Subaru Oil Consumption Issues? Information and FIX! 

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They made the engine tolerances larger, and are recommending 0w20, which is very thin, and as oil heats up, it also thins. I`d check the pcv valve, and maybe switch to a higher viscosity oil, like 5w30. Most older car engines in the past had larger close fit tolerances, and used thicker oil, like 5w30, 10w30 etc, Most modern engines, have closer tolerances, and recommended a thinner oil.

It's a real good idea to check the PCV valve if you are burning oil. It costs $20 and is pretty easy to change.

By far the most informative and to-the-point video I have seen on this issue. Thanks. Just did the oil consumption test with the local Subaru dealer and found that it's consuming about 1/3 qt per 1200 miles. So I guess Subaru will not do anything about it. I am still waiting for a response from Subaru based on this report.

Really great clip, all is said and clear for me - thanks a ton for this, those clips make YT so great.

I have a 2016 2.5L Forester I check and top up the oil regularly and always keep a quart of oil in the car just like in the good old days

This taught me so many things that I didn't know I didn't know. THANKS!

The engine warm up till the blue light is off. Engine parts heat up and seal up. Doing this cured my 2013 2.5 completely. It runs way better also. Try it especially in winter. Winter.

Wow, what a lucky man I am. My first Subaru was a 2012 outback. It lasted 280,000 miles. Then my second was a 2016 WRX. Never had to add a single quart of oil. Then a 2019 Subaru Ascent. Still run like new with over 60,000 miles. Like the WRX I never have to add a single quart. Now a 20221 Crosstrek Sport. Again with almost 30,000 miles and haven’t need to add a single quart of oil. Maybe it is because I religiously change synthetic oil every 5000 miles and, never go over 75mph. Honesty I just think I am the luckiest guy in the world.

I've found this very useful...I'm a former toyota driver, now own a 2013 impreza, light came on and I was damn worried...I visited a shop and they explained exactly this...some relief👍

Yeah I have an Outback and the oil literally disappears. There's no leaks or anything, it just vanishes, and your explanation explains how.

Thanks for this video. 2016 Forester. If you follow their policy of changing oil every 5k miles you don't see this issue until you extend that. We had a warranty program where we had to follow 5k exactly or lose the warranty. I believe these are now illegal. Spent more in maintenance than any other vehicle we've owned. Now that we lost the warranty, I extended oil changes to 7500 and it becomes an issue and adds more stress probably will go back to 5k

I have a 2016 outback, 158k miles. I have always done my own oil changes every 5k miles with Mobil 0w20. I just checked and I’m 1/2 a quart low at 2900 miles since my last oil change. Not bad, it doesn’t leak a drop either.

This is very informative, thank you

Subaru lowered the piston ring tension against the cylinder walls to cut down friction horsepower or the power consumed to move engine parts to produce work. Also the engine oil is 0-20W, a much lower viscosity. This cuts down fuel consumption to get better fuel mileage. Other new car manufacturers have done much the same to achieve the same results.

