help with oil consumption

i own a 2005 subaru legacy gt and im going and i think my car is using oil more than a usual subaru should. i just replaced the turbo and i replaced the pcv valve but its still flying through oil. i have been changing the oil every 3000 miles and at the moment i am at around the 2000 miles mark so i have another 1000 miles before my next oil change but i have already added abou 2.5 quarts of oil. i went on bit of a long distance drive to massachusetts from long island. i had to add 3/4 a quart when i arrived in massachusetts and another quart when i got back to long island. pls help find the problem. if it means anything i am using mobil 1 synthetic and have read that mobil 1 isnt that good with subarus so the best plan i have right now is changing to castrol or motul for the next oil change and hope that helps at all. any ideas or tips would be awesome

What weight of oil are you using? Any exhaust smoke (blue in color)?

Check the valve covers for oil leaks. Those around the valve cover and around the spark plug tubes don't last forever and can leak profusely.

 

Any oil on your driveway or garage floor? Check the filter area for oil leaks, or the timing cover could indicate that the cam seals are leaking if it has oil coming out the bottom.

 

Any check engine lights or codes?

 

If you've given the engine a good once over and there's apparent oil leaks, then it might be time to do compression/leakdown testing.

My 2005 Outback XT uses, IMO, a lot of oil (approximately 1qt/1K miles) however I've been told by others, in this forum, this is not all that unusual. My mechanic reports no leaks so the conclusion is it's being consumed internally. It runs fine and doesn't smoke so I just keep an eye on it and fill it as needed (it does appear to consume more if I run it hard compared to just day to day driving).

Do a compression test, the 4 gens are notorious of cracked ringlands and worn pistions rings.

My 2008 Spec B (EJ257) consumes zero oil between changes.

 

It is not "normal" for these cars to leak 2.5qts of oil per 2000mi. Maybe a "lil bit" is acceptable (perhaps 1/2qt per 3000mi...

 

If I were you, this is what I would be thinking...

 

Possible issues are

* worn turbo journal bearing (requires turbo rebuild or replacement, easiest to do in my opinion)

* failing/failed piston ringland (worst-case scenario, pull engine, rebuild shortblock)

* massively leaking seals ("half-moon" cam seals, a PITA but not as bad as a ringland failure)

* valve-cover gaskets (cheaper than a turbo rebuild, but more of a PITA). The VCG are easy to check, but the half-moon seals can be a bit trickier to spot leaks.

 

Assuming that you see dirt/gunk/oil on your engine block's undercarriage, I would first rule-out seal and gasket leaks by purchasing 2~4 cans of engine degreaser (maybe Gunk brand @ Autozone) and spray the ever-livin' hell out of your block (aluminum, avoid the connectors/harnesses) and wash/rinse it down. Repeat maybe 4~6 times. If this is the problem, it is likely cam-seals/half-moon seals or VCG if they have not been replaced on a 2005. This was the case with my first 2005 LGT Sedan (cam seals)

 

Drive it for about 20 minutes, and then check under neath again.

 

If you're still consuming oil (and you probably still will be, based on the consumption rate you sited), I'd check the turbo cartridge/rotating assembly for "shaft play". If you remove the downpipe and can "wiggle" the rotating assembly a lot, thats bad. It shouldn't move much axially (is that the right word?) aside from spinning freely. You can do this in an hour or two if you drop the downpipe. If that check's out, then leak down test ($100~$300 @ shop)

 

Edit: I'd expect 2 or more of the above issues are causing your oil consumption issue - the rate is probably too high to simply be "just" gaskets and/or seals.

Do a compression test, the 4 gens are notorious of cracked ringlands and worn pistions rings.

 

I know this was intended for the OP but I wanted to mention I had a compression test performed on my Outback and it came back OK. A little on the low side but within limits.

Why did you change the turbo? Did it blow?

i use mobil 1 5w-30. no exhaust smoke and i had the valve cover gaskets replaced. no oil on driveway. And the turbo did break so i had to replace it. i will try a compression test thank you guys

i thought that if your rings were bad there would be a noticeable power lost and at least there be visible smoke.

STOP using that oil. It has been shown to be one of the worst oil's for these cars.

