How much oil does the C7 Corvette take?
The C7 Corvette had the same 6.2L V8 motor in the engine bay for all five years of this legendary car’s production. The C7 Corvette, as previously mentioned, had an LT1 engine in most of the base models. It wasn’t until you got to the higher editions or tiers that things would change in the LT4 and LT5 engines.
The C7 Stingrays that came with the LT1 engine will need 7 quarts of 5W-30 synthetic. It is recommended by General Motors to switch the oil to a 15W-40, for race, track or competition. Between you and me, if you really work your Corvette up and down the road, go with the 15W-40.
The C7s that come with the LT4 or LT5 engines that came in the Z06 or ZR1 are a little different. As previously mentioned, these beasts of American muscle run on a Dry Pump system. Do they require almost 3 more quarts of oil? They would need about 9.8 quarts of oil, according to General Motors. These recommended oils are 5W-30, OW-40, and 15W-40.
It is important to note that when you change the oil filter, the C7 Corvette oil filter requires 22 feet pounds of torque, and the oil pan plugs need to be at about 18 feet pounds of torque.
Changing the motor oil, yourself in a C7 is pretty easy and with practice, can be done in under an hour.
This goes for all five years of the C7 production, check owners’ manuals for variations.
Transmission fluid capacity and type
Thankfully, the C7 only needs its transmission fluid changed about every 90,000 miles. I would take a safe bet that there are not many out there with that many miles. My Grandfather had his C6 for 12 years and never cracked 65,000 miles. These results of course vary.
The transmission for the C7 came in three different variations. The 7-speed Tremec TR-6070 manual transmission, the 6-speed GM 6L80 automatic, only in the2014 model, and the 8-speed GM 8L90 automatic transmission.
The 7-speed manual transmission takes about 4 quarts to fill, but you should have more if you need to flush it out. Synthetic ATF oil is the go-to for most changes, but always consult your owner’s manual before ever changing fluids yourself.
The 6L80 takes about 7 quarts of liquid to change. Again, this was only for the 2014 year, the other years were the 8-speed GM 8L90. The 8-speed GM 8L90 takes about 7.4 quarts, and that goes for the 2015-2019 years. Again, check the owner’s manual before changing fluids on your own, this only needs to be done about once every 90,000 miles.
Summary
The C7 Corvette was one of the greatest cars General Motors ever produced and drastically changed the way consumers and gearheads look at the last true American sports car forever. Without the success of the C7, the C8 might not have finally become a mid-engine Corvette, doing what European supercars do for a third of the price.
Changing the oil on a C7 for all the production years is relatively simple, and with practice can take under an hour. When it comes to the amount of oil the motor needs, that depends on the wet pump and dry pump oil systems. The higher-end models take more quarts than the base models. 5W-30 synthetic is the recommended oil by General Motors, but for track and heavier use, the 15W-40 is the way to go.