Oil Change Intervals & Turbo Operation Tips

Hey guys, I will be taking delivery of my 2008 automatic Legacy 2.5GT Sedan.

 

Oil- Just to confirm, on my 2008 Legacy 2.5GT it is called for to change the oil every 3750 miles (6000 Kilometers) correct? Which kind of 5W 30 oil do you recommend? I will probably use Castrol GTX or maybe valvoline conventional oil?

 

Turbo- After driving, should I sit idle for at least one minute before engine shut down to cool down the turbo? What if you didn't do this; what damage could be made to the turbo?

 

One more question, which AWD system is the grippiest out of the manual transmission vs automatic transmission vs STi AWD set-up? I still would like to learn the differences!

 

Also, do the wheels off of 2005 model Legacy 2.5GT fit properly on the 2008 model Legacy 2.5GT; I find I like the 5-spoke wheel more?

 

Thank you for your time and advice,

 

Hey guys, I will be taking delivery of my 2008 automatic Legacy 2.5GT Sedan.

 

Welcome. Congrats and post pics when you get it.

 

Oil- Just to confirm, on my 2008 Legacy 2.5GT it is called for to change the oil every 3750 miles (6000 Kilometers) correct? Which kind of 5W 30 oil do you recommend? I will probably use Castrol GTX or maybe valvoline conventional oil?

 

5w30. Synthetic.

 

Turbo- After driving, should I sit idle for at least one minute before engine shut down to cool down the turbo? What if you didn't do this; what damage could be made to the turbo?

 

None. Whoever told you that information is wrong. Drive the car like its a car.

 

One more question, which AWD system is the grippiest out of the manual transmission vs automatic transmission vs STi AWD set-up? I still would like to learn the differences!

 

http://www.cars101.com/ + search button + nasioc

 

Wheel questions answered by searching or better yet, read all the FORUM STICKIES for massive volumes of info.

 

Wheel subforum and stickies:

http://legacygt.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/wheels-tires-43.html

I second running a synthetic oil, even if you have to stretch out the interval to 8,000km or so to offset the extra cost. 5w-30 would be a good choice, others here also run 5w-40.

OK thank you guys!

 

Why is synthetic oil better; for the turbo system? I am going to use AMSOIL for my car!

 

I have a 08 LGT for 4 years now.

 

I run full synthetic mostly Mobil1 0W40 and sometimes Castrol Edge 5W30, whichever one Advance has a deal on.

I try to run Purolator PureOne filter, Bosch Distance Plus filters or sometimes Mobil1 filters.

 

I don't cool it down after stopping, however I try to have some calm driving before I stop. That should be enough to cool the turbos.

Search!

Do not use Mobile 1

Turbo is oil and water cooled and vaporization cools the turbo after engine is off

yes to the rims

He is using Mobil1 0w40 which is a totally different animal than their 5w30.

Use the M1 0w40 without hesitation if you so desire.

Congrats on the new to you car! It's nice to see another Canadian on board too.

 

I used Shell Rotella T6 5w40 synthetic in my 05 LGT when I did my oil change last night. It's $42.99 at Canadian Tire.

He is using Mobil1 0w40 which is a totally different animal than their 5w30.

Use the M1 0w40 without hesitation if you so desire.

+1. And don't take oil advice from someone that can't spell Mobil.

 

-Dennis

So what's wrong with M1 5w-30 full synth?

So what's wrong with M1 5w-30 full synth?

It gets thin as it gets hot, as borne out by its HT/HS rating of 3.1 where 3.5 is really the minimum acceptable level for our turbo motors.

 

http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lubes/PDS/GLXXENPVLMOMobil1_5W-30.aspx

 

Compare that to the 3.8 the 0W-40 scores in the same test.

 

http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lubes/PDS/GLXXENPVLMOMobil_1_0W-40.aspx

Mobil 1 0W40 is the European formula that Porsche, BMW, Benz, etc use.

 

@bluesubie

 

LOL

Im switching from amsoil 5w30 to amsoil european formula mid saps 5w40 for the higher shear value. Amsoil 5w30 does not meet the minimum ht/ts shear value of 3.5 for LGTs

Im switching from amsoil 5w30 to amsoil european formula mid saps 5w40 for the higher shear value. Amsoil 5w30 does not meet the minimum ht/ts shear value of 3.5 for LGTs

 

Where'd you find a minimum hths for LGT's? I've never heard of any special oil requirements for them

Zombie oil threads. The worst kind of oil threads.

 

LOL

Im switching from amsoil 5w30 to amsoil european formula mid saps 5w40 for the higher shear value. Amsoil 5w30 does not meet the minimum ht/ts shear value of 3.5 for LGTs

Go for the gusto and run the FULL SAPS 5W-40!

http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/motor-oil/european/european-car-formula-5w-40-synthetic-motor-oil-efm/?code=EFMQT-EA

The non girly man Amsoil 5W-30 is HDD Series 3000 with an HTHS of 3.5.

http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/motor-oil/diesel/series-3000-sae-5w-30-synthetic-heavy-duty-diesel-oil/?code=HDDQT-EA

 

Where'd you find a minimum hths for LGT's? I've never heard of any special oil requirements for them

 

I believe it's mentioned in the 2012 ACEA European Oil Sequences.

 

A/B : gasoline and diesel engine oils

 

A1/B1

 

 

A3/B3

Stable, stay-in-grade oil intended for use in high performance gasoline engines and car & light van diesel engines and/or for extended drain intervals where specified by the engine manufacturer, and/or for year-round use of low viscosity oils, and/or for severe operating conditions as defined by the engine manufacturer. Oils meeting A3/B3 are ideal for Legacy GT's and meet the minimum high temp / high shear of 3.5 mPa*s as spec'ed by members of LegacyGT.com

 

A3/B4

Stable, stay-in-grade oil intended for use in high performance gasoline and direct injection diesel engines, but also suitable for applications described under A3/B3 and these oils are also recommended for Legacy GT's.

