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Just changed the oil in my 3.6R. Huge Pain

15K views 67 replies 23 participants last post by  Vic4news 
#1 ·
Just did my first oil change on my 2015 3.6R. This was a pain in the a## !! Trying to catch the oil after removing the filter was ridiculous. Reaching through a trap door to get at the filter is bad enough but once it is loose and you pull it free ,oil just drips everywhere before you can get the pan under there. There is not enough room to keep the pan under the door and pull the filter at the same time. My 2014 3.6R does not have the protective plastic sheet under the engine and is much easier to deal with.
Getting at the plug in the 2015 was not a problem. That went off without a hitch.
I will continue to do my own oil changes as it saves a bunch of money.
Not sure what purpose the huge protective plastic sheet serves. I am tempted to take it off but I wont.
 
#2 ·
I always take those plastic "skid plates" off during an oil change to not only make filter changes easier but mainly to in inspect the bottom of the engine and drive train. Then I put them back on as I would assume they might keep some of the crud out of the engine bay and maybe they aid the aerodynamics as well.
 
#3 ·
The tray is there for aerodynamics, noise suppression, and to help protect the engine and keep it clean and rust free. I'm pretty sure your 2014 3.6R should have had one (was you 2014 used?) because even our prior 2007 Outback 2.5i had one. Trust me, you want it there.

The only trouble I had with changing the oil on our 2015 3.6r was getting the filter off. That thing was on crazy tight and I had to use a strap wrench to get it off. I yanked the lower cover in order to get to the filter with tools. It took about 15 minutes to get the cover off, but it was my first time doing it. I'm use to yanking the covers though as my WRX and prior Infiniti G35 required it. As noted above, I like to yank the covers in order to do an inspection for leaks, etc. It's good practice.
 
#4 ·
If more room is needed, get ramps or drive one tire up on a curb/appropriate item for a few more inches. Figure out a way to make it simpler and repeatable for you?

The 2014 should have had an undercover but they are often removed. None of mine have ever had them, I remove them if they do, the lack of access and visibility isn't my thing, but I fully understand those that want them in place. As often as they deteriorate they may be inexpensive if you ask the dealer for the price of a new one?

Have your priced out oil changes around town instead of the dealer? There are usually very reasonable options (price and service wise) locally other than the dealer.

The savings on oil changes compared to the cost of a vehicle is orders of magnitudes apart. I dislike handling/recylcing the fluid but I dislike scheduling/waiting more.
 
#5 ·
Yeah, my Dakota has one of those covers too that makes getting oil all over a side benefit. How hard is it to get the covers off? Miata is a piece of cake. The Dakota has those press in barbed things and they don't always come off so they're re-useable, I use a flat shingle puller/pry bar. Maybe the 3.6 has the twist off ones? It's about time for out first change and it looks like it's easy enough to get under the car. How to deal with the warranty? Just keep the oil/filter receipts? God, I can't keep my wife out of this car, month and half and already over 5K.
 
#6 ·
Just did the first change on mine yesterday. Since I'm not familiar with the 3.6R, I put the car on ramps, and had zero problems. I had no need to remove the under guard, and was even able to install a Fumoto valve (just required a short wrench). I went slowly with the filter (it was definitely on very tight) until I got a nice steady stream, which I let drain for a while. Everything made it into the drain pan thanks to a form-a-funnel that I had folded into place over the under guard - these things are very handy:
http://www.amazon.com/PIG%C2%AE-Form-A-Funnel%C2%AE-Flexible-Draining-Tool/dp/B003V9JWHO
 
#47 ·
Just did the first change on mine yesterday. Since I'm not familiar with the 3.6R, I put the car on ramps, and had zero problems.
If more room is needed, get ramps or drive one tire up on a curb/appropriate item for a few more inches. Figure out a way to make it simpler and repeatable for you?



Plus one on the ramps. So much easier to do work when you have room. Many times I'll jack up one side of the car just enough to get extra room to work with the wheels still on the ground. Even with the wheels on the ground I'll use a jack stand to provide a safety check in case the jack fails...
 
#7 ·
That's what I need, the form a funnel. I could use that lots of places. I was just under the OB and found the small panel for the oil filter and the plastic keepers just pull off once you pull the center up. It looks easy enough once the filter comes off. Where is the drain bolt, I didn't see it? And what tool does it take?

You can get the form a funnel for $15.50 with free shipping on evilbay.
 
#9 ·
It doesn't look hard to get the large panel off, there appear to be some fasteners way in the back that may necessitate jacking it up a bit from the front. The fasteners come out by pulling the center up and then the whole thing comes out as I said before. I'll probably do that when I get there. Still need to find the drain plug though.
 
