changing oil on 98 forester and...

[glasceus]

i read somewhere in the manual or on a message board that the 98
forester engine needs to have a specific amount of oil in it or it will
have problems. namely if it has too much it will go bad. my question
is, should i take the forester to my local mechanic to get the oil
changed or should i go to the subaru dealer? any thoughts or past
problems with oil changes?

and i also just bought this 98 forester with 130k miles from a used car
dealer, i have no records of service on the car. the car is running
fine and all the fluids look good. should i get it fully tuned up and
get the timing belt changed? is there a way to tell if the timing belt
has been changed recently or how long its been in there? thanks

 

[Edward Hayes]

Nothing special about the amount of oil. Like ALL internal combustion
engines there is a maximum and minimum level for safe operation.
Anyone with any mechanical ability should be able to change your oil.
As to the timing belt!!! The change interval is 105,000 miles and it
is an interference engine. If your belt breaks it will cause much
engine damage. If you can't find any references as to weather the belt
has been changed then I would change it. You can go to www.subaru.com
with the VIN number and see if any dealer has changed it as it will be
on record I believe. Good driving. Ed

 

[Bugalugs]

Nothing special about the amount of oil. Like ALL internal combustion
engines there is a maximum and minimum level for safe operation.
Anyone with any mechanical ability should be able to change your oil.
As to the timing belt!!! The change interval is 105,000 miles and it
is an interference engine. If your belt breaks it will cause much
engine damage. If you can't find any references as to weather the belt
has been changed then I would change it. You can go to www.subaru.com
with the VIN number and see if any dealer has changed it as it will be
on record I believe. Good driving. Ed

Local mechanic's practice has been to use a sharp instrument
(screwdriver?) to scratch on the plastic belt shroud just below the oil
filler, the milage and date that the belt was changed.