04 Outback 2.5 engine Oil problem

I have bought a new Outback 2.5 Premium and have done only 8,000kms. I checked the oil and found NOTHING on the dipstick.

I took it in to Subaru Doncaster on Monday morning and they told me "We have been having problems with the new engines." And that "I was lucky that I checked it." They put 2.5 litres of oil in to fill it, it only holds just under 5. The "Official" first service isn't until 12,500kms, and I was supposed to be told that I should keep an eye on the oil level when I bought it.

The oil light never came on.

While I was there, they told me that they have a Liberty 2.5 that was brought in for a rattle in the exhaust. The truth is that the engine is stuffed. It ran out of oil.

Has anybody else come across this, and what should I do?

Mark.

Reply to
Wilo
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I make it a habit of check all fluids when I pick up a new car. I know, its brand new, but you can see what happens

Reply to
Watson

New generation 2.5i in Liberty/Outback can use some oil at initial break in, I know of an Outback that blew its engine at just over 10,000 kms after running out of oil. If yours needed 2.5l it may not have done too much damage.

My 2.5i Liberty has done 9,000km and i have added only 0.5l

Reply to
Holly Wood

Reply to
Edward Hayes

What I found strange is, when I first got it home, all fluids were fine. I agree I should have checked it often, but I thought, new car, Full of oil, no leaks in the driveway, no problem! I expected a little oil to be used during run in but 2.5 litres? That's just insane!

My new Suzuki DL1000 bike, never used any oil, and the oil is the same colour as new. What's the story with Subaru, considering Bike engines rev and work harder than cars?

Mark

Reply to
Wilo

Wilo,

My first thought on reading your original post was "what happened, you break your arm and can't open the bonnet to check your oil?" 8,000 km and you haven't checked it? I'll let you beat yourself up on that bit of neglect and abuse!

But chastising people does no good, so let's look at the nuts and bolts of what's going on. ALL ENGINES USE OIL. PERIOD. Yes, it's true, some use very little, so let's not waste bandwidth with "my ____ engine never uses a drop" kind of posts, but they still need to be checked regularly. I don't know what your owners manual says, but mine says to check every time you fill the tank, or once a week. Make it a habit!

Next thing, ALL NEW ENGINES USE MORE OIL UNTIL THEY'RE BROKEN IN. PERIOD. The actual rate of consumption on your engine, assuming it was full to the mark when you took delivery, isn't all that bad for a new engine. Yes, it's true, some don't seem to use any while being broken in, but again the engine should be checked regularly. Once every 8,000 km is not a responsible "regular" schedule. I'd think every 500 km is reasonable if you wish to use a "distance" test, but prefer "every Sunday" or similar for my own use.

Why do some Subies seem to use more oil than others when new? Hard to say, since there are so many variables. What oil does the factory use? If it's a thin "break in" oil (lots of discussion in the past on whether this is the case) it will burn off quickly. The type of piston rings and material used can affect the break in time. Softer rings, which were common with many Japanese makes for years, break in almost instantly, but don't wear as long. Harder rings take longer to seat (I've seen engines that took over 20k miles--32k km) so initial oil consumption will be higher. Weather conditions affect all this, with hotter weather causing more rapid consumption. Driving style has its affects, and on and on.

So all in all, it's up to the driver to pay attention! I hope you didn't teach yourself an expensive lesson. While it's true there MAY be a problem with the current engine design (not unusual since mfrs "fix what ain't broke" all too often, e.g. the piston slap problem), regular attention to fluid levels will do far more for the longevity of your engine than anything Subaru does.

Good luck!

Rick

Reply to
Rick Courtright

Our new '04 Forester XS has used so little oil in the 1st 2,200 miles that it is not discernable on the dip stick.

Our old '98 Forester with 120,000 miles on it used a quart in about

5,000 miles.

With the global price of crude oil so high, maybe there are midnight oil thieves operating in your area.

