Oil recomendation for subaru burning and making oil dirty

My Accord does something similar. It burns a quart every 1k and it gets dark very quickly. I assume there is some blowby and oil control ring issues causing the burning. Given the mileage of my engine, it does not really concern me. I change the oil per the OLM and just top off as needed. I've used many different types of oils and viscosities and nothing matters. In my experience, HM oils help for leaks but not much for burning, FWIW.
New oem pcv valve may help but I think you already did that based on previous posts. Some 5w30 Maxlife Red bottle may help. Others on here have reported better results with it. Maybe even put in a quart of 10w40 Maxlife to slightly thicken the fill. WM sells it for 4 a quart.
 
New oem pcv valve may help but I think you already did that based on previous posts. Some 5w30 Maxlife Red bottle may help. Others on here have reported better results with it. Maybe even put in a quart of 10w40 Maxlife to slightly thicken the fill. WM sells it for 4 a quart.

Or just try 0W-40 European Formula and see how your engine runs on it. It's got a nice detergents and dispersants package as well ;) Can be found cheaper than most premium ILSAC oils at Walmart.
 
New oem pcv valve may help but I think you already did that based on previous posts. Some 5w30 Maxlife Red bottle may help. Others on here have reported better results with it. Maybe even put in a quart of 10w40 Maxlife to slightly thicken the fill. WM sells it for 4 a quart.

Yep, I've already replaced the PCV valve. I've tried just about every oil in it with no change, including MaxLife syn, Pennzoil Platinum HM, Pennzoil Ultra, etc. I've also tried 20 and 30 grades with no discernable difference. Fairly confident it is just the rings. Had the same issue with my old Scion.
 
.... Fairly confident it is just the rings. Had the same issue with my old Scion.
You must have missed my post. Look up the TSB Honda has out for this specific issue. Unfortunately the cylinders will be scored.

if it was mine and the car was solid I would perform a hone with a re-ring - and hope for the best. This can be done in car I might guess. I would only try this "shortcut" If the scoring is shallower than 5mils; if worse the block would have to be bored, requiring new pistons. Not an expensive job other than the motor R&R labour. If you can do it yourself, it'll be worth it, I bet.
 
You must have missed my post. Look up the TSB Honda has out for this specific issue. Unfortunately the cylinders will be scored.
if it was mine and the car was solid I would perform a hone with a re-ring - and hope for the best. This can be done in car I might guess. I would only try this "shortcut" If the scoring is shallower than 5mils; if worse the block would have to be bored, requiring new pistons. Not an expensive job other than the motor R&R labour. If you can do it yourself, it'll be worth it, I bet.
Subaru engines are wide and flat. Heads have to comd
 
As a Subaru guy, I would recommend a high mileage conventional in a 10w30 or 10w40 flavor. Roll the interval back to 3k miles. I wouldn’t run Rotella because of the heavy add pack will just add to the soot you see.
I’d pick up Supertech HM or Napa brand HM. They are cheap and topoffs will be less painful with cheap oil. Burning oil and oil leaks are common on the na EJ engines. Especially after 100k-150k miles.
And as others have said, do a PCV service.
 
As a Subaru guy, I would recommend a high mileage conventional in a 10w30 or 10w40 flavor. Roll the interval back to 3k miles. I wouldn’t run Rotella because of the heavy add pack will just add to the soot you see.
I’d pick up Supertech HM or Napa brand HM. They are cheap and topoffs will be less painful with cheap oil. Burning oil and oil leaks are common on the na EJ engines. Especially after 100k-150k miles.
And as others have said, do a PCV service.

No point of exotic oils on an EJ?

Are they that bad?
 
No point of exotic oils on an EJ?

Are they that bad?
They NA engines aren’t bad at all. I just wouldn’t waste money on a Synthetic if the engine is burning and consuming oil.
FYI, Valvoline was used by most Subaru dealerships in the early and mid 2000’s. That’s why I recommended what I did. Supertech is cheap and Napa is rebadged Valvoline.
I had a 2008 Impreza with a 2.5l NA EJ. It had 157k on the odo when I traded it in. I tried many different oils in it. Best results came from Valvoline conventional (white bottle). The car went through about 1/4 to 1/2 qt every oil change when I traded it. 3-4K miles. But it still ran like a top. 👍🏻 Loved that car.
5speed premium hatchback. Silver with black interior. Was a special order when I bought it new.
 

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They NA engines aren’t bad at all. I just wouldn’t waste money on a Synthetic if the engine is burning and consuming oil.
FYI, Valvoline was used by most Subaru dealerships in the early and mid 2000’s. That’s why I recommended what I did. Supertech is cheap and Napa is rebadged Valvoline.
I had a 2008 Impreza with a 2.5l NA EJ. It had 157k on the odo when I traded it in. I tried many different oils in it. Best results came from Valvoline conventional (white bottle). The car went through about 1/4 to 1/2 qt every oil change when I traded it. 3-4K miles. But it still ran like a top. 👍🏻 Loved that car.
5speed premium hatchback. Silver with black interior. Was a special order when I bought it new.

