Found what happened to my oil... and it's not on the driveway

[Kargurra]

…….synthetic oil molecules most be smaller than Natural oil…..

 

That was my understanding, as well. It was once explained to me that that's why changing over to Synthetic after a lifetime of dino would break down the "false seals", and leak through the dried out and cracked gaskets.

 

A friend of mine that works at Subaru Dist. Corp has told me repeatedly that Subaru recommends AGAINST synthetic oil. I don' t know if it's a warranty voiding choice, but they certainly don't encourage synthetic.

[deneb]

IIRC, 'extreme' conditions include such things as:

 

1) Living in a coastal climate (this covers a significant % of the US population)

2) Short trips - less than 10 mi

3) Stop and go driving

4) Dusty conditions

5) Extended idling

 

I'll have to check my manual, I don't think it mentions all of the above, but IIRC it was a lot more than simply living in a very cold climate.

[deneb]

Yet I still get service pamphlets mailed to me from Subaru recommending Synthetic for the higher performance engines.

 

With variable valve timing, it doesn't make sense not to use synthetic.

 

What does vvt have to do with it? Just curious.

[700watts]

That was my understanding, as well. It was once explained to me that that's why changing over to Synthetic after a lifetime of dino would break down the "false seals", and leak through the dried out and cracked gaskets.

 

A friend of mine that works at Subaru Dist. Corp has told me repeatedly that Subaru recommends AGAINST synthetic oil. I don' t know if it's a warranty voiding choice, but they certainly don't encourage synthetic.

 

 

the dealer told me the same thing......somem ain't right

[pillboy]

What I think you fail to understand is what the 2 numbers in an oil's viscosity rating mean. The "0" in a 0w30 is the COLD viscosity, the "30" is the viscosity when HOT. There is no downside to having a lower cold viscosity, it just means that the oil will get to parts that need it sooner. The second number is what we should be concerned with at operating temperatures. A 30 weight oil is thinner than a 40 weight oil. A 0w40 is THICKER at operating temps than a 10w30. People who don't know this assume that the "0" cold rating means that the oil is thin. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the Castrol 0w30 that I use in my car is a very thick 30 weight, it borders on being a 40 weight.

I beg to differ, but your 0w30 starts out as a 0 weight oil not as a 30 weight oil. At a given temperature 0w30 is "thinner" than 5w30.

 

The difference between multi-grades and straight-weight oils is simply the addition of a viscosity improving (VI) additive. The most common grade of automotive oil in use today is the 5W/30, which is a mineral oil refined to the SAE 5 weight viscosity range containing the usual cleaning and anti-wear additives, then blended with a VI additive that should leave it reading in the SAE 30 weight range when at the higher (210F) temperature. The advantage to the multi-weight is, when starting the engine, the multi-viscosity oil has the thickness of an SAE 5 weight, which allows the engine to spin over more easily.

[deneb]

I beg to differ, but your 0w30 starts out as a 0 weight oil not as a 30 weight oil. At a given temperature 0w30 is "thinner" than 5w30.

 

Check www.bobistheoilguy.com, you'll find that German Castrol 0W30 is thicker at 100 C than most 5 and 10W30's.

[pillboy]

Yeah, but my original point was, IF you were to have an oil related failure, AND you were using 0w30 oil, wouldn't Subaru have every right to deny the warranty claim since you are using an oil that is not on their list of recommended weights? And having too thin of oil at COLD start (not 100 degrees C) could be potentially damaging also (before oil pressure builds).

[NeedMoreBoost]

I've been using Mobil-1 5W-30 since I bought the car in August of 2004. I change it between 5K-6500 miles and every time I loose exactly one quart. I know because I put the old oil in the containers the new oil comes in. I drive all highway miles, I think this might have a lot to do with why some people don't burn oil and some do.

 

I've changed the oil myself every time except for once in the winter of 05 because it was 10 degrees outside and once at the stealership because I was getting the fan relay problem fixed. It's pretty consistent loosing 1 quart. I have 74,000 miles on the car now.

