Oil for 03 Forester

[buster]

Right now I have bulke Pennzoil in the Forester. 5w30. I previously had Mobil 1 High Mileage in the engine. Does anyone think Mobil 1 0w40 is a good fit for a high mileage Sub?

I'm thinking of using the following:

1. Mobil 1 High Mileage
2. Mobil 1 0w40
3. Stick with Pennzoil bulk 5w30.


The engine has 134k on it now. Mobil 1 0w40 is a really nice viscosity and has a nice VI. Leaning towards that.

 

[79sunrunner]

I'd stick with the 30 weight oils, maybe try 0w30 since you live in New Jersey. Not like 0w30 vs 0/40 is a huge difference in cold weather, but Mobil 1 0w30 or maybe just plain synthetic 5w30 would be ok. I'm sure you already knew that, I get bored of using the same oil after awhile, but I don't think there is a reason for 0w40.

 

[buster]

^ thanks, I may do that. I forgot about Mobil 1 0w30.

 

[2James1]

Of the ones you have listed I would go with Mobil 1 High Mileage in the 5w30 weight. You used it previously and must've liked it. Excellent oil. 0w-40 is even thicker and thicker than needed.

 

[QuietPortage]

Originally Posted By: 2James1
Of the ones you have listed I would go with Mobil 1 High Mileage in the 5w30 weight. You used it previously and must've liked it. Excellent oil. 0w-40 is even thicker and thicker than needed.

I concur.

 

[SatinSilver]

Where are you getting the Pennzoil bulk oil from? Iffy Lube or something?

 

[ARCOgraphite]

having had 7 subarus, the older (09) EJ liked something between a 30 and a 40 grade to keep the piston racket down. I used to mix the previous formula Mobil MC5K 5w30 with 1 qt of their 10w40(API-SM) to curb consumption and racket.

If the engine isnt too rackety on the 30 just stay with it.

That enghine is truly easy on oil - Dry timing system, no hydraulic tappets, roller cam follower rockers witghh jam nut - no pushrods, moly coated piston skirts and a high volume oil pump.

I was liking the ej better than the new FB chain motor on a stick car. Sticky and noisy complex TC and VVT system on the FB - the "VTEC" on the '09 EJ worked well for getting high around town mileage with the 5 speed.

 

[buster]

^ Thanks Arco.

 

[05LGTLtd]

Mobil 1 0w-40 represents an amazing value for an off the shelf oil and as you know, it is highly touted/respected around here on bitog. It might be a tad heavy for winter use, but summers I'd run it in an 03 forester. If you want to get fancy you could always cut it wit TMCO 0w-20 like many on this board have following caterhams example.

I'm running GC in the 09 Fozz and it seems to like it well enough. As long as I can keep stocked during BOGO sales I plan on staying that course.

 

[05LGTLtd]

On second thought, if you really want to run the Mobil 1 0w-40 year round, it would probably be fine straight. It's not like your in Casper Wy or Bangor. I'm sure theres someone out there running T6 in a Subaru in colder ambients than you will see. It's probably overkill, but don't think it will have much downside.

If you want a high quality OTC 5w30 I like PU. Many walmarts have disc, but not all. As stated, this engine is pretty easy on oil, so there are lots of choices that would get you good results. Napa 5w30 synthetic is 3.49/qt right now, and it should run a 7500oci in that engine no problem. if that gets you through to spring, then you could run the Mobil 1 0w-40 for the warm half of the year.

 

[Hollow]

My Outback (same engine as you) seems to like plain old Pennzoil Conventional 5w30. And by like, I mean it is quieter once it is up to temp. Perhaps the dose of Moly Pennzoil Conventional has these days?

That being said, my defaults unless I cross an epic sale are Pennzoil Conventional or Quaker State Ultimate Durability in the 5w30 flavor.

 

[webfors]

If it's not burning oil (well more than expected in a ej25) and cold start performance is desired AFE 0w30 is a nice fit.

MRV @ -40:

0w30 = 13,000
0w40 = 30,000

Big difference IMO.

 

[y_p_w]

For the longest time, Subaru would still specify 10W-40 as an alternate oil even when 5w30 was "preferred". The 2003 owners manual actually stops at ambient temps of 100 deg F for 5w30. Of course this doesn't necessarily take into account an API SN motor oil which is likely to be superior to the API SJ/SL oils that were accounted for in the recommendations.

