ZigZag97

The oil in the Sub was changed maybe 2,000 miles ago. This isn't a new phenomenon -- dipstick readngs have always been odd. I've been checking the oil in various cars since my first one, a 1964 pontian Tempest wagon, and I still have a 1970 International Harvester pickup and a 1992 Ford Explorer. (My wife has a 2012 Subaru Outback -- very nice!) In all of my cars except that 97 Outback, checking the oil is elementary.

Checking the oil is a no-brainer, except in my son's 1997 Outback. For example, this morning he checked the oil before a road trip. The car had sat, level, over night. Dipstick reading: almost none on the dipstick -- about 1/4 of an inch on the tip. He put in a quart, which bright it up to half-way between full and low. That's all the oil we had, so he drove 3 miles to the nearest store, bought some oil, and -- before adding any -- checked the level again. Reading: Right at the full mark. He did not add any oil. After driving 75 miles, and letting the car sit, level, for 15 minutes, the level was way over the full line. This nothing new to me. I've noticed this "Subaru feature" since 1999, when I bought the car. In searching this forum and others for an answer, I've found a couple of folks who think this variable oil level reading is related to the sealing of the dipstck tube. Anyone here have the same problem? And an answer?