A good morning.

[Hollow]

Out goes the 6k Pennzoil 5w30, in goes 3 quarts of Formula Shell 5w30 and 2 quarts of (2 years old) Pennzoil 5w30. In goes an Auto-RX maintenance dose. Off comes the drain plug, on goes a Fumoto valve. Off comes the Fram Extended Guard, on goes a Purolater PureONE.

Fun times.


And yes, I did overfill my Outback just a little. The manual states 4.2 quarts, she seems to take 4.5 to get to the right line on the amazingly difficult to get a good reading on dipstick. Car typically uses about .5 quarts over a 5-6k OCI, so put in 5 quarts and called it good.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

The DS is just a check on the fill, I would use and stick with the 4 liter sump capacity for drain and refill. One thing that may happen is, if you dont get enough drained during an OC, it would read high with the 4 litres. You'll be fine at 4.5 but I would never go 5qts (as some do - this is just "Void the engine warranty" service manager bait ...)

 

[mechtech2]

I also recommend using the correct amount to fill it given in the manual, NOT the dipstick reading.
It may be annoying and bother you to read a bit low, but it really is your best shot at what is right.

 

[fdcg27]

I put five quarts in mine, and it doesn't have any rod knock or other strange and ominous noises.
What good does the warranty do if Subaru won't fix it for you?

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Yes, please ignore the paragraph in ALL owner's manual that state, 'DO NOT overfill! Overfilling will cause severe engine damage. If Oil is overfilled, remove oil to the correct level immediately. Engine damage caused by overfilling will not be covered by the drivetrain warranty.' More is better! Foam in the oil is a great lubricant (just ask LUCAS). Overloading the PCV system is BEST for any car

 

[cryption]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Yes, please ignore the paragraph in ALL owner's manual that state, 'DO NOT overfill! Overfilling will cause severe engine damage. If Oil is overfilled, remove oil to the correct level immediately. Engine damage caused by overfilling will not be covered by the drivetrain warranty.' More is better! Foam in the oil is a great lubricant (just ask LUCAS). Overloading the PCV system is BEST for any car

I see what you did there ......

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
I put five quarts in mine, and it doesn't have any rod knock or other strange and ominous noises.
What good does the warranty do if Subaru won't fix it for you?


The warranty covers manufacturing defects, not the owner's defects.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
...
What good does the warranty do if Subaru won't fix it for you?
You have a point. But, please know that simultaneous knocking AND running is O.K. and makes for a servicable vehicle + "... you wouldn't hear that noise on the uplevel model that has more sound deadening." Its just not the same as knocking + hole in the block, oil and coolant on the ground. That may be an issue - but we'll have to get S.O.A. zone rep to verify and approve any repair. Just as good faith SOA will pick up half the bill so YOU only owe $4600.00. You say its under warranty? records show you didnt follow the dealer required severe service oil change interval. You say, Its not Winter? You pick ONE service category - you cant go switching back and forth between two service schedules! ... ... ...

 

[ARCOgraphite]

To Clarify, the diatribe in the post above is an excerpt of some my local Subaru service department dialogue ...

 

[Hollow]

So what I seem to be hearing here is that overfilling my engine by about .5 quarts I'm gonna blow it up.

Man, engines must be made of tissue paper or something.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Depends on the engine, the use. Some will tolerate way more overfill than others. What can happen in certain instances with over fill (or hard cornering or steep hillclimbs) is, If the crank, which is spinning furiously, dips into the sump it can churn the oil up into foam, and foam does not circulate well and will kill main and rod big ends under load.
Thats why there is a dip stick and oil levels and a term in the owner's manual oil change section with a big caution ! called: OVERFILL.

 

[fdcg27]

Kind of what I thought.
Never had such a weak engine myself.
I guess I'm not too sharp on maintenace, since I've never had an engine blow up for any reason.
I guess if I had ruined a few engines in normal street use, as has one poster above, I'd be better qualified to comment on how an oil fill should be done.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

2+5=7.
The previous expression is incorrect though, as stated by me, because subaru built my engine with out of tolerance parts

 

[ARCOgraphite]

What is Overfill?
by Tecwan Fuji

Maybe not 1/2 litre,
Maybe not a litre.
Maybe 2 liters.
Surely 3 liters.
_______ _______

 

[fdcg27]

Of course, Arco, that's what I was trying to get across.
Half a quart won't hurt any 4.5 qt engine that I know of.
Incidentally, I do actually feel for you.
I have never had the problems with any vehicle that you have had.
Also, while our Forester might be upmarket of yours, it is very quiet at idle on GC while standing outside the car, where all that interior sound deadening does nothing.
No rod knock, no piston slap, no unpleasant noises.
It may be that we got a good one, or it may be that you got a bad one.

 

[The_Eric]

Just a thought here... Remember that when an engine is running, so is the oil pump. It's busy doing it's job - pumping oil. Do all of you really think that the oil level in the pan is static? No, it'll drop down in use as oil is in/on the crank, galleries and top end. I'd venture to guess that the pan level will drop nearly half way in most engines. So I guess what I'm getting at is if the crank and rods don't hit the oil when first starting the engine before the pump gets pumping good, then it will continue to not hit the oil once running and under way.

I believe that the owner's manual warnings are there to curb excessive overfilling (say by 2,3 or more quarts), which as I'm sure we're all well aware can in fact lead to problems.

 

[bigmike]

I overfilled an engine by 2 quarts once. The plume of white smoke was a fantastic mosquito fogger!

 

[demarpaint]

For years I put 5 qts of oil in my 3.0L Ford sump calling for 4.5 qts. I didn't like 1/2 qt bottles laying around. 190K miles later it still purrs like a kitten. I wouldn't overfill by more than half a qt though. If the sump were smaller I'd think twice about adding the extra half qt.