Suburu 0W/20 7500miles

[tomartomau]

Can you guys and girls have a look at this for me. We just purchased the car and I thought I would do an oil change. The car has 109000kms on the odometer, ans the previous owner liked hiking .

I am concerned about the high silicon but I dont know where to start.

Thanks on advance
Tony

 

[CharBaby]

I didn't open the PDF however, high silicon levels could just mean the air filter housing may not be sealing properly. Check that first. Others will chime in with more information.

 

[tomartomau]

Thank You,
There are identified fuel dilution and the presence of silicon. I have changed the air cleaner, it did have a bit of red dust which is typical here in the Australian outback.
The levels though dont seem to high to me.

I have changed to a 5w/30 Shell Helix Ultra which is made from natural gas.

 

[CharBaby]

Yeah, the red dust could be your issue. Silicon is distributed by dust & sand.

 

[Railrust]

Wait...is this a Subaru Outback, that really was driven in the Outback?

 

[tomartomau]

Forester...

 

[joekingcorvette]

After reading the analysis it appears fuel dilution is the problem. I would have the oil analysis done again and maybe go 5,000 miles and see if it gets better. Since the previous owner had the car it's difficult to say what caused the fuel dilution or what oil they had in the car to begin with. Plus, you don't know the previous owners driving habits and maybe the car idled a lot. I wouldn't worry until you get a second analysis.

 

[tomartomau]

Thank you, I will do another analysis in 6 monthe or 7500kms

 

[StarCaller]

0W/20 in a subaru in australia is brave /
the lowest temperature in brisbane during the year is in the low 50s, so except for getting another couple mpg there's really no need for such a thin oil (especially in a subaru) /

 

[PimTac]

A future analysis will determine if the silicon is a problem or not. That number is not that high to begin with. Was there any work done on the engine prior to you taking it? Any work requiring resealing will affect the silicon number.

0w20 is fine. If you are working the engine hard you could consider a 5w30. Your cooling system is key to keeping the temperatures normal.

I wonder how long this oil was in service?

 

[benjy]

no need for thinner oil that MIGHT give ONE mpg + as its broken in another reason for a 30W, my choice would be a 10-30 that needs less viscosity improvers unless its a real synthetic group IV + or V oil. a few more details like the year + engine would help as well. good luck if its got a CVT unless its the newer type SAID to be better!!

 

[tomartomau]

All I know is that the car had its "I" service when the oil was replaced, that was 11 months prior. The car did 14000kms in that time and has a total of 108000kms when I came into ownership of the vehicle.

It is a 2014, 2.5l n/a and a cvt.

 

[rrounds]

TBN of 0.8 with a 0.0 TAN is way to low. Since there showing 0.0 for the tan I'm guessing they teated for it.

Rod

 

[tomartomau]

What does that mean, I have now changed to a 5w30 oil, will that help?

 

[rrounds]

Generally speaking, the higher an oil's total base number (TBN), the better its ability to neutralize contaminants such as combustion by-products and acidic materials. TBN is a measure of (alkaline) additives in the oil. The higher the TBN the more detergent the oil has. 0.8 is getting pretty low and I'm not sure the TAN number of 0 is correct.

Rod

 

[bluesubie]

On Castrol Australia's oil selector, they recommended ACEA A3 5W-30 as the top choice for your application so I agree with the recommendations to go thicker. As Char Baby mentioned, make sure the air box is sealed properly.

 

[Ken42]

Originally Posted by Railrust
Wait...is this a Subaru Outback, that really was driven in the Outback?