Subies, the engines again...

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: dblshock

I'm not a Subaru owner, but I have been tempted.

Wouldn't this level of oil consumption cause problems with the cat and O2 sensors. Would it pass an emissions test with this level of consumption?


Oh my, components from the piston rings south to the exhaust tips your looking at systemic failure, motor oil is not designed to be burnt like that, over time it has to reek havoc.


Time will tell for this.

The good thing for those who live in "PZEV" States is, pretty much every 4cyl, non-turbo Subaru built in the past 4-5yrs is covered under a 15yr/150K mile PZEV emissions warranty that covers a boat load of components, including catalytic converters and O2 sensors.

 

[sxg6]

My pzev 2009 legacy has always consumed 1qt-2qt's of oil over a 4k-5k oil change interval. I drove my car off the lot with 3 miles, and it currently has 184k on it. Subaru issued a voluntary recall on the cats, and I had my main catalytic converter replaced at around 135k, no problems with it at that point. I currently have around 50k on the replacement cat, and no issues yet. Also, I am still running my original upstream and downstream oxygen sensors. The only thing that I have noticed is that it seemed like my car had a lot of carbon deposits on the tops of the pistons, presumably from burning oil (I stuck a borescope in cylinders 1 and 3 at around 155k). A couple consecutive fill ups with a bottle of red line si-1 did a decent job cleaning things up though.

So I completely understand the concerns you have about the cat and o2 sensors, but my car has been fine. Passed emissions a handful of times with flying colors, too.

 

[crazyoildude]

We have been getting calls lately from subaru owners asking if it was normal to use a quart every 1500-2000 miles... Of course its not normal especially if the engine has under 25,000 miles on it.

 

[Gasbuggy]

My neighbor has a 2012 Forester, regular N/A engine. I don't believe he knows how to check oil, but he does have it changed according to the mileage on the sticker from the shop. Out of curiosity I checked the oil in it the last two times I had the hood up. (he askes me to change headlight bulbs for him) Didn't even show any on the dipstick either time.

 

[Andrew1972]

Check oil level on parents 2015 Outback(11k) with oil never checked since 6k. It was down 1/2 quart. Should they be screaming????!!!!!!

My dad does check the 2000 Forester they have with 190k. It consumes about 1qt every 4k but they change it then. No mechanical issues with that vehicle ever.

 

[ThirdeYe]

My '08 Scion uses about a quart every 2,000 miles as well. I've heard some owners had a voluntary recall notice sent to them, but I never received one. -shrug-. It's a nuisance, but it's livable.