am doing my track time, what is considered high?
At what temp should I start worrying, and bring her in and cool off?
Thanks in advance!
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-engineer.html
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 373
Likes: 99
From: Mid-Missouri
170-190's is considered normal operating temp for these cars on the street, while the temp warning doesn't trigger until 270. 230-250 is pretty typical during track use (and no cause for concern). If you do get too hot, the car will let you know and ask you to slow down to cool off (not going to happen with the Z51 unless there's a problem).
Chevy did a great job with the C8's thermal management!
I suspect you're just being a bit paranoid, about your concern
I've been running the +2L track-fill for 3+ years/23k miles and the car has performed flawlessly.
Chevy did a great job with the C8's thermal management!
I suspect you're just being a bit paranoid, about your concern
I've been running the +2L track-fill for 3+ years/23k miles and the car has performed flawlessly.
Greatly appreciated.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 373
Likes: 99
From: Mid-Missouri
That's in the normal range as noted above and unlikely that adding two liters had anything to do with what you are seeing in normal driving. Apparently adding two quarts can create an issue with sustained high speed driving. You may find the thread at this link interesting. The higher fluid level caused a particular temperature sensor in the transmission to get continuously sprayed with fluid, causing an erroneous over temp reading that was above the actual average fluid temperature in the sump. The solution for that particular driver was to remove the 2 extra liters.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-engineer.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-engineer.html
Much appreciated!!
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 11,402
Likes: 8,561
GMs words, not mine, and given that the 2020-2023 models can tolerate an 2 liter overfill (and the new versions that do not require a track fill probably can too), I think the statement about overfilling may be exaggerated. Note that 20 degrees C is room temperature. So what it really says is the transmission fluid should be "cold" when the level is checked. Pretty simple.
The difficulty, if there is one, is that prior to the level check, the car must be run briefly and the selector cycled between D and R and this tends to warm up the the transmission a bit. Some owners have reported that the dealer told them there was delay because they were waiting for the fluid to cool to the proper temperature range.
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