Just picked up a 2009 non-turbo Subaru Forrester five speed manual. What do you guys recommend for oil Rotella T6 540 Mobil 1 ESP 0w30 or Mobil 1 0w40. Mileage on chassis is 323k rebuild engine has 40-50k on it. Drive train fluids I’m going to use all RL. Coolant whatever Subaru uses. And add a bottle of RL water wetter.
New 2009 Subaru Forrester
- Thread starter Bullwinkle007
- Start date
Mobil 1 ESP 0W30 will serve you well year round and may get you better fuel economy than one of those Xw40 products.
The EJ253 likes an XW40 or a 0W30 EURO. I run Castrol 0w30 Euro in my 253, it is a very quiet oil in this engine.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
Stay away from “Brotella.”
Get Euro 0W30 or 40 like Trav said.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
.
Although Rotella T6 is popular with Subarus, another good choice is Pennzoil Platinum Euro L at Walmart, or any other Euro oil including Mobil 1 0w40.
Motul Gear 300 is the only thing you should use in a Subaru manual transmission. Some people don't like the RL 75w90NS for it. The rear diff can use any 75w90 GL5
I think they switched to blue coolant by then, so Zerex Asian Blue is a good choice for coolant
Bars Leaks HG-1 head gasket sealer is good stuff, and it works. People have had good results with Blue Devil Pour-N-Go as well.
Motul Gear 300 is the only thing you should use in a Subaru manual transmission. Some people don't like the RL 75w90NS for it. The rear diff can use any 75w90 GL5
I think they switched to blue coolant by then, so Zerex Asian Blue is a good choice for coolant
Bars Leaks HG-1 head gasket sealer is good stuff, and it works. People have had good results with Blue Devil Pour-N-Go as well.
Not the Brotella!
@Glenda W. has a great oil consumption report. I'd read it as a cautionary tale.
I would strongly recommend Valvoline Restore and Protect 5W-30, Mobil 1 ESP 0W-30, HPL (any--they're all good), or AMSOIL Signature Series.
Do you burn any oil presently? (You may not know I guess if you just picked it up.)
Thank you guys for the reply. I think I will try the 0/30 first. As to the one that asked about burning oil, the previous owner said it didn’t.
NA Subarus are not picky about oil. 0W-40 always worked great in mine. You might be short a quart or enough for 2.5 changes with T6 it is good but usually comes in 1 or 2.5 gallon jugs. Plenty of people run whatever brown and slippery with a 30 on it is on sale without a problem. Remember, this is not a race car, just a grocery getter that's fun to drive.
Last edited:
I use Mobil 1 ESP 0w30 in my Acura J35. I really like it performs. The first few oil changes, it was getting dark quick. I change it every 3k with it being a DI engine.
I’m going with Valvoline Restore and Protect @3k OCI for a few of them, then switch to a euro oil. Do these engines really need the higher levels of ZDDP in 0/40 vs 0/30?
I think that's a good plan. I wouldn't switch away from it until you are sure you aren't burning oil and the inside looks cleaned up through the fill hole. Mobil 1 ESP 0W-30 is a great choice.
I rebuilt mine in 2006 Outback at 379k. Virtually no visible wear on bearings, lots of ring carbon even with 3-4k synthetic changes. What these engines need is ring cleanliness
Although Rotella T6 is popular with Subarus, another good choice is Pennzoil Platinum Euro L at Walmart, or any other Euro oil including Mobil 1 0w40.
Motul Gear 300 is the only thing you should use in a Subaru manual transmission. Some people don't like the RL 75w90NS for it. The rear diff can use any 75w90 GL5
I think they switched to blue coolant by then, so Zerex Asian Blue is a good choice for coolant
Bars Leaks HG-1 head gasket sealer is good stuff, and it works. People have had good results with Blue Devil Pour-N-Go as well.
I'm late to the party here, but...
I'll second the Gear 300. However, it does take a bit for the fluid to warm up and can be quite notchy when cold. Changed mine to Gear 300 last week and for the first time ever I've ground and missed 2nd gear twice this week
Or, likely a skill issue
what octane fuel do you use? 87, 89 or 91/93. I’ve heard from others and some say you should run mid-premium
87 for most its life. For a while I was using 93 non ethanol and it seemed to like that. In summer if I hear any spark knock that is persistent at all, it gets higher octane.
Similar threads
- Locked
- Locked
- Locked
