2015 - 16k miles - oil light came on..
 

After work I started it up cold(25), nothing un normal and than after a minute the light came on. I turned it off and checked the oil (you could barely see it..) so it sits at work until tomorrow..

But I'm looking for advice, because I did the last oil change at 12k and its not suppose to need one untill 18k, it shouldn't be ANY WHERE NEAR this low. I checked it thru 50 miles to 10k when I stopped because it didn't change.

So my question is.. Should I just fill it up and watch it ?
Or not touch it, call roadside and get it towed to the dealership to find out why?

What you talking about, fill it up! :confused0068: The death light came on >__> that means it's serious. Then take the car to dealer right away & tell them how it was... :mad0260:



PS: You should check oil lv of the car once every month or 2 & after long trips. (check more often if you redline it alot)

Yikes. That's awful.

1. Did you verify the level after the last oil change?

2. Do you see any leaks/puddles?

Yes I did and no there wasn't... 5.5 qt, can this car legit burn thru that in 4k miles?

Max acceptable consumption is 1.1qt/600mi so, although unusual, it's still within spec.

Do you drive it hard? High revs when cold? Not judging, just hoping to be helpful. It may not be catastrophic.

No, I make sure not to do anything above 3k when cold. Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnn this sucks

On side note.. How likely is it that I did damage to my engine? Or I'm good since I turned it off?

Well, don't freak. First, good job not beating the shit out of it. That's a big plus.

There are a couple directions you could go.

Detailed approach:
You need a fresh start because the leftovers are toast. You can have it trailered to a shop for another oil change. Ask to have the remainder saved in a clean container. Send it off for a used oil analysis to have it checked for contamination. Explain the situation so the analyst knows what to look for.

If you take it to a real shop to have the oil changed they can test the oil pressure. If it's ok, just drive it like normal. Have the oil tested at the next change to look for a trend.


Fuck-it approach:
Fill it with oil now. Drive it. Listen for noises. No noises? Cool. Get the oil changed again because you want to get rid of the leftover shit mixed with your fresh oil.

Call it good. It's probably what I would do.

See my previous. Tough call. Years ago I had a friend who thought the oil light was an indicator to add a quart. She drove her Tercel like that for a loooong time. I only found out what she had been doing after she asked me to look at her car because it was knocking badly. -___-

Shit happens. It's just an engine.

2015 - 16k miles - oil light came on..
 

1.1qt/600 miles??? Dang >.> that's some amazing spec.... >.> I guess I need to pay attention more as the car ages, I noticed it's burning oil faster then before.

Mind if I ask a thing? Am I suppose to check oil when the engine is cold or when it's hot?


Op you shouldn't have to worry that much cuz atleast you weren't gunning it when the light came on. A friend of mine use to drive his Honda "race car" till the oil light comes & then... "fill" all the time. But that's a Honda....💦 so don't quote me on it. 💦


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People on here said wait 5 minutes after driving (hot) to check oil and other fluids. That's what I've been doing since getting the car... hope that's correct lol

Thanks! That's good to know cuz I know oil lv drops once the car is running. So it's really confusing @ times.

How much do you fill btw? I alway try to stay between 2 dots. But I heard you can just fill to the top line? 😅


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Same here, I top up between the two dots and call it good. Engine hasn't blown up yet. :bonk:

1.1/600 miles? No way. That's freakin insane! You sure it's not 6000, or 60,000? Even 6000 sounds like quite a bit. This thing isn't a rotary

I agree that is horseshit!


Where did that turn up?


So for a 5000 mile gap between oil changes it is within spec to lose 9.1 quarts... Got it!


I have 35,000 miles and have never lost ANY oil that is even detectable on the dipstick.

My engine burns no measureable amount of oil. I always get 5 quarts plus some change when I drain and always put 5+ quarts back in.

Its kind of crazy the amount of oil burn that is acceptable. 1.1qt/600mi is 11qt between 6000mi oil changes. At that point, there is no such thing as an oil change, just replace a filter and keep on going, your oil will never get old or dirty.

1.1qt/600mi. It's right there. :sign0012:

You may have been sarcastic but for our regular viewers, I'm still going to respond with a correction.

