HELP: Burning Oil
06-07-2010, 11:10 AM
#17
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Sounds like it could be normal blow by. Do you get smoke out the tail pipe? Like someone said you should be checking your oil every time you fill up your gas tank since suby's are known for burning oil. .5-1 qt low every 3k miles is pretty normal, depends on how hard you drive, how you broke in your motor, etc...
You just have to be checking your oil more regularly. Installing a Crawford A/O separator really helps (love mine). But I still check it every time I get gas.
You just have to be checking your oil more regularly. Installing a Crawford A/O separator really helps (love mine). But I still check it every time I get gas.
06-07-2010, 11:57 AM
#18
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Sounds like it could be normal blow by. Do you get smoke out the tail pipe? Like someone said you should be checking your oil every time you fill up your gas tank since suby's are known for burning oil. .5-1 qt low every 3k miles is pretty normal, depends on how hard you drive, how you broke in your motor, etc...
You just have to be checking your oil more regularly. Installing a Crawford A/O separator really helps (love mine). But I still check it every time I get gas.
You just have to be checking your oil more regularly. Installing a Crawford A/O separator really helps (love mine). But I still check it every time I get gas.
06-07-2010, 11:59 AM
#19
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06-08-2010, 07:39 AM
#22
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Maybe this is obvious, but are you changing your oil on a completely flat surface? Also are you pre-filling the oil filter before you install it? If you get a good read on the level but your car is on a slight slope (sloped driveway?) then go to check it at a flat gas station, you might read different levels.
Also, I let my car run until the engine heats up, then park on a flat surface and let it cool overnight before checking to get an accurate level of the oil.
Also, the most obvious change would be to try a Castrol Syntec 5W-30, or any other oil mentioned above.
Also, I let my car run until the engine heats up, then park on a flat surface and let it cool overnight before checking to get an accurate level of the oil.
Also, the most obvious change would be to try a Castrol Syntec 5W-30, or any other oil mentioned above.
06-08-2010, 10:26 AM
#23
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I check it once or twice a week!
I do check it often like i said before. I know every car burns a little bit of oil so i get that. What i dont get is how come there's is barely or sometimes even no oil in on the dipstick....should i replace something internally? get it checked out? oh and btw i dont blow smoke....thats when you have a blown turbo(too much oil in the turbine but thats not the case here.) How much is that Crawford A/o separator? What does it do? Would a Oil Catch can help this problem?
I do check it often like i said before. I know every car burns a little bit of oil so i get that. What i dont get is how come there's is barely or sometimes even no oil in on the dipstick....should i replace something internally? get it checked out? oh and btw i dont blow smoke....thats when you have a blown turbo(too much oil in the turbine but thats not the case here.) How much is that Crawford A/o separator? What does it do? Would a Oil Catch can help this problem?
06-08-2010, 11:25 AM
#24
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+1 to what everyone said. Many turbo Subarus eat oil, especially when you drive them hard, and they burn M1 5W30 more easily than most oils. It *could* indicate that something bad is about to happen to your engine, but it probably doesn't.
My LGT burned as much oil as your car from 17k miles (when I bought it) to >90k miles (when I sold it), and never exhibited any other engine problems. It used more if I was driving it particularly hard.
I tried M1 5W30 in it for a little while, and it burned through that alarmingly quickly, though I was also driving it unusually hard at the time (7+ days at 6k+ ft elevation, so always in boost).
As others have said, check and top off your oil more often. You'll know exactly how often once you get used to its usage, but for now you should check it at least every 1k miles.
As others have said, try a heavier weight oil. If you do a lot of short trips or cold weather starts don't go above a 5 base weight though. I've been using Shell Rotella T6 5W40, which usually performs well in our engines according to used oil reports, and is cheap as synthetics go. I think M1 5W40 TDT is good too, but more expensive.
If short trips and cold weather starts aren't an issue, consider a 10W40, though I don't have any particular recommendations.
My LGT burned as much oil as your car from 17k miles (when I bought it) to >90k miles (when I sold it), and never exhibited any other engine problems. It used more if I was driving it particularly hard.
I tried M1 5W30 in it for a little while, and it burned through that alarmingly quickly, though I was also driving it unusually hard at the time (7+ days at 6k+ ft elevation, so always in boost).
As others have said, check and top off your oil more often. You'll know exactly how often once you get used to its usage, but for now you should check it at least every 1k miles.
