Thickest oil for leaking EJ25

Pennzoil motor oil
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Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Originally Posted By: Volv04Life
Ok. I just hope i dont take a noticeable hit to my mpg. It seems to get close to 30 on the highway. Its impressive.


...and you have a leaking head gasket -- talk about misplaced priorities.



Also, my wife just got a new car so Im boned til my yearly bonus..... next january.
 
are you having a valve cover gasket leak or head gasket blown?

Either way: you have to get down to the root of the matter. simply trying additives, thicker oil, etc. won't keep the problem under control.

Q.
 
Originally Posted By: Clevy
Liqui-moly motor oil saver will stop the leak,and you can use it with any oil.


Try this and report back.
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NVW...d=ATVPDKIKX0DER

you need to figure out what is leaking first and foremost, is it a front main common on subies or valve covers ? as said if its the head gasket using thicker oil is your least worry youll be doing a far more expensive repair if continued to run, so be sure where the oil is coming from, the last advice on cheapest hm might be the best until you repair it, also hating bp for leaking oil everywhere and not saying sorry, and running a car leaking oil everywhere seems counterproductive
 
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I don't believe you will notice much (if any at all) of a decrease in mpg's by switching to a high mileage. FWIW, my mothers 96 Explorer got 24 mpg hwy on Pennzoil Conventional and when we switched it to Pennzoil High Mileage 10w40 it still got 24 mpg. Though I do currently intend on switching to Valvoline MaxLife 5w30 to see if there is any difference in the way it runs in Pennzoil High Mileage and Valvoline MaxLife (just because) but if not, I'll most likely go back to using Pennzoil High Mileage as it has always done well in the Explorer.
 
This is obviously a small weep that may or may not be headgasket depending on your mechanic.

If it is your headgasket weeping oil, then thicker oil isnt going to do a thing for u.

Is it showing puddles while u park? if not then its in the very early phase.

Have you tried the cooling system conditioner from subaru?
http://www.fcpimport.com/products/subaru...CFUcV7AodgVYAbg

You should be able to get this free from your subaru dealer, they got cases of it back when headgaskets were the plague for them and it helped them extend the changes to ride out the warranties.

Your next worry is going to be overheating, so until then just keep an eye on it..try the cooling system conditioner and if u plan on keeping the subaru you need to plan a head gasket change when the overheating comes in.
 
Originally Posted By: Dupree
also hating bp for leaking oil everywhere and not saying sorry, and running a car leaking oil everywhere seems counterproductive


Yep...

Are you sure it's a HG leak, not the valve cover? Regardless, have it fixed instead of risking a worsening leak that may turn a moderate repair into an engine swap. Seriously, get a second opinion and have the work done if recommended by an Indy shop.
 
The head gasket is metal. No High Mileage oil, or additive, will effect the situation. A thicker oil will leak less until the engine is warmed up, maybe. But at temp, I doubt you will see any difference. How much oil are you losing?

Have you had a Compression test? Are you losing any coolant? Overheating? Subaru head gasket can fail, but usually not with just an oil leak. On the other hand; valve cover gaskets when they fail are just an oil leak. There are also cam seals and other potential sources of oil leaks.

I'd take it somewhere and get a second opinion/quote.
 
The car is SUPER high mileage. Im not putting any money in to repairs. Im driving it till it dies the way it is but I dont want to add oil every flippin day. Geez.

And the oil bubbles from between the block and the head.
 
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Originally Posted By: Dupree
also hating bp for leaking oil everywhere and not saying sorry, and running a car leaking oil everywhere seems counterproductive


Yep...

Are you sure it's a HG leak, not the valve cover? Regardless, have it fixed instead of risking a worsening leak that may turn a moderate repair into an engine swap. Seriously, get a second opinion and have the work done if recommended by an Indy shop.


Lmao.
 
Originally Posted By: 05LGTLtd
The head gasket is metal. No High Mileage oil, or additive, will effect the situation. A thicker oil will leak less until the engine is warmed up, maybe. But at temp, I doubt you will see any difference. How much oil are you losing?

