Low oil... 2 Quarts in 2,000 miles?

mnrstrider · 12-22-2004, 02:45 PM

Yup title about says it all, bought the car used with 13K miles the car is all stock, (04) and I got a low oil light last night driving the car, only when I was stopping rather quickly, just out driving in town. Oil change was done right before I drove off the lot. Wife's car and it's driven easy. Anyone like to venture a guess where is went? The car is parked in the garage every night. no oil leaks present there.

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hondaeater69 · 12-22-2004, 02:56 PM

maybe it wasn't full when they did the change. Also check for filter/drain plug leaks, it's possible they didn't tighten something all the way.

I lose around 1-2 quarts between oil changes (6-8K miles) and only lose it on long road trips, i'm not sure if i'm burning or leaking.

2 qts in 2K miles is a lot, but you need to set a new baseline and monitor it from now forward. Fill it properly and follow the leakage patterns. I always check mine at least 1-2 times a week, and always before and after long road trips, and before and after any planned hard driving. If it continues to leak that amount, take it back to the dealer. I've taken mine back with my losage and they couldn't find any leaks.

mnrstrider · 12-22-2004, 04:18 PM

I realize after searching this topic under a better set fo search words, there are a whole lot of threads about this already, I thinking of having the dealer change the oil to 10w30 tonight instead of the 5w30 the probably put in it last time...

Anyone wanna venture some additional input into this situation, please by all mean do

Mulder · 12-22-2004, 04:46 PM

Are you saying the oil warning light came on while you were driving? The light isn't a "low oil" light for indicating low level, it's a low pressure warning. If you see that light something is very wrong.
In order for low oil level to cause that light to come on you would have to be low enough on oil that the pump was sucking air, in other words the pan would be nearly empty. Being a quart or two low will not turn on the light.
The pressure switch that turns the light on is calibrated to close when the oil pressure drops below about 2 psi, which is essentially nothing. On a newer car you should never see the light other than when first turning on the key before starting.
Subaru considers anything up to 1qt/1000 miles to be normal oil use, as do most other manufacturers. If you are concerned that the car may be using more than this, and since you're under warranty, you can have a dealer perform an oil use test. If excess consumption is found they will repair it. You may want to have a dealer check your car anyway since the light came on.
And using 5W30 vs. 10W30 should not cause any problems, both are within the viscosity ranges specified by Subaru.

mnrstrider · 12-22-2004, 04:58 PM

I agree, this is the light I seen, and it was only under a good amount of braking, in my city the stoplights have short yellow lights in 50 mph zones, and when the light turns, you need to stop, and then I imagine the oil sloshes forward in the pan and the pump cavitates, for a breif second or 2 no more, engine rpms are at idel, so it's no as severe as a under load oil starvation issue, probably no worse than a regular start-up, still this is an issue and the dealer will need to deal with this. I guess it's easy to take things for granted, never did check the oil on the car until last night, suppse I should've done that sooner, but really who'd would've expected it to be that low, I added 2 quarts went for a spin, and did not get an oil light under the same conditions.

The car is going in tonight, and they will check for leaks and reasons why the oil disapeared in the first place, and I have planned on mentioning the oil use test. Right now I'm running on assumptions, Like the oil was properly fill in the first place, though it is a Subaru dealer, I'd expect that to be a none issue, but one never knows. They have been very good to me so far.

On my little test drive I just finished, I thought about changing the oil to the 10 weight, and maybe I'll wait a bit before I do that and monitor the oil consumption with the 5 weigh first.

