LS7 questions (and some answers)

[J. Salmon]

Still sorting my LS7 plumbing. I had been looking for a way to move the cooler to the left side of the motor, opposite the dry sump tank. In case anyone wonders, the LS7 has two bolts above the filter for just such a purpose, so don't go buying an adapter.

Some say the stock oil pan on the LS7 is crap. There apparently have been some engine failures from starvation, despite the dry sump setup. There are no baffles in the pan, and the pickup is fixed. The '06-08 cars have an 8.5 quart tank. The '09 Z06 is going to a 10.5 quart tank. I have the Peterson tank, which is about the size of a keg of beer. ARE makes a very nice race dry sump pan. Many of the track junkies recommend it for the Z06. What say you about it in a 40 or SLC? Waste of money? Good insurance? The motor carries a 2 year GM warranty, but they are unlikely to honor it for us. Not to mention the headache.

 

[Mesa]

J,
I'm no expert and not saying you have the answer either.... does not the oil pickup come from the tank? Seems that if the tank had oil in it, it could not starve. If the tank was empty then the engine is FULL of 8.5 quarts of oil. I hope someone can point out the fault in my reasoning. Jac?

 

[J. Salmon]

J,
I'm no expert and not saying you have the answer either.... does not the oil pickup come from the tank? Seems that if the tank had oil in it, it could not starve. If the tank was empty then the engine is FULL of 8.5 quarts of oil. I hope someone can point out the fault in my reasoning. Jac?

I hear you. And my tank holds 12 quarts (3 gallon Peterson). I just talked to a Corvette guru I know and he said he has never seen issues on any car with a tank at least 10 quarts. he has seen repeated failures with the base 8 quarts tank on cars IF they are running slicks. Never issues on street tires.

I'll probably go with the stock pan.

 

[J. Salmon]

More research and the Corvette guys sure buy into it. The rational goes like this... as soon as the pickup starts sucking air, you are on the tank only, and you are aerating what is in it. As soon as it runs dry, your pressure goes to zero. Yes, I know you will have 3 gallons of oil in the motor, but no pressure means the oil is not going where it should.

So I am thinking... 3 gallons, good lord that's a long time. But at 30 GPM, that's about 6 seconds. Supposedly, it's hard braking that is the biggest issue with the factory pan. I cannot think of too many turns on tracks that I have run that are really long. But I can think of medium turns that come after long braking zones.

I have so much invested in the motor and all of it that I cannot decide. I'll probably never have an issue with the way I drive, but I also like to overbuild things. I am on the fence again.

 

[Ken Wright]

You are one of the few people around that actually has a valid reason to ask this question....so just get it over with and get the ARE pan already!!:thumbsup:

After looking at the stock Z06 pan it is hard for me to believe that the engineers sloped the bottom the pan and put only one pickup in it. You know what they were thinking, "nobody is ever going to empty that big tank".

Kudos on finding out the rate the pump empties the pan. At some point the oil that is in the engine will start returning to the tank despite any g loads as a result of dumb luck.

It is likely that Canton and Stef's sell pans for this motor that you should consider.

ken