what oil for a subaru legacy ?

Wheel · Sep 19, 2012

I've got a 2009 legacy with the non-turbo 2.5l engine. I live upstate in NY, so it gets pretty cold here (-10F or sometimes lower). I usually use M1 5-30 in the Suby, but have been tempted to try Shell Rotella T6 (5-40) because of the lower price. Would that be acceptable over the winter ? Is there a better suggestion ?

Aaron

dparm · Sep 19, 2012

No need to use T6 5w40. Too thick, especially given that your car isn't a turbo. What's wrong with M1 5w30?

bigjl · Sep 19, 2012

I had a 2.0 non turbo 2004, first of newer shape.

Used 5w30 dealer used Mobil 1 from memory.

Don't think anybody in the UK would run a w40 oil in a flat four Suby. The WRX i had from new, though only three months as I kept driving it fast, was specced for the same oil from.memory. But only did 2500 miles in it before trading for the new shape Legacy.

If you need to think about saving $10 over an OCI perhaps consider LPG to reduce fuel costs.

Attitudes to oils seem to be different in the UK. Performance is more important than saving a few quid to most.

Probably why so few places stock dino/mineral oil over here perhaps.

As already mentioned keep with the Mobil 1. Would be considered an all year oil in even the coldest parts of the UK.

Quattro Pete · Sep 19, 2012

Originally Posted By: Wheel
I usually use M1 5-30 in the Suby, but have been tempted to try Shell Rotella T6 (5-40) because of the lower price.

How is SRT6 lower priced? If I remember correctly Walmart prices, 5qts of M1 is $26.50 ($5.30/qt) and 4qts of SRT6 is $21.50 ($5.37/qt).

I'd stick to M1 5w-30.

JTK · Sep 19, 2012

My 2012 Legacy has basically the same EJ253 2.5i engine. Subaru recommends 5w30, but do list a viscosity chart in the owner's manual that recommends ranges like 5w40 too. For a climate like NY, 5w30 is all you'd ever need. There's a ton of EJ's out there that have gone 200-300K miles with nothing more than 5w30.

I run Napa full synthetic 5w30 in mine @ a 7500 oil change interval. I've currently got a Napa oil filter on it, but plan to use Subaru filters from next change on.

Joel

bigjl · Sep 19, 2012

5 quarts of Mobil 1. Just under five litres for $26.50!

I want to cry.

£30 for five litres (0w40) in Costco. Around £50 for five litres everywhere else.

Roughly $45 and $75.

Seems to me the words in the US national anthem "land of the free" refer to oil prices!

webfors · Sep 19, 2012

Any brand name 5w30 will run great in that engine. Only time a thicker viscosity would be considered is severe service such as towing.

SubLGT · Sep 19, 2012

Originally Posted By: Wheel
..... I live upstate in NY, so it gets pretty cold here (-10F or sometimes lower). ....... Is there a better suggestion ?

Aaron

Give M1 0W-30 a try. A 5W40 is overkill for your engine.

ARCOgraphite · Sep 19, 2012

Ours was knocky with straight 5w30 so I ran rotella triple protect 10w30 and 1 qt of 5w30 formula shell. 1qt 10w40 Mobil CleaN 5000 and the balance 5w30.

No need for synthetic in this engines - prob the easiest engine on oil made today. DRY cam timing system, roller cam followers, NO pushrods or lifters; high capacity pump, moly coated piston skirts. Our forester with the EJ ran good on the "meets SN" pennzoil high mileage gold bottle - 16 bucks for 5 qts. You may want to look for a "better" filter than the fram blue OEM.

stygz · Sep 19, 2012

With those with the 2.5 engine. How often do you replace the drain crush washer? Mine leaves a drop of oil from time to time since the last oil change. I have about 33,000 miles and have not replaced the crush washer ever....unless the dealer did it for me on the 1st or 2nd oil change.