 

How bad did the turbo break ? If that happens it most likely will put metal into the oil system.

the turbin rod connecting the both sides of the turbine snapped. what oil do you recommend?

Rotella T6

Yes Motul is a great oil but it’s really expensive and you’re adding a lot of oil at the moment so I’d avoid that. I also still use Rotella T6.

+1 for Rotella T6, My last blackstone labs report said I should go 7,500 mile intervals on it. That scared me a bit even though I trust them, so I change it at 5,000 miles because it makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

the turbin rod connecting the both sides of the turbine snapped. what oil do you recommend?

 

As said above, Shell Rotella t6 is what a lot of members use.

 

As said above, Blackstone Labs will tell you how good your oil is.

 

I use Amsoil 5w-40 European Classic and there EA15K13 I think it is, I have a supply of them. Blackstone told me at 7000 miles to leave the oil in and send in a sample at 9000 miles. I normally change it at 7-8000 miles.

 

My vf52 at over 110,000 miles has zero shaft play.

 

Oil selection and oil change time depends on your diving style. Mine is mostly highway for at least 10 miles. My wagon is my DD and weekend ski car to VT most every winter weekend. My drive to work is 32 miles mostly highway.

My Spec B is the weekend car in the summer time. It sit's most winter weeks. When it is driven on Saturday night, its at least 10 miles highway to, diner, shopping, movie.

i can only find 5w-40 for rotella t6 is that ok? because my oil cap says only 5w-30

i can only find 5w-40 for rotella t6 is that ok? because my oil cap says only 5w-30

 

Yes, that is correct. It only comes in 5w40. Don't worry about what the cap says. We have tested it over and over again with nothing but great results.

How bad is Mobile 1 5w 30 really for these cars? I have an 06 lgt with 155k on it (just took ownership). My first oil change I used mobile one with Subaru filter. Second oil change I switched to the Rotella T6 everyone loves and started smelling burning oil at stop lights. I promptly went back to Mobile 1 and no more burnt oil smell. Thanks in advance.

 

 

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Mobile 1 does not have enough zinc to keep the turbo happy. We have seen several turbos go out due to Mobile 1. Several Blackstone lab results have confirmed this too. Blackstone also recommends Rotella T6 due to the amount of zinc in the oil.

Fluffysubie, the turbine shaft snapped in your turbo? Did you engine ingest any debris?

 

No real input on oil. Motul is dirt cheap where I live so I've always used that... we have Rotella 0W40 AND 5W40, and Shell has changed the Rotella formulation (so says the internet;)

FWIW, I went a solid 6k miles in my OBXT with a cracked ringland and oil consumption in the 2.5qt/3000mi. range. Power loss isn't perceivable if it happens slowly enough, or if you bought the car like that and have no idea what it's supposed to feel like in the first place.

 

If you pull the oil fill tube cap off when the motor is running, so you get any smoke coming out? Do you ever get a hot, oily smell when idling, or when you turn the climate control on?

 

Do a compression test(just re-iterating what others have said), because taht'll give you a very concrete idea of how that motor is doing. Then, get that oil analyzed. These turbos have journal bearings that like to wear away, which causes the turbine shaft to snap. The issue is that all those chunks of copper bearing like to circulate through the engine and can really be an issue. It's not too un-common to replace a blown turbo and spin a rod bearing a couple thousand miles later!

i do not get any smoke coming out of the oil fill cap when i take is off and from time to time i will get that hot oily smell at idle and only when the climate controls are on

Check your passenger side valve cover, they tend to leak and drip down onto the uppipe. Also check the passenger CV joint boot, when they rip they sling grease onto the downpipe. Both these will cause those smells.

i do not get any smoke coming out of the oil fill cap when i take is off and from time to time i will get that hot oily smell at idle and only when the climate controls are on

 

This could very well be your (pun intended) smoking gun. That smell is definitely not normal. You have lubricant leaking from somewhere, Like fjuan said, the valve cover gaskets and CV boots are common items. Also check the turbo oil drain tube, oil pan, and the lower edges of the timing belt case. The cam seals can weep oil with age.

 

Perhaps your issue here is a combination of a oil consumption and oil loss.