Hi folks, I've lurked here in the past when I was looking for info on my old Jeep Wrangler.
I'm delurking to get some opinions on this Subaru Baja I just purchased.
Stats: ~70,000 miles. Manual transmission. EXCELLENT condition (as far as I can tell). Looks like it HAD to be garaged most of the time -- paint is perfect, not even a shopping cart ding. The engine is clean as a whistle. The dealer told me the previous owner used to tow it behind his RV so who knows how many of those miles are "legit" miles. The paperwork I found in the glovebox shows it had a recommended 60K maintainance tune-up (non-dealership). It seems the last oil change was about 3000 miles ago at some Jiffy Lube type of place.
I live in South Florida (read: freaking HOT), and my daily commute is only about a mile each way, so most of my driving will be short trips, apart from slightly longer trips on the weekend. I don't do much long-distance driving these days.
Of course, I'm wondering what all is going on in the engine, and for peace of mind, I'd like to do whatever I can to get it in tip-top shape. It seems that many people recommend Rotella T(6?) for the Subies. I wonder if PP or PU would be suitable as well...?
What I'm thinking: throw some MMO in there for 500 miles, then use a gentle Amsoil engine flush when in comes time for the oil change. Fill with Rotella (5w-40?). I have some leftover AutoRX (original forumula) from my previous Jeep, so I was thinking of using that for the recommended cycles/miles. Then, Amsoil engine flush again, and refill with a good synthetic (PP)?
I'm by no means a mechanic so feel free to pick this apart.
As far as the oil filter, the threads here seem to indicate there is no good aftermarket option -- that the blue Honeywell/Fram OEM filter is the way to go.
For the differential, the manual recommends the standard GL5 75w90 or straight 90. I'm thinking of using Redline, since Redline treated me well in my Jeep.
Where I'm a little confused is in the choice of (manual) transmission fluid. Again, the manual recommends a GL5 75w90, but I read something on this forum about the GL5's with the LSD additives being problematic. Could use some help on that one.
Thanks,
Eric
I'm delurking to get some opinions on this Subaru Baja I just purchased.
Stats: ~70,000 miles. Manual transmission. EXCELLENT condition (as far as I can tell). Looks like it HAD to be garaged most of the time -- paint is perfect, not even a shopping cart ding. The engine is clean as a whistle. The dealer told me the previous owner used to tow it behind his RV so who knows how many of those miles are "legit" miles. The paperwork I found in the glovebox shows it had a recommended 60K maintainance tune-up (non-dealership). It seems the last oil change was about 3000 miles ago at some Jiffy Lube type of place.
I live in South Florida (read: freaking HOT), and my daily commute is only about a mile each way, so most of my driving will be short trips, apart from slightly longer trips on the weekend. I don't do much long-distance driving these days.
Of course, I'm wondering what all is going on in the engine, and for peace of mind, I'd like to do whatever I can to get it in tip-top shape. It seems that many people recommend Rotella T(6?) for the Subies. I wonder if PP or PU would be suitable as well...?
What I'm thinking: throw some MMO in there for 500 miles, then use a gentle Amsoil engine flush when in comes time for the oil change. Fill with Rotella (5w-40?). I have some leftover AutoRX (original forumula) from my previous Jeep, so I was thinking of using that for the recommended cycles/miles. Then, Amsoil engine flush again, and refill with a good synthetic (PP)?
I'm by no means a mechanic so feel free to pick this apart.
As far as the oil filter, the threads here seem to indicate there is no good aftermarket option -- that the blue Honeywell/Fram OEM filter is the way to go.
For the differential, the manual recommends the standard GL5 75w90 or straight 90. I'm thinking of using Redline, since Redline treated me well in my Jeep.
Where I'm a little confused is in the choice of (manual) transmission fluid. Again, the manual recommends a GL5 75w90, but I read something on this forum about the GL5's with the LSD additives being problematic. Could use some help on that one.
Thanks,
Eric