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We entirely disregard Subaru's recommendations on oil unless the car is under factory warranty. We average about 1-2 oil changes 5 days a week for customers - usually schedule these at 9am to get them out of the way and out the door. THE ONLY TIME we use anything other than 5w40 (or 5w50 for 400+ HP), is on cars that are under warranty obligation to use 5w30 or 5w20. Everything else gets 5w40 Amsoil Euro FS. This is an XL oil with a 5w40 spec (normal XL is 10w40). https://www.amsoil.com/p/sae-5w-40-fs-synthetic-european-motor-oil-efm/ It's rated for 12,000 miles. We run it for 6,000 miles since the WIX filters rate about there and Subaru's shear their oil and dilute it with fuel (especially the turbo models) causing some level of consumption after about 2500 miles and we can't trust most customers to check their oil. I'm quite sure that all our customers combined have 10's of millions of miles on this oil and we have NEVER seen a failure related to oil breakdown, sludge, or really any lubrication related failure other than customers that burn all their oil up or leak it out and cause mechanical damage from the complete lack of oil. I have torn down engines due to failures unrelated to the oil - in one case we pulled down a built engine due to a cracked cylinder liner - plugged injector from tank contamination caused a lean condition under boost and the high cylinder pressure blew out the sleeve. Even under the SEVERE detonation conditions that resulted in a cracked cylinder sleeve we saw ZERO damage to the bearing journals running 5w40 Amsoil. So I'm not inclined to change my process. And I have reviewed the specs of the new engines vs. the older engines with respect to bearing sizes and clearances and oil pump specifications, etc - there is no difference between the older engines that specified 10w30 and the newer engines that specify 5w20. Subaru changes the spec based on meeting emissions and economy guidelines, and changes the recommendations for different markets. They have in the past offered 40 and 50 weight racing oils with their branding - in other markets. Viscosity is chosen based on engine LOAD. Higher load requires thicker oil so it doesn't squirt out of the bearings under high cylinder pressure. Take note that I own and manage a performance shop - as such my customers are largely composed of "Enthusiasts" who often drive their cars at the hard. I myself drive all my cars hard and have blown up my share of engines personally. Hard driving equals high load. And thus a step up in viscosity is warranted. GD

Yes the bracket that bolts to the engine and the tensioner are a matched set. You can swap them out as long as you have both. I have spares of both types if you need them.

Not any more than anything else that's approaching 20 years old. A lot of mistakes and neglect can happen in that time. My '00 has been well cared-for, and I wish it would run warmer. Only on the hottest days do the coolant temps get above 180, when it's below zero outside, it barely gets over 160. I'm thinking about replacing the OEM stat with a cheap aftermarket one to let it warm up a bit. OEM SOHC headgaskets usually leak oil externally. Overheating is more often caused by dirty radiator, failed fans, plugged heater core, etc.

Yes. More often than not it's due to the headgaskets having already been replaced, cheap gaskets, poor quality job, etc, or someone limping them around with low coolant/other issues because the cars are getting older and lower value, hence more prone to poor maintenance, ignoring issues like coolant loss, etc. Failure modes expand once the heads are off and gaskets replaced. You're right, it would just be more accurate to say it this way:

Ideally, careful oil pressure monitoring and lab testing of the used oil will tell you what works best for you. For my daily drivers, I'm wholeheartedly of the opinion that the best oil is new oil. I use the cheapest 5w30 I can get my hands on (usually Walmart or Fleet Farm house brands) and change it more often then recommended. I'm a bit more picky on filters, but not by a lot. I have a pressure gauge and a 11mm oil pump on my EJ25 daily, and don't see much of a difference in pressures summer to winter (it's 93*F here today, and not uncommon to see 40 below days in the winter. Although my car does spend overnights in an unheated/uninsulated garage, so we have to get a pretty good gold stretch for it to be below zero in the mornings.

Only manual transmission cars have the guide. And no - an auto isn't going to break a belt. Even a manual isn't going to break a good condition belt. Skip a few teeth maybe, but not break it in half. The belt was old and past it's service life or was off-brand and poor quality if it's broken. And heartless is correct - buy a Subaru (or any car with a timing belt and an interference engine) - you are immediately remiss in your duties if you don't change the belt, water pump, and all associated with QUALITY Japanese made components. You generally have no idea if/when it was done or what quality of parts/labor were used. And it sounds like the transmission/torque converter are garbage. GD

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Following up on this. The new 5psi fuel pump solved the problem. I could cruise at highway speeds all day!

Use synthetic. The end. Lol. If cost is a concern extend your oil change intervals as synthetic allows. But check oil level often. Brand and weight don’t matter if you want top shelf get amsoil and read GDs data driven commentary on past threads. You have a 2007, those blow the short block all the time due to oil loss/low oil, 10,000 times before they do due to weight or brand. Use synthetic. The end. Most info is short sighted, anecdotal and/or impractical and useless. Practically speaking it doesn’t matter, except use full synthetic for your control rings. Follow the owners manual for weight of that year 5W and 10w are both fine. Varying weights isn’t necessary but not a terrible idea either. Most responsible car owners with average daily driver commuters change their oil well before the oil is problematic. so it’s not like they’re being pushed to the limits where one brand will perform better than another Subarus are making 200,000+ miles all day long on whatever oil is on sale. And there’s people promoting every brand as awesome because some oil wizard told them about it and they’ve never had issues. Well join the club buffoons, that’s everyone, no matter the brand. Lol. And that’s why no one can resist talking about it - theyre guaranteed to be right, or partially right....because most of what people talk about doesn’t matter empirically or practically. I’ve never blown an engine and have driven a ton of Subarus past 200,000. Is it because of my meticulous attention and robust knowledge of oil? Good grief, no. They fail due to oil loss, low oil and neglect. Use synthetic to keep those control rings clean. your year is prone to low oil. Your best protection is synthetic, frequently checking the oil level and not brand or weight, beyond obvious guidelines. Those engines are routinely found with blown short blocks due to oil starvation not weight and brand. There is a small range where better oils will protect in adverse conditions like low oil where the temps and over cycling degrade the oil properties. But the range where that happens before it hits low enough oil to destroy and engine no matter what oil is pretty narrow relatively speaking. But still amsoil would offer some additional protection there.