Did yours rattle on start-up?

I like Supertech engine oil too. Mine is driving me mad and I like the Subaru and it runs well it's just... Hydraulic lifters??

You used 5W-30? 5W-20?
 
Liqui-Moly “Oil Saver” may be worth a try. It worked well for me stopping a front cover leak. In your case it could be the oil consumption is caused by hardened valve stem seals - it works on those, too.

If it does work, I found that progressively smaller doses keep the benefit and use less product.
 
more to crankcase ventilation than a pcv valve. but if your pcv valve was broke and you put in a new one, maybe it fixed now?
 
Did yours rattle on start-up?

I like Supertech engine oil too. Mine is driving me mad and I like the Subaru and it runs well it's just... Hydraulic lifters??

You used 5W-30? 5W-20?
As long as it’s not the dreaded death rattle, I wouldn’t worry. EJ’s tend to be noisy. The sound is amplified by the proximity of the engine heads to the fender wells. Mine had a noisy “tick” from the lifters as well as just being a boxer engine and the firing order. The engine fires right right left left, right right left left.
I used 10w30. That was my flavor of choice.
 
As long as it’s not the dreaded death rattle, I wouldn’t worry. EJ’s tend to be noisy. The sound is amplified by the proximity of the engine heads to the fender wells. Mine had a noisy “tick” from the lifters as well as just being a boxer engine and the firing order. The engine fires right right left left, right right left left.
I used 10w30. That was my flavor of choice.

Nah, no death rattle/death wobble. Nope. It could be the lifters pumping up with oil.

It went from Typewriter sound (good sound) to that one-second Ahhh what is that noise and it was not until mk378 mentioned Hydraulic Lifters pumping up that I realized I didn't have a problem. It has been suggested just because it was cold out. What kind of oil filter did you use?

If you're anything like me.. you drive your Subie like this lol. Only slight exaggeration lol

 
If you're anything like me.. you drive your Subie like this lol. Only slight exaggeration lol


Maybe. 😁
Tail of the Dragon.
 

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Hi, sorry if this has been covered, it's not easy to search for.

I am looking for recommendations for oil, filters and oil change interval.

We have a 2007 Subaru with the 2.5i NA engine. We bought it well used (to put it nicely), and it has burned oil at a rate of about 3/4 Qt per 1K miles for the last 50K miles, the whole time we've had it. It also makes the oil very dirty rather quickly. It leaks a little oil, possibly from the oil pan, and I think from one of the valve covers, but not too much, no puddles on the driveway. I have been using mostly Mobil 1 5W30 HM in it, but I have also occasionally run Penzoil HM Synthetic and more recently Walmart Supertech Full Synthetic HM. None appear to burn less, but my last change with the Supertech looked extremely sooty at 5K miles, which is my usual OCI. I have used Subaru, Fram, and recently Supertech oil filters.

This last sooty oil change was with a Supertech filter. I took apart the Supertech filter and it's construction seemed good, metal end caps and core, but the filter media in the tiny filter is shockingly small, there can't be a whole lot of surface area there for filtering. I put in Mobil 1 oil and a fresh Supertech filter. I may change the filter out after 2-3K miles this time to see if that helps.

Given the rate at which I have to add oil and how dirty the oil gets, I am considering going to conventional oil to save some money, and going to a 3K OCI. I would like to pick a conventional oil that has a good additive package to handle the soot and not sludge up the engine, and a HM might be good for the leaks I have. I am also considering spending a little more on the filters. I can get Subaru or Wix filters for a few dollars more than the Supertech and I think the bypass pressure settings would match the Subaru specs, the Supertech may be considerably lower. The Subaru filters seem to have cardboard end caps similar to Fram, which is why I gave up on them, but I suspect they would be fine for a reasonable OCI.

What's a good oil maintenance approach for this car? Thanks! -- Jim
You gotta get them Piston rings replace . Schedule an appointment at the Dealership to get that taken care of. Also the service dept ,should have fresh coffee and bagels 🥯 😋😋
 
I also vote for a 10w30 high mileage conventional oil. But I don't see the reason for 3k OCI. Sure the oil is getting dirty, but also you are adding fresh oil constantly. If you use a decent filter with good capacity, I would go 5k. It's not like a shorter oil change interval is going to save the engine or anything. It's already worn. Save your money for a rebuild, a replacement motor, or a replacement vehicle.
 
You could try Rotella Gas Truck 5w30. I have had great success (read in borat voice) with that completely eliminating burning on a VQ engine known for being hard on oil. It’s usually on sale as well.
 
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