Daskuppler

I ended up going to the dealership to get some of their gear oil since it is usually pretty affordable and I could not locate Valvoline's conventional oil unless it was 80w-90 which won't work in Colorado winters. The first dealership didn't have any, that was a surprise. I ended up paying almost $17/qt for Subaru's conventional oil...that stuff got expensive for not being synthetic!

I've seen super tech recommended a few times. I've seen complaints against the cocktail causing premature gear wear, and Amsoil. Seems to be hit and miss (some love it, some hate it). Valvoline conventional and e Supertech seem to be the most readily available conventional oils so I'll likely go with one of those. Thank you!

Hello Everyone, Does anyone have any strong preferences for any oil beyond OEM gear oil for the 5MT? I know synthetics don't work as well and most are pretty expensive in comparison to the Subaru gear oil. I used to run Castrol Syntrax for most of my gear oil applications, but it's pretty much unavailable anymore. I know there's Scotty's Cocktail or something like that, but that's a rediculous amount of work to source everything. I have about 35k on the current gear oil so it's definitely time to change it.

That's definitely at EOL for the transmission. A remanufactured CVT is 6500 for the unitm 8k installed if you don't do it yourself. The valve bodies are a problem, but so is the whole unit. If you're going to do the work, I would just replace the whole transmission. Good luck! For what it's worth, I had a block replaced due to oil consumption. I'm on the 4th block including the original factory block. Two failed ib less than 300 miles due to bad rod bearings. My CVT has 133k on it and is starting to show signs of doom.

Thanks for the input. I thought it was weird they told me to check filtration based on silicon when it should be silica if the air filter is bad, it I don't really know how these things are reported. For what it's worth, the last oil analysis on the original factory block that was burning oil reported 11 for silicon. Normal is apparently 30 and this analysis came in at 49. Could the high number still be break in since there's only a out 15k on the block? The oil was changed once after the first 800 miles. Yes, this vehicle has a bad history. Fortunately the block has a 3 year warranty which will get it to 60-70k miles. I attached the full report in case that helps with anything. 14 FORESTER-230429_230523_065854.pdf

I would plan on a remanufactured transmission. Is it the CVT? How many miles?

Good to know! Intake is still stock so that's a possibility. As far as I can tell, everything is sealed.

Hello Everyone, I recently had an oil analysis done on my 14 forester. Wear metals were high, but it was only the second oil change on the new block. A total of 12k on it at the time of the oil draw. Silicon was 49ppm. Blackstone said check air filter. I am running an AEM Dryflow. These seem to filter equivalent to a paper filter and have good reviews. Is this actually the case, or is the high silicon due to the aftermarket air filter? I pulled the sample when it was warm and unfortunately right at the beginning of the stream. Maybe the timing was the cause of high silicon? The oil had about 11k on it with 1qt added. The additive test came back with a little remaining and said I should not go beyond this for OCI.

Subaru ended up covering the cost of parts. Labor is on me, but I work pretty cheap these days 🤣

Thanks for the input. I had though about downsizing the rims, but I wasn't sure if the brakes would clear. I also don't know that a half inch would make a huge difference, but it would be worth it if you got a good deal on the wheels. I ended up going with the Continentals again but I think we're going to lean on the Xterra a little more to save wear and tear on this car. For reference, the Bf Goodrich tires have pretty bad reviews in the rain, and I would be inclined to believe them based on the tread block design. All of these tires also seem to be fairly poorly constructed for offroad use. I'm sure this is primarily because the market demands a quiet and smooth tire and that just doesn't work with a durable offroad tire. I've had a few tires get those bubbles (I believe the technical name is impact break). I have never experienced that with the Continentals, just cut sidewals but never a failure on the road just loss of structural integrity. I generally try to look at reviews from the tire industries and testing facilities. It can be hard though, and is getting harder due to market schemes, and a new tire/revision every other year. I've gotten pretty good at reading tread patterns and predicting handeling in certain situations, but it's hard when you don't know what the rubber compound is. As a general rule, I find Goodyears to be terrible after about 20k, nothing will come anywhere near it's projected life (especially on a Subaru), Bridgestones don't last, Michellin is overrated though always dependable, and nothing beats BF Goodrich offroad and generally speaking overall handling on the road. That being said, they don't last but they do perform. Everyone has their tales of success with particular tires and everyone gets lucky...and unlucky. Tires and brakes are the two things I never skimp on...on any vehicle. Luckily at least two of these tires will be covered under Discount Tire's Certificate program. I wish the BFG A/T KO2 would fit without modification. Can't beat those dang tires.

