1999 Subaru Forester Burning Oil

[Lazarrido]

We are the only owners of a 1999 Subaru Forester. For the past 6 months it has been "losing" oil, but with no solid explanation. Our mechanic found no leaks, left it running on idle for close to 30 minutes, and saw no black smoke or oil loss

It tends to lose oil suddenly. We dilligently check the oil, and suddenly find it down about a quart for no particular reason. We discovered the problem originally when the oil light came on, and at that time it was nearly bone dry. Since that time we have been hyper vigilant about the oil level.

The car has < 85,000 miles, and we hope to drive it for much longer. No other symptoms or problems have arisen other than the drop in the oil level. We hope to take this car overseas, but don't know if we're driving a time bomb that will eventually die out on us

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

 

[MN]

We are the only owners of a 1999 Subaru Forester. For the past 6 months it
has been "losing" oil, but with no solid explanation. Our mechanic found
no leaks, left it running on idle for close to 30 minutes, and saw no
black smoke or oil loss.

It tends to lose oil suddenly. We dilligently check the oil, and suddenly
find it down about a quart for no particular reason. We discovered the
problem originally when the oil light came on, and at that time it was
nearly bone dry. Since that time we have been hyper vigilant about the oil
level.

The car has < 85,000 miles, and we hope to drive it for much longer. No
other symptoms or problems have arisen other than the drop in the oil
level. We hope to take this car overseas, but don't know if we're driving
a time bomb that will eventually die out on us.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

If you haven't changed the oil filter in the last six months,
try changinging it. If the filtering media happens to dislocate
it may cause oil flow obstruction and excessive oil usage.

What brand are you using? Try something better.

Also, since the car has 85k you may consider using a
slighlty higher viscosity oil- it helps with normal increased
oil consumption.

MN

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

We are the only owners of a 1999 Subaru Forester. For the past 6 months it has been "losing" oil, but with no solid explanation. Our mechanic found no leaks, left it running on idle for close to 30 minutes, and saw no black smoke or oil loss.

It tends to lose oil suddenly. We dilligently check the oil, and suddenly find it down about a quart for no particular reason. We discovered the problem originally when the oil light came on, and at that time it was nearly bone dry. Since that time we have been hyper vigilant about the oil level.

The car has < 85,000 miles, and we hope to drive it for much longer. No other symptoms or problems have arisen other than the drop in the oil level. We hope to take this car overseas, but don't know if we're driving a time bomb that will eventually die out on us.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Make sure the PCV hoses/valve are clear and working. The mechanic may
have checked but ? Also, a compression or leakdown test could locate a
cylinder with low compression pointing to a localized problem like a
broken ring or something.

Carl

 

[Michael Pardee]

Make sure the PCV hoses/valve are clear and working. The mechanic may have
checked but ? Also, a compression or leakdown test could locate a cylinder
with low compression pointing to a localized problem like a broken ring or
something.

Carl

In the Honda forum complaints like this appear occasionally... although the
increased consumption isn't usually so sporadic. The affected engines are
relatively new (all in the first 100K miles IIRC) and if the problem is
found it is rarely reported to us :-( However, the only cases I know of
where it was found and reported it was a broken piston ring that showed up
when the engine was torn down. I think the cat converters are suppressing
the smoke we'd normally see.

Mike

 

[Limey Lurker]

In my experience, the Subaru dipstick often gives false "high"
readings. It's possibly that oil is draining back into the crankcase
over the bottom of the dipstick tube, and settling on the dipstick. I
ingnore all high readings, and repeatedly dip until I get a sensible
reading. I've found that there is a consistent low level that can be
obtained in this way. Repeated dipping seems to clear away oil from
around the bottom of the tube.
HTH

 

[mkirsch1]

This ain't no problem with the dipstick reading the dipstick... If you
re-read the original post, notice that the oil light came on. The
crankcase was nearly bone-dry.

The oil's going somewhere...

IMHO, if you're going overseas with your car, get a different car
first. Cars that use that much oil that sporadically can't be trusted
by definition.

 

[Limey Lurker]

This ain't no problem with the dipstick reading the dipstick... If you

re-read the original post, notice that the oil light came on. The
crankcase was nearly bone-dry.
The oil's going somewhere...

Yes, I read that the crankcase is dry; perhaps it's because the
dipstick is giving a "high" reading when in actual fact the oil level
is low. If the dipstick shows high then he wont add any oil. You don't
suddenly lose a lot of oil without some visible sign; usually a great
deal of white smoke (oil smoke is white, not black).