for now. . . 20 Imp Sport (mine), 21 Xtrek Sport (hers), and the 80 Zero, (My kid's first car) Some of you may recognize that one.

Several good links in the FAQ in the retrofitting section:

Thanks again. Whichever slimy stuff they used last looks to be a plenty so I left it as they passed it to me and sliding well. Next time around I’ll address the whole shebang. Sooner or later I’ll get this car up to Subafreak and give consideration to all things suspension. I just won’t rally the beast until ... ok never.

The timing belt was old, high miles, and/or not a Subaru/AISIN brand belt. That's why it broke. It had nothing to do with the transmission.

coupla things; 1. You could investigate Blackstone labs and test your used oil. 2. You might enjoy reading at www.bobistehoilguy.com

Paul, I ran 10W40 in my '83 EA81 after it hit about 100K, still runs to this day with about 400K. Mostly Quaker State back then. On my '96 EJ22 I ran mostly 10W30, but I got it with over 200K well maintained miles on it already, and AFAIK, it still runs good. Mostly Castrol, sometimes NAPA brand oil. On my present 2008 EJ25 with ~225K, I (and the previous owner) have been running Castrol 5W30, as recommended in the manual. I switched to "High Mileage" Castrol at about 210K. No engine issues.

^^^^ yep I THINK I have seen step-by-step pics or maybe a video on swapping the u-joints.

I didn’t like where the friction point was in the pedal travel, adjusted the cable then the pedal went hard before it hit the floor. That’s when I found out the fork maxing out on the case hole. Of course it meant the gearbox came out again. And the two washers were guess work. Which ever fork is used, it will dictate which pivot point to use since the two forks are different. Just sit the fork in there with the TOB and see where the fitment for the pivot lines up Cheers Bennie

sure seems like a pinhole in the condenser. Not 'rare' really for any car I guess. You could try some UV dye in a charging attempt I guess to confirm it.

thanks for the clarification on the oil side of things, @idosubaru - the thought had crossed my mind as well... especially considering that my AC compressor kicking in is pretty much unnoticeable when driving - at idle, yes, you can tell when it kicks in or out, but driving down the road, cant tell at all. Granted, mine could use a little bit of a charge boost - it is struggling a bit on those really hot, sticky days, but does ok for the most part.

A couple thoughts on this: Those "dead Subarus on I-70..." Are those newer, well-maintained vehicles, or are they older 90's models? I'd wager they "died" from having older radiators that crack the plastic end tanks or a failed thermostat when flogged in extreme conditions (steep grades, high loads, high ambient temps, A/C usage, etc.). Radiators are a wear item. My WRX's radiator popped at 120k miles and we JUST replaced a cracked radiator in my dad's STI at 75k miles. These cars are durability tested by Subaru during summer in Death Valley, so they SHOULD have no problem climbing Eisenhower Pass in summer with the A/C on. You need to inspect all these components to ensure they're working properly. A dirt-filled or gravel-pelted A/C condenser will restrict airflow to the radiator, so put eyeballs on that, as well as the radiator. Make sure BOTH radiator fans come on. Ensure your cooling system is properly burped (Front end off the ground as high as you can safely get it and while the engine is running, massaging the radiator hoses until the thermostat opens and no more bubbles are seen in the radiator top tank.) If you're dead set on upgrading the radiator for piece of mind, buy an aluminum "racing" radiator for an MT, and add an external, auxiliary transmission cooler. Easy-peasy done.

yes swap the brackets they bolt too Look closely it’s easy to overlook and think it’s part of the engine. Compare the hydraulic seal - use the one that’s the most dry. That indicates the seal is leaking. I’d use the older two piece style one if the hydraulic seal is dry. They’re more reliable, the pulleys can be easily bought to get a new one.’although they are generally older. I’d get like an NSK or OEM brand if you do replace any pulleys. 97 are both interference engines - I’d use the old style tensioner, get a new Subaru belt and new lower clogged (toothed) pulley from Subaru or OEM brand. Those are by far the most likely parts to fail. Although most 97s come with new style tensioners so the tensioner or engine may not be original to the legacy they came out of. may not be a 97 engine that you got out of that legacy. It may have been swapped for a 96 at some point which is more likely to have an old style tensioner. In which case it may not be an interference engine. Almost all EJ22s (in stock form) with the older style two piece tensioner are non interference.

that's one hell of an amazing first car for your kid to show off at school! I love Zero, more pictures of that one please!

Cute pup. Its head shape looks similar to our 50 lb lab/whippet mix.

everything is here: http://waybackmachine.org/20080801000000*/http://www.endwrench.com alot of it anyway -Rich