hattiewatson Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 Please be patient, I know very little about cars, and I'm definitely not able to attempt a repair. Background - bought 2000 OB used, now has 222000 KM. Had to replace head gaskets within 3 months of purchase (very expensive). I've had the check engine light on due to O2 sensor for months now. Can't bear to put more $ into this car to fix. Friday I went in for a drive-thru oil change and was told and shown I had almost no oil in the engine. No leak found and I've definitely not seen any smoke. And the oil light didn't come on. Sob story, our dog needs major operation tomorrow, so there is no room on credit card left for car repair. No bus where we live, walking not an option to get to work. Car has to keep ticking. What is my best course of action? I did splurge for the high mileage oil. Pour some stop leak in the engine? Is Lucas any good, would it help? There are an awful lot of products in our Canadian Tire store, I don't know what would be worth the $. Or should I just keep putting oil in the car? Sorry, one final question. I have to take the Drive-Clean test, to ensure the car isn't polluting the air, in the next two months in order to renew the license plate. I think they hook up to your exhaust and test the emissions. Do you think an oil problem like this might make me fail? Thanks for your thoughts. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86subaru Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 in my opinion keep on adding oil, check it a few times a week , what weight of oil was it changed with? it might be a bad pvc , which is cheap, can't answer the 2nd question ,because i do not have emision check here,, in my opinion and where you live change it with 10w40 regular oil , when the headgasket was done all seals should have been done also, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 OK this is what you need to do. First is replace the pcv valve (cheap). Usually if subarus arent leaking, and they use oil, its the PCV valve. Next with every fuel fillup for the next month you are going to check the oil. After that month you can gauge if you are having massive oil consumption, or if it was just a pcv valve. Subarus do not have a large oil reserve, and being a qt low will get you off the dipstick. Also they tend to be noisy when low on oil. At some point you will need to replace that o2 sensor, as your performance and gas mileage will suffer. Don't buy it in canada, but it through https://www.subarugenuineparts.com/oe_parts_cat.html Its much much much cheaper. you will need an o2 sensor for the emissions test. This has to be a subaru part. As with any car, the longer you put off repairs, the more it is going to cost you in the long run. So do plan on replacing the part when you can, as always faimly members come first. Hope all works out for the dog nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86subaru Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 :cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 :cool: mmmm baked banana nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daehttub2000 Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 My 2 cents: Based on anecdotes and other car advice sources, my opinion is that you shouldn't add any of that funky "fix an engine in a bottle" stuff (oil, radiator leaks, etc.) unless you're at wits end and ready to junk it. Nipper's advice about checking oil at every fillup is the way to go. My father drilled it in to me so I do it now out of habit (only way I'd get the keys to the car...). Nipper: PCV valve? I'll definitely check it out. My smokeless/leakless oil consumption couldn't have anything to do with my leadfoot driving... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 My 99 forester with 140,000 miles uses a bit of oil. It stays longer when freshly changed but as it gets tired one day it just is gone. I check the oil with each fill up and keep a quart in the back. No problem and I expect to see 200,000 miles with little change except a bit more oil burning. Don't add any more goop, it won't help an older engine that burns a bit of oil. Just keep oil and water in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 the short answer - not a big deal, just keep adding oil for now. it's annoying, but shouldn't be anything you can't work around. just because it didn't show up on the dipstick does not mean you damaged the engine or that the oil was "empty" or "all gone". even when the oil level is below the dipstick, there's still a fair amount of oil left in the pan. not that i recommend driving it at that level, but it certainly doesn't mean you destroyed the engine either. how long had it been since your last oil change that the oil was low? it's probably loosing a quart every 1,000 - 2,000 miles. that's not a big deal, just keep checking it and adding as necessary. buy a funnel and keep a couple quarts of oil on hand. the "high mileage" oil is not necessary, don't buy those. if it still leaks down the road, as summer and heat rolls around start using a thicker oil, that may slow it down somewhat. if you take some pictures of the underneath of your vehicle we may be able to help you diagnose what is leaking. follow the PCV valve replacement suggestion - they cost $6, i have a big bag of them. use Subaru only for that part, make sure to tell your mechanic you only want a Subaru PCV valve because some freaks that only work on Subaru's told you. better yet, just hand him one you bought from Subaru. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 Don't expect miracles from the OCV valve. If it is defective it can cause you to burn oil, but a lot of older engines will use some anyway. For six bucks it can't hurt but it made no difference at all on my car. You do not find the most highly trained mechanics in the average oil change shop If folks are not familiar with the oddball Subaru oil checking it ca be pretty strange. Check the oil the same way and at the same temperature every time. When Subaru oil gets warm it shows more and this can make the difference between showing on the stick or not. I warm mine up and check at the same gas staion most times. I pop the hood and pull and wipe off the dip stick and then pump the gas. When the gas is done I reinsert the dip stick and see how much oil I have and top up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 Don't expect miracles from the OCV valve. If it is defective it can cause you to burn oil, but a lot of older engines will use some anyway. Thats because you changed the OCV and not the PCV :-p (there is no OCV valave for the less knowledgable... i just couldnt resist) nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 You know O is right next to the P.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 You know O is right next to the P.... there is a good dirty joke in there someplace nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 OK, that one broke me up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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