 

[BobN]

If the dipstick shows high then he wont add any oil. You don't

suddenly lose a lot of oil without some visible sign; usually a great
deal of white smoke (oil smoke is white, not black).

The oil-burning vehicles I see on the road trail blue smoke with a strong
odor of burnt oil. White "smoke" usually smells like antifreeze and
indicates a blown head gasket. In either case, I usually see them stuck on
the shoulder witihin a few miles.

 

[bgd]

If engine runs great cold, especially at idle (you can really tell a bad
piston ring then) then it must be pcv stuff. If you are a manual tranny, try
no engine braking, that can reveal an air bypass problem that pcv can't keep
up with, if oil consumption slows/stops without engine braking. My original
learning of this was on an old subaru, it changed slightly on the injection
models because of air bypass. All the while it was my habit of engine
braking, creating an oil eater, seemingly all at once, no leaks, no smoke.
Just low oil on the dispstick....

 

[RST Engineering]

OK, let's try this again. I've got a '98 OB Legacy that eats oil, about a
quart a thousand miles. I realize this isn't all that bad, but I'm hearing
that if you use engine braking to help out the pads and rotors a bit that it
increases oil usage if the crank vent valve is a little dicey? I'm an
slushbucket, but use 3, 2, and 1 to brake quite a bit.

What's happening and where is the oil going if the pcv valve is honked?

Jim

 

[Mike]

Does it have a turbo ? I did some work on my WRX this week .Installed a
aftermarket down pipe and a Prodrive intercooler Y pipe .The Y pipe goes
from the turbo into the intercooler. Upon pulling the intercooler, there was
a good bit of oil inside the stock Y pipe.With further investigation i find
out this a normal thing for turbo charged engines. They do make oil catch
cans to catch that oil before it gets in there. It was a good ammount, if
you wiped your finger inside the pipe it would be enough to run down your
finger. I can't tell you how the oil gets in there though. But it must play
a part in some subarus oil consumption.

 

[Lila Hanft]

We are the only owners of a 1999 Subaru Forester. For the past 6 months it has been "losing" oil, but with no solid explanation. Our mechanic found no leaks, left it running on idle for close to 30 minutes, and saw no black smoke or oil loss.
It tends to lose oil suddenly. .... don't know if we're driving a time bomb that will eventually die out on us.

WOW, we have the same problem with our 1999 Forester, although it's been
going on for about 2-3 years. I think it had about 85,000 miles on it when
this problem started -- now it has about 130,000 on it.

I've had it checked for leaks several times but they're never found
anything. The mechanic suggested an "oil consumption test" -- 1,000 miles
after an oil change, I brought it back to have the level checked -- but he
found that my oil consumption was "normal."

Like yours, our Subaru's oil loss seems sporadic. On average, I replace
about 3 quarts of oil every 8-10 weeks, which is an incredible amount, I
know. In the 1990s, I had a 1972 Dodge Dart Swinger -- 8 cylinders-- that
burned nowhere near that amount despite constant leaks.

If you find a solution, let me know. In the meantime, if our experience is
anything to go by, the oil loss is alarming but not terminal. At least not
yet.

 

[Rob1066]

Hmmmmm.
This sounds familliar to me too!
In fact, after reading this, I checked the oil in my '99 Forester. Down
1.5 quarts! Again, without explaination. This has happened twice before
and started when there were about 80,000 miles on it. Now there are
100,100. I asked the mechanic and he said sometimes a car will burn
more oil than usual without explaination.

 

[Rick Courtright]

100,100. I asked the mechanic and he said sometimes a car will burn
more oil than usual without explaination.

Hi,

Actually, there's ALWAYS an explanation if you can dig deeply enough w/
the right diagnostic tools... here's only ONE of many that might apply:

IF a vehicle's driven only very short distances such that the oil can't
fully heat up and evaporate water (from condensation and combustion),
there can be a buildup of water in the oil pan. It will get churned into
the oil, but won't show on the dipstick as the frothy foam one expects
from a blown HG. One "symptom" is your car "grows" oil... in other
words, it NEVER seems to use any, and OFTEN the level on the stick
rises. I'd think this is a far more common occurrence in cold, damp
climes than the relatively warm, dry environment here in SoCal.

