[Bwrin]

Originally Posted by ember1205

It's not inconsistent.

The oiling system in a modern engine has a variety of areas where oil can sit and 'settle'. It will NOT all return to the pan after sitting, so the measured amount of oil at any given time can and will vary. As I said before, this is why there is a hashed 'area' on the dip stick instead of specific line.

Older engines had much less complex oiling systems and "almost all" of the oil would return to the pan. This is why any metal dipsticks with a hashed area had a much smaller area AND why they could sometimes indicate with a line that the system was down a quart.

It's also important to understand that "down a quart" in an engine that used four quarts of oil represented a 25% loss in oil from the required amount. By comparison, you would have to be down two and a half quarts in our V8's to achieve that same 25% drop in level.

What is being called inconsistent is nothing more than adapting to the newer measuring system that is actually more accurate to show smaller tolerances. Within the hashed area is fine and within spec.

I would argue that the readings are inconsistent. Maybe not the actual amount of oil in the engine/pan, and not saying being anywhere in the hashed area is a problem, but for the readings to fluctuate would be definition inconsistent, otherwise it would always be the same reading.

I'm not going to worry about it. As long as it's in the hashed area, I'm fine with that. I have just been worried it has been losing oil in some fashion, so I've been watching it like a hawk. I just did a 7k oil change and it never got below the hashed area. During previous changes though, it was at the full mark. Drove me nuts wondering why one was any different than the other, but I'm just dropping it lol

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by Bwrin

I would argue that the readings are inconsistent. Maybe not the actual amount of oil in the engine/pan, and not saying being anywhere in the hashed area is a problem, but for the readings to fluctuate would be definition inconsistent, otherwise it would always be the same reading.

I'm not going to worry about it. As long as it's in the hashed area, I'm fine with that. I have just been worried it has been losing oil in some fashion, so I've been watching it like a hawk. I just did a 7k oil change and it never got below the hashed area. During previous changes though, it was at the full mark. Drove me nuts wondering why one was any different than the other, but I'm just dropping it lol

I can appreciate why you're thinking of it like you are, and why you've been watching it so closely. We've all sort of come to expect that it will read at a certain level and stay there for the duration because that's mostly what happened in older engines. In these engines, it won't give a constant reading from one check to the next because there are so many variables that can impact exactly how much oil is able to drain back to the reservoir area. As long as it reads within the range when it gets checked and the oil pressure gauge reads where it should during operation, there should be no reason for alarm.

[Bwrin]

Originally Posted by ember1205

I can appreciate why you're thinking of it like you are, and why you've been watching it so closely. We've all sort of come to expect that it will read at a certain level and stay there for the duration because that's mostly what happened in older engines. In these engines, it won't give a constant reading from one check to the next because there are so many variables that can impact exactly how much oil is able to drain back to the reservoir area. As long as it reads within the range when it gets checked and the oil pressure gauge reads where it should during operation, there should be no reason for alarm.

Fair enough. Appreciate the info!

[vtirocz]

Originally Posted by ember1205

It's not inconsistent.

The oiling system in a modern engine has a variety of areas where oil can sit and 'settle'. It will NOT all return to the pan after sitting, so the measured amount of oil at any given time can and will vary. As I said before, this is why there is a hashed 'area' on the dip stick instead of specific line.

Older engines had much less complex oiling systems and "almost all" of the oil would return to the pan. This is why any metal dipsticks with a hashed area had a much smaller area AND why they could sometimes indicate with a line that the system was down a quart.

What is being called inconsistent is nothing more than adapting to the newer measuring system that is actually more accurate to show smaller tolerances. Within the hashed area is fine and within spec.

How is the engine oiling system on the LT1 more complex than older GM small block engines such as LS1/2/3/4/7/9/A, L76, L99, and truck variants of the LS (dating back to 1997)? All oil does not drain to the pan on any of those engines with an the anti-drainback valve setup, hydraulic lifters, misc. cavities in the overhead, etc., but the dipstick measuring system would obviously take that into consideration. Were you thinking specifically of the AFM lifter setup on the LT1 or something else?

The LT1 measurement system (ie. dipstick) does not show a more accurate / better resolution reading than prior iterations. As per the owners manual, the hash mark represents 1 quart from top to bottom, which is identical to my 2000 Camaro's LS1 hash mark range and most other cars on the road. I guess you could argue that the 1qt range represents only 10% of the LT1 oil capacity, but closer to ~17% on engines with 6qt. capacity - in regards to that, I guess it's better resolution. I agree that within the hashed area is considered in spec, but the manual spells out that you should target the top of the hash mark: "Check the oil level and keep it at or near the upper mark that shows the proper operating range on the engine oil dipstick."

Bwrin,
I agree with your approach. If you're checking it per the owners manual method and it's reading at the top of the hashmark sometimes, I'd probably leave it alone and just monitor it once in a while. I hadn't noticed inconsistent readings on mine, but will watch out for that.

[Camaro1973]

Originally Posted by Bwrin

The plot thickens. Drove the car and warmed it up, then let it sit for two hours.

IT WAS AT THE FULL MARK

This is crazy lol

See my thread i just made on exactly this issue when sitting cold.






https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=586154