Factory Fill, 3560, 2008 Subaru WRX STI

[gathermewool]

UOA done by Stavely (WIX)

Iron: 68
Chromium: 1
Lead: 15
Copper: 272 (Abnormal)
Tin: 26 (Abnormal)
Aluminum: 28 (Abnormal)
Nickel: 0
Silver: 3
Silicon: 117 (Abnormal)
Boron: 164
Sodium: 164
Magnesium: 22
Calcium: 2092
Barium: 16
Phosphorus: 1150
Zinc: 1348
Molybdenum: 898
Titanium: 0
Vanadium: 0
Potassium: 0

Fuel: Vis @ 100C cSt: 9.35
Water: 0
Coolant: NO

Comments: Wear may be break-in material. Dirt (silicon) probably assembly contaminatino. Recommend change oil and perform appropriate maintenance action. Recommend resample.

 

[JAG]

Wow, that's rough. Is this one of the problematic STI engines?

 

[gathermewool]

I sure hope not [knocks on wood] I'm assuming it's just associated with break-in. I purchased the car with 200 miles on it (140 were from delivery.) The next 400 miles were a mix of DD to work (12 miles round) and weekend trips to see the GF (90 miles round). We took a road trip from CT to St. Louis, MI over the holidays, and then down to DE. I varied the engine speed, and then, after the first 1200 miles, made sure to do a few 3/4 throttle romps to 5k RPM through out the trip (usually after every fill up or food break)

I've got Wolf's Head 5W-30 HD in there now. I'm planning to run that for the same interval, C/O with Rotella 5W-40, and then send out another sample to see if things improve. I'm debating whether to send the sample out to Blackstone this time, however. It seems that mostly every one here uses them.

All comments/suggestions appreciated : )

 

[rg200amp]

Thats all breakin. you need 15,000-20,000 miles before you can start getting "normal" UOAs.

 

[gathermewool]

Just wanted to make sure it isn't necessary to C/O after 1-2k miles to keep tabs on excessive wear. I expected elevated wear material, but the comment, "recommend change oil and perform appropriate maint. action," didn't make much sense to me. Maybe the analyst didn't see that I C/O the oil at the time of sample???

Would you recommend not even sampling until then? I don't plan on doing extended drain intervals until warranty is up or near-up : D

 

[rg200amp]

No, I'd hold UOAs untill you get 4-5 OCI in. You want to "purge" all the break in metals.

Once you get around 25,000 miles do a UOA and see where you stand. That is the point where the engine should be leveled off and throwing normal wear numbers.

Use a quality synthetic and you will be good!

 

[REDDOG]

I like to sample FF and make sure the numbers trend down appropriately. Many labs however seem to forget it's a brand new engine. I don't see anything to be alarmed about and if you changed the oil and filter that's all the action that is necessary. I would probably resample at some point in the next few intervals just to be sure things are trending down.

 

[gathermewool]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll try to wait a few OCI to sample again, but the OCD might not let me : D.

 

[saaber1]

compare to:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1341562&fpart=1

If you haven't seen that thread yet. Your car has a lot more copper etc. than the one in this thread which is already at worrisome levels. Must have been a major issue with these engines for them to put a sudden stop sell on them. I would argue for doing more UOAs, not less, so that you have documentation if something major happens down the road. My opinion only, feel free to ignore.

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: saaber1
compare to:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1341562&fpart=1

If you haven't seen that thread yet. Your car has a lot more copper etc. than the one in this thread which is already at worrisome levels. Must have been a major issue with these engines for them to put a sudden stop sell on them. I would argue for doing more UOAs, not less, so that you have documentation if something major happens down the road. My opinion only, feel free to ignore.


According to my VIN, I'm before the stop-sale affected cars. Regardless of what I should do I don't think I'll be able to drain the oil next time with out filling a little plastic bottle and sending it off to be checked. If nothing else, it'll give me peace of mind..

 

[nicrfe1370]

Mr. Wool,

I am not a professional tribologist, I don't even play one on tv, but that report is the worst Subaru report I've seen by a huge margin.

272 ppm copper is over 2.5 times worse than the next worst Subaru report I've seen. ( find it here ) That previous report was another late model STi with a likely mechanical problem. The next highest copper reading on any Subaru without a known mechanical issue was 51 ppm.

26 ppm of tin is over 4 times that of the next worst.

68 ppm of iron is about 3 times as much as the next worst.

28 ppm Aluminum is 7 ppm more than the next worst.

117 ppm silicon is 35 ppm more than the next worst. (check your air filter and the whole intake tract for leaks)

The largest previous silver reading was 1 ppm, possible an error.

If I were in your shoes, I would do the following. Use the highest quality synthetic you can find that meets Subaru's guidelines. (correct weight and API spec, keep the receipt and maybe an empty bottle of what you put in) Use the recommended Subaru oil filter. (again, keep the receipt) Change the oil and filter at the most frequent intervals Subaru recommends for severe service. Sample the oil every time, sending the results to the same lab every time. Use break-in driving habits until the numbers come to a normal level. Above all else, let your dealer and Subaru of America know immediately what you have found with your first report and every report. Consider mailing them photocopies by certified mail.

 

[nicrfe1370]

In my above post I'm not just comparing your report to a handful of other Subaru reports I glanced at, I'm comparing it to 171 others I have put into a spreadsheet. Feel free to use the spreadsheet on your behalf when talking to your dealer or SOA.

Also, for actual professional advice, talk to Terry here.

 

[SubLGT]

I believe you win the award for the worst Subaru UOA ever posted on BITOG. If it were my car, I would do another UOA after 1000 miles. And I would also cut open the oil filter at that time and inspect for large particles. Do you have a magnetic drain plug?

 

[bluesubie]

Originally Posted By: nicrfe1370
Mr. Wool,

I am not a professional tribologist, I don't even play one on tv, but that report is the worst Subaru report I've seen by a huge margin.

Originally Posted By: SubLGT
I believe you win the award for the worst Subaru UOA ever posted on BITOG.

This is what we were telling Mr. Wool on nasioc. Great advice from nicfre and SubLGT IMO.

-Dennis

 

[REDDOG]

Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll try to wait a few OCI to sample again, but the OCD might not let me : D.


Nothing wrong with sampling often, if you don't mind spending the money. I do a UOA every oci. Given the responses by the Subaru guys here, it might not be a bad idea to sample very often and be sure things are improving-hopefully alot.

Best wishes and good luck!

REDDOG

 

[Jaymus]

It's the break in oil. I expected to see numbers like that. I wouldn't worry about it at all. I'd do somewhat frequent OCI's up until 10k-15k miles, then get another UOA. Numbers will be much lower, but still will have some break in wear.

 

[nicrfe1370]

This is absolutely NOT due to break in. You have a serious mechanical problem waiting to destroy your motor. Most Subarus go 100k or even 200k miles without creating this much wear TOTAL during their entire life-span.

 

[Jaymus]

But it's the factory fill?

 

[Steve S]

Is this one of the Scoobie doos with bad bearings or something?

 

[nicrfe1370]

The last post in this thread seems to have the most up to date info. I have read at least three different explanations (all from Subaru) for the problem they are trying to correct. It seems the answer that surfaces the most is that there is some issue (wrong part?) at the big-end bearing involving potentially the rod, bearing, and crankshaft, which leads to excessive wear and potential failure of the parts. Frankly, whether or not your car falls within the range of the cars Subaru suspects, I would assume your car has a serious problem. Once again I'm not an expert, but your wear pattern does seem consistent with the described problem.