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Comments
bit
Ross
bit
Ross
bit
My Subie dealer recommended strongly on my 01 VDC to change the ATF to redline synthetic as soon as possible and to switch the engine oil at about 15K miles. I did it for the transmission and so far it seems smoother and more responsive.
I am surprised at the comments here that redline doesn't work for Subie transmissions; certainly, the mechanics at my dealership don't feel that way. Anyway, so far, so good.
Mike
bit
Actually, my Subaru is pretty much the same way. 3 years now and a recall is the only blemish on its record (if you can even call that a blemish).
-juice
edit: Looking on Amsoils web page, the Series 2000 would be better. Cobb Tuning's web page says it's not recommended for quick shifting drivers. ??? I'm curious now. Maybe do a search on the i-club and see if anyone has used it.
Ross - Wouldn't it have been better to find a shop with a transmission fluid exchanger? That way you pay around US$60 (plus the ATF) and have 100% in one shot.
Dennis
Dennis
DETROIT (AP) — Subaru of America said Thursday it is recalling certain 1995-1998 and some 1999 Legacy vehicles, which may encounter problems with corrosion on their front springs.
Because of improperly applied paint by a supplier, continued exposure to salt may cause the springs on 180,000 cars to corrode and eventually break, the company said.
If the broken spring end is not contained, it could cause severe damage to the tires.
There have been no reported accidents or injuries attributed to the problem, Subaru said.
The problem is especially acute in states where road salt is used during the winter, and the recall affects only cars in those states.
The so-called "Salt Belt" states are: Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Affected owners will be notified by mail. Subaru said it will install a front spring guard on both front struts and replace any broken springs.
thanks,
Greg
When it's below freezing outside and I get in my car, it's next to impossible to shift with conventional gear oil. With the Amsoil, I get in my car and go no matter what the temp outside is.
I agree on the waiting until 7500 miles or so. The front diff. shares fluid on the 5MT only.
Last winter on the i-club, someone posted that their dealer used a special "winter blend" gear oil because they were having problems shifting. They didn't get specific on what it was though but I suspect it was at least a semi-synthetic.
Dennis
-Colin
Patti, does SOA have any position here on the best approach and why such a variance between dealers?
Thanks
Mike
A couple of i-clubbers have also put ATF into the front diffs and said it works great.
Dennis
Dealers operate independently. Though Subaru can make a recommendation, so can the synthetic oil distributors.
-juice
Look at this image from www.b-specusa.com:
That's not a stock gearset, but the idea is the same. The front diff is directly driven by the main shaft. The spline you see sticking out of the differential (pointing up in this image) connects to the right cv joint, and there's one out the other way too for the left cv joint. The front of the tranny (far right) is directly underneath the black box at the center rear of your engine bay. (the torque chamber)
-Colin
Greg
Greg
-juice
Mike
I don't think you need to pump it out, just do the normal drain and replace. True it will be a blend, but many motor oil "experts" on this site recommend a blend for a while to allow it to become accustomed. A normal drain and replace service will do exactly that.
Are Subaru Transmissions different? On every automatic transmission service I have done the technician would remove the oil pan, drain the fluid, and the put in a new seal.
The synthetic oil causing leaks is a 20 year old, not a modern argument. Especially if seals are replaced during the normal service.
I still believe in 30,000 mile changes even with synthetics. It's worked well on my old dodge that had a definite transmission shudder. Adding synthetic minimized it.
Most manufacturers still don't recommend synthetic oil. Then last year Mercedes recommends it for exactly the reasons the manufacturer's have been touting: longer live, better cold weather startup, extended intervals, and resistence to thermal breakdown.
I don't know a car manufacturer who doesn't recommend their own products most of the time.
>Are Subaru Transmissions different? On every >automatic transmission service I have done the >technician would remove the oil pan, drain the >fluid, and the put in a new seal.