Not criticizing anyone here, but I’ve always been aggressive with my oil changes because I use Costco motor oil, so it doesn’t hurt me too bad. I change the oil and filter every 4k mi. I installed a ValvoMax system to make it as easy as possible while traveling. Yes: I carry a tool kit, spare filter, and 5qt of 0W-20 at all times. After installing the ValvoMax, I was able to leave the Jack-stands at home. Now all I need is a tall curb and dry parking lot. I use only Subaru filters (though switched to WIX filters XP filters when Subaru America started using cardboard in theirs) and GF-6/SP oil (since it’s been available, anyway). The Warren products (Kirkland, SuperTech, Meijer Synthetic) are all GF-6, SP and Dexos 1 Gen 3 certified now, which makes them about as good as you can get. Pennzoil Platinum or Castrol Edge would be the only other oil I’d consider, with Pennzoil taking it with Dexos 1/3 certification, a longer limited warranty period, routine rebates, and the fact their liquid NG base has better wear protection at lower temps (protects like 5w as a 0w oil). If you want to run 0w-30, Mobil 1 is the only game in town. However, after consulting Driven Racing Oil’s catalogue and looking at Subaru bearing tolerances, operating temps, etc. I see no practical reason to go up to a multi grade 30 oil. I’ve seen oil temps as high as 230 on the Subaru and have yet to observe it burn/lose any oil to evaporation. The Warren oil (specifically Kirkland) performs exceptionally well for me. I change the PCV valve every 28k miles (7 oil changes) as part of preventative maintenance. At this time, I also use the Subaru engine cleaner kit to carbon clean the engine. I also let it warm up to slow idle every time I fire it up. EVERY TIME. It doesn’t matter if it’s -10 or 110 outside: warm to slow idle. I also have an engine block heater on it that I use when it’s going to get below 40 degrees at night. I can’t use it all the time, though, due to travel. I try when I can. I have a 2014 Outback with the FB25 and 180+k miles on it. I fill it to halfway between the dots every time and it doesn’t burn a drop of oil. I switched from SuperTech to Kirkland when it became available since they’re both Warren oils (good stuff). The “loose” rings clog up easily with sludge, which causes them to pump oil into the combustion chambers and causing oil loss. Dirty oil and/or crap oil (high calcium oils with mediocre wear additives. Anything with a high TBN number is suspect since calcium and anti wear additives work against each other) causes the rings to gunk up, henceforth causing oil burn. This causes excess blow-by, which taxes the PCV system, which leads to increased gunk going to the intake, which causes increased carbon fouling and misfires (or loss of compression). This will eventually cause oil dilution because of excess unburned fuel blowing past the fouled piston rings. If you want a happy motor, do the maintenance. If you want a motor that doesn’t burn oil, change the oil before it develops sludge deposits. If you want a long lasting motor, do both AND let it warm up properly. This is especially true of boxers. I’m not saying anyone is neglecting their vehicles, or even unintentionally neglecting them… but there’s a lot of bad information and finger pointing due to the legalities involved in warranties guarantees. Ford, BMW, Toyota, and Subaru all make maintenance claims that are gambles against their warranties. Toyota’s 10k service interval was to brag about how little their cost of ownership was. Even mighty Toyota also had oil consumption issues because of this. GDI compounds the issues further because of the high pressures it injects fuel at, especially if you’re not using GF-6 oils that trap more gasoline before degrading. Good oil that isn’t too expensive (Mobil 1 sucks, Royal Purple is absurd overkill), good filters with bypass designs similar to Subaru (WIX XP is the only one I know of with a 23lb bypass like OEM filters), and common sense: oil is cheap, engines are expensive. Do the work. Save the motor. Understand factory service recommendations are to get you to the end of their warranty periods… whether it’s the one your car came with OR the TSB extensions. They’re gambling to both avoid costs AND legal settlements.

My suby dealer said it's normal it's burns oil, like you said. They also said the only other fix might be to refit and tighten the head gasket (I think he said). I didn't do that tho as it was expensive and I just continue to add oil. I drive a lot for door dash and instacart so I just end up using oil

Really helpful video thank you

I have 2008 Impreza OBS with 247,000+ miles with original engine and head gaskets. I've used Mobil 1 synthetic oil since day 1. I had my local Subaru doctor change timing belt at about 190k. I was using some oil and he recommended that I start using 10W-30 oil. Since the change, zero oil consumption

We just drove a lot so I bought 2 quarts when the light came on and put one in and stuck the other one in the engine bay secured and out of the way and my Subaru has maintenance reminder so after watching this I set one for a thousand miles to add oil if needed

I noticed my 14 forester to start burning significant oil after I passed 100k mark. I don't drive as much, but always changed my oil every 5 to 6 months interval. I just added half a qrt at 4 month. I will need to count the mile now after seeing the video.

I have a 2017 Outback purchased new. If I run MobilOne (had been my preferred brand for years) 0w-20 it will go thru a quart in about 3000 miles. I switched to Castrol Edge Full Syn 0W-20 and now use about 3/4 quart every 6000 miles, which is when I change the oil. Have not noticed any change in engine noise or performance. The Castrol brand usually costs a few bucks less than the MobilOne. The used oil seems fine, no burnt odor or bad feel but I'm not a walking Blackstone lab.

WOW! My car has 1/2 million miles and it uses a quart every 3,000 miles. The only fix for this is to replace the engine? On a new car? I should rush right out and get one. GREAT VIDEO!