Bad water pump? Maybe something dislodged and clogged a line?

It's not that I question your statement. I actually appreciate your brutal honesty. I'm just curious what's actually happening, not that I question if it will fail. What would you buy if you were buying a new car (5 years old or newer)?

Hello Everyone, Does anyone have any experience with the following tires: Continental Terrain Contact BF Goodrich Trail Terrain Toyo Open Country AT III Back story, Colorado's roads are sh*t and I'm tired of buying tires. The goal is to get something a little more durable than the Continental TrueContacts I have been running. While the TrueContacts have fantastic traction in snow, rain, and dry, the sidewalls are garbage. I've had to replace two sets of tires because of sidewall failures. The ideal tire would support a spirited driving style while handling rougher terrain better than a standard street tire. Discount Tire offers the above tires that have more of a dirt oriented terrain, but there's limited information on sidewall thickness and real life experiences. Thoughts? Experiences? Comments? Thanks!

I agree. I'm not about to just order a transmission and put it in, unless there are other signs or codes start to pup up. I know these units are not really serviceable apart from the valve body and oil changes (which I've done every 20k since 40k miles).

I also don't want a half assed car with a bunch of bandaids holding it together. That's a great temporary solution but not a fix.

Plus install

It has 25k hard miles on and was the Subaru blue CVT fluid. Did not smell burnt. And yes, 8k for a replacement. I called two different stealerships; both within $100 of 8k.

If Subaru won't replace it for free, how hard is this to replace? The quick fix looks.like it's maybe 20. Minutes, but how hard is the actual sensor to get out and put in?

While sitting at a stoplight the other day, I noticed the car felt like it was slightly rocking forward and backward while in drive with the brakes on. It was almost as if the torque converter was trying to engage and move the car forward. It was very subtle, but still noticeable. It cycles about every second. There was no wind, but felt similar to wind blowing in a car. RPMs were stable at idle. AC is off. Another sign of failure? The car has never done it before.

Great, thank you! I obviously didn't Google very well...

Hello Everyone, The 2014 Forestyer 2.5 Preimum is under the microscope again....This time, the key periodically will not turn from ACC to Off, it locks at ACC (everything that that should be on stays on). Google research leads me towards the car doesn't recognize it is in park. Every time the key gets stuck, the gear indicator in the dash between speedometer and tachometer and always shows P. and the car is indeed in park (it rolls back onto the parking dent if e brake is not engaged. I have tried shifting gears and back to park and it doesn't help. I have tried starting the car and turning it off again. No one thing works consistently, but eventually the key does turn to off and comes out. Any ideas on where to look from here? This is the same car with the CVT that managed to redline and bounce off the rev limiter while in Drive

Great information, thank you! Are these things pretty easy to work on? Generally speaking of course. I work on our Subarus a lot. The most complicated I get as far as repairs goes is head gaskets and timing. I try to stay away from gears, transmissions, and internal engine components.

What are your thoughts on the standard AWD vs the TV-awd, is it with the extra money? Are all of those clutches in it for the long haul with a lead for behind the wheel? Especially if it were to see a fair amount of slippery conditions(snow, mud, gravel, sand, etc).

Yeah, the bigger question is will the Forester transmission last after it's issue a couple weeks ago. It's really the only reason we started considering selling it at this point. It's still worth something now, once the transmission stops working it's a brick or 8k bill

Really starting to reconsider a RAV4. I think it's the only Toyota we would buy (the 4runner is too big and expensive...and we already have an Xterra). Lots of things to consider. I don't think we would ever buy something brand new, even in this crazy market. I think under 20k miles would be ideal