As others have said, try a heavier weight oil. If you do a lot of short trips or cold weather starts don't go above a 5 base weight though. I've been using Shell Rotella T6 5W40, which usually performs well in our engines according to used oil reports, and is cheap as synthetics go. I think M1 5W40 TDT is good too, but more expensive.
If short trips and cold weather starts aren't an issue, consider a 10W40, though I don't have any particular recommendations.
Last edited by MattLGT; 06-08-2010 at 11:29 AM.
06-08-2010, 11:44 AM
#25
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Oh, and while I never got compression or leakdown tests done on that LGT, it made very good power when I went stage 2 with a protune at around 65-70k miles. It also burned 1-1.5 quarts in a single track day (expected given the hard driving).
Now take my new turbo Subaru. I broke it in VERY easy, and so far it's been using virtually no oil. Even at its first track day it used 0.1 quarts, maybe 0.2 at most. It's also a little down on power compared to most.
Two cars is a terrible sample size, but in my experience so far eating oil corresponds to making more power for a given setup
Now take my new turbo Subaru. I broke it in VERY easy, and so far it's been using virtually no oil. Even at its first track day it used 0.1 quarts, maybe 0.2 at most. It's also a little down on power compared to most.
Two cars is a terrible sample size, but in my experience so far eating oil corresponds to making more power for a given setup
06-08-2010, 11:59 AM
#26
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The a/o separator works like a catch can except better. The Crawford one uses positive crankcase vacuum pressure to suck the blow by oil out instead of dumping it into your intake and burning it. It then separates any air/condensation mixed in the oil and then puts the oil back in your oil pan. Thereby reducing the amount of oil burned by the motor. My car used to burn about 1-2 qts between oil changes (this was when when I was driving it alot and really hard). I took it into the dealer several times for this when it was under warranty, everytime they said it was fine and normal to use that much oil. I had them check the turbo and do a leakdown and compression test, everything came back normal. Now, since modding the car (stage 2) and installing the A/O separator, I don't hardly use any oil anymore. BTW...I also don't drive it as much.
+1 to what everyone said. Many turbo Subarus eat oil, especially when you drive them hard, and they burn M1 5W30 more easily than most oils. It *could* indicate that something bad is about to happen to your engine, but it probably doesn't.
My LGT burned as much oil as your car from 17k miles (when I bought it) to >90k miles (when I sold it), and never exhibited any other engine problems. It used more if I was driving it particularly hard.
I tried M1 5W30 in it for a little while, and it burned through that alarmingly quickly, though I was also driving it unusually hard at the time (7+ days at 6k+ ft elevation, so always in boost).
As others have said, check and top off your oil more often. You'll know exactly how often once you get used to its usage, but for now you should check it at least every 1k miles.
As others have said, try a heavier weight oil. If you do a lot of short trips or cold weather starts don't go above a 5 base weight though. I've been using Shell Rotella T6 5W40, which usually performs well in our engines according to used oil reports, and is cheap as synthetics go. I think M1 5W40 TDT is good too, but more expensive.
If short trips and cold weather starts aren't an issue, consider a 10W40, though I don't have any particular recommendations.
My LGT burned as much oil as your car from 17k miles (when I bought it) to >90k miles (when I sold it), and never exhibited any other engine problems. It used more if I was driving it particularly hard.
I tried M1 5W30 in it for a little while, and it burned through that alarmingly quickly, though I was also driving it unusually hard at the time (7+ days at 6k+ ft elevation, so always in boost).
As others have said, check and top off your oil more often. You'll know exactly how often once you get used to its usage, but for now you should check it at least every 1k miles.
As others have said, try a heavier weight oil. If you do a lot of short trips or cold weather starts don't go above a 5 base weight though. I've been using Shell Rotella T6 5W40, which usually performs well in our engines according to used oil reports, and is cheap as synthetics go. I think M1 5W40 TDT is good too, but more expensive.
If short trips and cold weather starts aren't an issue, consider a 10W40, though I don't have any particular recommendations.
06-08-2010, 12:15 PM
#27
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It will probably still burn. M1 5W30 burns more easily than most, but in my experience if you're burning that much of it you will burn anything. I tried a lot of oils in my LGT, including 0W40's, 10W40's, 5W50's, etc, and including some high end stuff like Amsoil. It all burned, just some (M1 5W30) burned a bit more than others.
Still, it's worth trying a bunch. Maybe there is a good oil out there that your engine won't burn.
Still, it's worth trying a bunch. Maybe there is a good oil out there that your engine won't burn.
06-09-2010, 09:27 PM
#30
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