This makes me feel a lot comfortable about my 2018 WRX lol

I bought a used 2013 Impreza, manual 5-speed, in December. I live in Minnesota, so obviously it's been cold until these last few weeks of May. As soon as the weather started to thaw, my car started to burn a quart of oil definitely within 1,000 miles. Now that it's hot some days, it burns faster, and it actually literally has been spilling out all over underneath the hood, the cap will even come off, being blown off somehow I guess, it's very concerning. I'm glad to hear I can take it to the Subaru dealer and hopefully get this sorted for free. Before I bought the car, I took it to a mechanic. Even then, underneath the hood it had a bunch of oil residue. The mechanic didn't know why, but it could have been as simple as somebody losing the cap and driving around without a cap. Other than that, it drove well and he couldn't see an issue, so I went ahead and bought it and got a little money off for the concern about the oil, which the dealer didn't know how to explain either. I wonder if the shortblock is the cause? Does anybody have any insight into what this could be?

Thanks that’s very helpful. Been having these exact symptoms and will help us. Will Subaru replace the short block over 110k miles? Out of warranty?

Is this service bulletin still open? And is it only before a certain mileage? I have a 2013 outback and it burns about a quart per 1000 miles.

2019 Impreza with the 5 Speed. Consistently adding 1 quart between 3k changes.

Do you know the price of them replacing the short block? My crosstrek has over 170k miles, never knew this was an issue. Just thought it was normal.

I have a 2013 Subaru forester even I fill enough oil still the red oil light is on. What will be the issues?

I always thought if you changed your oil from the specs it’s not good. I drive a ton so the thicker oil seems logic. My crosstrek has almost 200,000. The only big issues I had were my fault so I’m not blaming the company.

My 2013 WRX STI eats oil like crazy since new. A quart every few hundred miles. I have to check my oil constantly. It is the only car I have ever owned that eats that much oil. I have tried different oils including oils designed for older cars without much success. The problem from what I have read is besides loose tolerances is the oil control rings are to small. My car has not been terribly reliable either it threw the cam belt at 12k miles and I had a big fight with the dealer over not being covered by the warranty- because I change the oil myself (which is actually illegal). They finally compromized and charged me 1/2 the price or 4000$ which turned me off on Subaru's! It took me back to my days of owning a Fiat when the cam pulley disintegrated at 12001 miles just out of warranty. I could have bought a Lotus Europa JPS for only 1k more but the insurance yearly rate for me was outrageous.

My 2019 Legacy with 67k miles is using a 1/4 quart every 1000 miles. I guess this is considered normal. The only car I've ever had to add a quart of oil between oil changes was an RX7 and they have oil injection. It just doesn't seem right for a vehicle with less than 100k miles.

Curious as to how many MPG Subaru actually saved by making engines that burn oil? Further, how environmentally friendly is manufacturing all those extra short blocks, burning oil in the gas, and killing sensors and catalytic convertors prematurely? IMO CAFE's ever tightening restrictions and ever-diminishing returns are forcing engines into places where they don't last as long and cause other problems. How is this better when cars get junked at faster rates?

Another thing that I noticed is if I use the lowest octane unleaded fuel [85] my pistons tend to miss fire and sound like it's knocking. I wonder if it has anything to do with these loose piston rings your talking about. When I use mid grade or higher it fixes the misfiring. I own a base Impreza no turbo 5 speed manual.

Thank you!

Main dealer in my country recommends 5w30 and we get winters -30c . I tried 0w20 for the first few changes, and hated the engine sound . Been running 5w30 for 70k now with no issues. Burn about half a quart every 10k km.

2019 Crosstrek 2.0 with 56K miles. Walmart 0w20 full synthetic every 6K miles. Never added a drop of oil.

I have subaru legacy BL5 2003 model and there is burning of engine oil and also white smoke which engine oil is best to reduce burning? Please help me and tell honestly i am very worried

Thanks for the warning. Was considering a new car. My 2005 Ford with 222,000 miles uses no oil between changes at 5000 miles. Subaru is definitely off my wish list.

Thanks for the video! I switched to 5w30 and did not see any improvement in oil consumption. Now I am gonna try 0w40 and see how it works. The other question - would you recommend adding some oil additives like Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer or smth else?

