MilesFox

Update: my ej25d has only consumed .5 qt in 5000 mi since moving to 0w40 137,000 mi

what i have seen with fog lights is that the wiring is retrofitted in afer the initial build. the fog light circuit is auxilliary and taps in near the fuse panel and is separate than the original body harness.

Fast lube in reference to those type of places, but preferrably one you drive thru and remain in the car during the service so you can interact with the service versus dropping the car and sitting in a waiting room while the service is performed. (I work at one of these places and i get excited when subarus come in ) My recommendation for this is the cost is much less than making appointments to the dealer for a general service such as a fluid change.

5w20 is less thin when cold although a 0w20 and a 5w20 are the same viscosity at temp and under load. the w number to the 20 or 'grade' is the viscosity index. example, a 0w30 flows better than 10w30 when cold but ow30 can be used in place of 10w30. As far as an overall 'thicker' oil would be 30 and 40 grade, such as 0w30. The ide of 5w20 is if you think the oil may be consumed before the engine is at temp, or at low rpms, or a 30 grade oil if the consumption is at temp or at highway speeds or higher rpms. Anyway, this idea is employing oil viscosity theory to the parameters of a subaru engine. The FA is the new generation of engine with a timing chain and an all new design. This is the only engine that calls for a 0w20 oil, or any 20 grade oil for that matter.

To clarify, the current mileage has not required the timing belt service. This is something you will want to address in 20,000 mi. Immediately within that interval, have the local oil change shop check your fluids. Based on mileage, the transmission should have been serviced at 60,000 mi. The color of the fluid can be some cluie to this at your fast luve (go to the ones you remain in the car). At least you can get these items inspected for much less than dealer shop rate and blind recommendations when you don't see the car. So to be consice, have the fast luvbe look at the fluids and service the coolant or differential or trans based on the vehicles current mileage when compared to the recommended service schedule, and the current condition of the fluids. The timing belt is not immediate until 100,000 mi, unless you want to do that pre-emptively to basically guarantee 100,000 mi of reliability. Good luck

In both my personal opinion as a Subaru enthusiast and my professional opinion as a lube technitian i would say this: 0w20 oil is factory filled nowadays to meet federal economy standards and now takes the place of 5w20. This is now the factory fill for the new FA engines in late model Subaru. Historically, Subaru has never called for a 20 wt oil in any EA or EJ series engies where 5w30 and 10w30 are the 'all temps' weights, and 10w40, 15w40, and 20w50 for extreme duty or in markets with fixed climates. Eample: straight 40 oil for temperatures consistently 95 deg F. In these applications, a 20 wt oil would really only be appropriate for -20 deg F climates. If i were to draw on my expertise in both fields, I would suggest moving to a 5w20 or perhaps a 0w30 or 5w30. Or even a 0w40 if 40 is not too much of a leap with the tolerances of a new generation engine. I use 0w40 in place of 10w40 where 10w40 calls for temps from -9 deg F in 80's and 90's model subarus. Traditionally, oil consumption in historic subaru engines would be attributed to crankcase ventilation system (PCV) where there is a complec system of hoses and an 'oil separator' baffle built into the engine block. Either leaks or clogs within this system, or missing o-rings in dipstick or oil pan gasket. I am not familiar with the FA engines to know its crankcase ventilation. LAte model vehicles in general have closed crankcase vent systems and extra oil capacity for emissions standards of the current day. You should probably have to expect to check and add oil at each fuel stop. In an out of shape subaru from the day with leaks or PCV problems could see to add a quart a week if not more. What i mean by this is checking the oil is a fact of life with Subaru! . Fundamentally, it is wise to check oil often and add as necessary, even though a synthetic oil has service life from 5000 mi and more. Even so with vehicles equipped with oil life monitors such as GM and 2010 and later ford and chrysler (honda, toyota, nissan) Perhaps an aftermarket oil catch can can be fitted once the vehicle is outside of warranty. Same goes for using 0w30 or 5w20 to compare consumption results. This platform should be around long enough to prove their design and establish patterns and lead to corrective engineering. Until then, check oil often and add as necessary. When stayingh with 0w20 outside of the dealership or fast lubes, 0w20 is available as synthetic blend at a lesser price as it requires the refinement process of synthetic blends to achieve 0w20 where 5w20 is relative to conventional oil. (for example ford motorcraft 0w20 synthetic blend WSS-M2C947-A) There is nothing specific about Subaru branded synthetic oil other than that is the 'house brand' oil supplied by a japanese domestic brand.(Idiemitsu) There may be some TSB's (technical service bulletins) regarding excessive oil consumption. Fill capacity should be 5.1 qts with filter. There would be room for consumption considering prior engines hold 4.2 and 4.5 qts by spec.

parking brake shoes: check to see that they didn't fall out.

torque it to 135-145 ft lbs. OR snug by hand and 1/4 turn with a breaker bar

With 80,000 mi, it is likely that routine service has not been performed, or was last performed at 30,000 or 60000 mi. It is recommended to do the following at each mileage: Front and rear diff every 30000 m i transmission fluid 60,000 mi factory fill coolant first time 36 mo then 24 mo thereafter. If anything, change the coolant. Expect to service the timing belt by 10 years or 100,000 mi. Perhaps have that done, although the original belts can last beyond 100,000 mi, but the idlers or tensioners will fail first. Take this pooprtunity to service the water pump, (because you are already there) and change the coolant. If budget is an issue, at leas the belt itself and the idlers. The original water pump can last beyond 200,000 mi so long as the coolant changes are not neglected. Regular coolant changes will help prevent any pattern head gasket issues. Be in the habit of checking fluid levels with coolant and oil;. Expect some oil consumption. A little is normal. Don't go a whole 3,000 or 5,000 mi between oil changes without CHECKING THE OIL, so that you don't come in with a low oil condition. You will be surprised how many people run their car out of oil between each and every oil change, and then wonder why the car consumes. Consider 10w40 for conventional oil in the summer, or better semi syn or full syn 5w40 or 0w40 on a 5,000 to 7,500 mi drain schedule (synthetic) but be sure to check and top off oil by every 2000 mi, or even better, check the oil at each fuel stop. With 81,000 mi, the car was most likely traded in to avoid routine service. Be sure to catch up on the 100,000 mi maintenance routine to be certain for reliability. Otherwise expect to get about 20,000 mi out of it before you are up against the wall for recommended routine service. This advice applies generally with any car, but withthe Subaru, being conscious of the timing belt service is most important

