I tell all subaru customers you can only check oil cold before startup after has been sitting min of 3 hours or it will lie to you by 1 litre

 

Even doing that, I seem to get wildly differing readings depending on slight differences in how flat my parking spot is. Even if it does stay in the same spot, sits overnight, etc, I'll get three different readings checking three times in a row.

 

From now on I'll check it in the same spot after sitting. To make matters more complicated, my parking spot at home is on an incline so I'll probably just check it in my normal parking spot at work, which is flat.

 

I love Subies, other than some of the very poor designs (head gaskets, aluminum manual transmission snouts, and dipsticks).

I find it easier to get a more reliable reading if I don't leave the dipstick in its tube. I leave the dipstick in my garage and put it in the tube only when checking oil. I also got a 2nd dipstick from junk yard and cut it very short, about 3 inches total length. Put the short one in the tube to plug the hole. I think the presence of the dipstick messes up the reading because some oil gets trapped around the stick and its tube near the bottom. I check oil after the car has sat overnight in my garage. That also helps.

If you're going to use synthetic there are (supposedely) only three good brands. They own patents on it and won't sell them.

 

Mobil 1 is one of them and I can't remember the other two.

 

All the other kinds may just be marketing bull.

 

So keep that in mind.

 

 

--Damien

I love Subies, other than some of the very poor designs (head gaskets, aluminum manual transmission snouts, and dipsticks).

 

None of those are that big of a big deal. If the idiot that installed the clutch greased the quill it wouldn't wear and even when they do wear you can just sand out the ridges and grease em up. Works fine. The dipsticks really aren't a problem either - you are just stressing over slight differences in readings that don't really matter. 1/2 quart high or low really isn't going to affect anything.

 

The HG issue is not specific to Subaru. Most other manufacturers had growing pains in the same era.

 

GD

Many many from that time had HG issues, otherwise i find them realtivly trouble free once you know all the tires have to match and to change fluids on time.

I do not see many oil burners as they run out of oil and die i just get the compliant that it ran out of oil and was smoking. The last one i did headgaskets on and they drove it 15000kms untill it seized never even opened the hood was a big waste of work energy to just be negected to death. Anyway thats how long it took to brun 4.5 litres of oil

None of those are that big of a big deal. If the idiot that installed the clutch greased the quill it wouldn't wear and even when they do wear you can just sand out the ridges and grease em up. Works fine. The dipsticks really aren't a problem either - you are just stressing over slight differences in readings that don't really matter. 1/2 quart high or low really isn't going to affect anything.

 

The HG issue is not specific to Subaru. Most other manufacturers had growing pains in the same era.

 

GD

 

My 1997 Saturn SL made it all the way to 200,8xx miles before it needed a new timing chain. It never needed a headgasket, clutch, stainless-steel transmission snout sleeve, and the dipstick readings were remarkably consistent. So at least compared to my cheap GM car, my Subie has some pretty big design flaws.

 

Regarding the dipstick, I get varying readings form overfilled to nearly OFF the dipstick. Nearly impossible to tell how much oil is actually in the pain, and makes it easier to run it low on oil or overfill it. If Saturn/GM could design a reliable dipstick in the 90's, Subaru should have been able to also.

 

Nevertheless, I love my Subaru for the boxer rumble, good on-road handling, surprising off-road capability (FUN on gravel), how easy it is to work on, and how great it hauls around my cycling/camping equipment. Also, the parts interchange on Subarus is awesome, they remind me of older GM vehicles.

And i can show you a list a mile long on how many saturns did not make it that far, but this is not that kind of list.

 

Just sayin.

And i can show you a list a mile long on how many saturns did not make it that far, but this is not that kind of list.

 

Just sayin.

 

I'm sure you could. But, my Saturn DID make it that far without major repairs while my Subaru DID NOT (it still only has 137k on it). From those two data points (one Subie and one Satty), the Satty wins hands-down on reliability and economy. The Subie wins big on practicality and fun-to-drive factor.

 

Perhaps my Subie is a bit of a lemon while my Satty happened to be a particularly good one. I actually hope to buy another older Satty to function as an economical commuter (my old SL regularly got 37+ mpg on the highway) and just use my Subie as a second car for camping/bike hauling and wintry driving.

saturn i planed a saturn head the other day was like planing play dogh the aluminum was so soft it smeared instead of cutting very poor casting. and had 0.20 thow of warp the most i seen on a subaru head is 0.02 thow warp