My 13 Outback 2.5 should have been taken to the dealer before 100k to fix the problem for free. But I just got it with 118k 1 year ago when I noticed the oil being used and they said I'm on my own and try thicker oil. 5w30 still used oil. Now trying 10w30. They said don't try thicker than that. I haven't gotten to change the oil, but have put 3 or 4 qts of 10w30 (1qt at a time) as it burns off at approx 1000 miles. I don't think it's going to get much out of the 10w30 from what I'm seeing so far. I'd be happy with a qt every 5 or 6K, but not liking 1k. Too frequent and I already replaced the cat converter when I bought the car because the maint light came on and that was the problem. Subaru said that was because the oil is burning through and coating the cat converter. Is it really that hard and expensive to change the piston rings to better rings? Might it be better to swap the engine for the bigger (I think 3.6?) one which doesn't seem to have this problem as much? Everyone online seems to know it's the piston rings, but nobody talks about a solution that actually worked for them if it is over Subaru's 100k extension on the warrantee. Also, what other wear and tear is this problem going to have over time other than the cat converter needing to be replaced prematurely?

I went through all same bs with my 2017 2.5 manual Outback. Dealer in Canada gave me full run around when i brought full attention to it under warranty. Did oil consumption tests was burning 1 litre every 2,000km and they declared normal. Clutch & head gasket has gone and I'm at 153,000km. Changed PCV today it was toast too.. never again with Subaru.

It's not just the recent subarus, we had a 2011 3.6r subaru outback that kept burning oil. My mom crashed it and got a Lincoln instead.

You can get new larger sized piston rings or run heavier oil in cold and operating temps in the meantime. Short block only replaced if cylinder walls are bad or cracked block. One of my rides which is non subaru, I replaced the rings and now I don't have any oil consumption. Was using a quart every 2 weeks daily driven. Good video you have to educate people on why oil is consumed in combustion chamber. Oil is very bad for your catalytic converter. It will kill it prematurely. Better address the oil consumption asap. Damn the piston rings! If you address that you're sweet.

Dealer solution is simple, even if an oil change specifies 0w-20, use 5w-30. I found this out when I called the service writer on the discrepancy. 5w-30 eliminates oil consumption complaints. 0w-20 is for EPA mileage certification.

What is the TSB number? I can’t find any TSBs 4:30 on my Forester

It still seems odd that Subaru would allow this. My old 2000 Toyota Avalon's V6, with ~245,000 original miles, only burns around 1/6 of a quart every 3000 miles, or 6 months, whichever I hit first.

My 2006 Subaru Forester STI burns a quart every 7 to 900 miles but at 126,000 miles its to be expected still pulls like a train. So even the older models eat oil.

So if you burn a quart every 1000k and you’re out of warranty use thicker oil and wait for the motor to go?

Thanks

Does the modern 2.0 and 2.5 still burn oil from subaru?

I've heard others complain about Subaru oil usage, but I've owned 4 Subarus in the last 20 years, and none of them consumed more than 1/2 quart of oil between oil changes.

New to Subbie Just bought my first Subbie today a 2013 Outback FB25 with a manual transmission at 145k miles. Was a road trip to get her about 300 miles one way. Heard Subbie consumes oil and did asked the previous owner if I should be alarmed with this one. He stated he didn’t noticed oil consumption. I checked the oil dipstick prior to purchase. It was at full mark. This thing consumed about 1 quart at about 140 miles on the highway coming back home. Maybe crossing the grapevine caused it to excessively consumed oil more than it should even though it already was an excessively oil hog. What I learned was that the FB25 engines was just junk from the factory. Some junkier than others. The yellow oil lamp came on. Never in my 22 yrs of driving have I had this happened. Never own a Subbie until now. First experience and was left with a bad taste with the brand. Must be common with Subbie apparently. I Immediately exited on the next exit and parked. Glad my wife went with me. We drove her vehicle to the nearest Walmart. Got some 5w-40. Topped it off at about 1 1/4 quart and drove the remaining 160 miles home with about 1/5 off a quart oil consumption once I got home with the heavier oil viscosity. Not sure if the 5w-40 helped that significantly or was the climbing through the grapevine caused the engine to be under loaded and consumed. Typical normal engine wouldn’t consume oil even with the same road condition. No wonder the resell value on these Subaru don’t hold. Never in my life I have a vehicle consumed oil like this. This is bad Subaru! Just ordered a PCV and going to put 5w-40. Was looking forward for an adventure with this Outback. Now it’s questionable. Looks like I’ll be carrying a 5 quart jug oil in the trunk. If anyone wanting advice before getting the FB25. Please get something else or just pass up on Subaru models all together. Apparently they’re very common throughout the models and gens from what I read what people experienced with excessive oil consumption. Some are worse than others but they all excessively consumes oil. So apparently 1 quart per 1000 miles is acceptable according to Subaru. That itself is a problem and should be alarmed.