The old Sub engines had a filter inside the pan. In the normal course of operations that pan does not look like it was meant to be removed as they used some type of silicone sealent on it act the factory in addtion to a bunch of screws. If you REALLY need to get at it you could but then you have to spend an hour trying to scrape goop off the lip of the pan and where it attaches to the car or your not going to get a good seal when you put it back on. To do this task properly without damaging the pan takes at least an hour (its stubborn stuff). Somehow I don't think the dealership devotes an hour of mechanics (or mechanics flunky) time to such a task and still charges less than $100. On the plus side I don't think its ever going to leak. Also when I went through this proccess at 30K miles I discovered that the filter was in perfect condition, no grit, no clogs, nothing. I didn't even have to change it. At the bottom of the pan was a magnet which had a bunch of fuzz on it (very small metal particles) but still had plenty of carrying capacity for several times that amount.
So it is my understanding that when the dealer does transmission service they do a reverse flush. They hook the hose into where the drain plug and then tube into the fill port and force fresh ATF in the system (I might have the direction backwards). The result is that you get a flow of fluid in the opposite direction it normally travels. This washes debris off of the mesh screen that acts as the filter and takes it out of the transmission. It also serves to pull fluid that would otherwise remain static in the system. Hence a cleaner system.
When you do the manual drain and refill routine you only get half of it out.
This is my understanding, somebody correct me if I am wrong.
For myself I switched to synthetic at 30K (I got the car at 20k). I drained the fluid, poured in Redline, shifted around to get the mix, drained and poured in more redline. So I had a 75/25 Redline/Regular ATF mix. I did a 5q drain and refil at 45K. At 60 I took it to the dealer for a reverse flush because it was time for fluid service and I was about to go on a long trip and had numerous complications in my life (getting married and buying a house) that left me with no time to do it myself. But when 75K rolls around I will be going back to Redline
I'm a new member of this Subaru community board.
I bought The Outback 2.5 in 1999 but rarely used.
I would like to seek some kind advice for my problem on oil change,normally ,I did by myself for my other cars with no problem.
Yesterday,I tried to change the oil & filter at
the milage 11,000 but found out that the recommend oil filter "FRAM" # PH3593A is a little
bit bigger than the one which had been change at dealer(at milage 7500).Also,the current oil filter had been firmly tightened,too tight so that I can't loose by my existing tools.
Any advices for me please ,since it's not convenience for me to go to the dealer
Thanks for any kind advice ,
Woody
Thanks for your opinions/recommendations.
Stephen
stephen: I've used Techron after each oil change in our '00 OB with no problems.
-Brian
bit: Very few people I know have used synthetics in Studebakers successfully unless they've done a complete rebuild of whatever it is that the synthetic's going into. Causes more leakage of their already notoriously leaky seals. I still have to replace front and rear main seals on my Lark but am hesitant due to cost/time/buddy commitments. Quart of oil once a month and a big bag o' cat litter helps too. There's no Studebaker owner's club in Edmund's or else I'd have posted there.
juice: I kind of have to lean your way on use of synthetics in my Subaru. SoA doesn't recommend it - probably more due to products liability issues than anything else - and I don't see myself subjecting it to severe conditions so I imagine I'll stick to all dino lubricants for as long as I own it. I'm pretty fastidious when it comes to fluid changes so hopefully that won't pose a problem.
Ed
The reasoning here is that it eventually finds it's way into the engine oil, diluting it.
I don't know how much truth is in that. I generally do not use injector cleaners, but am considering the Techron brand before my next oil change (15k).
-TonyL
http://www.cobbtuning.com/tech/gearoil/index.html
For what it's worth,
Jim
Am I missing something?
-Frank P.
No matter how you argue about new gas not needing fuel injection cleaners there are three arguments against this.
1. The FTC has not sued any fuel injector cleaner manufacturer for misrepresentation. Look at the pictures. They show dramatic differences.
2. They contain the same additives as in gas, only in greater quantities.
3. I remember Petro companies never recommending anything even when their gas didn't have any injector cleaners. They will defend past behavior, even if proven wrong.
Don't exceed the cleaner interval however.