 

 

I understand the ACEA ratings, but I still wasn't aware that the legacy GT had a minimum hths requirement, required an oil with a certain acea rating. My owners manual simply says an api certified sm gf-4 oil, or newer/better obviously.

FWIW, I've been using Amsoil full SAPS 5w-40 in both my cars for over a year now. It's cheaper then the other Amsoil Europeans too.

 

I should place another order tonight, I also want to try there gas stabilizer too.

I understand the ACEA ratings, but I still wasn't aware that the legacy GT had a minimum hths requirement, required an oil with a certain acea rating. My owners manual simply says an api certified sm gf-4 oil, or newer/better obviously.

It's not a requirement of the owner's manual. It's a recommendation from those of us with more than a decade on turbo Subies (the LGT is my 3rd and I'm at 300K aggregate miles). When you're lubricating something spinning at 100,000 RPM and 1400 F (/handwave), most of us think that an oil that just meets manual specs isn't good enough for the long term.

 

You also have to remember that owner's manual oil specs aren't set to keep the car healthy for mega-miles but are more driven by the CAFE test and the fleet average MPG requirement (note the manual spec for "energy conserving"). It's the only reason Honda specs 0W-20 in its mainstream motors.

 

If you really want to wander into the deep (and sometimes psychotic) end of oil discussions, head here:

 

Bob Is The Oil Guy

Thanks for the info. Been a bitog member for 9 years now (sxg6 over there), I'm not too fond of the CAFE arguments since 0w-20 oils tend to be very stout and have largely synthetic base stocks. I understand and totally agree with wanting a higher hths oil since even my non-turbo motor tends to shear down oil very quickly, but at the same time I try not to focus too much on one characteristic when choosing an oil.

Thanks for the info. Been a bitog member for 9 years now (sxg6 over there), I'm not too fond of the CAFE arguments since 0w-20 oils tend to be very stout and have largely synthetic base stocks. I understand and totally agree with wanting a higher hths oil since even my non-turbo motor tends to shear down oil very quickly, but at the same time I try not to focus too much on one characteristic when choosing an oil.

 

You should be fine using either Shell Rotella t6 like a lot of members do or Castrol Synthec. Or do what HAMMERDOWN did for me, get on the Amsoil band wagon.

 

I joined as a 5 year member, pay $5.40 for a qt of oil. do 7000 miles oil changes and use there filters.

Blackstone Labs tells me I can to 9000 miles and send in another sample, but I change it our at 7000.

 

I will say that you also have to add in the shipping and handling cost. But I get peace of mind, knowing I'm using great oil.

 

I bought a 12qt case last night, with two oil filters and a bottle of gas stablizer, the total cost was $123.00. I think the case cost was $64.00.

The filters are p/n is something like EK15k-13EA. If you want PM me and I'll give you the exact p/n when I get home.

Thanks for the info. Been a bitog member for 9 years now (sxg6 over there), I'm not too fond of the CAFE arguments since 0w-20 oils tend to be very stout and have largely synthetic base stocks. I understand and totally agree with wanting a higher hths oil since even my non-turbo motor tends to shear down oil very quickly, but at the same time I try not to focus too much on one characteristic when choosing an oil.

 

IMO, it depends on the application and the oil. Many FR-S/BRZ's at ft86club.com are showing high copper and aluminum (I think the other metal is al) on typical 0W-20's. OTOH, there are some very good FR-S/BRZ uoa's on Red Line and Motul 300V 0W-20 (including FI mods and track time).

 

High HTHSV is the one characteristic that I focus on for turbo's or high revving/hard driven cars. Yes, many people have run Resource Conserving oils in Subaru turbo's with great results, but even Mobil1 recommended their 0W-40 for my application when I emailed them.

 

-Dennis

I'm the new owner of a 2005 Legacy GT 5-speed manual. Bought it just last week with only 5400 miles on it - yup, you read that right. Flew to Ohio to pick it up and drove it 2400 miles back to California. Before I picked up the car the dealer changed the oil with standard Mobil 5W30.

 

Manual suggests oil changes at 7500 miles but I'll do 5000 if only because it's easier to remember.

 

Questions: Is the oil that's in there now ok until 10,000 miles or do I want to get that regular stuff out of there and replace it now with the good stuff?

 

I see a service bulletin on Amsoil's site saying, "Subaru has since published Service Bulletin #02-110-10R indicating that 2010 MY and prior turbocharged engines continue to require oil and filter change intervals of 3,750 miles". I called Amsoil about this and the tech said to follow what the service manual says so which is it? Heed the service bulletin or I'm ok changing every 7500 (5000 by my method)?

 

Anything else I should be aware of being a new Subie owner?

 

Dan

Being a turbo and conventional oil, I would change the Mobil 5w-30 out after 3,750. If you were to run a synthetic oil, then I would say 5,000mi-7,500mi no problem.

 

Check the oil level of the car frequently, until you have a solid idea of how much oil the car consumes. I would also suggest reading up on the turbo banjo bolt filter, as shown in the links below.

 

http://store.forcedperformance.net/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=Info_SubaruOil

http://store.forcedperformance.net/merchant2/graphics/subaru_oil/02-103-07.pdf

http://store.forcedperformance.net/merchant2/graphics/subaru_oil/02-106-08.pdf

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/2-5gt-turbo-oil-supply-banjo-bolt-filter-removal-62371.html

 

Other than that, I'll let the turbo owners chime in with their suggestions.