2004 Subaru WRX oil report - should i worry?

zenit · May 6, 2004

I got these numbers from Blackstone labs. Seems kinda worrying. They said that there was slight coolant contamination of the engine due to high silicone, sodium, potassium numbers and a little moisture. Is there something i should worry about?

Engine - Subaru 2.0 liter turbo 16500 miles
Oil use - 2000 miles
Oil type - Mobil 1 5W30
Oil was used for 4 months during very cold winter
with a lot of cold starts and short trip driving

Aluminum - 11
Chromium - 1
Iron - 22
Copper - 8
Lead - 22
Tin - 4
Molybdenum - 49
Nickel - 0
Manganese - 1
Silver - 0
Titanium - 0
Potassium - 11
Boron - 692
Silicon - 47
Sodium - 49
Calcium - 1768
Magnesium - 13
Phosphorus - 738
Zinc - 836
Barium - 1

SUS Viscocity @ 210F - 54.9
Flashpoint F - 295
Fuel % - 3.5
Antifreeze % - ?
Water % - TR
Insolubles % - 2

Pablo · May 6, 2004

I would do all the usual engine and coolant leak tests.....these numbers are not good at all for a subie with 2000 miles on the oil...

jason07-1zzfe · May 6, 2004

2% insolubles? Hello sludge. Yes I'd be worried. Get that coolant leak fixed ASAP.

bigpaulo · May 7, 2004

Do you have any previous used oil analyses you can also share?

It may be possible that everything is trending down on a relatively new engine... although I'd agree, for a Subaru, these numbers are uncharacteristically discouraging.

zenit · May 7, 2004

no, this is the first oil analysis i've sent in. I'm gonna try to bring it in next week to get check for coolant issues and i'll send another sample in for analysis.
I have no idea how the sample was taken. I took it to a dealership and just asked them to do it and could not watch them do it. So i guess cross-contamination could be possible.

Terry · May 7, 2004

zenit, get the car into the shop ASAP. You are going to trash this engine soon if a bearing isn't about to fry. The M1 is about toasted too.

You are glycoled and fuel diluted terribly.

Consider our services in the future.

Cheap insurance.

Terry

zenit · May 7, 2004

i wont be able to get the car into the shop till next week and i have a 400 mile trip to make this weekend. This is also my only car so I dont have any other choice. Would it be safe or not?

427Z06 · May 7, 2004

Maybe you want to consider renting a car for the weekend trip?

Terry · May 7, 2004

NOT. Don't drive this thing.

Tones · May 7, 2004

Wow, where did that Boron come from? Is that a typo? Viscocity diluted to a 20w.

zenit · May 7, 2004

the problem is that i am graduating from college this weekend and leaving a car here is not an option for me as i have to get out...What could happen during the drive?

chucky2 · May 7, 2004

I know this is not conventional advice, but based on how spotty the work is at from so many stealerships...

Maybe it would be better if you drove it until it nuked itself?

Seriously - Sube has a mechanic tear into it to replace just what is broken and you eat the wear that's already occured on your brand new ride, or...You let the engine consume itself and get a brand new one.

Just something to think about...

(Guess the question is: Will it nuke itself under warranty or not? = Risk for you)

Chuck

zenit · May 7, 2004

well i dont want to drive around in a car which i know has a problem. But based on this data would it be possible for me to demand a new engine for my car right now?
What would be the extent of wear that already occured if lets say this problem persisted for 8k or so miles?
Other than that the car runs great. Does not consume any oil and gas milage has been well above average for this model. I also looked at exhsaust fumes today when the car was cold and they looked normal.

Paul · May 7, 2004

For some reason I don't think the sample was taken while the oil was flowing out of your engine.

More likely than not, the mechanic forgot to take the sample and last second had to cover his a** by getting the oil from some dirty pan.

Just my opinnion. Good luck with whatever you decide.

-Paul

Ken4 · May 7, 2004

If it is a coolant leak, it will really be quite obvious. Just monitor the coolant level and measure out coolant loss per X amount of miles. If you've never had to top up coolant before or coolant level has never moved, it's very likely sampling error.

[ May 07, 2004, 08:08 PM: Message edited by: Ken4 ]

mdv · May 7, 2004

I think Subaru just put out a TSB on leaking head gaskets. Not sure if it applies to this motor or not. Might be worth mentioning to the dealer and see what they come up with.

Last_Z · May 7, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by zenit:
well i dont want to drive around in a car which i know has a problem. But based on this data would it be possible for me to demand a new engine for my car right now?
What would be the extent of wear that already occured if lets say this problem persisted for 8k or so miles?
Other than that the car runs great. Does not consume any oil and gas milage has been well above average for this model. I also looked at exhsaust fumes today when the car was cold and they looked normal.

Well, you have gotten invaluable professional advise.........for free and you still choose to ignore it. Go ahead and drive the 400 mile trip....it ain't my car!

Pablo · May 7, 2004

I wouldn't drive the car for the reason it may go catastrophic OTOH chucky2 makes a good point....

but if you insist, change the oil mid trip....

Either way, I'm not yelling at you, I'm just curious how this comes out....so to speak...

Chris B. · May 8, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by Last_Z:

quote:

Originally posted by zenit:
well i dont want to drive around in a car which i know has a problem. But based on this data would it be possible for me to demand a new engine for my car right now?
What would be the extent of wear that already occured if lets say this problem persisted for 8k or so miles?
Other than that the car runs great. Does not consume any oil and gas milage has been well above average for this model. I also looked at exhsaust fumes today when the car was cold and they looked normal.

Click to expand...

Well, you have gotten invaluable professional advise.........for free and you still choose to ignore it. Go ahead and drive the 400 mile trip....it ain't my car!

YEP!

Durrr · May 9, 2004

thats a scary UOA, I wouldn't even start the thing if I got that kind of analysis back.

2004 Subaru WRX oil report - should i worry?

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