Frank P - One of the cautions with Techron based cleaners is their reaction with oil. Through normal leakage and interaction around the rings, some of the Techron gets mixed (as would any cleaner). The problem is that Techron can thicken the oil if the concentration is too high.
The article I read (a while ago) said that 1 application between oil changes would never be a problem, but 2 or more could be a concern in some cases. It said if you mixed enough with the oil you could turn it into a jello-like blob.
Regards,
Frank
Cheers, Tom
If you have a link to that article, I'd like to read it.
Thanks,
-Tony
Will it provide useful information?
http://www.autotap.com/
Though some say Fram filters are not very good. An oil filter study pointed to some of its weaknesses. Pennzoil filters are also made by Fram, though at least they are cheaper.
Stick with Purolator (the OE supplier for Subaru) or Car & Driver (made by Champion Labs and found at Target stores), since both had good reviews in that study.
-juice
Woody - Welcome to the board. You can also try an oil filter wrench for any auto parts store to loosen it. Personally, I use OEM filters. You can find them for $4-$5 through wholesale on-line.
Tom - at the next service for my wife's car (auto OB) I'm asking if they do the flush. Thanks for the info.
Ed - When you drain your oil, stick your pinky finger into the oil pan and look at the sludge. Yuck! I'll invite you out to the house one day for a synthetic demonstration. :-) My wife's OB is noticebly quieter and smoother with synthetic. Not to mention the autocrossing and rallying done on Central NJ highways. I also had a conversation with the shop foreman at Flemington regarding synthetics. He's seen an engine that used Mobil1 and said it was spotless. Although my Dad has ~170,000 miles on his pick-up and uses Castrol GTX and tows and hasn't had any engine problems.
Dennis
Also, is the oil pan easy to remove? I wonder because how else to get rid of the old sludge in the first place.
-juice
If your worried about sludge you can always buy some of that oil cleanout chemical. Its basically a specialized solvent that attacks oil. I'd imagine a Quart of two of that dumped through your system followed by some fresh oil would clean things up fairly well.
If your are really into it you could seal up the drain plug, pump some of that stuff in there and let it sit, then drain it. Pump some more in, drain it etc
I just check the oil pan for level, adjust, and make sure the engine is hot before I start.
-juice
Also their volume (maybe 1/4 cup after draining) compared to the 5Q of fresh oil is not
significant.
If your really worried go get some really cheap Dino oil to flush your system with.
Pour the entire contents of one bottle of Techron into a nearly empty tank and refuel with up to 12 gallons of gasoline.
I was wondering why the procedure isn't refuel, then add Techron. Here's the answer (and the difference between Techron and Pro-Gard), excerpted from Chevron's Techron FAQ <<</A>:
Why do I have to wait until my tank is empty to add TECHRON®?
Two reasons: first is to ensure proper mixing of the product with your gasoline. Emptying the Techron Concentrate into an empty tank and filling with gasoline ensures the product is mixed sufficiently. Secondly, the product is designed to treat a specific amount of gasoline (1 ounce Techron Concentrate to 1 gallon gas). Using either the 12 ounce or the 20 ounce bottle, depending on the size of your gasoline tank) on an empty tank will ensure the proper ratio.
According to Caltex, Vortex has replaced Techron <<</A> in oversees markets but not US. Caltex Corporation, a 50 percent joint venture with Texaco, is Chevron's refining and marketing arm in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and southern and eastern Africa. Wonder when Vortex will hit the North American market.
Where's the least expensive place to buy Techron (not Pro-Gard, which I think I bought at Walmart)? Any online vendors?
First, perhaps I should ask has anyone noticed a difference between Techron, Castrol, Valvoline, and STP, or are the differences insignificant; shop for the least costly?
..Mike
..Mike
I haven't tried the pinky test in there but I would guess that after a couple of changes, the synthetic should be getting rid of the sludge.
Where's Colin? He recently switched to synthetic a while ago and is selling his Cobb Cams soon. Colin, let us know how the oil looks.
Dennis
Wow, Mike double-posting? I must be in the Twilight Zone.
Costco has Techron cheap. They sell them in two packs. You have two cars. :-)
-juice