97 outback oil switch

[Bradsit]

Hey all,

I'm finally getting my car back with new head gasket, t-belt and water pump. I just bought it from the dealer and had only driven it 2 weeks when the gasket blew, so luckily they are paying for it all. Now that the all the major work is finished I want to start running synthetic oil. The car has about 130k on it and I live in Eugene, Oregon where it gets mildly cold in winters and slightly warm in summers. I also like to go to the mountains a lot in winter so cold starts may be a consideration when I'm up there. So, my question is: does anybody have a suggested oil weight to use? I'm thinking 5 or 10w-30. Also, do the purolator filters need to be changed more often than the oil or on the same interval?

 

Also does anyone know the fluid capacities for the tranny and diff.?

[Al_SemC]

Hey all,

I'm finally getting my car back with new head gasket, t-belt and water pump. I just bought it from the dealer and had only driven it 2 weeks when the gasket blew, so luckily they are paying for it all. Now that the all the major work is finished I want to start running synthetic oil. The car has about 130k on it and I live in Eugene, Oregon where it gets mildly cold in winters and slightly warm in summers. I also like to go to the mountains a lot in winter so cold starts may be a consideration when I'm up there. So, my question is: does anybody have a suggested oil weight to use? I'm thinking 5 or 10w-30. Also, do the purolator filters need to be changed more often than the oil or on the same interval?

 

Also does anyone know the fluid capacities for the tranny and diff.?

 

The official flavor of oil for that motor is 5W30, all the time. That's what I run and it's all over it. If you switch to synth, watch for some minor leaking at seals. I got a little when I ran semi-synth before and will get back to you about how it is on full synth, as I plan to run som Mobil-1 come wintertime.

 

The capacities of the tranny and diffs differs with models. The rear diff is 0.8qt, regardless. MT gearboxes share oil with the front diff, so you need not fill it separately. Don't know how much exactly the MT's take, but I recall it being a little less than a gallon (I remember a gallon bottle of gear oil and putting the leftovers into a little can).

 

The AT's hold 10qt of ATF total, 4qt in the pan. You'll have to do interesting dances to change the fluid without a pressure purge pump thingy. The front diff does not share oil with the tranny in this case. It holds either 0.8qt or 1.3qt. I forget which and my manual's not handy.