SUBIEBOARDER Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I feel like i may be spending too much on oil changes and have gotten very good advice from this forum. For my specific situation we are talking a 2011 forester 2.5(second hand at 36k) and a 99 legacy outback 2.5(second hand without a title or any back story at 190k) but in general what do these engines like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I have a 99 Outback.........just use 10W X 30W, or 10W X 40W (in summer). My valve covers leak oil, so I add a container of oil "stop leak." It doesn't stop the leak, but reduces oil flow amount by about 50%. Been doing this for many years. Car now has 226K miles on the odo, and runs great. I use Wal-mart house brand oil, and that works just fine. I don't drive much, but do check the oil level the first of every month, and top off the oil as needed. I have read that the newer Subies call for thin oil, like 5W X 20W, or less. I am old school, so using thin oil concerns me that it could cause problems, as the car ages. However, I don't know that to be so. There was a discussion on this forum a few weeks back. Your doing a forum search should turn up that discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) Time well eventually tell. Does 0-20 oil shorten engine life? Is 0-20 oil just a marginal MPG booster that will reduce your engine's life? Same thing about the CVT. Sure, the CVT "saves" about 0.5 MPG, but what is the life expectancy of the CVT? They are very expensive to replace. I buy Subarus because I want a car that can go 200,000 miles without a lot of expensive repair drama. In fact I would hope to get 300,000 miles from a Subaru with a little luck. Edited July 8, 2015 by The Dude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 threads about oil are common and you can get a lot of opinions. What schedule and oil/filters do you use now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBIEBOARDER Posted July 8, 2015 Author Share Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) I do about 5-10k per change, but go more on the color and if I want to add the half quart or do a whole change. I use Mobil1 full syn, and usually add a little of the Lucas sticky stuff, subbing half a quart on the 2011 forester and a whole quart on the 99 leggy. The leggy is weeping oil from seals and the tranny, so I'm trying to slow that a little. I have changed the tranny fluid recently on the 99 as well. Both drive great, but want the most life out of both of these. (Edit for spelling errors) Edited July 8, 2015 by SUBIEBOARDER 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBIEBOARDER Posted July 8, 2015 Author Share Posted July 8, 2015 Thanks for the help and discussion. Also forgot to mention I use whatever filter comes with the Mobil1, usually Mobil1 or Fram Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 leaking at the rear of the engine on the legacy 'might' be the air/oil separator plate. I can never recall what years have the troublesome plastic plate. You said trans though - sure about it? I have no experience with Mobil 1 but it isn't popular with soob owners. You seem to have good luck with it. I'm in no position to criticize, I can tell you that I use Walmart synth 5w-30 in the winter here in DFW, and Shell Rotella T6 synth 5w-40 in the summer. 6 month schedule due to low miles. about 5-6K on our 03 Outback, about 3-4K on my WRX. I'm sure they'd go longer. You could try using Blackstone labs oil analysis to help stretch the changes out - maybe read-up a little over at bobistheoilguy.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lstevens76 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Ok, I must be the anomaly but if I'm going through "ANY" oil in less than 5k miles I start diving into what is causing it. And I avoid additives, unless I'm cleaning out a block, as I have yet to see any real "proof" they do anything other than stop a leak that should realistically be repaired. I have a 2001 Dodge Durango that doesn't use a drop of oil between changes (literally) with changes varying between 3k and 5k (I do a lot of towing with it so they tend to be more frequent). It uses Dyno oil. My '90 Legacy L I had didn't use oil at all with over 230k on the odometer. The '96 OBS I had did use oil and I pulled the engine, replaced all the seals, resealed the oil pan, etc... and dropped synthetic in it. It didn't use oil after that either. I can't compare the current Phase 2 motor though as I'm in the middle of swapping it and need to repair some leaks on the new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I run 0w40 mobil in my ej22's because synthetic and 0w40 in place of 10w40 for both high load and easy cold flow in winter. for the 2011 forester the specs call for 0w20 and 7500 mi intervals. for 2015 they shortened it to 6000 mi around consumption issues. Personally i would not recommend and lucas additives to such light oil in new engine. perhaps consider a 0w30. in my opinion, extended drain intervals are ok with high quality oil, just dont forget to check and top off between, With new subarus, and for warranty, it is acceptable to use up tp 1 qt in 1200 mi with the 0w20 engines. also, in my opinion, letting the oil get below the add mark wrecks the oil more than extended drain intervals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.