Top it off. I can hear my engine complain when it's a third down from full. Yes, anywhere between the dots is considered acceptable. YMMV.

If you don't drain the old shit, the anti-corrosive properties are diluted. Also you are forever mixing new with the contaminated, compromised (sheared) old. But hey, it's your engine.

Mine burns about 1qt/4Kmi so, again, YMMV. Just keep checking that dipstick.

http://i.imgur.com/7hh4WZX.gif

Still seems stupid and CYA on Subaru's part.

FWIW, my engine burns just about NO oil. I went several thousand miles without checking (I park underground in a spot on the sloped ramp at home, so every time I think to check it, I can't) and it was still at the full line.

"Keep in mind that the oil may have become diluted"
WTF? If my oil is "diluted" to the point where it reflects quantity on the dip stick I have bigger issues to deal with!

OP.

Sounds like you did your own oil change. Did you keep the receipts? If you checked the oil after the change and now it's low. Either it is leaking: filter? oil drain plug or your engine is burning oil. Newer engines tend to burn a little oil (rings not fully seated), but your car seems to be broken in already.

I would add more oil. Check the level. Drive a little and recheck. No issues .... good. Oil keeps going down .... get your receipts and head to the dealership.

Understood. However didnt your Bullshit alarm go off when you read that?
If your engine is using 1.1 quarts for every 600 miles.....


Your engine is fucking broken.



In an 84 Suburban with 250,000 miles I would STILL be concerned that there is something wrong.


My BRZ has absolutely ZERO discernible oil consumption.
So I would consider 1 quart in 5000 miles to be excessive.

You are correct, there was some sarcasm.

Regardless, 1qt/600mi would piss me off royally in a brand new car. What did they gap the rings with, a quarter? That's rotary levels of oil burn.

Bullshit alarm, broken engine and all other considerations aside that is the Subaru spec in very clear black and white. If the dealer wanted to be a **** they could argue repairs since that is the official max permissible loss.
I am however with you in that if I lost a quart in 5,000 miles I would be concerned.

I previously had a Toyota that drank about 1 quart/2000 miles at 45K miles. No leaks and perfect compression. 100% within specification.

Was I concerned? Yes. Did I feel like shelling out money out of pocket for a rebuild on a motor that was within specification? No. I just kept a quart in the car at all times, and checked my levels periodically.

Keep a log of when you add oil, and if it gets worse, present your findings to the dealer. Does it suck? Yeah, but you've got powertrain coverage until 60K miles.

Welcome to Subaru ownership. As much as I laugh at the guys who endlessly lament that this doesn't have a Toyota I4 in it, they have a point.

Search 'Subaru oil consumption' and enjoy reading the articles and class action lawsuits and forum posts.

:burnrubber:

Some of us are ok with it, we signed up for owning a small production budget sports car and these are the things that come with it.

More recently, Toyota had a serious oil consumption problem with the 2AZ-FE, and my buddies have had oil consumption issues in 4AGE cars. It's not just a Subaru thing.

Or you can use your Subaru roadside assistance to have the car towed home, order a sampling kit from Blackstone (free) and do all that yourself. Catch the oil in the sample bottle as it drains, not from the contaminated drain pan you use (which is where a shop would likely dip for your sample). Be sure to indicate on your oil sample report that you took the sample cold, so they know to adjust for condensation. If you can't wait for the sample kit to arrive before getting the car back on the road, you can catch the sample in some other CLEAN, dry plastic or glass container that you can seal, then transfer it to the sample bottle once it arrives. I would email or call Blackstone for suggestions on what to use.

Put the oil sample double bottle in a padded envelope and send it via any method OTHER than USPS, because they suck hippo balls and will quarantine your sample for a month while they try to pull their heads out of their rectums to figure out that the container is not hazardous material. I usually send mine UPS Ground, but you may want to expedite yours to get your results faster.

You can do that yourself also. You can pick up a manual oil pressure test kit from Harbor Freight for $25 (or $20 with their 20% off coupon). It has a six foot hose on it so you can read the pressure while sitting in the car and can turn it off quickly if you have no pressure. You can either pull the oil pressure switch and put the manual fitting in its place, or there's a plug in the oil gallery on top of the engine next to the A/C compressor you can tap into if you want to be able to see both the manual gauge and the warning on your dash if you suspect the switch to be bad.

