Oil Change Instructions! With Pics!

[Merc6]

winter mix is the sh!t but in a bad way.

[bizzles80]

I haven't reset the ECU, but I am thinking about trying that now to see if that would change anything. The gas is from the same place I always get it, it's the only place that sells 92 around where I live. I have 18k miles on it and I usually keep a good eye on gas mileage and haven't seen it do this before. It might be the colder weather we've been getting. I don't do any commuting in it so it's very little highway miles and maybe it's just not warming up in the short distances I drive, but, like I said, I don't recall seeing that kind of drop before.

 

What's a summer/winter gas changeover? Do they change the gas in the winter?

[Merc6]

up here in areas where it gets cold a snit they have whats called a winter gas mix to prevent freezing in thwe fuel lines. Not shure if the entire country suffers from the mix. I always got better mpg when its cold before the mix took place. My car loved 40 degrees.

[D_J]

Thanks a million for this thread. I actually did a google search to find-out how to take off the bottom plastic cover...to find the drain plug. Google led me to your thread and this awesome site.

 

My last Subaru was an '85 wagon, so a lot changed 20 years later.

[D_J]

Just changed my oil at 3K miles. After reading all the previous posts, I took off the shroud. It has five snap on holders (two on the sides and three on the bottom) and three bolts (12mm) holding it up. Pull out or pry out the circular center of the snaps and they come right off. After that, access is real easy. Oil drain plug (17mm) came right off. Having read about the tightness I was ready for some battle with a cheater bar and a hammer but they were not needed. Be warned - the oil gushes out like Niagara falls initially, I held the catch pan close to the drain until the flow was steady. The tiny filter also came off easily with a strap wrench. I loosened the filter and let the oil drain slow to a drip before taking it off. Not a drop of oil on the ground. I think I would always remove the shroud - I did this on my Nissan for as long as I had it.

 

Can you pls give us a heads-up on where those 3 x 12mm bolts are at? I took a quick look and didn't see them. The 2 clips on the side are found from the engine compartment...3 on the bottom are near the front?

 

I'd like to take off the whole cover the first time I do the oil change, just to get more familiar with the locations...and to prevent any oil leakages on the cover.

[TSiWRX]

On the '05s, the two Pop-Its on the side (one each side) are accessed from within the front wheel-wells, at about the 10 to 11-o'clock position (looking at the respective wheel). If your wheel-wells are dirty, you may not be able to make them out right-away.

 

The three Pop-Its on the bottom are indeed all up front, if I remember correctly.

 

I believe that there are two recessed bolts up front, spaced almost equidistant between the three Pop-Its. The last one forms a triangle, if you can imagine it (i.e. along the midline axis), and is located thus more inward into the vehicle, away from the front bumper, and is where the tray anchors, with its own two gripper claws, onto that particular chassis member.

 

Hope this helps!

 

 

And I do apologize in-advance if this is incorrect/inaccurate - I'm going strictly off-memory here, and it's been a while since I last removed everything while actually paying attention to their locations!

[D_J]

Yes thanks a million. Sounds like a real biatch to find the side clips and those 3 bolts, without those tips.

 

It should be similar I'd imagine on the 2007.

 

Actually I was thinking about replacing the plastic cover with one of the aftermarket skid plates (aluminum?). Costs about $200 but they look cool and I believe you only have to deal with the 3 bolts, no clips.

[lvethesnow]

should sent the part about the crush washers to all the 10 min oil change places sence they never know about it

[cannis]

Awesome post! Thanks for the excellent walk-through.

 

A quick question, though it's probably been answered, I'm not too excited about looking over 14 pages of posts

 

So could someone tell me

(1) are there any differences (tools/screw positions/filter cover/etc.) from the 2005 and a 2007 spec.B?

 

 

Thanks!

[D_J]

I think this is the diagram for the plastic shroud and the location of the pop-it's and bolts...should make it easier to find.

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7871&page=7

 

(scroll down the page to find it)

[TSiWRX]

^ Cool!

 

It looks like there's only 2 Pop-Its on the front - I *do* remember that the center Pop-It, up front, does *not* need to be removed.

 

In light of what that diagram brings us, yes, the two bolts, up front, are still situated equidistant between each of the three Pop-Its, but the center Pop-It does not need to be removed in order to effect removal of the aero/splash undertray.

[CzarDestructo]

what a nightmare ... i dont think any of the other changes will be that bad. my car has only had one change (when the dealer had it) and whoever put the filter on last time thought they were in the worlds strongest man competition. i fought the filter for an hour before it came off. first i open the new filter (oem) and its black and not white like whats on the car. so i call and he explains they switched them out. the plug comes out easy ( i love that plug btw) and then i try the filter and no luck. i dont have a filter socket for that size, but i do my new one. so i try an old socket and bang it on, then a wrap wrench, then a screw driver, then a pipe wrench. by this time the filter looks like it seen action in war. so my last attempt i called for help and we both cranked on it with a wrap wrench with sandpaper under it to get traction. it finally came off. so after an hour, bleeding hands and oil all over my face and upper body it came off. lets hope that was only a one time thing.

 

I had a similar experience. I never bothered to change oil on my cars in the past so this was a first time for me as well as my car (2k miles ). The stock Subaru filter and the new STP filter I bought has a different notch pattern in them, so the filter socket I bought didn't work on the Subaru one. I wasted over an hour and a half of my life trying to get the damn thing off. It's placement is horrible, between the two manifolds in a tear-drop shape (not sure if it's the same on yours) so I couldn't get any of my strap wrenches and such in there. Finally I swallowed my pride and went to a mechanic buddy of mine and he had a spring loaded auto-adjusting filter socket which took the damn thing out in 2 seconds.