Eddie · Sep 19, 2012

%w30 is that way to go. I change my oil change washer every 3-4th time. I bought a bag of 10? from the dealer but, back in the day, if you bought a OEM oil filter a washer was included.

ARCOgraphite · Sep 19, 2012

Everytime - unless I cheap out or it falls out of the filter box on the way home. Them suckers are ridiculously $$$ for a 10c piece. Time for a new one for you. Now, should you put the flat against the pan or the bolt (?)

Oldwolf · Sep 19, 2012

I rotate my crush washer each oci and it seems to seal just fine.

Bottom_Feeder · Sep 19, 2012

Originally Posted By: stygz
With those with the 2.5 engine. How often do you replace the drain crush washer?

Not once in 12 years/96k miles, and it doesn't leak at all.

webfors · Sep 19, 2012

Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
Originally Posted By: stygz
With those with the 2.5 engine. How often do you replace the drain crush washer?

Not once in 12 years/96k miles, and it doesn't leak at all.

Every few changes. Inspect and if it's good reinstall.

fdcg27 · Sep 19, 2012

If you can wait a couple of weeks, I'll have a Synpower UOA from our Forester.
I ran Synpower 5W-30 last winter and the car seemed fine with it, although we had no real cold last winter.
It will get the same this winter.
The thick oil thing with the NA is probably a myth.
I ran GC prior to using Synpower, and the engine seems just as smooth and quiet with the much thinner Synpower.
Winter starting with the GC was fine, even on a -15F morning where the car had sat outside all night.
The Synpower should be better at the winter temps we see here, assuming we have a real winter this year, unlike last.

bluesubie · Sep 19, 2012

Unless you're extending your intervals beyond 7,500 miles, I would stick with conventional oil. I use Pennzoil High Mileage in a 2000 2.5RS.

-Dennis

bigjl · Sep 19, 2012

Conventional/mineral oil in a Subaru flat four?

Wouldn't get less than semi synthetic in the UK.

A lot will insist on full synthetic.

I only wish oil prices were the same in the UK as the US.

I see little point in using conventional/mineral in anything decent or infact any vehicle less than 10/12 yrs old.

There is a lot of comments on ROI on the forum. With the cost of semi and full synth oils in the US it makes them a no brainer.

Subaru flat fours, even without a turbo, are not co.sidered to be easy on oil in UK.

From.memory my previous WRX(Jan 2004) had a 10k OCI. With semi synth but you could request Mobil 1 at extra cost.

My Legacy 2.0(April 2004) was on 12k mile OCI I seem to remember, can't check as it got stolen a month after I paod off the finance!

Every Sub I have owned has used a little oil.when driven at constant high speed. And has always had a minimum of a semi.

One other thing UOA are a rare thing to be done outside of specialist fleet usage.

Perhaps this means oils are over specced?

But for an extra ten quid/bucks why go for an inferior product.

Remember my diesel Pathfinder has been on 18k mile OCI from new and runs pretty much as new apart from some very common.injector rattle.

The mineral to synthetic argument in the UK is for most people irrelevant to an extent. As nobody would ever try to say a 3k mile OCI on mineral is better than a 6k OCI where the difference between the two OC's was a tenner. When you consider you could run a good full.synth or semi easily up to 9k why bother with anything else.

Everybody says that mineral oils are just as good. But if you put a mineral oil in a Ford Zetec engine you would cause the valves to stick and the engine to run rough.

Just another viewpoint.

squareznboxez · Sep 19, 2012

fdcg27 · Sep 19, 2012

Wow.
Some common sense from the mother country.
I use at least a syn blend in all of our cars.
If you really want to cry, I should share with you how much syn and syn blend oil really costs at a typical US deal price less MIR.
You can sometimes make money on the purchase, and it is never more than $2.00/qt after MIR.
At normal retail, ~$25.00 will cover five quarts of a typical synthetic oil at discount general mechandise retailers.
Given how inexpensive synthetic oil is in the US, I think you have a good point in wondering why anyone bothers with anything else.

what oil for a subaru legacy ?

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