Probably easier to let a shop do all this, but it's not entirely necessary.

The manual says to check it at operating temp five minutes after shutdown. You wait five minutes to allow oil to drain back into the oil pan. HOWEVER, if your oil pressure light is on like the OP, you don't want to start it up to see how much is in it. In that instance just check it cold.

Which is one reason I send an oil sample off at every oil change. If you're burning the same volume of oil as the water going into it from a cracked head, you may not realize there's a problem. Modern oil doesn't turn milky the way it did 30 years ago when you get coolant in it.

My Cherokee had one of Chrysler's defective heads that cracked, and my Gladiator has an engine-driven mechanical fuel pump that will fill the crankcase with gasoline if the diaphragm inside ruptures. I'm used to just sending off samples as a standard part of the maintenance process.

I suspect that's not included in there for the new cars. That's in there for when someone has been dogging the shit out of it for a few years and has started to burn oil, and they start wondering how much is too much. I'm at 49K now and still don't see any drop between changes.

2015 - 16k miles - oil light came on..
 

Wait, so new engine is suppose to burn more oil? >.>

Mine barely burns any when new... Now it's burning more... Totaled with Bad seal I guess. :bonk:

I should have believe the Internet & red line all the line for that maximum seal during break-in. 😛


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Oh, yeah. BS for sure but on my one HPDE session 2 summers ago I went through 8oz. Normally it doesn't use any but I like to crank the wheel hard over from time to time. A little bit doesn't surprise me and I was probably a bit generous with my estimate, Just like Subie probably was with theirs. ;)

Its a good way to not have to warranty engines that burn oil hahahaha!

Hey, good call with the roadside assistance. I linked to Blackstone because you guys all use it. I haven't yet but will soon. Just installed my fumoto valve. :D

OP doesn't strike me as the DIY type, at least not yet. Let us be gentle with the young grasshopper. :thumbsup:


Oh, and I'll restate my agreement with you guys that the published acceptable usage does smack of BS in a 21st century engine but, meh, like Strat said, #subielyfeyo.

In the light of the day?....

OP look what i came across online O.o
@Ultramaroon @Tcoat @extrashaky @Luftwaffel @WGMGR @soulreapersteve @Ashikabi @justatroll @Nickosport @strat61caster @go_a_way1 @jawn @Stang70Fastback @Braces


Subaru Settles Oil Burning Class Action Lawsuit


http://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-s...ction-lawsuit/

I don't think it includes us.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...suit/12859865/

"The suit seeks to represent buyers of 2011-14 Foresters, the 2013 Legacy and 2013 Outback, all with 2.5-liter "Boxer" engines; and the 2012-13 Impreza and 2013 Crosstrek, with 2-liter "Boxer" engines."

Meh. Just check your oil. Once upon a time the conventional wisdom was to check your oil every time you pulled into a gas station. People actually carried extra cans and a spout in the trunk, and they remembered to punch the air hole in the other side so it would flow without excessive glugging.

That class action is for the FB series engine, not FA.

Which was an absolute bitch when you didn't need a full quart. It was not uncommon to just let it keep getting lower until you needed more than a quart so you wouldn't have the hassle of an open can. Mind you the engines that were around when oil was in cans were far more tolerant of low oil then engines today. They also burned and blew more oil out though so sometimes the wait for a quart wasn't long.
I was amazed and overjoyed the first time I saw oil in a resealable plastic container!

We carried "oil saver" snap-on can tops and made sure the cans were wedged upright in the trunk next to the mandatory tool box containing extra belts, a cap and rotor and points.

But when they first came out, they were in round bottles with the spout in the middle, so that you needed a funnel, and they glugged worse than a can without a hole punched in it. It's taken for granted now, but we were overjoyed when we got those rectangular bottles with the spout on one side so that they pour smoothly. It irritates me now when I see someone try to pour one of those from the wrong side of the bottle. I want to scream, "DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT WE WENT THROUGH TO GET THAT FOR YOU!!!!"

So which side is the right side to poor from?