So what if if the oil is burning I do drive my car a lot, so OK let’s say 2 quarts every 1200 miles well I’m spending $40 in oil every two weeks which to me seems like a lot however none of my oil lights ever come on?? What that mean?

Im researching the Subaru 3.6r flat six engine and am not findinf any information on oil consumptiom for that motor. Anyone with experience or knowledge regarding the 3.6r and oil consumption?

My 2012 Subaru forester which I bought from the Subaru dealership is 110000 miles and I’ve had it for 9 months and got it at 95000. I changed the oil every 5000 miles and just recently without warning at about 5000 mile mark to get changed it died from low oil. I had no idea this was happening and no warning or lights and no I just gotta hope my warranty will approve this cuz it seems like they sold me a car that had a oil burning problem without fixing thay

I would use the Amsoil engine flush before oil changes. Use a good synthetic lower the NOACK number like Amsoil signature series. Like the 5-20

My 2016 Subaru Outback with 4 cylinder with 100000 miles doesn’t burn oil yet.

Hmm, what if Subaru replaces short block, will the oil consumption return later down the road?

2014 Forester XT 53k miles. I have never noticed the oil level drop on the dipstick. Factory standard and Chevron Havoline Pro DS 5w-30. I don't buy all Scoobys burn a ton of oil. No way. I also hit 42mpg on a run last week 💪

Change mine every 4k to 5k subaru says 6k. No oil burning had it a year 2022 impreza with 23,000.

burning about 1 quart every 2500 miles , 2013 impreza 259k miles. i basically use two of the low oil lights to give me the cue to get an oil change

Has this issue been resolved with the 2022 forester models

question: will subaru replace short block on a 2011 forester I bought used? Also, what are they replacing the short block with? Has the replacement short block been redesigned to correct the problem?

My Outback is using 1 qt every 520 miles.if I take a long trip ill have to take a case of oil along.

Ill use a Shell Helix Ultra ECT 5W-30 no oil use at all! Model 2014 2.0i

i think i have this issue but my oil lights dont work, ive run with no oil one time and never knew, ive had times where i put 3 qt in and it burns within days

Question if the relaxed tolerances allows more oil into the cylinder, how does this not gum up the catalytic converters.

Where do I go to get the oil consumption checked. Do I just go to a local subaru dealership. I do live by one

I run 0w 20 in my 2013 forester and it goes through a quart every 400 miles. Would you suggest running 0w 30 and seeing if that helps? Already tried the dealership and they said I no longer qualify for the short block replacement :( I’m also gonna try replacing the pcv valve and see if that makes a difference.

The issue isn’t clearance tolerances they are using low tension piston rings to reduce friction and cylinder bore drag.

My 2012 consumes about 1 quart every 500 miles. I'm using Castrol 5w30 although my mechanic told me he went 5w / 10w40 in all of his subarus before. I'm curious tho, I could try using some additives such as Lucas oil thicker or even some piston ring additives and pray 🙏 or I'll plan to get the engine out and swap it for another ej20 in greater shape.

i just did a oil change on my 15 legacy and the light keeps coming on and idk if it’s the oil pump or what.. so scared to drive it lol

Is there an oil volume device I could buy so I can keep an eye on it?

*Wait! Is Subaru replacing short blocks, no charge, out of warranty?* I recently picked up a used '13 Legacy, and it took a quart after just 450 miles since last oil change. (threw the low oil light) However, I'm not sure where it was on the stick @ time of change, as it had a couple hundred miles on when I bought it. I'll be watching it closely now.

Don't quote me, but I heard that Subarus in Japan don't run 0w20. They still run 5w30. And don't seem to be having the issues that US Subaru's have.