 

And holy crap does that oil squirt out. I got oil all over my glasses and face. Next time I'll be prepared...

 

One thing I noticed was the Subaru filter has a raised metal tube in the center that mates with a tube in the bottom of the engine for oil flow. The new filter I bought at AutoZone doesn't have this tube so they can mate. Is this going to cause engine problems?

[D_J]

Ha join the club. Today I attempted to do the 2nd oil change on my Subie. The dealer did the 1st one...boy did they crank the filter on and drain plug way too tight. Spent about 5 minutes trying to loosen them...then cut bait and drove over to Pep Boys.

 

They charged $18 labor and used my oil and filter. The mechanic really struggled to remove both the filter and the drain plug...even with the lift and easy access. Told him not to over-tighten when he put everything back.

 

At least next time I can do it myself.

[DukeTrout]

On the first oil change, the filter was on crazy tight. I used a big pipe wrench (the kind where the lower jaw is a little loose, but it tightens the more pressure you apply). Damaged the outgoing filter, but got the job done.

 

The drain plug shouldn't be a problem if you have the right size socket and a long enough wrench. All it takes is a little leverage. Maybe a breaker bar, too, with the way they practically glue it on with paint.

[EnvoyEd]

My first change at 1700 mile was done free by the dealer. The second and third were done by me using full synthetic and OEM filters. The forth and fifth I let the dealer do with Quaker State full synthetic (I provided) and their OEM filter. The dealer only hit me for $20 including the price of OEM filter and gasket. Now I try to time dealer oil changes with other maintenance or service. I still do my own oil changes on my '03 Envoy as it is a real piece of cake to do and requires 7 qts.

[D_J]

Forgot to add...it is very important how you take out the oil filter on the 2007.

 

The Solo cup idea seems to make the most sense - only when the engine has cooled down enough to where you won't fry it.

 

Otherwise it seems that as soon as you the filter off...oil might leak onto the cat. converter or exhaust pipes.

 

I read that in the owners manual. Sure enough...after the oil change, there was a considerable amount of smoke pouring out and nasty smell. It can be major fire hazzard, so just as heads up to be careful about that.

 

Next time - I plan on pulling the drain plug while the engine is still warm. Then letting it cool down long enough to pull the filter with the Solo cup to prevent any spills.

[DukeTrout]

Always drain from the plug first. Otherwise there's a big mess at the filter. I thought that was obvious.

 

Next change I'll take pics of the Fumoto in place and in action.

[D_J]

I meant that in the context of doing the oil change right after warming up the engine. Your suppose to do it while the oil is still hot, but can't really be done to get the filter out if you want to prevent any leakage onto the tray, etc.

 

Normally it would be way too hot to remove the oil filter with a Solo cup (after you loosen it up). Not to mention how easy it would be to burn yourself.

[DukeTrout]

I think merely warm would be sufficient - like if the car has been run during that day, perhaps. I never change the oil while the engine is hot. I always give it at least an hour to cool down before changing it.

[Merc6]

Am I the only one who buys the dish washing gloves when changing oil? The hot oil burns but not nearly as much as many would beleve. It's kinda up there with those use to grabbing trays out the oven with the exception of you can let go of the tray but oil won't let go of you. Even with $1 general gloves it's cool. Just don't let it roll down your arm and you are good to go Will have to try the solo cup thing and make a splash shield for me when the drainplug is removed.

[D_J]

No I also use gloves. Heavy duty chemical resistant gloves I bought from Smart and Final.

 

The reason i want to use the Solo cup next time is to prevent the oil filter from spraying on the the exhaust pipes/cat converter.

 

On the 2007, the filter is tucked away exactly the in the middle right next to the pipes...only about 2 inches away.

 

2 days after the oil change, I can still smell smoke. The mechanic I think must have spilled a lot for that much smoke to be present. The drain plug was done perfect at least. Used a 20mm bronze crush washer and not one drop leaks.

[Heytiggr]

Hi All,

 

Thanks for this great thread and all the tips. I have been changing my own oil for over 20 years but I haven't done one on this car yet (only had it for a couple weeks). It is always good to know ahead of time what to expect.

 

Tha one thing I didn't see anyone mention is the banjo bolt screen. From what I have seen on other threads on this site, (and I apologize if I mistate this just a bit but I hope you will understand what I am referrign to) the oil flows to the turbo through a banjo bolt and there is a screen there for extra protection. How often should that bolt be pulled, replaced, cleaned, whatever?

 

This is my first turbo car and I want to make sure I keep it as healthy as possible for a long long time.

 

Thanks!

[Heytiggr]

OK never mind. Stickied right at the beginning of this walkthrough section it talks about the banjo bolt plus I did a better search and found a pretty full discussion. Sorry 'bout that!

[D_J]

Anyone know where to get those pop-it's for cheap?

 

Lost one when I pulled off the oil filter cover. It was lost into the abyss - who knows what happened to it?!

[Merc6]

Anyone know where to get those pop-it's for cheap?

 

Lost one when I pulled off the oil filter cover. It was lost into the abyss - who knows what happened to it?!

someone who did a skid plate swap could spare em or have em lying around. Is it not holding securely with the rest in tact? I used the pepboys one but took alot of cutting with box cutter to fit. Could always snatch one from wheel well.