Now, for whatever reason, the vehicle's taken out and driven at high
speeds and for some distance. Everything gets up to temp, that
"milkshake" concoction in the oil pan can't do a very good job of
sealing and lubricating, and it gets burned off rather quickly. The
owner notices the level has dropped dramatically and worries. Often he
tops off the oil, and it "mysteriously" quits using oil. A proper oil
change will generally give the same results.

Perfect example is my '88 Toyota p/u. It was purchased new 12/31/87 by a
senior citizen who drove it until he passed on, and I got it from his
widow on 12/31/05, when it had barely over 63k miles (do the math:
considering brakes and tires (which were at least the second set) were
worn thin, it didn't go very far "per trip!) I got it home, checked all
the fluids, all were "full" and the first night I had it, I had to press
it into "emergency" service for a job in place of the company car. I put
~200 miles on in my normal four hour run, and the next morning, I
rechecked everything. Imagine my chagrin to find the oil 1/3 qt low! I
topped it off again, drove another day or two, then did an oil change.
Since then it's been using about 1 qt/4k miles in the 11k miles I've put
on it in the last five months.

Just one of many similar examples. They might not apply to your car, but
it's something to think about when someone tells you there's "no
explanation!"

Rick

 

[Edward Hayes]

As Rick said there is always a reason. In addition to Ricks comments I
would look for anything that would increase the crankcase pressure.
I'd check the PCV valve and all hoses going to it including the hoses
on each valve cover. Hoses can be pinched or can clogged so make sure
there free flowing. JMTs. Ed

 

[MN]

Hi,

Actually, there's ALWAYS an explanation if you can dig deeply enough w/
the right diagnostic tools... here's only ONE of many that might apply:

IF a vehicle's driven only very short distances such that the oil can't
fully heat up and evaporate water (from condensation and combustion),
there can be a buildup of water in the oil pan. It will get churned into
the oil, but won't show on the dipstick as the frothy foam one expects
from a blown HG. One "symptom" is your car "grows" oil... in other
words, it NEVER seems to use any, and OFTEN the level on the stick
rises. I'd think this is a far more common occurrence in cold, damp
climes than the relatively warm, dry environment here in SoCal.

Now, for whatever reason, the vehicle's taken out and driven at high
speeds and for some distance. Everything gets up to temp, that
"milkshake" concoction in the oil pan can't do a very good job of
sealing and lubricating, and it gets burned off rather quickly. The
owner notices the level has dropped dramatically and worries. Often he
tops off the oil, and it "mysteriously" quits using oil. A proper oil
change will generally give the same results.

Perfect example is my '88 Toyota p/u. It was purchased new 12/31/87 by a
senior citizen who drove it until he passed on, and I got it from his
widow on 12/31/05, when it had barely over 63k miles (do the math:
considering brakes and tires (which were at least the second set) were
worn thin, it didn't go very far "per trip!) I got it home, checked all
the fluids, all were "full" and the first night I had it, I had to press
it into "emergency" service for a job in place of the company car. I put
~200 miles on in my normal four hour run, and the next morning, I
rechecked everything. Imagine my chagrin to find the oil 1/3 qt low! I
topped it off again, drove another day or two, then did an oil change.
Since then it's been using about 1 qt/4k miles in the 11k miles I've put
on it in the last five months.

Just one of many similar examples. They might not apply to your car, but
it's something to think about when someone tells you there's "no
explanation!"

Rick

Beautiful!

There is a plethora of small things or even plain quirks
that can explain why things are happening.

I, for example, have experienced a completely random
increase in oil consumption and slight also random overheating
because of what apperared to be a malfunctioning oil filter.
I cannot even say for sure, as I didn't do a thorough post-mortem
on the dead filter (casual inspection showed visual signs of dislodged
filter media, and something was definetely loose/moving inside the filter-
who knows what?) but putting a new quality filter made the problem
go away.

Big headache, and plenty of worry went away for a
measly $5.00.

MN

 

[Rob1066]

Rick,
This makes perfect sense. I use the car mainly to get to and from work.
That would be six miles, no freeway. When I do have a need, obviously,
I take in on the freeway for much longer distances. The first time I
noticed this was when I went to get gas during a six-hour summer road
trip. This would also explain why that usually right before I get the
oil changed, every 3,000 miles, the dipstick shows completely full.
I've never understood that. Your explaination seems to fit both.
Thanks!