1000 miles a quart is just crazy to me! That's an oil change worth of oil in between oil changes.

I have heard that these engines are being built not as “tight” to increase fuel economy. This issue is happening with all makers right now.

2012 Impreza, 98k miles.... need a 1/2 qt every 2-3 weeks.

A thousand miles for 1 quart seems kind of crazy when you consider that Subaru recommends you change the oil every 6000 miles a Subaru fan on the home five quarter of oil. You’re saying a Subaru owner may swap out his oil between oil changes.

Will changing the oil filter say! Every 2000 to 2500 miles help the oil consumption problem.

I'm quite late here, but does that warranty regarding oil burning within 1k miles also applicable to Canada? Or is it only US?

i have a 2013 legacy that i bought from someone a couple months ago. the guy didnt tell me that the car burns oil really fast. i burn a quart every 50 to 150 miles

It's a huge problem especially when your car is way out of warranty and it's burning so much oil that it's clogging up the cats and making the check engine light never go off

My 2014 2.5L has always used 1 quart every 2500-3000 miles, I’m at 195,000 miles right now. Boxers engines burn oil as part of their very nature, it shouldn’t be concerning unless the oil consumption drastically changes. There were also a few years Subarus were worse than other years due to the use of different low friction rings. These are the ones that might have problems with excessive consumption.

La mia Subaru xv turbodiesel utilizza olio Motul 5w30 ed ho notato che dopo 10.000 km consuma 1litro di olio. Il cambio olio completo è previsto ogni 15.000 km

Is there a mileage limit on replacing the engine? We've brought my gf's 2013 Legacy into the dealership and when she brings up the oil/leak burn problem... they check for a leak (nonexistent) and then send her off. Maybe the technicians aren't aware of the service bulletin? Or they don't want to replace her engine? haha

My wife and I , between us, have had 3 WRX's, an Outback, First gen (2013) Crosstrek, and now a 2021 2.5 (Sport) Crosstrek... EVERYONE of those Subaru's had oil changes between 3500-4000 miles, not ONE of them burned any oil as mentioned in this video... Not one.

The ones to thank for the oil consumption issue are the Federal government for mandating higher fuel standards, result is the engine wears out sooner.

My 2013 XV Crosstrek burns a quart every 500-600 miles. It burns a lot! I'm adding more than a full oil change before it's time to change. Help!

Truth mixed with nonsense.

It seems most new vehicles are made for fuel efficiency at the cost of longevity.

First of all get that Fram oil filter off and run a proper Subaru oil filter not the USA made one but the Japanese one. Second change the oil every 3k

What is the minimum value?

Is that FB25?

Actually machining tolerances are tighter than ever which is why modern engines can run 0w16 and the like. They run low tension piston rings to reduce internal friction and low viscosity oils. I’ll watch this but I kind of got my “this will be rubbish advice” detector going. Watched most of the way through … the solution is to replace the engine … no mention of letting the thing warm up for 30 seconds before driving or run in technique when the thing is new.

2020 2.5 litier zero oil consumption most people that have the problem is from using a thicker viscosity oil and it increases the internal pressure so 90 percent is own's fault.

In my experience my car (2013 legacy) was consuming a half a quart of 0w 20 oil every 600 to 1000 miles when I was doing mostly highway miles. I switched to 5 w 30 and i have a shorter commute at low speed now and it burns the half quart about 1200 to 1400 miles now. I get oil changes every 4000 to 5000 miles and keep oil in my trunk for when the low oil level light comes on. Im also getting a check engine code that comes and goes. Its for the catalytic converter sensor. Worried my cats might be getting clogged since im burning oil. Idk. Should i trade it in. At 141k miles rn

BEWARE OF SUBARU I have a 2016 Forester with 66000 miles, I pay the dealer to do the oil consumption test, (the result was 2 qts. Of oil every 1200 miles) I called Subaru Of America and they are not help. SUBARU OF AMERICA response was that the only way they will fix the issue is if the vehicle still under the warranty 5 years, 60000 miles. And that bulletin of 100000 miles 8 yr extended warranty is not for the 2016 Forester. So the cost to replace the short block is $6200.00 I wouldn't recommend a Subaru avoid it at all costs. BEWARE OF SUBARU, they don't stand behind their products and accept that their quality on the short block and its components are low quality.