Chevrolet 2012 Corvette Owner's Manual page 292

10-18 Vehicle Care
The engine oil dipstick handle is a
yellow loop. The dipstick is located
on the dry sump engine oil tank.
See Engine Compartment Overview
on page 10 10 for the location of the
dry sump engine oil tank.
These vehicles have a racetrack
ready dry sump engine lubrication
system. This high performance
system operates differently than a
standard engine lubrication system
and requires a special procedure
when checking the engine oil level.
Follow this procedure closely when
checking the engine oil level.
The engine oil level must be
checked when the engine is warm.
Cold oil level in the dry sump tank
may not indicate the actual
amount of oil in the system.
With this system, engine oil is
contained in an external tank,
separate from the engine. Under
normal operating conditions, the oil
pan under the engine does not store
any oil. If the vehicle has been
parked for an extended period
without the engine being started,
some oil will seep back into the oil
pan, reducing the amount of oil held
in the dry sump tank and there
could be no engine oil at all showing
on the dipstick. This is normal since
the dipstick is designed to read
engine oil level only after the engine
has run long enough to reach
normal operating temperature.
Do not add engine oil based on
cold engine dipstick readings.
The engine oil level on the dipstick
will also be inaccurate if checked
while the engine is running.
1. To obtain an accurate engine
oil level reading, warm up the
engine to at least 80°C (175°F).
Cold oil will not give a correct oil
level reading.
2. Once the engine is warm, turn
off the engine. Checking the oil
while the engine is running will
result in an incorrect oil level
reading.
3. Wait at least five minutes
(but not more than 20 minutes)
to allow oil to drain and settle in
the engine.