C5 Z06 questions

Hi guys, I just bought a clean '03 EB C5 Z06. It came with Canton Accusump and T1 trans cooler that I can switch on and off. The previous owner said that I only needed to turn them on when I am at the track. My question is do I need to switch on the Accusump before I turn the engine on or do I need to turn it on only when I am running in autocross or track days? With the Accusump when I check the oil level on the dipstick when the engine is cold does it represent the true amount of oil in the oil pan or do I need to take into account how much oil in that oil pan will go to the Accusump? Sorry if the questions sound stupid but I am new to Vette. Kinda the same questions for the T1 trans cooler, how and when do I need to use it? Thanks guys.

Those questions aren't stupid, accusump and trans coolers aren't even uncommon mods. I would say you can go with the previous owners suggestion about the trans cooler, but I don't really know anything about accusumps.

Also, what does the EB mean in Vette speak?

I'm not answering because I am jealous...and I don't know the answer.

Is the accusump manual or electric? If it's manual you shut it off with the engine running or it will overfill the engine when there is no resistance. You can open it prior to starting to pre-oil the motor. Electric should shut off with the motor. As long as the accusump is shut off with pressure in the system your oil level in the pan should be as if there is no extra oil in your system.

In reply to Mr_Clutch42:

EB = Electric or Electron Blue?

Yep EB=electron blue. Congrats on the Z06! Super fun cars.

Congrats on the car.

I will pre-face this by stating I have never owned nor used an accusump.

The system is pretty simple: you have a oil can with a spring or pressure device (piston, or compressed air) connected to your engine.

When your engine is running it produces oil pressure. The oil pump should create equal or greater pressure than what the accusump is set at.

So; if your engine idles with 15 psi of oil pressure, and the accusump is pressurized at 10 psi, the accusump "spring" will be overwhelmed and the spare oil will be pushed into the accusump and stay there. On the flip side; if you loose oil pressure on the engine while running (say big sweeper), the 10psi in the accusump is now greater than the engine and the oil is pushed out of the accusump into the oil galley theoretically buying you some finite time of sustained oil pressure. The valve is just a switch, it isolates the 2 systems regardless of pressure differentials.

So to answer your questions:

You want to check your engine oil level with the accusump filled, pressurized and valve closed. Everything in there is extra.

You can use your accusump frequently, but it is not needed. I would use it for startups, it is neat to have oil pressure when you are starting your engine. To do this you open or crack your accusump (previously pressurized) while you are starting your car. Once your car is running and pressures have normalized your accusump should be filled back up and you can close the valve for daily driving. You are going to want to know what the accusump pressure is set at, and have a vague idea where that correlates to on your oil pressure gauge. This way; you can always be sure to shut off your accusump while it is pressurized and filled. You will want to have the accusump pressurized and filled with oil when the valve is closed, although if you forget it shouldn't be the end of the world. (just a normal car with an extra quart of oil when not running)

As far as the cooler; if it too has a valve on the circuit, that is pretty neat. I would leave the valve closed unless the car is hot or getting beat on. Daily driving shouldn't heat the oil too much, and over-cooled oil may not lube as well.

I had a manual valve on my MR2 V6 and just left it open. Every couple of weeks, the air precharge would leak down. When this happens, you have to (valve open) pressurize the schrader valve on top to 70 psi, and then bleed it off to your precharge pressure (the low oil pressure setting at which the accumulator discharges its oil store.) I ran my precharge at 15psi.

If it was a C6 I would have guessed that EB = Eject Button

Thanks guys, and yes EB stands for Electron Blue. I was specifically looking for this color and I drove about 6 hours each way to pick it up. Found it on Corvette Forum, it's this one: http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c5-corvettes-for-sale/3676534-f-s-eb-03-z06-sorted-street-and-track-nc.html

The previous owner spent a ton of money on the Recaros and getting it reliable and well cooled for track duties. Hopefully I will have time to take it to Summit Point or VIR