Oil Change Instructions! With Pics!

[juan]

I am currently doing an oil change and thought I still have one subaru oil filter but can't find it and planning to re-use/re-installed the current one. The question is how bad this would be affected my lgt engine?

Second question is can I replace the re-used oil filter after I bought oil filter from the dealer and just top up the oil.

[juan]

Legasee Quote:

Originally Posted by HuskerScooby

easiest way to remove a stubborn filter is wrap a piece of sand paper around it when trying to loosen it, works EVERY time

 

thanks!...love these little tips

 

 

= i always wear surgical globes and it gives you a good grip plus after the oil changed is done...you have a clean finger nails.

[Prime Power]

Get a new filter, do not reuse one. That is a waste of a change. Contaminating the new oil with old, plus you still need to get a new filter.

[DukeTrout]

I did the first oil change on the spec.B yesterday. No trouble. The drain plug and filter were not as tight as others have reported. Another approach to removing the filter is a big pipe wrench. Dents and scratches the filter, but you're scrapping it anyway, no? Oil definitely comes out it a rush, and I was even ready for it. I got the catch pan up there in about 1.5 seconds, but still had some clean up to do on the garage floor after.

 

One thing to remember for next time is to keep my mouth closed while wrenching under the car. I swallowed some random road debris that dropped straight down to the back of my throat while removing the undercarriage shroud. Yuck!

[csquared]

Did the legacy this past weekend along with the wrx. Takes a little longer than the wrx because of the panel that hides the filter but otherwise it's pretty much the same. I needed two oil pans/buckets because I left the oil plug off while doing the filter and the filter isn't in close enough proximity for a single pan to catch both drips. I like to get as much out as possible to like to let it drip for a while. Next time I'll probably just plug up the bolt first before moving on to the filter.

 

Using the same filters and oil for both cars makes it really nice for purchasing supplies . And 4.2qts (leg) + 4.8qts (wrx) makes for a nice round number. I wonder why the 2.0L motor uses more oil than the 2.5L?

[mickeyd2005]

?

 

My LGT takes 4.8 quarts to fill.

[csquared]

?

 

My LGT takes 4.8 quarts to fill.

 

Straight from the Service Manual:

 

Engine oil capacity

 

2.5 L model

Upper level:

Approx. 4.0 L (4.2 US qt, 3.5 Imp qt)

Lower level:

Approx. 3.0 L (3.2 US qt, 2.6 Imp qt)

 

3.0 L model

Upper level:

Approx. 5.5 L (5.8 US qt, 4.8 Imp qt)

Lower level:

Approx. 4.5 L (4.8 US qt, 4.0 Imp qt)

 

But hey, just check the dipstick to make sure. If it takes 4.8 US qts to reach the full mark, so be it.

[mickeyd2005]

I have noticed this as well. I initially drained & filled with 4.2qts, plus whatever fit in the filter(maybe 0.4), and it was under full, after letting the engine idle for a few mintues it was still not full, so then I took it for a spin around the block a few times. Yet it was still showing a bit low, I wound up adding maybe another 0.2, and that filled it, so it looks like my car needed 4.8 qts, or so including the filter. Make that a fact, because I have barely(0.2qt) any oil left from the 5 qt. jug I used.

 

I also remember reading on a forester forum that XT owners also had this same discrepency, and it turned out that SOA's manual writers had put in the wrong capacities for the 2.5 turbo, they had listed it as 4.2 w/filter, when it should have been either 4.8 or 5.0 I forget. But the point was, that the manuals were wrong, so perhaps they overlooked this on ours as well? Just a thought.. YMMV, but after changing your oil, double check how much oil your car requires to get to the full line and let us all know.

 

I've changed my oil many times now and have always needed 4.8 quarts. Here's a post from edmundu from 2004.

[CarlJNgmail.com]

This is Oil Change 4 for me on the Subie (2 by the dealer and 2 by me). The 2 most recent were done with Mobil1 5W-30 and a Mobil1 filter. I noticed no consumption with the dealer dino juice, but consumed 1.5qt of the Mobil1. I'd like to tell you that I got better gas mileage but I have to go on faith alone since I've been driving everywhere all over the country so I have no steady baseline to compare against. I did however get 21-22mpg from Florida to California on I40 averaging 80mph with 500lb of cargo and a passenger.

