Oil type ?

[grunta007]

Hi,
I am about to pick up my MY07 3.0R Spec B Auto Sedan in next couple of weeks and I was wondering during the run in period what type of Oil should be in the engine ? Has anybody got any recommendations on what type oil to use and how often it should be replaced i.e kms/time period ?

I was thinking that during the run in period a mineral type of oil would be used then after that a synthetic type of oil would be used I am sure Subaru have a recommendation but just wondering what people on this forum would recommend in type of oil and when to replace the oil (5'000kms/6mths).

Cheers

grunta07

[MH3.0R]

Hey Grunta007,

I bought a sample oil additive from Ivan at www.X3E.biz and was immediately impressed with the additional quiteness and willingness of the engine to spin.

So I would advise that you go with the oil that Subaru put in the engine during the routine servicings throughout the warranty and add one of the Oil Extreme additives from Ivan immediately after each service.

Ivan also has Gas Extreme, a fuel additive, which keeps all the fuel/air surfaces lubricated as well. Might also be worth considering. You can read all the details on the web site.

Kind Regards,

Mark.

[mianos]

Before spending any money on 'fuel enhancing' additives may I suggest you peruse this site:
http://www.fuelsaving.info/fuel_additives.htm

[mianos]

ps. I forgot the oil one from Carbibles.com:
http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html
There is a link to some information on the more common oil additives.

[Spec B Wgn]

S&J Automotive in Adelaide have used this stuff on the 100's of Subarus they service.

they swear by it , & i use it.

http://www.ulx110.com/index.html

[sooobi]

10-50, 10-60 or 10-70 depending on your budget, semi-synth if you prefer, or if you go fully synth, I recommend penzoil sin10 for bang-for-your-buck.. (Funnily Penzoil recommends (the cheaper) HPR5.. depends if you thtrash it or not i guess...

Heard NEO oil is top notch also, hard to find but..

[deucer]

My 2 cents is to read the Subaru manual. They kinda know what they're talking about. Use that as a guide for engine oil type, viscosity (Subaru recommends 5W-30 I think) and frequency of oil changes. Don't forget that stop/ start city driving is considered severe duty driving... for good reason. This will necesitate more frequent oil changes.

As the 3.0R has been known to drink a little oil, I'd suggest it would be good to let the engine bed down before adding any lubrication enhancers/ modifyers. General consensus is to wait until 20,000km or 30,000km before doing so. The other suggestion I have is to drive it hard once in a while (once through your break-in period). Do some research on the web... there is a consensus that you should drive it hard straight out of the dealership.... the guy who espouses this seems to have some credibility and evidence to support this. He races motorbikes for a quid.

Personally, I've tried a few "slick oil additive" products over the years. I've never been convinced of the benefit with any of them, finding that I actually spend less by using a quality oil and changing it more frequently. I've put 170,000km on a diesel engine with just frequent oil changes and it was in great knick when I sold it.

Have just moved the 3RB over to Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 fully synth at 35,000km. 3RB loves it. Spins much more freely and doesn't drink a drop.

Let us know how you go.

Cheers,
Deucer.

[sooobi]

My 2 cents is to read the Subaru manual. They kinda know what they're talking about. Use that as a guide for engine oil type, viscosity (Subaru recommends 5W-30 I think) ... Have just moved the 3RB over to Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 fully synth at 35,000km.

5?? Is that what the manual says?

[mianos]

*: 5W-30 is preferred.
Engine oil viscosity (thickness) affects fuel
economy. Oils of lower viscosity provide
better fuel economy. However, in hot
weather, oil of higher viscosity is required
to properly lubricate the engine.

[deucer]

That's why I've chosen a 5W-40 synth oil. Nice compromise between light weight and decent viscosity to cover both winter and summer driving in australian conditions. Synth for the extra protection (slipperyness) now the engine is broken in.

Oils with greater disparity between the Winter rating (5W) and the 100Celcius viscosity rating (40 in this case)... eg: 10W-60, add polymer additives to the base oil to maintain the shear strength at 100Celcius. These additives tend to break down first, reducing the shear protection on the internal components. My understanding is you're better off getting an oil with less disparity and changing it more regularly.

My feeling is that a 5W-30, 40 or 50 would do nicely in these 3.0R engines. 10W-?? might be just fine. Engine might not run as smoothly. 20W-?? would be too heavy.

Cheers,
Deucer.

[WhiteGTB]

My feeling is that a 5W-30, 40 or 50 would do nicely in these 3.0R engines. 10W-?? might be just fine. Engine might not run as smoothly. 20W-?? would be too heavy.

Cheers,
Deucer.

Anyone run 10W in their 3.0 engine?

I remember I read somewhere in the winter months 5W-30 is the go and for the hot sumer months 10W-40 is preferred.... or is it just a load of croak as the engine bay gets to the same temp anyways?

[honkas]

i am running 5W-30 all year round here in Brissy... mind you i also change my oil roughly every 3-4 months irrespective of how many km's it's done...

[3specB]

I know this is an old thread, but just got the spec b serviced today at subaru.

oil used - castrol magnatec fmx 1030

service cost (37500k) $233.00

Plus the service was done in an hour, and i got to watch them working on the car.

thats all.....

[smythie]

where'd you get it done? sounds like a decent place if they let you gawk at them doing their thing

[3specB]

Subaru Mentone.
Seemed pretty good. I rotated the tyres myself a while ago and they picked up that they didnt need to be rotated again. Was pretty happy.
Price seems about right.

e