[ilh]

Yeah, but my original point was, IF you were to have an oil related failure, AND you were using 0w30 oil, wouldn't Subaru have every right to deny the warranty claim since you are using an oil that is not on their list of recommended weights? And having too thin of oil at COLD start (not 100 degrees C) could be potentially damaging also (before oil pressure builds).

0W30 is thicker at cold start than 30 is at operating temperature.

 

BTW, I agree you are opening yourself up to a warranty rejection using 0W30 (if you care about such things).

[BoxerGT2.5]

And remember boys and girls.....NO SYNTHETIC IN ROTARY ENGINES.

[dr_sharp]

Oil pressure moves the cams back and forward. I would rather not have oil sludge anywhere near that.

Odd, I always thought the camshafts rotated... and were driven by a timing chain/belt. What planet have I been on!

[IwannaSportSedan]

they do.

 

and they get moved back and forth a bit, at the same time, for...

 

*Variable Valve Timing!*

 

 

Tell him what he's Won, Johnny!

[solatare]

after reading this post, i can see some ppl dont know that synthetic doesnt sludge under hard use, it evaporates. for those that drive hard or live in a desert, like me, synthetic is the way to go, i use 20w50 valvoline in the summer, 15w50 mobil in the winter in all my vehicles, so far ive had nothing but good luck with these oils, andi never lose enough to show on the stick

[Ed_T]

I've been using Mobil-1 5W-30 since I bought the car in August of 2004. I change it between 5K-6500 miles and every time I loose exactly one quart. I know because I put the old oil in the containers the new oil comes in. I drive all highway miles, I think this might have a lot to do with why some people don't burn oil and some do.

 

I've changed the oil myself every time except for once in the winter of 05 because it was 10 degrees outside and once at the stealership because I was getting the fan relay problem fixed. It's pretty consistent loosing 1 quart. I have 74,000 miles on the car now.

 

I've got close to the same consumption you do; I drive almost all highway miles. I always use synth, and have not yet found one that doesn't drop ~one qt. at 5k miles. I think its the highway rpm's causing the burn. Almost any engine ('cept maybe some Honda's and Toyota's) are going to burn oil at sustained higher rpm's. I don't think this rate of burn is excessive.

[BlkLegGt]

This appears to be the issue with my car. 43K on it when I start to hear what sounds like rocks tumbling in a tin can when I accelerate. I limp it to the dealer - he says the turbo is shot and there's "no oil in the car". I've used DuraBlend since the begining and had it changed about 3K ago. No warning, no light, nothing. No garage drips, no leaks, nada.

 

Orders a replacement turbo, it bites the dust on a test drive. Now, they think it's an oil line issue but aren't sure. Another turbo ordered, they call the Regional Tech. Today they call me to say there are metal fragments in the engine (don't know how they discovered it) and that a new engine is called for...all under warranty.

 

Thoughts?

 

When checking in the past, and doing my own oil changes from time to time, I've never noticed unusual consumption. 90% of my driving is highway (70 miles round-trip per day).

[subie_dude05]

i use Royal Purple 5-30 and every change i get about 1/4 of a qt consumption. thats out of 7-8k miles per change. i noticed that the consumption goes down the longer synth is used, seems to be the case in my other cars i have used syth. i read that somewhere, that the first couple changes might consume some.

[JuxtaGT]

The question I have for people like me who are going through about 1/2 qt. per 4-5k miles is: Does your car smell like it's burning oil? If I get into the boost I have a faint smell of oil. A friend of mine who is very sensitive to the smell confirms this. Yet, I check my oil weekly, not loosing much....

[OBieXT]

I've noticed when changing the oil filter, due to it's close proximity to the header pipe, a bit of oil can drip off the filter seat onto the header. It seems it can linger there in the crevices of the heat shielding for a good while (noticed it up to a few weeks later) until the pipe gets really hot (i.e. A. lots of boost or B. sitting in traffic on a hot day with no air flow around the header). Then it starts burning off and you can smell it.

