Subaru Crosstrek Dipstick

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If I'm measuring the oil on a slight incline, will it throw off the results? I'm not sure where the sump is and how the dipstick goes into the oil, so any advice on this end will help a great deal.
 
It will almost certainly alter the results, but by how much and in which direction is hard to say.

I'm guessing this is your driveway? Find a nice, flat spot to check your oil. (It's typically nice and flat next to a fuel pump, which is when you're typically advised to check your oil anyway.) Once you've got a good reading on flat ground, drive straight home and check it again. Then just note how much your hill alters the reading. (Half-quart low, a hair high, etc.)
 
Owned eight subarus - oh, wife just got another, this time snf over priced crosstrek premium with chain CVT), the wife's Forester in my sig is gone - 60K miles and eating oil - just a bit under 2L per OCI (~7.5Kmi)

On the EJ253 and FB25 our driveway is "slightly inclined R-L and this will throw off level by up to 1/2 qt! So I only check at work parking lot - which is dead level - when leaving for home (DO NOT WIPE AND REINSERT TO GET LEVEL!)
 
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
So I only check at work parking lot - which is dead level - when leaving for home (DO NOT WIPE AND REINSERT TO GET LEVEL!)


Why is that ?
 
On my 2014 XV Crosstrek, the level would read differently on either side of the dipstick most of the time. Super frustrating. I'd just keep trying until I got a 'level' reading, or I would loose interest real quick and try it another time. Thankfully the low oil level light on these vehicles will alert you when it's something like 1-2qts low.
 
Originally Posted By: CELICA_XX
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
So I only check at work parking lot - which is dead level - when leaving for home (DO NOT WIPE AND REINSERT TO GET LEVEL!)


Why is that ?


On the first pull you dragged oil up the dip tube and will cause flakey reading.

Pull it out dry after a 1/2 hr MIN sit. End of the day is great. I check mine once a week. People ask,"what are you checking your oil for? That car cant be more than 3 years old!"
 
Okay, so I checked it on a level surface (after 25 minutes)... I need help analyzing this:

So, even after wiping the dipstick, there is still some leftover oil that keeps getting all over the dipstick making it difficult to read.However, it appears that no matter how many times I let it sit, the second dot isn't filled in with oil, like the first dot.

Does that mean I need to add some oil? It's really difficult to tell because like I said the oil is all over the dipstick, it's just that the second dot isn't filled in with oil. I truly appreciate any help here.
 
I don't have a Subaru but when I check, I wipe and reinsert the dipstick and then pull it out immediately. Wonder if that would help?

Look for a line of oil versus any drips or smears.
 
My issue being that the dipstick looks like it's dragging oil on it, whereas if you look at the lower dot, it's completely "dipped" in oil versus the empty second dot (but oil is dragging on above the second dot).
 
It sounds like the dipstick tube is a small diameter, just enough for the stick to fit into. Have there been discussions on Subie boards about this with any outcomes? It would seem you might find your answer there.
 
My daughter and I each had a Forester and checking the oil in either one was an exercise in frustration. Check it 6 times, get 6 different readings. Egad, how hard can it be to design a dipstick tube? Even General Motors has this figured out!

We each solved the problem. One at a time we traded them for Fords and never looked back.
 
When parked on the road I get a reading about 1/2L low. This is because all roads have a slight lean in towards gutter so water can drain and not pool in the middle of the road. So just that slight angle causes a large mis-reading. Of course, if I lived in the USA with the same car; it would read 1/2L too high since you guys drive on the wrong side
lol.gif
 
So I measured it in my driveway (incline) and of course it shows that the second bubble is full now and it's slightly overfilled...

Here are my concerns now:

1. I can't tell if I'm over filled or underfilled (I extracted about an additional .5 quart the other day as I noticed I had only 4 qts in the jug from the old oil originally after a 3k OCI, so I thought there may have been some old oil left in the sump with the new oil). I usually just put 5 qts and call it a day after extracting, but I noticed the old oil level was off as I usually extract close to 5 qts.

2. I know the Crosstrek is underpowered and has laughable performance on steep hills, but my vehicle was literally so slow to accelerate from being at a red light for about 40 seconds.

3. This could all be in my head as I'm getting normal MPG and the engine doesn't seem to sound weird..


I wish Subaru would make this easy!
 
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I always see some residual oil along the dipstick, but it's pretty easy to see the true level on the hash-marks.

Granted this is on Toyota products... I've never worked on a Subaru before
 
When you do an OC you put the oil qty required by the OM. The 2.0 shouldn't use any oil. They don't like being overfilled and actually they like being down a pint to a 1/2 qt - at least the EJ were this way.

You car sounds OVERFILLED.

Maybe run QSGB instead of garbage fake synthetic wannabe group III then the dipper will read correctly. That [censored] oil doesnt even coat metal parts. Huile-O-Phobic.
 
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