recommended motor, tranny, and diff oil? EA82T 4WD

[Spiffy]

I know this has been discussed to death, but I'm too lazy to search all the threads for it... (:

 

I'm going to change all my oils on my car... having had it a few months and worked out most of the immediate needs it's time for new fluids...

 

I was thinking I would go with synthetic oil... probably castrol... what's a good weight? 5/30?

 

how about a filter? I was probably going to just get the best one they had at CarQuest, or pick up an OEM Subaru one from the dealer (if you all think they're better)...

 

also, I've heard from the board that Redline makes great fluid for the tranny and diff... should I go with that? and where can I get it locally? any special weights I should use for those?

 

keep in mind that I drive the car pretty hard... quick starts off the line... rarely upshift below 4k... etc...

 

 

so I'm looking for your recommendations on:

 

motor oil filter brand:

synthetic motor oil brand:

synthetic motor oil weight:

tranny oil brand:

tranny oil weight:

diff oil brand:

diff oil weight:

 

 

 

thanks!

[calebz]

Search?

 

For filters, recommendation has leaned toward OEM and Wix..And definitely away from Fram

[ballitch]

for your tranny oil, i went to wally world and picked up a quart of full synthetic 75w-140 and a gallon of plain GL-5 75w-90, used 2.5 quarts of 75w-90 and one quart 75w-140 and about a half quart of 10w-40 motor oil, to help on cold mornings, for your oil filter, castrol or Delo 400 multigrade 15w-40, and a casite, hastings, wix, or purolator filter, i stand by the first 3, purolater seems a little too close to fram's price range, but people have had good luck with them. NO FRAM ANYWHERE ON YOUR CAR...........AT ANY TIME!!!!!!! and for god's sake, change your own oil, dont go to retard-lube. thats my advice.

 

 

 

~Josh~

[BlueTrain]

well, lets see.. i wouldn't go as thin as a 5-30, esp with summer 'round the corner.. i personally run castrol gtx 10-30 and it works well.. as for gear oil, id stay away from valvoline.. i swapped some in there last fall, and it was garbage.. i'll be putting redline in there shortly..

[Snowman]

Filters: Go to Subaru and buy a case of 12. It's $5 a filter for what is essentially the same thing as the top-end Purolator, which generally costs more if purchased individually.

 

Engine oil: 10w30 Mobil1 is what I swear by. Castrol makes good dino oil, but for synthetic, most of the manufacturers that run syn oil from the factory use Mobil1.

 

Gear oil: 75w90 Synthetic. I'm running Quaker State because that's what I had available at the time. After probably 30,000 miles, it looks just like the day it went in. I'd check out the Mobil1 or Amsoil stuff, as they have been around the longest. Most other manufacturers are relatively new to synthetics.

 

I wouldn't waste your money on Redline or Royal Purple. Also, Setright actually had his EJ22 start making piston slap noise after he ran Redline in it for a little while.

 

Another thing to consider is availability. Some of these synth oils are hard to find in gas stations and you might be up a creek if you're out in the boonies and need a quart. Mobil1 is pretty ubiquitous and is probably your best bet as far as universal availability.

[85Sub4WD]

I use a puralator filter for oil - would recommend them, Subaru, or Wix ONLY - NO FRAM

 

I use Castrol Synthetic Blend 10w-30 for winter, and sometimes go for 15w-40 if I am in really hot climates - otherwise all the seals gush oil (just resealed front of engine too) - I do my oil every 3k anyway - don't like 10w-40 b/c it has a bad history of gelling (turning into sludge) - 20w-40 seems to (in my expierence) be a bit thick, but if you are in a very warm climate, it may be good (probably a good idea if you have put Marvel Mystery oil in the crankcase to quiet the Tick Of Death) - 5w-30 is WAYY too thin - unless you are in northern Canada or northern Alaska, you sould NOT use it

 

Would highly recommend Mobil 1 if you can afford it

 

I am running Mobil 1 75w-90 in my transaxle - very pleased with it - actually noticed fuel milage improved 2-3mpg with it - may be oil, or the fact that the old stuff had been in there for 145k of city driving!!! Appeases second gear nicely- but still not perfect

 

75w-90 is spec for the tranny and diff - I would recommend sticking with it for that reason, and the fact it seems to work so well

 

Setright actually had his EJ22 start making piston slap noise after he ran Redline in it for a little while.

 

Interesting - though it does not surprise me - that stuff probably does not stick to the cylinder walls well b/c of all the anti-fowling additives, and therefore causes scraping action and extreme wear from lack of lubrication. I stick with conventional natural and synthetic oils only - proven to work, and work well

 

BTW - Spiffy, believe me when I say I drive my car harder than you do - I found out at what RPM my valves float at - 6,200 - some board members drive their cars even harder

[Spiffy]

awesome, thanks all!

 

I already picked up the OEM subie oil filter... think I'll go with Mobile1 synthetic for my oils... engine 10w30, and gearboxes 75w90...

 

now to check my haynes to see how much I need... (:

[subynut]

Yeah, Subaru filters. I use Castrol GTX 10w-40. With 10w-30, she chatters just a litle bit and drives me crazy.

 

I think I'm gonna try the Mobil 1 synth in me new tranny.

 

Only 6200? my old engine valve float was about 6800. New one, 7700! Must be the RV cams.

 

PS

Emily, you did NOT see that!

[85Sub4WD]

Only 6200? my old engine valve float was about 6800. New one, 7700! Must be the RV cams.

I wound it up again today, and it did not seem to flatten out again like that - 6,500 is my max period because I can NOT afford to throw a rod on that engine - I usually shift just before the redline, around 5,800 for daily driving when I want to pass a slow car - my power is minimal by the time I reach that rpm anyway - I dont have a turbo!! - I usually just rev it up high in first in case 2nd grinds - habbit after running on old tranny oil for FAR too long (and probably damaging my synchro for 2nd gear) - Moral: change tranny fluid!!

 

Spiffy - sounds like a great combo - hope it works out well for you! - don't be surprised if you have to tweak the specs for the stuff a bit - these cars vary as to what they like with age, mileage, and climate!!

 

Good Luck!

[subynut]

Tis true. But it's still fun to scream by somebody at 7k in 2nd. hehehehe....I don't even have a turbo.... Funny tho, after I cracked my exhaust y-pipe on that rock, the power band has shifted up. I wonder if my y pipe is too small, hummmmm................

[4WDFrenzy]

If you are looking for a good engine oil to put in it, you might want to try some Royal Purple 10W30 or some Mobil1 10W30. But since Royal Purple in most areas is a bit out of most people's budget($5.99 a quart here), so you might try for the Mobil1.

 

For filters, Wix or Subaru OEM would both be good choices.

 

Gear oil I was using 80w90, but I am going to change it to 85w140 since it often times reaches triple digit temperatures here during the summer. 75w90 should work just fine though. You can use sythetic oil or dino, whichever is your preference. Same goes for the rear diff.