June 21, 20187 yr I'm a little confused aabout the Engine Oil Consumption bullitin [02-157-14R]. In the first paragraph, the bullitin seems to apply to all 2013-2014 Legacy and Outback models with the 2.5L engine. However, on page 4, the applicability seems to be restricted to only manual trans 2013-2014 and for part of the production run of the auto trans 2013 cars. In other words, the auto trans 2014 2.5L engines are not covered at all! Do I understand this correctly?
June 21, 20187 yr The table on page 3 and 4 of the TSB is what vehicles, engines, etc that are covered. The first page is just a broad list of all vehicle affected for quick reference. Going to the table is when you verify if the vehicle is truly covered. So provided we're looking at the same revision. Only manual transmissions on the 2014 model are covered.
June 22, 20187 yr Author Thanks for the replies. That's the way I figured it too. I've been changing my oil, and measuring the consumption, on my 2014 auto 2.5 NA every 5,000 mi. For the oil use 20,000-40,000 mi, the consumption was 1.1 qts/5000 mi, plus or minus 0.1 qt. For the last change, 40,000-45,000 mi, the consumption was 1.6 qts. In this case, the car had operated at 75 mph for at least 3k of the 5,000 miles, which is not typical of previous operation. I shouldn't have to add, but I will do so anyway, I'm not worried about consumption of 1.5 qts/5k miles. But will it increase to 5qts or 10 qts per 5K miles? Does anyone have a guess.
June 22, 20187 yr It depends on where the lost oil is going. If it's leaking externally (dripping, seeping, dirty engine-block etc,), then you could fix the leaks and the oil loss might drop to near zero. If i's actually burning oil, then it's anybody's guess, but will probably get worse as the car ages.
June 23, 20187 yr Oil consumption is normal. If you run synthetic it shouldn't increase much over the life of the engine. It's also a good thing for fuel economy. Low tension rings are now the norm. Get used to it and learn to appreciate the engineering and added fuel economy. You are laboring under the assumption that oil consumption is both unnatural and unwanted. It is neither. This is not 1980 and engines are not built to have zero consumption anymore. It is not possible to meet the EPA requirements and the increasing demand for economy without reducing friction and thus increasing consumption. GD Edited June 23, 20187 yr by GeneralDisorder
June 24, 20187 yr 23 hours ago, GeneralDisorder said: Oil consumption is normal. If you run synthetic it shouldn't increase much over the life of the engine. It's also a good thing for fuel economy. Low tension rings are now the norm. Get used to it and learn to appreciate the engineering and added fuel economy. You are laboring under the assumption that oil consumption is both unnatural and unwanted. It is neither. This is not 1980 and engines are not built to have zero consumption anymore. It is not possible to meet the EPA requirements and the increasing demand for economy without reducing friction and thus increasing consumption. GD Wow I did not know this! Very interesting... Thanks GD! Also a good way to force the consumer to "write off" a car due to low oil/oil starvation if not serviced correctly - only to then get a new car. Capitalism is alive and well! Cheers Bennie
June 24, 20187 yr Author Quote Oil consumption is normal. If you run synthetic it shouldn't increase much over the life of the engine Well, it's one thing if the oil consumption is 1/4 qt/1000 mi and another if it exceeds 1.0 qt/1000 mi. I already have a subaru in the second catagory and it's a little annoying. The oil consumption took a jump at 15 K and now [maybe] at 40K. I'll know for sure at 50,000 mi whether it has jumped again or due just to high speed driving. Rapid jumps do not build confidence that there is not going to be much of an increase over the life of the engine. But I will say one thing that is nice. The low level oil light works like a charm. It trips always exactly at 1/4" above the low level on the dip stick. As an engineer, I have to say that I don't know how the subaru engineers did it, but I have to give them credit. I'll update at 50K miles
June 24, 20187 yr More than 1/qt per 1000 miles is my cut off for repair. If that happens then you need new rings. You can also replace the PCV valve first and see if the consumption goes back down. GD
June 25, 20187 yr 9 hours ago, el_freddo said: Wow I did not know this! Very interesting... Thanks GD! Also a good way to force the consumer to "write off" a car due to low oil/oil starvation if not serviced correctly - only to then get a new car. Capitalism is alive and well! Cheers Bennie Lots of Subaru's on my Craigslist with bad engines, usually spun bearings/rod knock/hole in case probably from low oil. Most are post 2005 so easy engine swaps aren't an option. A short block from Subaru is a good option but when you consider the asking price + repairs, not a viable option for a flip to make a few dollars. May be an option if you could do it yourself and keep the car as a daily driver.
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