They also have alternate specs for 30, 40, 10W-50 (never seen that), 20W-40, and 20W-50 for extremely hot ambient temps or towing.

Quote:
http://techinfo.subaru.com/proxy/69550/pdf/ownerManual/069550_2003_Forester/MSA5M0304A_19.pdf

If the vehicle is used in desert areas, in areas with very
high temperatures, or used for heavy-duty applica-
tions such as towing a trailer, use of oil with the follow-
ing grade and viscosities is recommended.

API classification SL or SJ:

SAE viscosity No.:
30, 40, 10W-50, 20W-40, 20W-50

I know for my 2004 WRX, the recommendation is 5w30 with no upper limit ambient temp specified. I actually used a conventional 10w30 from the first oil change to about 7500 miles.

 

[05LGTLtd]

Originally Posted By: Hollow
...

That being said, my defaults unless I cross an epic sale are Pennzoil Conventional or Quaker State Ultimate Durability in the 5w30 flavor.


Quaker State Ultimate Durability is $19.99 at AAP with a Driveworks filter. If you have an another older car, then use the filter on that or if you know someone with a beater, just give them the filter. (If you don't know all the specs just take the most expensive one and they can exchange it later.) If you sign up at the QS site there is supossedly a rebate with makes this a FAR deal.

 

[fdcg27]

Our '09 Forester has the same engine as your '03.
I've used Quaker State Conventional 10w40 on a 3K run after dumping the FF at 1K, Quaker State Torque Power 10w30, German Castrol, Valvoline VR1 Synthetic 10w30 (FAR) as well as Synpower in 5w30 and 10w30. It has GC in it at the moment.
I honestly can't see any difference in how the engine sounds among these oils.
I posted a used oil analysis of 5K on Synpower SM. TBN was hit pretty badly.
used oil analysis from various engines of Synpower SN do look more impresive, though.
I don't think that this engines needs Mobil 1 0W-40, but it is a deal at Walmart and it certainly wouldn't hurt the engine.
Subraru recommended 10W-40 down to about -4F and Mobil 1 0W-40 would likely have better cold temperature properties than would a typical 10W-40.

 

[buster]

Thanks.

I ended up going with Mobil 1 0w30.

Btw, the interior of my 03 is better than the new 2014 in terms of build quality/fit/finish. IMO. The new Forester is a much better vehicle, but I like the interior material quality better. It seems Subaru is using a bit more plastic these days then they once did, like quite a few Japanese cars.

 

[05LGTLtd]

I had an 02 and the wife had a 98. Our 2010 is much more comfortable and better interior space. One of the first things I noticed was the gearing has been optimized for economy, and almost all of the low end grunt was gone. Subaru has never really been able to put together a decent interior in the forester/impreza... You'd think they would try a bit harder when the continually get dinged on reviews for interior build quality. Some trims of the legacy are better, and they got quality right on the tribeca, but not my style.

 

[buster]

Yeah I've accepted the fact that Subaru is uh, unique on the design end. LOL. I regret ignoring the brand 10 years ago when I was driving in upstate NY a lot.

Interior fit/finish i guess is somewhat subjective, but my car, surprisingly, feels more solid. Make no mistake, the new one is a superior car, but you can see some noticeable corner cutting on the newer models.

We had some heavy t-storms about 2-3 weeks ago and it was fun trying to get the Forester to spin it's wheels. I couldn't do it. Only for a split second when turning. CVT though. Great transmission btw.

 

[webfors]

Originally Posted By: buster
Yeah I've accepted the fact that Subaru is uh, unique on the design end. LOL. I regret ignoring the brand 10 years ago when I was driving in upstate NY a lot.

Interior fit/finish i guess is somewhat subjective, but my car, surprisingly, feels more solid. Make no mistake, the new one is a superior car, but you can see some noticeable corner cutting on the newer models.

We had some heavy t-storms about 2-3 weeks ago and it was fun trying to get the Forester to spin it's wheels. I couldn't do it. Only for a split second when turning. CVT though. Great transmission btw.


Agreed, she sticks to the road like glue

I love the generation of forester I have (08). Especially the frameless doors, simple and practical interior, everything I need in a car. I'm not a big fan of flashy interiors. The latest forester has a nice interior because it toned it down IMO.