Subaru H6 winter oil...?

[rcy]

I have a 2001 Subaru Outback with the H6 motor. Recommended oil weight is 5w30. This engine uses a timing chain and is a 'boxer' style motor. My trips this winter will end up being mostly a 6 km (12 km round trip) drive to the GO train station (the local commuter train I use). Do you think a 5w20 would be OK to use or some sort of 0 weight? I have lots of 5w20 left over from my previous vehicle (a Honda Odyssey). I also have access to Esso XD-3. Thanks.

 

[Merkava_4]

5w30 Maxlife with a slam dunk!

 

[Black_Thunder]

i would think any synthetic or partial synthetic 5w30 would be a good choice.

you may want to look around the boards and see if anyone else is running a 20 weight in there Subaru and what kind of results they have.

you could always mix (some recommend, others not) your remaining quarts with a 30 weight to use it up as well.

 

[Saab9-3]

Go with a 0w30 esso XD3 by far. I use it every winter, it will give you excellent cold start ups. Its cheap to

.

My dad just switched his H4 legacy over to elf oil and states his engine has never run smoother, its quieter and he's getting better fuel mileage. Its just on the high end of the price range.

 

[addyguy]

Use Petro-Canada Arctic 0W-30....has the lowest cold-cranking numbers of any oil I've ever seen....can get it from PC gas stations, OR from a PC lube dealer for about $4.50 a litre...great value!

 

[porcupine73]

That should work. If you have an outlet available you could put in the block heater; the OEM Subaru block heater is only like $25 and you just unscrew a plug at the bottom of the engine and put 'er in.

 

[rcy]

Yup, already installed the block heater. I didn't bother draining the coolant as per the instructions either. I just unscrewed the plug, held it against the hole to stop coolant from peeing everywhere, and quickly held the block heater up to the hole and screwed it in. Lost maybe 1/2 cup of coolant - maybe less.

The block heater is good when I'm at home, but I leave my car at the train station for 10-12hrs, and obviously can't plug the block heater in then. That's why I'm wondering if the 20 weight would be better given the short trips.

 

[porcupine73]

Ah sounds good. I would say a synthetic nW-20 should be OK; on that short of a trip in cold weather the oil won't get up to operating temp anyway. My main concern would be fuel dilution and possibly condensation buildup in the oil if it doesn't get a good run once a week.

Good tip on the block heater, I just ordered one; will have to try the install trick.

 

[rcy]

Hardest thing was finding a 14mm allen socket (got one at NAPA for $15 CDN. It's now in my 'special' tool box, along with a bunch of special Honda and VW tools that I only used once (like the 7mm (or maybe it was 8mm) allen for doing VW brakes). Had to use a breaker bar on the ratchet to loosen the plug too. Otherwise, a really easy job. Make sure to do it when the engine is cold because the drain plug is very very close to the exhaust, plus if it's hot, the coolant will be under pressure and more likely to spurt all over the place.