Have you had a Compression test? Are you losing any coolant? Overheating? Subaru head gasket can fail, but usually not with just an oil leak. On the other hand; valve cover gaskets when they fail are just an oil leak. There are also cam seals and other potential sources of oil leaks.

I'd take it somewhere and get a second opinion/quote.



No mixing, no overheating, just puddles of oil in my driveway while the cars parked. I mean huge puddles.
 
Originally Posted By: Volv04Life
Originally Posted By: 05LGTLtd
The head gasket is metal. No High Mileage oil, or additive, will effect the situation. A thicker oil will leak less until the engine is warmed up, maybe. But at temp, I doubt you will see any difference. How much oil are you losing?

Have you had a Compression test? Are you losing any coolant? Overheating? Subaru head gasket can fail, but usually not with just an oil leak. On the other hand; valve cover gaskets when they fail are just an oil leak. There are also cam seals and other potential sources of oil leaks.

I'd take it somewhere and get a second opinion/quote.



No mixing, no overheating, just puddles of oil in my driveway while the cars parked. I mean huge puddles.


If i let the car idle up to operating temp i can watch bubbles of oil come out from between the block and head. The valave cover gaskets have very little oil around them.
 
"The car is SUPER high mileage. Im not putting any money in to repairs. Im driving it till it dies the way it is but I dont want to add oil every flippin day. Geez."

not repairing, and not wanting to put oil in it. I give it a couple of weeks.

As it sits you can probably get $1000 on craigslist. After engine failure about $300.

what is SUPER high mileage? i have 350K on my EJ25 Forester. Bought it for $150 with head gasket failure @ 252K miles
 
225k. My wife hates it and hates that i bought it. She just got a new fusion so i wont be able to get a car til next year. I just dont want to put oil in it everyday. Why is nobody understanding that i just dont want it to leak THAT bad. Im hoping a thicker oil will make it slow enough that i only have to add oil once a week.
 
If mine runs til next january ill be very pleased. I just dont want to have to babysit the dipstick as much as i do now.
 
Fix it and the Subbie will run another 100-200K. You can drive those thing till it rusts away and it will be reliable. A HG issue on a Phase 2 Subaru would leak coolant, not oil. If it is leaking oil, then it could be a valve cover issue or something else and should be easier to fix. If it is leaking out of the block/valve cover, then a thicker oil is not going to make much of a difference.

My Subbie (over 200K as well), is speced to use 5w30, 10w30, and 10w40. The 5w30 is recommend from the lowest temp to about 104F degrees. The 10w30/10w40 is for -4ish to as hot as it gets. In the summer (being a (R)VA native), you could easily get away with using a 10wXX oil and unless you are in the mountains, then using a 5w is your preference.

Heck, the oil leak could be a bad fitting oil filter. Hunt the leak down. Get underthere with a can of brake-clean, give it a good rinse, and then hunt down where the oil was leaking from. Go from there.
 
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Originally Posted By: FutureDoc
Fix it and the Subbie will run another 100-200K. You can drive those thing till it rusts away and it will be reliable. A HG issue on a Phase 2 Subaru would leak coolant, not oil. If it is leaking oil, then it could be a valve cover issue or something else and should be easier to fix. If it is leaking out of the block/valve cover, then a thicker oil is not going to make much of a difference.

My Subbie (over 200K as well), is speced to use 5w30, 10w30, and 10w40. The 5w30 is recommend from the lowest temp to about 104F degrees. The 10w30/10w40 is for -4ish to as hot as it gets. In the summer (being a (R)VA native), you could easily get away with using a 10wXX oil and unless you are in the mountains, then using a 5w is your preference.

Heck, the oil leak could be a bad fitting oil filter. Hunt the leak down. Get underthere with a can of brake-clean, give it a good rinse, and then hunt down where the oil was leaking from. Go from there.


Thanks man. Im goin to try 10w-40. Thanks for not ripping me a new one for not wanting to get it fixed. I want a 2011 Outback. Im going to get one next year if everything goes to plan.
 
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