 

Even if you were burning a quart every 2000 miles, I doubt you could smell it in the exhaust. Especially if you still have at least 1 cat in place.

[700watts]

after reading this post, i can see some ppl dont know that synthetic doesnt sludge under hard use, it evaporates. for those that drive hard or live in a desert, like me, synthetic is the way to go, i use 20w50 valvoline in the summer, 15w50 mobil in the winter in all my vehicles, so far ive had nothing but good luck with these oils, andi never lose enough to show on the stick

 

 

hmmm. well if your oil has an SAE patch on it......that means it well not breakdown for guess what...11k miles or more ....but we changed it at 3k or so y you ask ? to be safe.....and "jiffy lube" makes an extra buck... If u change your oil often enough u don't have to worry about sludge......"burning" or "evaporation" on the other hand scares me.....

[BlkLegGt]

Saw my engine today removed from the bay with the head off. There were visible metal shavings on the cam lobes. Tech said the whole thing is locked up. New engine on the way.

 

Tech said that Subaru rep told him that a tiny in-line filter in the oil line is the culprit. He says Subaru is just realizing this is a prob and may start recommending that it be changed every 30K miles. This is why the second turbo broke, so he says, after it was replaced and filled with oil - the blocked filter was the culprit.

 

Anyone ever heard this before?

[Vimy101]

Saw my engine today removed from the bay with the head off. There were visible metal shavings on the cam lobes. Tech said the whole thing is locked up. New engine on the way.

 

Tech said that Subaru rep told him that a tiny in-line filter in the oil line is the culprit. He says Subaru is just realizing this is a prob and may start recommending that it be changed every 30K miles. This is why the second turbo broke, so he says, after it was replaced and filled with oil - the blocked filter was the culprit.

 

Anyone ever heard this before?

 

[700watts]

Saw my engine today removed from the bay with the head off. There were visible metal shavings on the cam lobes. Tech said the whole thing is locked up. New engine on the way.

 

Tech said that Subaru rep told him that a tiny in-line filter in the oil line is the culprit. He says Subaru is just realizing this is a prob and may start recommending that it be changed every 30K miles. This is why the second turbo broke, so he says, after it was replaced and filled with oil - the blocked filter was the culprit.

 

Anyone ever heard this before?

 

 

HEEEELLLSS NO..... tell me more about this mystery OIL line filter.....

[melayout]

put over a 70k miles on my wrx with mobil 1. my friend put a 130k miles on his wrx as well with mobil 1. BUT YOUR USING THE WRONG WEIGHT!!!! MUST USE MOBIL 1 15W-50.

 

Do not use 15W-50.

[TSiWRX]

For those here with oil-pressure gauges.....

 

I've got mine hooked-in via the galley tap right below the TMIC - about a 3-ft. remote line with the sender up on the firewall.

 

Using an AutoMeter NEXUS, which itself uses the typical ~ $90 AutoMeter electronic 0 to 100 PSI sender.

 

I saw bigger fluctuations in operating pressures when I ran Mobil 1 - both 5W30 as well as 10W30. Currently running "German" Castrol 0W30 full-synthetic.

 

Strangely enough, I saw little to no consumption to speak-of with the Mobil 1, but over the last 3,000 miles or so, I've noticed about a 1/4 quart consumption with the Castrol..... and what amazed me even more was that I actually physically could *SEE* an oil-pressure drop with just that little loss!

 

With the car coming to-rest at, say, a traffic-light or stop-sign - clutch in or with the car in neutral - with even so little loss, I actually will see a dip from about 23 PSI to about 14-15 PSI (I know this as my full-gauge warning is set to 16 PSI).

 

Just wondering what others are seeing.....

[BlkLegGt]

HEEEELLLSS NO..... tell me more about this mystery OIL line filter.....

 

When/if I hear more, I will post.