CFar Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 I was under the hood doing some poking and prodding and I realized I never checked the fluid in the 5500 miles Ive had my car so far. Everything checked out pretty well short of coolant and power steering. Coolant: was a bit under the low line when cold (overnight sit). I went to Subaru to ask a tech but hadn't heard of the 2.5GT motor burning or losing any coolant. I checked some other GT's on the lot and it seems to me that Subaru ships the Legacy close to, but not under the low line. I refilled and it took about 2 cups of coolant to get back to the point where the other GT's were. Not really SIGNIFICANT, but still concerning. Power steering: wasn't below the low line, but was right above the "cold" low line. There was a yellow crayon mark where it looked like it should have been (maybe from the factory) but I cant be sure because I never checked at the dealer. What are your levels on your GT? Im curious to know if its just mine, or they all kind of came low from the factory. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Th3Franz Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 Coolant.. below full but above low. Power steering, fine. I need to fill up my washer fluid again though. -Franz The end of a Legacy http://www.youtube.com/th3franz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 Everything checked out pretty well short of coolant and power steering. Got that right champ. I may even add that I think the oil capacity is at least one quart more than advertised ( 4 quarts). I found mine exactly 1 quart low about 1000 miles after changing the oil...so the engine either burnt one quart...or I filled it exactly as it said in the book and it was NOT enough as it turned out. I would like to think it's the latter. By the way...I did all these check-ups this past Sunday. I was extermely low on coolant...even lower than min. cold. (although it was there a few weeks ago) and the power steering auto tranny fluid dexron 3 was right at the low mark. Even the tranny fluid (manual) seems to be short of full but still within the range. Bought DOT 5 for the brake fluid requirements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 eh, I topped off everything at the interval check: coolant (10k miles) power steering (3k miles) brake (3k miles) clutch (3k miles) rear diff (15k miles) tranny (15k miles) oil (1k miles) even washer fluid to the top of the neck (every gas fill up) Keefe Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFar Posted August 24, 2005 Author Share Posted August 24, 2005 This is good, keep it coming. Also if you remember if the motor is hot or cold put that in there too. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subiewtb Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 Keep a eye on the Steering fluid, I have to replace the steering rack due to leak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deneb Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 I dunno what the deal is with Subaru and fluid levels, but my coolant, PS fluid, and now the tranny oil level, were all low. Isn't the dealer supposed to check fluid levels before putting the cars on the lot? I took my LGT in a while back to get the PS fluid topped off and the idiot service checkin guy tried to make me look like I didn't know what the hell I was talking about (luckily the mechanics actually agreed with me and topped it off). I topped off the coolant myself. This weekend I checked (for the first time) the tranny oil level (and lost one of the $A#%^ clips that hold the engine cover on) and it was right on the L mark, so my car is back at the dealer today to top that off, I also asked that they check the diff fluid levels as well, since I now have doubts that those levels are where they're supposed to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWD-Turbo Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 When I bought mine, the PS fluid and coolant were both a little below the “low when cold” lines. Since getting them both back up to the proper levels, they haven’t gone down ~ 8 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 I think the car just drinks all this stuff up... from my hard driving, I do burn about 1/2 qt of conventional oil between my 2000-miles oil changes. Keefe Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legasee Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 Had my oil change last weekend, dealer was suppose to top all fluids, of course, I didn't check it before leaving... checked today... 1. Coolant--slightly below LOW indicator when cold 2. PS fluid-- same as coolant level don't feel like taking it back to them cuz they might just add water into the coolant resovoir Can I just get coolant and PS fluid off of the shielf and add it into the resoviors? IF so..which brand and ratings do you recommend? Thanks! In Taiwan now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRS Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 All levels cold, 5800mi: auto trans: FULL steering: slightly below LOW brakes: FULL oil: slightly above FULL (I over-filled a tad at oil change) coolant: below LOW, resevoir almost empty but radiator full. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpc8bpc8 Posted September 18, 2005 Share Posted September 18, 2005 1. Coolant--slightly below LOW indicator when cold 2. PS fluid-- same as coolant level don't feel like taking it back to them cuz they might just add water into the coolant resovoir Can I just get coolant and PS fluid off of the shielf and add it into the resoviors? IF so..which brand and ratings do you recommend? Thanks! I'm low on the same fluids, and don't feel like going to the dealer to fill up. I'm reluctant to add more without knowing what's in there, and if it will be bad to mix brands/types/whatever. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legasee Posted September 18, 2005 Share Posted September 18, 2005 Not certain if Subaru needs subaru fluid, but I spent about $25.00 on some fluids about $20 for SUBARU coolant (techs says SUBARU uses "special coolant"...is this true?, cuz it costs like over 3x as much as regular coolant) about $5 for SUBARU steering fluid (SUBARU uses the SAME FLUID for steering fluid AND transmission fluid) In Taiwan now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFar Posted September 18, 2005 Author Share Posted September 18, 2005 Ya Ive heard the same thing about the coolant before and its probably a crock, but I was really in an arguing mood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deneb Posted September 19, 2005 Share Posted September 19, 2005 I did top off my coolant with OTC premixed 50/50 coolant/distilled water. IIRC it's not that they use special coolant, but that they require some sort of conditioner added to the coolant. I figured if I'm only adding 1/2 quart or so, it wouldn't dillute the factory coolant enough to matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slickvic Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 Modern coolants are different. Read this if you want more info: http://www.motor.com/MAGAZINE/Articles/082005_04.html (I know the article does not specifically target Subaru, but it does help explain a few things) Also my coolant was just below the cold mark when cold as was Rony's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbolen Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 Guys, Think about it slowly...You are Subaru factory. You save 1/4 qt on every car by "low" filling....adequate , but not topped off. How much do you save over a year's production of cars? Follow the money..... Cheers, dave Drive softly and carry big torque! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melayout Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 Then consumers complain or blow their engine/tranny and Subaru pays for warranty work. I don't think dats cheaper but hey maybe teh Suits haev knot learnzored teh new m4th. I keed I keeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claw Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 I try to ensure all the fluid levels are up to snuff when I do remember to check. I've only had the car for 1.5 mths, so none of the fluid levels have gotten too low. One thing to keep a note of though, to ensure that your blinker brightness does not fade over time, it is vital that you keep your blinker fluid levels topped up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deneb Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 I think dave might be on to something, given that my PS fluid, MT fluid and coolant were ALL at the L mark from the factory. What I really find annoying is that the dealer gave me shit before topping off the PS fluid, and denied that the MT oil level was low. I assume that since the manual states to add oil when the level goes below the L mark and mine was on the L mark that the dealer decided it was OK. Needless to say, I topped off my MT oil level myself, and the shifting does seem to be smoother. If Subaru is really intent on competing with the Audi's/BMW's of the world, they have a ways to go as far as dealer service goes, at least my dealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.