book time x l;abor rate = 2.6 hours for a timing belt and water pump install according tho the instructions that come with the kit.

First check to see if the fuel pump is working. There should be ahatch behind the back seat where you can access the fuel pump and siphon it out from there. 2 year old gas should run and just mix it down with fresh fuel and run it thru, then change the filter.

It calls for synthetic for 0w20. For 40 wt perhaps a 0w40. The reason for 0w20 is fuel economy standards. Subaru never historically used 20 wt oil until the FA engines 2012. Prior engine models call for 5w30 and other oil weights such as 10w30 and 10w40 in warm climates. Personally, I use 0w40 because 40 wt oil, but the 0w makes it ideal as winter/all season. These factory fill 5w30 and 0w20 oils are for 'energy conserving' standards here in USA with manufacturers' economy standards per the EPA IT is wise in any case to check the oil often and add as necessary. It i s normal to use a quart in 3000 mi, but you wouldnt expect that in a new car. Traditionally the case for oil loss would be faulty pcv, crankcase baffle plate leaks, or missing o-ring from oil pan gasket service, typical of higher mileage Subarus. There may h ave been some TSB's or recall for consumption. There may be a factory defect in regards to the piston ring installation (as had been with some toyotas) With a new platform, and in my opinion, Subaru should acommodate you and give the new platform time to prove its design and refinement.

Perhaps steel wool would be best as it would remove the rust but not polish down tolerances. Maybe even some coca-cola with that steel wool.

consider it a partial fluid flush.

in the event of replacing just 2 tires, moint them cross-diagonal from eachother or both on the same side. Diagonal would be preferred, and rotate in every other oil change. You can do this if all 4 tires at once ore out of the budget. As long as you have the same size and aspect ratio it works. This works because with the open front and rear diffs, the center will see no different as ong as one front and one rear wheel are the same. The overall final ratio will assume the smaller of the tires. New tires with new treads vs the existing would be close to the 1/4" circumfrence threshold. But mounting them opposide or side front to rear would allow them to wear in to within your 1/4" tolerance

In my opinion, yes, the original timing components can last that long. Also, the vibration in the steering wheel may be being transmitted thru the inner joint of the axle as the engine idles, as is somewhat common in worn or aftermarket replacement axles. I had recently serviced a 2002 outback sedan that was on its original belts at 163,000 mi. His oil technitian noticed a knocking sound during a coolant flush that was the tensioner being worn and backlashing. The piston on the tensioner had leaked out its oil allowing baklash in the belt, and the knocking sound. Ither this flops around so bad the belt jumps, or one of the idler bearings, especially the cog by the water pump starts to fail its bearing taking the b elt with it. The water pump can last into 225,000 mi before it seizes and takes the belt. PS: i have a 92 mazda protege that leaked the water pump at 213,000 mi and when i went to service it i found it has the original timing belt. I have seen a toyota corolla 175,000 mi on its original belt. Either of these are not as complicated with as many idlers and don't have as many chances for a single component to fail. The parts for this car was about 175 from gates from amazon with belt, idlers, tensioner, and water pump. I charged a $200 labor to do the work. On his end the cost was within 500 for the parts, labor, and clamps, coolant, etc. Starting from 500 and more depending on if doing cam seals, shop labor rate, parts markup, etc. Anyone here would advocate you undertake the work yourself if you are at least familiar with tools but not yet a Subaru. Alas, the dealer, or any small shop, or parhaps yourself can be able to remove a cover and take a peek. Access to doing the work is easy. The only complicated part is the timing mark and pulling the pin on the tensioner and knowing it is correct when you attempt t start the engine.

I am going for a long shot, but if nothing seems to work try swapping out the injector circuit resistor on the passenger side strut with the ceramic insulator in an aluminum case. This was a cure for a 91 legacy ls way back in the day even after an engine swap and an injector swap before discovering this. Any replacement part would be easiest from a salvage car. Subarus are sensitive to their plug wires, so take this advise once the wires and plugs have been ruled out.

I put heads on a block worse than this. I used ATF and marvel oil and rotated the crank to polish it down, rinsing the crud out with WD40 after each rotation.

In my experience the trans has to lose almost a gallon of fluid to have trouble moving.

API GL-5 rated gear oil 90w90 or 75w90 conventional or synthetic is fine.

105,000 mi. The idlers and tensioner will fail before the belt itself. It may last to 150000 mi before it fails

use the green wire for your constant 12v

rotate the crank again and then drop in the disty. The procedure requires 360 deg crank rotation between belts, and then again to find the #1 tdc just after the initial mark for the first belt

I was referencing an EJ car, but ion an ea81 the coolant bottle fits whre the waher bottle is... On ea cars flip the spare tire upside down and you can keep jumper cables and a tow rope there, and possiby the coolant. Remove the spare and there is lots of room

Perhaps a broken rear axle