The other day I mentioned my '03 Baja was starting to consume oil at 9000 miles. I made an oppointment with the dealer to have this issue and the clutch shudder issue checked out Monday.

 

The lady I talked to on the phone said she never heard of either issue. LOL.

 

I just checked the oil level and it's right on the upper hole in the dipstick. I had been checking the engine after it sat for 12 hours to make sure all the oil has drained out of the camboxes.

 

But this time I checked it after it has sat only for about three hours and the engine is still warm. HMMM. You would think I would get a more accurate level reading when the engine is stone cold.

 

After making an 700 mile round trip to Atlanta the other day the dipstick was showing about 1/4 quart/liter too low. I don't recall adding any more oil. After driving about 100 miles around town, now it's right on the money.

 

I still don't think this is my imagination because I remember adding about 1/2 quart after driving it for 2000 miles. If I had overfilled it then it would be showing up on the dipstick.

 

The other issue is with the clutch. I haven't noticed any clutch shudder in the past couple of weeks. Usually this happens when the car is cold and goes away when the engine is warmed up. I keep the car parked in my basement so it's always around 65F no matter time of the year it is. Before it seemed to happen all the time and now it just pops up every now and then for no apparant reason.

 

I'm wondering if the clutch is getting broke-in and the problem will go away alltogether.

 

What causes Subaru clutch shudder anyway? On a NEW clutch. I could see this happening on a high mileage car say if the clutch springs were worn.

 

The only other car I've ever seen this happen on was my first car. A 1981 Honda Prelude. But that was a high mileage car and who knows what was going on with that thing. Some reason I had to add one of those small bottles of brake fluid once a month to the clutch reservior. I have no idea where the fluid was going! It wasn't leaking it on the carport.

Oil level in boxer engines is mysterious thing. Ask people who drive VW bugs and buses, and some of the older Alfa Romeo's too.

 

Porsche 911 doesn't count, because it's dry sumped and you check the level with the engine running - accurate every time!

I just checked the oil level and it's right on the upper hole in the dipstick. I had been checking the engine after it sat for 12 hours to make sure all the oil has drained out of the camboxes.

If you're looking for a trend (oil consumption in this case), you need to be consistent. You must check the oil level under similar conditions each time. Either check it after a fuel stop (while the engine's at operating temperature and the oil's had however long it takes to fill the tank to drain into the pan) or check it in the moring after the car's been sitting all night. Otherwise, you're comparing apples to oranges.

 

But this time I checked it after it has sat only for about three hours and the engine is still warm. HMMM. You would think I would get a more accurate level reading when the engine is stone cold.

Again, you're looking for _precision_, not accuracy. You don't need to know _exactly_ how much oil is in the engine (accuracy in measurement), you need to know how much the level dropped since the last measurement (_precision_ is important here, that's why you need to check the oil under the same conditions each time).

 

Let me know how you make out with the clutch. Mine's been acting up since new, and the dealer claims she can't reproduce the problem, and by the time I arrive, the clutch is warm enough that it doesn't "chatter".

The oil mystery is the stuff "wicks" up the stick after it sets awhile. Yeah, it shows more than really is there. Ya gotta wipe it off before ya get a good reading. This is caused by the stick being in the sump at a shallow angle. This angle is also greatly affected by how level or not-level the parking surface is. This and the clutch shudder are fust two of the things that give the Subaru its unique personality. Although, one of these days my Baja clutch will be replaced.

The oil mystery is the stuff "wicks" up the stick after it sets awhile. Yeah, it shows more than really is there. Ya gotta wipe it off before ya get a good reading. This is caused by the stick being in the sump at a shallow angle. This angle is also greatly affected by how level or not-level the parking surface is. This and the clutch shudder are fust two of the things that give the Subaru its unique personality. Although, one of these days my Baja clutch will be replaced.

I always wipe the dipstick off before inserting it back into the tube when I check the level.

 

I never really thought about it until you mentioned that the oil wicks up on the dipstick. Yeah I have noticed that.