LS3 Corvette pan and drag racing
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 4,731
Likes: 815
From: Portland, OR
LS3 Corvette pan and drag racing Only a handful of passes on
my new 6.2 in my C5.
i used the LS3 Corvette pan instead of the orig LS1 batwing pan. It’s just so much easier to deal with for clearance etc.
Reviewing logs, I see the oil pressure drop to 30 psi in low gear. Then comes back to normal. It’s 60 at the finish line.
Cruises at 50psi on the freeway.
36-40 at hot idle.
The drop on the launch bothers me.
Seems this should be an issue on any C6 LS3 car, but could find no info. Maybe nobody looks or logs it.
I’ll try adding a quart. It only holds 5.5 stock fill.
And yes I know about the Improved Racing setup. Big $$$ and it’s not trivial at all to replace the pan on a C5 with the engine in the car.
Just wondering if anyone else using this pan has noted this.
Ron
my new 6.2 in my C5.
i used the LS3 Corvette pan instead of the orig LS1 batwing pan. It’s just so much easier to deal with for clearance etc.
Reviewing logs, I see the oil pressure drop to 30 psi in low gear. Then comes back to normal. It’s 60 at the finish line.
Cruises at 50psi on the freeway.
36-40 at hot idle.
The drop on the launch bothers me.
Seems this should be an issue on any C6 LS3 car, but could find no info. Maybe nobody looks or logs it.
I’ll try adding a quart. It only holds 5.5 stock fill.
And yes I know about the Improved Racing setup. Big $$$ and it’s not trivial at all to replace the pan on a C5 with the engine in the car.
Just wondering if anyone else using this pan has noted this.
Ron
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 4,731
Likes: 815
From: Portland, OR
I wondered when I looked at that pan.
Pickup in the middle, not near the rear.
Baffles did not look like they would hold oil near the pickup on a hard launch.
Just figured GM knew what they were doing......Ha
Here in Orygun, the weather will change and rain till June.
Nice tomorrow though. 1/8 mile, might be some prep, maybe, if I plead with them.
I’d like to take the Nova. 1/8 mile bracket race. Hmmmm
Pickup in the middle, not near the rear.
Baffles did not look like they would hold oil near the pickup on a hard launch.
Just figured GM knew what they were doing......Ha
Here in Orygun, the weather will change and rain till June.
Nice tomorrow though. 1/8 mile, might be some prep, maybe, if I plead with them.
I’d like to take the Nova. 1/8 mile bracket race. Hmmmm
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 22,298
Likes: 3,619
From: Central Cal.
I wondered when I looked at that pan.
Pickup in the middle, not near the rear.
Baffles did not look like they would hold oil near the pickup on a hard launch.
Just figured GM knew what they were doing......Ha
Here in Orygun, the weather will change and rain till June.
Nice tomorrow though. 1/8 mile, might be some prep, maybe, if I plead with them.
I’d like to take the Nova. 1/8 mile bracket race. Hmmmm
Pickup in the middle, not near the rear.
Baffles did not look like they would hold oil near the pickup on a hard launch.
Just figured GM knew what they were doing......Ha
Here in Orygun, the weather will change and rain till June.
Nice tomorrow though. 1/8 mile, might be some prep, maybe, if I plead with them.
I’d like to take the Nova. 1/8 mile bracket race. Hmmmm
Trending Topics
I run an LS3 pan and your oil pressure all around seems a little low, mine is 60-65 cold, 50-53 warm idle, and 80-83psi or so full send but I run 6qt’s and a leftover G8 oil pump.
Its fairly easy to hold engine up and drop subframe to get to pan, I drop subframe down and engine is out in 1.5 hours taking a break for beer. Its great not having to pull the trans throw a jackstand under the torque tube and rock on.
Its fairly easy to hold engine up and drop subframe to get to pan, I drop subframe down and engine is out in 1.5 hours taking a break for beer. Its great not having to pull the trans throw a jackstand under the torque tube and rock on.
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Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 4,731
Likes: 815
From: Portland, OR
Those pressures are exactly what I see in my LS3 with a HP Mellings pump. When it was machined, we did open the rods up a bit with a .001" OS upper rod bearing. I do not run a factory gauge and it is plumbed at the top of the engine where the factory sending unit was originally located. My mechanical gauge gets a bit higher pressure.
Only a handful of passes on
my new 6.2 in my C5.
i used the LS3 Corvette pan instead of the orig LS1 batwing pan. It’s just so much easier to deal with for clearance etc.
Reviewing logs, I see the oil pressure drop to 30 psi in low gear. Then comes back to normal. It’s 60 at the finish line.
Cruises at 50psi on the freeway.
36-40 at hot idle.
The drop on the launch bothers me.
Seems this should be an issue on any C6 LS3 car, but could find no info. Maybe nobody looks or logs it.
I’ll try adding a quart. It only holds 5.5 stock fill.
And yes I know about the Improved Racing setup. Big $$$ and it’s not trivial at all to replace the pan on a C5 with the engine in the car.
Just wondering if anyone else using this pan has noted this.
Ron
my new 6.2 in my C5.
i used the LS3 Corvette pan instead of the orig LS1 batwing pan. It’s just so much easier to deal with for clearance etc.
Reviewing logs, I see the oil pressure drop to 30 psi in low gear. Then comes back to normal. It’s 60 at the finish line.
Cruises at 50psi on the freeway.
36-40 at hot idle.
The drop on the launch bothers me.
Seems this should be an issue on any C6 LS3 car, but could find no info. Maybe nobody looks or logs it.
I’ll try adding a quart. It only holds 5.5 stock fill.
And yes I know about the Improved Racing setup. Big $$$ and it’s not trivial at all to replace the pan on a C5 with the engine in the car.
Just wondering if anyone else using this pan has noted this.
Ron
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 4,731
Likes: 815
From: Portland, OR
I added the extra quart. It helped. Pressure just drops to 45. But then the track was slicker, so less G’s at launch.
Anyway, it ran its best mph, so no detectable loss of power.
I asked questions on the C6 forum. I gather no one pays attention or logs oil pressure when drag racing C6 vettes.
Or my problem is unique.....
Anyway, it ran its best mph, so no detectable loss of power.
I asked questions on the C6 forum. I gather no one pays attention or logs oil pressure when drag racing C6 vettes.
Or my problem is unique.....
As a note on oil level I poured 5.5 qts in my pan and noted the level for a turbo drain location, the oil level was still down a good 1.5" from the lip of the pan, so you can easily run more oil and not be anywhere near the windage area. I think you can run 7qts and be fine as the oil level will be lower when running as well.
Launching!
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 243
Likes: 83
I forget the exact thread on the corvette forum, but a member there went from his stock c6 wet sump system to a dry sump system. He did that because he was drag racing frequently and spun a crank bearing multiple times. After switching to the dry sump system he didn't have that issue again.
This is only one example and I can't find the thread but it is there if you look for it.
This is only one example and I can't find the thread but it is there if you look for it.