 

Definately take the oil cap off, I forgot to this time, and the elephant pisser reared it's ugly head. Then to make it worse, the wind blew in and sprayed the draining oil everywhere (it was on a lift). This then resulted in me checking under the car for 2 days to make sure the oil drip was from the oil drain spray on the underpan and not a leak.

 

Bonus tip #1: Don't prime the Mobil1 filter. Thats why they have a picture on the filter telling you to not pour oil into it.

 

Bonus tip #2: Crush washers, though they should be replaced every time (I'm guilty too since the closest dealer is an hour away (without leaks, knock on wood)), will look the same the first, second, third and 100th time you take them off.

[ZinFreak]

^^^^ Get yourself the Aeroquip or Fumoto valve. Then the outflow is controlled through a hose. It makes oil changes a snap.

[mincolegacy]

When the oil heats up, it expands as many materials will. This will cause the oil level to read higher than it actually is. The dipstick itself should not move.

[mincolegacy]

Previous post a response to "deer killer". Good name, by the way. We Minnesota rednecks love killin' us sum deers!

[subedup07]

I'm planing to go to the dealer for my changes 1 cuz i got suckered into the VIP member thing at time of purchase and 2 I don't want to hear any excuses on ways that I could void my warranty better safe than sorry. Let the dealership deal with it. the car cost too much to maintain for me to start messing with it.

[TSiWRX]

^ Just be sure you check your oil level both before you leave the dealership, as well as, regularly, at least a few days afterwards.

 

The first to insure that they did put sufficient (and also not too, too much) oil in - and the latter to insure that they didn't end up sending you out with a slow leak either via the drain plug or the filter (especially as these can be masked, to degrees, by our underbody aero/splash-shield).

[Jim_KT]

^^^^^^^

 

Words to live by. In fact, I do the same after performing the oil change myself.

[TSiWRX]

In fact, I do the same after performing the oil change myself.

 

^ Totally true, here, too. I really don't trust my greasemonkey self.

[DukeTrout]

^^agreed. Paranoia can be a good thing...

[goBlue]

Very nicely written! I never knew you were supposed to pre fill the new filter with oil...learn something new everyday.

 

A noob question, why can't you use synthetic oil for the 1st oil change? I've heard that some high performance cars are shipped with synthetic oil.

[kennedy]

did it today, worked great. 4.8 qts with the sts7317 oil filter

 

thanks

right after finishing i had a friend come over with his 03 h6 and knocked that out for him

[Opie]

A noob question, why can't you use synthetic oil for the 1st oil change? I've heard that some high performance cars are shipped with synthetic oil.

 

Subaru says that synthetics are too slippery and do not allow the rings to seat properly if used to early.

[02BlkRex]

dumb question... but where do you guys take your oil (used)?

 

Check out this site: http://www.earth911.org

 

In the middle of the page there is a link for Used Motor Oil Recycling. Put in your zip and you are good to go.

[IBLIS]

thank you for the instructions. +Rep

[Merc6]

Nice write up draining oil is wierd as hell in subie. My 4.6 dumped 6 qts smoothly but subie is like taco nite.

[bizzles80]

Thought I'd try to post this here first. I just had my oil changed somewhere different than I normally go and after a tank and a half of gas I've noticed a loss of 2mpg in my average(10%). Is there something that could have happened during the course of an oil change that would cause this to happen? Is it possible it's the type of oil or filter that could cause this? The driving conditions haven't been any different lately than they were before. Any help would be appreciated

[02BlkRex]

Thought I'd try to post this here first. I just had my oil changed somewhere different than I normally go and after a tank and a half of gas I've noticed a loss of 2mpg in my average(10%). Is there something that could have happened during the course of an oil change that would cause this to happen? Is it possible it's the type of oil or filter that could cause this? The driving conditions haven't been any different lately than they were before. Any help would be appreciated

 

My '07 does that from time to time for some reason too. I doubt it's from the oil change unless you went with a much thicker oil. Did you happen to reset the ECU around the same time? I think it's probably from the gas. Maybe a summer/winter gas changeover?