Anyone else?

mnrstrider · 12-22-2004, 11:33 PM

Just a report back, went to the dealer, and they checked for leaks and found none, so they did an oil change and topped the oil level off and now we are going to moniter the level. I have to say the dealer has been top notch dealing with this with me.

mnrstrider · 12-26-2004, 07:27 PM

Bad update, 600 miles one quart of oil

12-22-2004, 02:45 PM	#1
mnrstrider Scooby Newbie Member#: 75876 Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: MN	Low oil... 2 Quarts in 2,000 miles? Yup title about says it all, bought the car used with 13K miles the car is all stock, (04) and I got a low oil light last night driving the car, only when I was stopping rather quickly, just out driving in town. Oil change was done right before I drove off the lot. Wife's car and it's driven easy. Anyone like to venture a guess where is went? The car is parked in the garage every night. no oil leaks present there. * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

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12-22-2004, 02:56 PM	#2
hondaeater69 Scooby Guru Member#: 60324 Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: a pillow.	maybe it wasn't full when they did the change. Also check for filter/drain plug leaks, it's possible they didn't tighten something all the way. I lose around 1-2 quarts between oil changes (6-8K miles) and only lose it on long road trips, i'm not sure if i'm burning or leaking. 2 qts in 2K miles is a lot, but you need to set a new baseline and monitor it from now forward. Fill it properly and follow the leakage patterns. I always check mine at least 1-2 times a week, and always before and after long road trips, and before and after any planned hard driving. If it continues to leak that amount, take it back to the dealer. I've taken mine back with my losage and they couldn't find any leaks.

12-22-2004, 04:18 PM	#3
mnrstrider Scooby Newbie Member#: 75876 Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: MN	I realize after searching this topic under a better set fo search words, there are a whole lot of threads about this already, I thinking of having the dealer change the oil to 10w30 tonight instead of the 5w30 the probably put in it last time... Anyone wanna venture some additional input into this situation, please by all mean do

12-22-2004, 04:46 PM	#4
Mulder Trust no one Moderator Member#: 11170 Join Date: Oct 2001 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: NYC Vehicle: 02 WRX 05 GTO/11 Sonata(!)	Are you saying the oil warning light came on while you were driving? The light isn't a "low oil" light for indicating low level, it's a low pressure warning. If you see that light something is very wrong. In order for low oil level to cause that light to come on you would have to be low enough on oil that the pump was sucking air, in other words the pan would be nearly empty. Being a quart or two low will not turn on the light. The pressure switch that turns the light on is calibrated to close when the oil pressure drops below about 2 psi, which is essentially nothing. On a newer car you should never see the light other than when first turning on the key before starting. Subaru considers anything up to 1qt/1000 miles to be normal oil use, as do most other manufacturers. If you are concerned that the car may be using more than this, and since you're under warranty, you can have a dealer perform an oil use test. If excess consumption is found they will repair it. You may want to have a dealer check your car anyway since the light came on. And using 5W30 vs. 10W30 should not cause any problems, both are within the viscosity ranges specified by Subaru.

12-22-2004, 04:58 PM	#5
mnrstrider Scooby Newbie Member#: 75876 Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: MN	I agree, this is the light I seen, and it was only under a good amount of braking, in my city the stoplights have short yellow lights in 50 mph zones, and when the light turns, you need to stop, and then I imagine the oil sloshes forward in the pan and the pump cavitates, for a breif second or 2 no more, engine rpms are at idel, so it's no as severe as a under load oil starvation issue, probably no worse than a regular start-up, still this is an issue and the dealer will need to deal with this. I guess it's easy to take things for granted, never did check the oil on the car until last night, suppse I should've done that sooner, but really who'd would've expected it to be that low, I added 2 quarts went for a spin, and did not get an oil light under the same conditions. The car is going in tonight, and they will check for leaks and reasons why the oil disapeared in the first place, and I have planned on mentioning the oil use test. Right now I'm running on assumptions, Like the oil was properly fill in the first place, though it is a Subaru dealer, I'd expect that to be a none issue, but one never knows. They have been very good to me so far. On my little test drive I just finished, I thought about changing the oil to the 10 weight, and maybe I'll wait a bit before I do that and monitor the oil consumption with the 5 weigh first. Anyone else?

12-22-2004, 11:33 PM	#6
mnrstrider Scooby Newbie Member#: 75876 Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: MN	Just a report back, went to the dealer, and they checked for leaks and found none, so they did an oil change and topped the oil level off and now we are going to moniter the level. I have to say the dealer has been top notch dealing with this with me.

12-26-2004, 07:27 PM	#7
mnrstrider Scooby Newbie Member#: 75876 Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: MN	Bad update, 600 miles one quart of oil