Amsoil 5W-30 UOA --- 2005 WRX

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So I just got my UOA back from Blackstone. Didn't really know what to expect because the car is a mostly stock 2005 WRX with 88,000 miles and I'm the third owner (no idea how the previous owners treated it). Ran Amsoil 5W-30 for about 4,000 miles. Results posted below.

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I'm sure it could have gone longer, but I'd rather be safe than sorry...especially not knowing the history of the car.
 
This is one of those great examples of why quality synthetic is a large waste when running normal intervals (as 90% of people do).

Definitely run this oil for 8-10k, before your next sample, based upon it's starting TBN and it's service life for severe service vehicles (which may subarus are when in normal driving :))

Joe
 
Re: JoeFromPA - I was under the belief that all Subaru turbo motors (at least the 2.0 liter ones) now fall under the severe service category and oil change is recommended at 3,750 miles (which is necessary to stay close for warranty purposes). I could be wrong though.

I also do a lot of idling to warm the car up and sit in about 30 minutes of bumper to bumper traffic everyday in an environment with extremely poor air quality (Newark/Jersey City), which I'm assuming would detrimentally affect the length of the OCI.

Regardless, I'm planning to bump it up to at least 6k next time and see how it looks. Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.
 
Howdy Messier - From what I understand, the 2.0 liter WRX motors aren't quite as hard on oils. Nonetheless, you are in essence correct....except the 3750 mile OCI is specifically for dino oils and to maintain your warranty. I wouldn't run a dino oil past 3750 in these engines, but a high quality synthetic is another matter.

AMSOIL ASL 5w30 is rated for 25,000 miles in normal use and 15,000 miles in severe use according to AMSOIL. If you are going to buy it, use it for what it's intended for (extended drains) and try out an 8k interval. When you sample after 8k, pay for a TBN analysis.

Always make sure your oil is topped off or near the top as well and don't let the motor run low.

FYI - All that idling and bumper to bumper accumulates alot of fuel in the oil. The proper way to take a sample is to run the car for 20 minutes beforehand with a nice long cruise....i.e. sustained engine speeds of at least 2500 rpms in my book. Get it nice and hot. Idle it as little as possible and then pull into your spot, park, and stop the car. Jack it up and take the sample after about 10 seconds of draining (i.e. when the flow of the oil out of the pan starts to slowdown).

You'll probably see a more accurate picture of the oil and less fuel dilution...but it's also good to take your car out at least once or twice a week for a nice long drive like that. Good for your motoring needs too :)

Joe
 
Thanks for the info Joe. I didnt realize that Amsoil 5w-30 could last up to 15k even in severe use 2.0 WRX motors. Great stuff to know for the future. I'll run the next one up to 8k and see how it goes.

I'm pretty anal about my oil and check it regularly, and top it off when it needs it. That being said, my oil loss is within spec (1qt total in 4000 miles).

I also took this sample in the method you recommended, so I'm hoping its an accurate picture, but it'll definitely help to have a series of UOA's and see if any patterns develop.

At least I know its worth spending some money on getting my suspension back in shape (stupid pothole-ridden NJ roads) without having to worry about any imminent catastrophic engine failures.
 
I don't think I would jump from 4k to 8k on ASL without a uoa in between. I would, and have, gone 7.5-8k on SSO though.

Actually, Amsoil does not recommend going past 3,750 in any Subaru turbo. They probably didn't want to bother noting the specific engines and model years and just made it apply to all Subaru turbos to cover their butts. If you do an application look-up, you'll see this (even though it doesn't apply to the 2.0's):

SUBARU TURBO SPECIAL MESSAGE:
Subaru has published Service Bulletin # 02-103-07 that identifies a factory design related problem with premature clogging of the oil mesh screen located inside the oiling system that supplies the turbo charger on all model turbo charged cars. A clogged screen will result in oil starvation and turbo charger failure. Subaru has reduced their recommended oil drain interval in half, as a solution, from 7,500 miles to 3,750 miles (3-3/4 months) and requires the oil mesh screen to be inspected, and possibly serviced, at every oil change. With this Subaru factory related design issue, AMSOIL INC. therefore must recommend customers follow the new Subaru oil change interval of 3,750 miles or 3-3/4 months until Subaru resolves this issue.

I'm sticking with my 8k OCI's.
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BTW,
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-Dennis
 
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Very nice! Are there any other oils out there with "high" Boron levels like this? It certainly seems to work based on this UOA.
 
Motorcraft I think. M1 used to have this level of B (0w-40 does now) but they lowered it.
 
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
I don't see a whole lot of flash point loss. Where's this fuel you're seeing, Joe
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Please dis-regard my comments on fuel....I must've walked away from the computer during the middle of my commenting and come back thinking of another UOA I had been looking at...this sample shows no remarkable fuel dilution and I was mistaken.

Joe
 
Dennis (bluesubie) -

I disagree with you slightly. Here's why:

He's got a high mileage 2.0 liter...which tells me two things:

1. Almost all clogged banjo bolt filters happen with 2.5 liter engines AFAIK. Correct me if I'm wrong.

2. At this mileage, as long as the engine is in a good state of tune it's much less likely to be throwing off sufficient gunk to clog the filter.


No one has been able to explain to me how a shorter oil change would help prevent the banjo bolt filter from getting clogged unless the oil is breaking down (i.e. sludging). And that's not happening on a PAO oil in 8,000 miles (compared to Dino oil in 3750 miles). A shorter oil change to prevent a clogged banjo bolt filter only makes sense when it's combined with an oil that is actively breaking down at that mileage. And I personally feel that' snot going to happen in a near-stock car running AMSOIL ASL (or many other robust oils).

Here's a legacy gt owner who runs AMSOIL SSO for 16k/1 year: http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75949&highlight=AMSOIL

Subaru, as far as I can tell, reduced the oil change interval because a Dino 5w30 could not withstand 7500 miles in these engines, consistently, without severely shearing and breaking down. And they changed the interval once the 2.5 liter turbos were used in everything (legacy, WRX, Sti, Forester, Outback).

I don't want to make a recommendation out of ignorance, but the reasons above combined with my modest knowledge of synthetics leads me to believe that in a higher-mileage, well maintained 2.0 liter WRX you could run AMSOIL ASL 5w30 for 8k (after showing it's rock solid at 4k) without a problem, providing good air and oil filtration are in use.

Just my .02, but I appreciate that there are differing opinions on here. Once my Leggy is out of warranty, I'll switch to running 7500 mile (minimum) intervals on a good quality synthetic.

Joe
 
Joe,

I don't believe the 2.0's even have the banjo bolt filter. The head master tech at my dealer said he has only seen it on "abused cars" although I didn't ask what oil they were running and didn't ask what abused meant (e.g. neglected, modded, etc.).

There were at least two Subaru techs on nasioc that claimed they've seen it on stock 2.5L WRX's running Mobil1 5W-30.

For comparison, I looked up RonJitsu's uoa's on SSO and ASL in a 2.5T. You're probably right on ASL being able to go much farther.

-Dennis
 
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