'04 3.0R H6, 1l oil for the last 3000 km?

Z

Zelidar

Yesterday I (luckily) checked the oil level on my 22'000 km Legacy
(about 14'000 miles) and it came out ...dry. I could empty a full 2
liters in it.

That car was serviced by and according to Subaru and I checked the oil
every two or three weeks. First time I needed to add more. How is that
possible on a car with such a little mileage? I quickly checked the
engine and could find no oil leaks.

The last 3000 km were driven mostly between 30°/86F and 37°/98F at an
average speed of 110kph/68mph some on the German Autobahn at 10.5 L/100
km (27 mpg). Could the heat wave that has hit Europe last week be the
explanation?

My other car, a 2.5L V6 mitsubichi needs about 0.5l per 10'000 miles
but it has over 100K miles.

Z.
 
This doesn't make sense. If you had a catastrophic leak, you'd find
obvious evidence (missing oil pan plug, etc.). If you had a slow leak,
you'd see oil on your garage floor or driveway. If you were burning
that much oil, you'd see smoke in your mirror. If someone forgot to
refill your engine with oil, it would have seized up on you.

I can't explain it. Either you're missing something or your dipstick
is bent.

-LK
 
Thx for the reply. What should one expect with this engine, is a refill
between the service the rule or the exception? Anyone with over 50 K
miles out there? How about those 3.0R sold in Australia with the heat
and the dust.

I guess that a high running temperature, high speed driving and the air
conditioning wide open will certainly place a strenuous load on the
engine (and its usage of oil). Anyway the car is under the 3 years
manufacturer garanty so I do not worry too much at this moment. It
still feels like new but I will further check for leaks and smoke
signs. Thanks for the tips.
 
Zelidar said:
I guess that a high running temperature, high speed driving and the air
conditioning wide open will certainly place a strenuous load on the
engine (and its usage of oil). Anyway the car is under the 3 years

Hi,

All these are contributing factors (IME generally more noticeable with
lighter grades of oil), but it sounds like your consumption jumped
rather quickly--have you checked the PCV and hoses that feed it? If the
PCV system's clogged, it can cause blowby and/or sucking oil into the
intake. Current emissions equipment (US models, at least) work well
enough some engines can use a LOT of oil before seeing much (or any)
smoke.

Hope it's nothing serious...

Rick
 
Hello Rick thanks for your reply and that other post where you explain
in great details what a PCV is. I still would need to locate it under
the hood though :). I will mention your point at the next service if I
can wait until then.
From your answer I deduce that adding oil between services is the
exception rather than the rule. I would of course prefer that.

Z.
 
I checked the oil level in my brand new Outback after driving it home from
the dealers. Took a litre of oil. Methinks precheck was not quite up to
standard.


Yesterday I (luckily) checked the oil level on my 22'000 km Legacy
(about 14'000 miles) and it came out ...dry. I could empty a full 2
liters in it.

That car was serviced by and according to Subaru and I checked the oil
every two or three weeks. First time I needed to add more. How is that
possible on a car with such a little mileage? I quickly checked the
engine and could find no oil leaks.

The last 3000 km were driven mostly between 30°/86F and 37°/98F at an
average speed of 110kph/68mph some on the German Autobahn at 10.5 L/100
km (27 mpg). Could the heat wave that has hit Europe last week be the
explanation?

My other car, a 2.5L V6 mitsubichi needs about 0.5l per 10'000 miles
but it has over 100K miles.

Z.
 
Phil said:
I checked the oil level in my brand new Outback after driving it home from
the dealers. Took a litre of oil. We think precheck was not quite up to
standard.

On the other hand 0.5 l of oil saved on each new car might mean a lot
for a short-sighted bean counter.
 
Zelidar said:
Yesterday I (luckily) checked the oil level on my 22'000 km Legacy
(about 14'000 miles) and it came out ...dry. I could empty a full 2
liters in it.
That car was serviced by and according to Subaru and I checked the oil
every two or three weeks. First time I needed to add more. How is that
possible on a car with such a little mileage? I quickly checked the
engine and could find no oil leaks.
The last 3000 km were driven mostly between 30=B0/86F and 37=B0/98F at an
average speed of 110kph/68mph some on the German Autobahn at 10.5 L/100
km (27 mpg). Could the heat wave that has hit Europe last week be the
explanation?
My other car, a 2.5L V6 mitsubichi needs about 0.5l per 10'000 miles
but it has over 100K miles.

My 2.2L Liberty used to 1/2 to 1L between most changes, usually quite
suddenly after 8000km. Current OB uses 1/2L occasionally, again late in
the change cycle. I assume it's due to some degree of oil breakdown,
however, the Liberty was still running great at 332,000km, so it's
obviously not doing any harm! Can't remember hearing any horror stories
for the H6 with oil, just high fuel use if they're being used hard and/or
unsympathetically, same as with the 4.

Just out of interest, what oil and what grade? Could be pertinent. BTW, if
the level is down again following the next service, I'd take it straight
back in and discuss it with them. Once is a mistake, twice is a bit of a
worry if they ever have to do anything more complicated than change the
oil! AFAIK the capacity is 5.8L as opposed to 4L for the 4s. Cheers
 
I know keep a close eye on that level, about every 200km, and I don't
see it moving. I wonder what would have been the first signs, AFAIK on
older cars the temperature of the engine would rise until the radiator
overflows and one or more piston might probably grip in its cylinder
due to the lack of lubrifiant. I suppose that, on newer cars, the oil
sign would be put to use but I did not see it on mine. I wonder if
there are cars out there with a "Warning, low oil level" sign, like for
the fuel.
the Liberty was still running great at 332,000km

Thanks for the interesting fact. Amazing how some cars can last and
last.
Just out of interest, what oil and what grade? .... the capacity is 5.8L as opposed to 4L for the 4s

The last service was made in April and they billed me for 6 liters of
Castrol TXT Softec 5W-(further text not printed).

By the way it is nice remembering about that total of 6 liters, in my
case it meant that about 5 liters were still flowing inside the engine.
 
Zelidar said:
The last service was made in April and they billed me for 6 liters of
Castrol TXT Softec 5W-(further text not printed).
By the way it is nice remembering about that total of 6 liters, in my
case it meant that about 5 liters were still flowing inside the engine.

Could be a mixture of temp and change in running environment by the sound
of it. One suggestion is keep monitoring it and see if it's ok now it's
off the A-bahn. Also, is the oil 5W-30 or 5W-40? If it's 30 it may be a
bit light for sustained high speed/high temp running.

If it keeps using that much, prob time to get it checked out while it's
still under warranty, but hopeuflly it's just the change. Fuel figures
aren't too horrible though - my 2.5 doesn't do much better! Cheers
 
Meanwhile I have read over here http://www.subaru-community.net/ that
adding 1-1.5 liters of oil between the services seems to be normal (is
that a particularity of flat engines or Subaru?). In my case, now at
25'X00 km, the level still is above the highest mark so it looks like
it will last until the 30K service.
 

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