Bobaru71

As General Disorder recommended, switch to 5w30 vice 0w20 as well as buy full synthetic at WalMart ~ much cheaper there than Autozone or Advance Auto. Get the best money can buy. Personally, I use Castrol Edge w/Titanium 5w30. If you don't want to do the change yourself just have the dealer do it but watch them pour it in. Otherwise, take it a reputable garage, search BBB, yelp any type of review you can find to locate the best one in your area and have them do it. Dont mess around with cheap maintenance items, maintaining your Sub with the best you can buy off the shelf will go a very long way for longevity and overall health of your engine. Pay a little more now or much more later on down the road always applies here. As for the oil loss, as GD explained, much has to do with the piston rings but its exacerbated by low viscosity oil such as 0w20 and someone may correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the oil consumption issue is not nearly as pronounced overseas as it is here due to the recommendation to use ultra low viscosity oil such as 0w20. I believe European Subarus and most of the rest of the world recommend 5w30. R

One of the reasons that your Baja runs better (that many people forget ) on 89 is the added detergency which of course cleans the intake valves and some of the piston tops resulting in the smoother operation. I run 93 octane Shell v-power in my 99 SF consistently merely for the detergency and no perceived power increases. This way I forego any recommended fuel additive cleaning every 5k and the detergents keep my entire fuel system clean on a constant basis. I get ~27-29mpg with a/c on during my commutes using 93.

Fairtax, glad to hear you're back on the road/trail. Curious if you recall what the factory pump looked like when you pulled it and what fuel stations you use typically? Personally, I stick to Shell, Exxon or Costco. R

Sounds like lateral run-out --> http://www.tirereview.com/solving-brake-pulsation-complaints-before-they-happen/ I'm going through this myself. Have scheduled it to go back in and for the tech to use an on-car brake lathe this time.

My 99 has one, just replaced it a couple months ago. So they do exist in U.S. Foresters but apparently not in yours. It's fairly easy to get to.

Merry Christmas and best wishes to the Subaru family.

Bought my engine from CCR late last year, very quiet and smooth running. Very good quality IMHO. About 6k on it so far and runs like new. Get about 27-28mpg.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TI1F5Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is why I fluid-film my Subaru annually. http://buffalo.craigslist.org/cto/4904718037.html

Certainly a plausible scenario that one or more compression or oil scraper rings are worn beyond repair. However, did this engine overheat at all previously to where it may have damaged the cylinders or rings? There is also a small chance that your rings are just stuck in position and may warrant a cleaning. I'd recommend beginning your journey in that direction first. If that does not fix the issue then of course engine tolerances are worn beyond the scope of cleaning and Imdew's suggestion would apply in this case.

my mistake, I intended to say IAC, not TPS. Had TPS on the mind from reading a post on forester.org

sounds like the reason the fuel numbers are so rich as those numbers are slightly high. Could the fuel line clamps be lose as well? I bet the TPS could use a cleaning as well. Also, Subaru can sell a portion of the sensor only? R

FT, just checked the numbers this morning: MAF numbers at idle remain the same & at 2500 rpm (no load) Engine load - consistent 2 to 2.4% @ idle Rob

FT, here are my numbers during idle and 2500rpm and they are consistent over time: idle 3-4gm/sec 2500rpm (no load) 10-12gm/sec engine load percentage at idle - think its around 5-7% but I'll check that number again tomorrow morning to be sure. Rob

Fairtax, I usually see 5-8 G/sec @ idle and about 25-40 G/sec at 2500-3000 rpms under load. These are number off the top of my head from what I recall driving in but let me verify those numbers on the drive back home today. Rob

If you are willing and able to spend the money for it, CCR engines is top shelf. I could not be more happy with my new engine http://ccrengines.com/

Fairtax, heading east towards C'ville. I suspect also that there is substantial oil burning either from the oil control ring(s) or farther down in the block. Once I get the new engine in and send the old one for a core I will ask them to keep in touch to find out what they find when they tear it open.

Thanks for the gouge Fairtax. So you suspect that maybe the use of high octane was inter-related to my situation? For the STFT/LTFT issue I had replaced both up and downstream O2 sensors a couple months prior. B/R

Fairtax, in both cases prior to this one it was on the outer edge --> https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pT1lb8Rw7fg/VBirtH-5zxI/AAAAAAAADGY/QCydCAOuLQA/w898-h508-no/IMAG0677.jpg I'm thinking severe lean burn as well but never had codes related to it. In addition to that I track my SFT and LFT and on descent from top of Afton my LFT was sometimes -27! Suspected a leaky/lazy pressure regulator. Replaced at least two injectors with factory new and had an OEM regulator ready to go in within a day or two prior to the third valve burning. I started the work order with CCR engines and building from new parts. I want to know what condition my engine is in instead of guessing and spending loads of money on it.

Fairtax, the first time it occurred was about 6-8k miles ago and this was about the same time I had the Forester in for it's first HG change, along with idlers, WP, all new gaskets and seals including the metal sep plate. The heads were sent to a machine shop and pressure tested and resurfaced. Prior to this the HG left me stranded one day after work heading home from C'ville and I luckily caught it early as I have an Ultragauge and watch the water temp consistently. By the time I noticed the HG going the temp was appox low to mid 240F. Had it flatbedded from there. While in the shop the owner noticed the exhaust valves were slightly pitted and recommended changing them out for OEM and I agreed. So all new exhaust valves and valve stem seals were installed and the intake valves were cleaned and reseated with new seals as well on both heads. At the machine shop the valve seats were ground. After it was put back together it ran great for about 2-3k and exhaust valve on cyl #3, flashing MIL for #3 misfire...took it back to shop and they cracked it open again and sure enough #3 had severe burn...good sized hole in it. New OEM exhaust valves on 1 & 3, new stem seals as well and pressure tested good by machine shop and new cat conv put in too about that time. Ran good until now 117k on clock and same symptoms, flashing MIL at idle especially and substantially reduced power and air compressor type chugging noise. And this, bear in mind, occurs even with oil changes every 4k with full syn and amsoil oil filter and name brand 93 octane (Exxon or Shell). For awhile I was fighting what I thought was a stuck oil control ring and adding about a quart of oil per week (barely register a reading on the dipstick when read cold). This is where I'm currently at. Right before the exhaust valve went out on me (this past Friday) I was climbing up Afton mountain and right at the very top a good puff of grey smoke billowed out the back and thats when the symptoms started. Forester deadlined until I can drop a reman in it...prob from CCR engines. I strongly suspect the first owner really neglected the oil changes and I was band-aiding it awhile longer and even with all that work got me nowhere in the end. Rob

Thanks Steve, I did cursory look at car-part and there were a few engines within the 100k range but after thinking about it I dont want to risk any HG issues frm them. I am contmeplating buying a reman from these guys --> http://ccrengines.com/?redirect=false the full payment includes the core return to them, plus they also consider taking payments for those that cannot afford the full payment up front. Think I will call them tomorrow. Rob

Hello Fairtax, I'm a new member to this forum. I would like to ask if you know where I could get my hands on a relatively low miles (~100k or less) 2.2 or 2.5 to drop into my 99 Forester, locally? I'm over in Waynesboro. My current engine has eaten it's third exhaust valve, even with meticulous maintenance and extensive rework. I think the problem is orginating from lower in the block (oil control rings) so I would rather get a good reman or something similar and drop it in. Otherwise my 99 L is in great shape. Entire vehicle has only 117k on the clock and I love it too much to get rid of. Thanks for your help. Rob