Daskuppler

301.5 miles later and it threw a rod. They're still assessing damage.

I usually change oil at 5k intervals (running Mobile1, Castrol, etc). Amsoil advertises 20k on their signature series, I would never go that far. Is 10k -15k unrealistic with a modern engine and quality oil/filter (I usually use Purolator One)? What temperature are these CVTs supposed to be running at? My old school knowledge says keep transmissions cool, but My Xterra is happy at 180 degrees and I've read that most modern transmissions run significantly hotter than automatics of the 90's.

I was planning on just using the Subaru oil the dealership puts in for the break in, then switch to the Amsoil SS I got in today. I'm guessing the same goes for the Subaru oil, 500-1k before it's drained and replaced with the Amsoil SS? On a side note, what are your thoughts on extended drain intervals? You have also been discussing the CVT in a towing thread and I didn't want to hijack that thread. I understand the CVT is weak, what do you recommend to keep them going as long as possible? I drain and fill (about 5 qts) once per year, usually about 20k miles. Is subaru CVT fluid the best option out there, or is something from AMSOIL or Castrol equally as good/better? i presume they have a built in cooler, but if not should one be added? We drive in the mountains a lot and are both rather aggressive drivers.

I got it in and it seems to be working. I think it was originally pretty close to the middle of the core...I got it about 1/3 of the way back. It all seems to be cycling normally now. Thank you!

Will U-Haul even let you hook the trailer up? They follow safety rules to a T. I'd vote for sell the stuff and buy it again. Get a big roof box, a hitch mount box, and call it good. You can usually get them used on craigslist. I have a 5x8 enclosed steel framed trailer, it weighs about 1100lbs. I have towed it with a 14 Forester with the CVT and would not recommend it. I live in Colorado and the hills are a nightmare. As GD said, baby the transmission change the fluid (I do a drain and fill once a year). I think you're asking for trouble, but who knows. Sometimes things just work out and are okay. Best of luck!

I'm guessing that's the little black thing that was stuck in the evaporator? If I recall correctly I put it all back together and forgot to put that back in the evaporator.... that's likely the issue, I'll see if I can get it back in there without pulling the evaporator

I guess that's a possibility. It's been 90 plus since I've been troubleshooting it. When the compressor first went in I recall it cycling just fine. It was not turning off when the lines had ice on them though.

Hopefully it comes back Friday. I'll just the Subaru oil for the break in and Amsoil will be delivered tomorrow. How long should I run until the first change?

I added a little more refrigerant, the guage reads about 36pis with compressor running. The system still ices up when on recirculate. Filters are clean and new. I did notice that the filters do not sit flush in the filter box so when the recirculate door opens, the side of the filter obstructs about an inch of the opening. Is this normal? The opening is in no way obstructed and I feel like there is plenty of room for air flow, just something I noticed.

I live in Colorado. It's been humid for colorado standards, but probably only about 35%. The cabin air filter is new, there actually wasn't one in there when I started this fiasco. I cleaned off the evaporator while it was apart, it was caked with 20 years of debris. When everythin works, there is plenty of air flow. I'll check the charge and see if it needs a little more. Hopefully it's that simple. I can always just run it with outside air, but I would prefer the system to work properly.

Randomly I started getting a loss of air flow despite the blower running on high. I can hear air moving, but there is very little out of the vents. After inspecting further, I found no leaks in the duct work and all controls are working fine. I did notice that when it is set to recirculation, the low pressure line has ice on it in the engine bay. This is only present on recirculation. Taking in outside air results in no ice. I would imagine the lack of airflow is because the evaporator is icing over as well (I get air flow back pretty quickly if I take in outside air). What would cause this?

I did the oil analysis just to get ammo for fighting with Subaru. It obivously didn't work. The service advisor felt bad and is supposed to be giving us a deal, we will see if they come in below $6500 or take care of the passenger seat SRS occupant detection malfunction for free. Even if they come in at 6500, they are cheaper than anyone else including other dealerships. The car should be done Friday.

Thank you. Sounds good!

Does anyone have any input on best procedure to break in the new block? From what I can tell Subaru keeps it pretty simple... Keep it under 4,000roms and try to avoid a constant speed/rpm for any length of time for the first 1k miles. Nothing mentions anything about an oil change, do they still need to be done at about 500 miles and again after break in? Anything else to keep in mind? Is there a best oil to use for break in? What do you guys run after the fact? Is Amsoil still good? I have 4 vehicles and a motorcycle so I can certainly just the subscription if it's worth it.

This ended up being a wheel bearing.

I got my results back from Blackstone. They essentially told me the oil was too diluted/not used long enough to get accurate results (I can only go about 800 miles before adding oil). I attached the report in case anyone has any insight. Looks like the engine is running well and it's truly just bad rings. Blackstone 14 Forester.pdf

I ended up just getting the OEM assembled unit. now the alignment shop is arguing with me saying they can't get it in spec because something is bent. It was fine with the old control arm, it should only be better now haha

Haha, fair enough. The shop just quoted me $8600....so they won't doing the work. Does replacing the block fix the oil consumption issue? I've seen some horror stories of people going through a couple blocks.

Hello Everyone, I drive a 14 Forester NA and one of the front control arm bushings completely failed. I don't have a press but I could pull the arm and have a shop do it or buy an assembled unit. Subaru doesn't sell just the bushing so I would have to go aftermarket. Is it worth it? Are there better front control arms then OEM? Cheers, Andrew

Hindsight is 20/20. I thought I had it in the bag with as much oil as I had to add. I did think about it at the time but didn't know if there was anything to prevent tampering. What I wouldn't give for that little oil now. We still have one EJ251 running strong at least.

Subaru's official response: Hi Andrew: The vehicle is well beyond the terms of the warranty and our obligation to the vehicle has concluded. Subaru of America will have no further involvement.

This is Subaru's response: Hi Andrew: The vehicle is well beyond the terms of the warranty and our obligation to the vehicle has concluded. Subaru of America will have no further involvement.

I tried. SOA told be to pund sand, warranty expired at 100k or October 21,2021 whichever comes first. I'm past both....I called the dealership and asked for the vehicle's records. I had to talk to a manager just to get them, but they won't do anything. They stand by their technician that the car did not burn a drop of oil during the test. They blamed it on a bad PCV valve which they replaced prior to the test. I argued with them on at the time and they wouldn't do anything, apart from trying to hold the vehicle for safety issues because the brake fluid had gelled....which miraculously happened while they had the vehicle. I'm still waiting for results from Blackstone but it looks like I'm SOL at this point. Subaru won't touch it, unless it's to work on it.

I would be using LED as well. Thanks for the input

I'm not sure the noise would be picked up over all of the road noise while driving. So far it is not present at idle or without load on the engine. It's going to a local Subaru only shop to see if they can provide some insight as to cost of repairs and required repairs.