2023 Subaru WRX Oil Change + Fumoto Oil Drain Valve Install 

Definitely makes it much quicker and easier. After the valve is properly installed, it’s fast end easy to change the oil. I love that the oil filter is on top of the engine also.

black tokyo roki is absolute best filter for these engines.

Are all the black OEM Subaru ones the Tokyo Roki filters?

Note Subaru also wants you to change the oil every six months for the 2022-2023 WRX, even if your miles between oil changes is under 6000. So...6 months OR at most 6000 miles, whichever comes first.

There’s a discussion here about that. www.subaruforester.org/threads/2021-will-using-a-fumoto-oil-valve-void-my-warranty.823035/ I also remember checking on this long ago when I installed one on my truck. The short answer is no. By law here they can’t void the warranty. If you cause damage by improper installation or use a part that maybe isn’t reputable or built correctly, then I guess you might have problems. But no issue with the fumoto drain valve. And yeah, I love that color on it also. The lighter colors don’t look right with those dark body moldings.

This one actually has the CVT transmission because we bought it for my son and my wife insisted on it being something she could drive if she had to in an emergency (she can’t drive a stick). The bonus though is that it has the eyesight safety system which is good for my son who is not necessarily a new driver at 19 but this is his first car.

No, don't use the old crush washer. All you need is the rubber gasket that's already on the Fumoto

Thanks. 31 is the torque using the factory bolt but 18 is the torque for this model Fumoto drain valve. That torque spec is listed on their website. If you try to torque it to 31, you’ll probably strip it because it’s just brass. The factory drain bolt is steel. help.fumotousa.com/en-us/Knowledge/article/3018/How_much_should_I_torque_my_Fumoto_product

@@ThePhotographyHobbyist well that is good to know! Thanks!

Personally, I know Subaru says 0W20 oil, but to me that's too thin for a small engine with a turbo and it's been known that manufacturers will recommend a thinner oil just to help improve fuel economy numbers. Ford used to recommend 5W20 for their F150 with the 3.5 twin turbo engine but later switch to 5W30 because %W20 is really too thin in that scenario. Anyway, if it was me, I'm use a good quality 5w30 synthetic oil in the WRX. Also, assuming you're just reusing the factory drain plug and not installing a drain valve like I did, best practice is to replace the crush washer that goes on the factory drain plug. Your dealer's parts dept can get that for you or you can buy it online somewhere (I don't have the part number handy).

I was talking about when you said ‘when you jack this up from the front it comes off on the back also. “ , what exactly comes off in the back? Here is the time stamp of what you said 04:29 i appreciate any help, guidance as I still haven’t done my oil change by myself, and I came back to rewatch and follow as I will be doing it for sure next week :) Liked and subbed!

I’ve driven several rental cars that had CVTs and hated them. Mushy/soft feel and ‘oozy’ forward even when you put the pedal on the floor. With the CVT in the WRX, it’s totally different and it pulls hard. If you hadn’t told me it’s a CVT it would take me awhile to figure it out. Using the paddle shifter in the steering wheel gives you distinct ‘shifts’ too and if you downshift fast to a lower ‘gear’ it’ll make you move forward in your seat. Maybe some still complain about it, but my experience is that I’d be totally happy with the WRX CVT.

I've used that spot just briefly to hold the car while I moved the jack to a different spot, but I personally wouldn't leave it there. I only use that spot as an extra layer of safety to place a jack stand because there's no room on the side where you normally raise the car because the jack is already there, unless you want to use a spot next to the jack that has the plastic cover over it - which might be fine since it's along the same place where the jack goes but I think they just cover the other area with plastic to help guide you to the part that is NOT covered in plastic as the correct jacking point. It would probably be OK and hold the car well and cause no damage, but I'd rather have the jack stand out where the jack normally goes, if possible. I think the body is stiff enough that you can jack the car up further back in the rear (on the side) and it'll raise the front enough to place a jack stand where the jack would normally go.

CVTs are awesome. Don't worry

Thanks. You can get that on Amazon for $20. a.co/d/gXBXX42

@@ThePhotographyHobbyist Thank you. I just pickup a 2023 WRX And I don’t trust the dealer doing the oil change. I have so many bad experiences with past cars. I just hope I don’t void my warranty by doing it myself.

@@felixlaboy1453 it’s illegal for any manufacturer to void your warranty if you change the oil yourself, as long as it’s done properly.

@@ThePhotographyHobbyistThank you once again buddy. I’m looking to get also the Fumoto oil drain valve. I was wondering are you still happy with the one you installed. Do you any leaks.

@@felixlaboy1453 i’ve never had any problems with this type/brand of drain. I had one on my old truck that I replaced in 2014 and I have one on my truck. I still own that I bought in 2014 and it still works great, no leaks. And, of course, no leaks on the Subaru. Just be sure to pay attention to the torque specs on their website, this drain valve does not get tightened as much as the original drain plug, otherwise you might warp the housing or damage it in some other way, because it’s made of brass.

Correct. It has its own rubber o-ring.

The manual says 75W-90 gear oil for the front and rear diff. For the engine I prefer a nice synthetic 5W-30. Same as I use in my twin turbo truck. Subaru says 0W-20 synthetic for engine oil but speculation is car makers spec the thinner oil for fuel economy reasons but I wouldn’t stray too far from that. I wouldn’t use 20W-50 for example. Oil is always a big debate with people but I simply try to stay close to the recommended oil. Page from the manual: s9cdn.joomag.com/mobile/2/2696/2696171/474_3-0.SVG?_=1952955011&v=1707497667

Would also like to know the logic behind this

Yes, Subaru recommended 5-30 for a few decades, the only reason I can see they changed to 0-20 is the push from United States EPA pushing lighter oil for better “fuel economy” and the whole sAvE tEh pLaNeT BS… 5-30 protects up to 104 outside temperatures…0-20 is only provides full lubricant protection up to 86 degrees, and most turbo charged engines get more air and run hotter. Makes sense.

@@longshanks5531 the first number does that so you could use 5-20. Was thinking to make that change myself

If I recall correctly, Ford used to use 5W20 in their turbo charged ecoboost engines but switched back to 5W30 at some point for more protection. To some extent, the thinner oils being used lately are partially to help meet fuel economy requirements, but me personally, I wouldn’t deviate too far off from the recommended weight and I wouldn’t go thinner, I would only go a little bit thicker.

@@ThePhotographyHobbyist yeah I’ve seen a few displays where the thinner oil will circulate faster and what not, but I wouldn’t run 0-20 in a turbo engine… just weird how long Subaru recommended thicker oil, now all of a sudden with the climate change BS the epa is pushing thinner oil for better gas mileage. Some guys run Rotella 5-40 in the Wrx…

Uh…first of all, that’s our business, but if you must know, we bought this for our son and my wife insisted it be something she could also drive (no stick) if there was an emergency and that’s the only car available to her or if she was out with him. That’s why. For a total of $50k or so, I think my son is OK with a CVT.