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My Forester Identifies as a Diesel!

crgildart

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That's right, fill it with oil and check the gas!

Been sucking a lot of oil since the day I rolled it off the lot in 2009.... intermittently. Never a drip, never black smoke or soot around the bumper. Less than 5,000 miles a 900 mile trip to Boston way back in 2009, decided to check the oil before heading home.. It was TWO quarts low. Drove to Disney Works, roughly same distance, one quart low. I check the oil often. Sometimes, more often than not, it's low, barely on the stick after a couple weeks of driving.

Three years ago, maybe a breakthrough.. Car was sputtering when I got above 4K elevation.. stopped when down, then started again up high.. check engine light came on. Took it to the dealer.. Gasket blows, oil in plug tubes.. Fixed?? Not really. Still sucks oil. Now at 123K miles. Everything else is still bomb proof but have to keep an eye on the oil. Coolant level holds fine so not head gasket.. yet. Dealer has changed timing belt and all that related stuff, other belts and hoses over the years.. But never a whisper about the oil loss other than the gasket and spark plug tubes thing. Exhaust system has been overhauled too. Just got back from the beach. Burned a half quart + on the way there (200 miles). Not a drop on the way back.

Seen others having similar experience in Subaru forums. I suppose I could have made a stink when it was still under 60K miles and gotten a new engine. Should leave it and just keep on keeping on or try some Marvel Mystery Oil or something similar?
 
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crgildart

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Probably oil control rings. Don't do anything. To fix that is a teardown. Sell it?
It's been like this since the day it rolled off the lot brand new. Can that happen with a brand new car? I'm gonna keep rolling the dice and use the newer car for trips more than 500 miles away. 122K without a major breakdown seems decent.. with minimal maintenance, oil every 5K, super coolant at 90K, brakes, tires,. exhaust, timing belt and pulleys, and aforementioned gasket that leaked in to the plug tubes are the only things I've done since it was brand new. and a shit ton of oil hahahaha..
 

wiread

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Not a Subaru, but we had a Chrysler T&C, by 20K it was going thru a quart every 1500 miles or less. No smoke, no signs, no smell, no drips, no leaks anyone could find. Ran it to 198K miles with no engine issues, electronics and AC are another matter LOL, but zero engine problems before we sold it. Took it in a few times, they told us that amount of oil consumption was within specs.
 
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crgildart

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Not a Subaru, but we had a Chrysler T&C, by 20K it was going thru a quart every 1500 miles or less. No smoke, no signs, no smell, no drips, no leaks anyone could find. Ran it to 198K miles with no engine issues, electronics and AC are another matter LOL, but zero engine problems before we sold it. Took it in a few times, they told us that amount of oil consumption was within specs.

Ya, I never made a big deal out of it but probably should have. I mentioned it a couple times. The response was something like " ya, some of them do that... probably nothing to worry about bla bla bla.."
 

scott43

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It won't really affect anything. Just a pita. Sometimes they aren't broken in well, sometimes it's poorly spec'd or defective oil control rings. At the end of the day, is it worth $4k in engine work? Use cheap oil... And make sure your PCV valve is changed on time.
 

Uncle-A

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Does that engine have valve seals? Maybe one or two seals not seated correctly when assembled.
 

scott43

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Does that engine have valve seals? Maybe one or two seals not seated correctly when assembled.
Typically you can see smoke when you let of the gas with a valve seal issue. The ring problem is less obvious and you don't normally see smoke. But yes that could be a possibility.
 

Uncle-A

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Typically you can see smoke when you let of the gas with a valve seal issue. The ring problem is less obvious and you don't normally see smoke. But yes that could be a possibility.
When I had my Plymouth Minivan I didn't have any smoke when I needed the value seals. The only sign I had besides using a lot of oil was inside the tail pipe had a white coating. BTW the exhaust had a bad smell but not sure why.
 

scott43

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When I had my Plymouth Minivan I didn't have any smoke when I needed the value seals. The only sign I had besides using a lot of oil was inside the tail pipe had a white coating. BTW the exhaust had a bad smell but not sure why.
For sure. A litre every 1000kms isn't a lot and if they leak slowly it can be hard to notice.
 
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crgildart

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Mid 80s catalytic converters had a way of farting occasionally.. Rotten egg smell coming up under the floorboards periodically.
 
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crgildart

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Part of me wonders if there is a possibility that the EZ Drain could be dripping some but only when under more pressure, higher RPMS. That way there could be a leak that I'd never see because it doesn't happen when parked. Intermittent. sometimes goes a month or longer without an issue from short around town driving but a long highway trip in hot weather and goes through half a quart in a day.... Friday... Same drive today and didn't lose any at all.. Weird! The EZ Drain has been there since the first oil change, 5K and on miles too...
 

scott43

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You'd see residue on the plug and downstream parts underneath. I suspect it's more hot-cold cycle and throttle application related. Check your PCV.
 

Uncle-A

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You'd see residue on the plug and downstream parts underneath. I suspect it's more hot-cold cycle and throttle application related. Check your PCV.
Yes, your PCV would be soaked in oil if it was leaking under pressure and it would also show up on the under carriage of the vehicle.
 

Philpug

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I had a '10 Forester. If all of my dozen and a half Subarus, I have to say it was my least favorite of all of them which says a lot, in that list also includes a gutless 82 DL automatic wagon and a Justy.
 

Wilhelmson

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It’s bs imo. Subaru knows their engines are defective yet they do nothing about it and the dealers play stupid about the issue. Search Subaru engine oil class action.
 

scott43

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Yeah many builders have this issue and the cost to fix is prohibitive. And it's an argument about whether it's really an issue.
 

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