Woody; 95FXDS

Reply to
Woody

Reply to
Edward Hayes

Hi, That sounds like BS on beehalf of the dealer. They suppose to go through everything before the vehicle is delivered. What kind of operation does your delaer do? No pre-delivery preparation? Can't believe it! Tony

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Tony,

Did you read the part where he went 8,000 kms WITHOUT checking his oil? Subaru (or any other auto mfr) can't hold the owners' hands--they're responsible for routine maintenance, which includes checking oil. Had he gone on and blown an engine, how far do you think he'd have gotten with a warranty claim?

Rick

Reply to
Rick Courtright

I recommend you write the dealer and subaru to get it on record what happened. Let them know that you are happy with their product but that they "need to know" what you found. They WILL respond and then you have proof that at least they acknowledged your complaint. This worked for me when the subie dealer replaced my tranny fluid 1 year or 13000 miles early. I was refunded. If anything happens down the road you will have documentation.

Good luck.

Reply to
inconceivable

Hi, What kind of car is using so much oil after 8K Km? I have 5 vehicles in my family in daily use. None use that much oil when new or old. Currently two Subaru are in the family fleet. Did he check oil on level ground after engine is cooled down? If nothing registered on the dip stick, the engine must have been sezied or on the verge of it. Been driving 50 years of all kinds of vehicles. Only time I got oil related problem was when I had a hole punched by a rock on oil pan. Still managed to stop the car and prevented the engine damage. Tony

Reply to
Tony Hwang

As I said in my original post, let's not waste bandwidth with "my ____ engine never uses any oil." Every engine's different, and while many will argue, 2.5l in 8k kms on a new engine's NOT a lot of oil. If you do a bit of research, I believe you'll find that few, if any, manufacturers consider oil consumption of less than 1 qt/1000 miles to be excessive. (Just for comparison, I don't know what their current standards are, but for years VW and Porsche actually considered up to 1 qt/450 miles to be "normal"--and this in their water-cooled engines, not the "looser" air-cooled units!) I don't know why the OP's engine used as much as it seemingly did (considering ~most~ of today's engines do use very little) but it doesn't matter. Failure to check the oil per the book (at every fillup, each week, whatever is recommended) and top up as required constitutes neglect/abuse on the part of the owner. Period.

I'm NOT saying there might not be something wrong with his engine. But how's he gonna document and prove it with such sloppy attention to detail? I don't see that he's made much of a case for himself so far...

Rick

Reply to
Rick Courtright

Rick, I agree, I should have checked things more often. It's easy to build up km's though, as I travel about 300-500km per weekend. The km's have been harder than usual because I tow motorbikes out the bush to go riding.

I originally posted to find out if anybody else had similar findings and to warn others of possible problems, so they wouldn't make the same mistake I did.

I've spoken to Subaru here is Australia and to my surprise they have replaced multiple engines under warranty because of this issue. The pamphlet I spoke of, in the first line actually says

"Refinement of modern engines can lead people into a false sense of security that fluid levels, particularly oil, do not need checking. In fact they do."

This is where I got caught. I was of the assumption that if serviced at the required intervals I shouldn't have a problem. Further to that I found that the current oil light/pressure sensor only comes on if there is 0.5ltrs or less in the engine, and engines have blown just getting them to the service centres. Apparently here in Australia they are arguing with Japan to have oil level sensors installed. To stop this problem, and to give people earlier warning if something does go wrong.

Mark

Reply to
Wilo

I fail to see how your comment about not being interested in our vehicle has any relation to my post or to reality. I don't have any problem with our vehicle and we check our fluids on a regular basis. Maybe you were not paying any attention to whose post you were replying to seeing that you were also careless enough to "top post".

Woody; 95FXDS

Reply to
Woody

Here in the UK, you can now fail your driving test for not knowing how to check your oil level.

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Reply to
Ian Brown

Hi, Very good. In Italy too. We need more drivers on the road not motor vehicle operators. In Canada getting a driver's licence is a joke! Tony

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Yikes!!

What you should do is keep that service order, that says you bought it in low, and they added

2.5 litres to bring it up to level, and never, ever lose that piece of paper...and if they didn't give one that says that, get one.
Reply to
CompUser

Wilo - how goes your engine? Any oil usage, damage or news? Shane (Aus).

Reply to
Shane White

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