#10 ·
The under guard has an open hole (no panel to remove) for the drain plug, located pretty close to the filter. Takes a 17mm socket.
I've also seen people using aluminum foil to catch and direct the oil from the filter, so that's another option, but may be a bit flimsy.
 
#11 ·
OK, I think I've found it in that large hole in the center of the panel, it points down at about 45° towards the passenger side. I think it will be easy enough to get under there without any ramps or jacking to remove the filter and the drain plug, especially with the form a funnel.
 
#12 ·
I've changed the oil myself on the 2015 3.6 once so far had no issues with the filter....I just cracked it open just enough to slowly drain into the pan and there was no mess with the filter removal. I drove all four wheels up on a stack of 2x8 pieces of wood. I was surprised at the velocity the oil came out of the pan though and it got a little messy so I bought a valve to put on my next change so that will be remedied. Overall, I pleased with how easy it was to change the oil.
 
#13 ·
IME with an older H-6 a Fumoto valve is extra convenient because of the greater oil capacity of the H-6.

Also the K&N oil filters that have a 1 inch nut welded to the top of the filter
HP-1004 - K&N Oil Filters, Oil Filter
allow easy removal of the filter and consistent tightening, as long as there is room for your wrench/socket, but I don't know if there is room in the current H-6 installation.
 
#18 ·
I've never had issues with any of the under trays in any of my cars getting destroyed, detoriating, etc. I would strongly recommend leaving them in place, especially if you live anywhere prone to rust. Removing the under tray also increases lift at highway speed as well as drag.

The 2015 3.6R under tray is held on with about 12 clips and four bolts. No jack stands, ramps, etc. are needed to remove it.

As for controling oil flow from the filter and reducing a mess, that's easy. Break the filter loose just enough the oil starts to drip out between the filter and engine block. Then continue to unscrew to control oil flow. Easy.
 
#20 ·
...As for controling oil flow from the filter and reducing a mess, that's easy. Break the filter loose just enough the oil starts to drip out between the filter and engine block. Then continue to unscrew to control oil flow. Easy.
Yeah, I found no need to puncture the filter, but I did have the advantage of the form-a-funnel. A well positioned puncture might eliminate the need for it, especially if the filter hadn't been over-tightened, but wrenching the filter off with an auto-adjuster had already deformed it quite a bit, and I didn't want things to end up messier than they needed to be.
I've already invested in the OEM filter for the foreseeable future - got a nice deal on 20 at about $5 a piece from amazon. The black Tokyo Roki filters are very nice.
 
#22 ·
I use to change my own oil, but I've gotten lazy and take it to the Ford dealer now. Turn-around is pretty quickly. I get it changed twice a year with a synthetic blend and a filter for around $30. There's satisfaction in doing it yourself, but they also do a fairly thorough check of the whole car and $60 a year seems very reasonable to me. What does an oil change and filter typically cost at the Subaru dealer?
 
#52 ·
Subaru dealer would easily charge $100 for an oil change that included synthetic oil. Much cheaper to get my oil at Wal mart and do it. If they did it for 30 bucks I would change it every 3k miles!!!! Shoot ,maybe I would change it every week!!!!:grin2:
 
#23 ·
An oil change costs me about $35 and that includes an OEM oil filter and Pennzoil Ultra 5w30. With respect to the oil filter, it's crucial to run the OEM oil filter because many aftermarket filters don't have the correct relief valve setting which isn't good.
 
#24 ·
Many of my previous cars would just leak oil down the side of the engine block once you remove the filter...horrible designs. You can imagine how happy I was to see the H-4 with the oil filter on top but I guess the H-6 is not that lucky.
 
#26 ·
Around here it's at least $75 for the dealer to do a change with synthetic, and I've had far too many bad experiences with cheap oil changes (bogus oil, not replacing the filter, not putting the air filter back properly, can't be bothered to wipe away oil on the exhaust manifold, trying to charge $10 to add a pint of coolant...); just complete incompetence. I no longer trust anyone offering a cheap oil change. Now that I have a valve installed, I can do the change quickly, cleanly, correctly and at my convenience. If someone was to offer me a $35 change with Pennzoil Ultra and an OEM filter, I'd expect they would also have a bridge I could buy.

The importance of using the OEM filter has been a topic debated to no end on various forums. One thing is for sure, the black TR filters are of good quality and meet OEM specs. However, I've seen absolutely no evidence that a quality aftermarket filter does any harm (there are a couple that get close to OEM specs on the valve), at least not to a NA engine.
 
#30 ·
I've had far too many bad experiences with cheap oil changes (bogus oil, not replacing the filter, not putting the air filter back properly, can't be bothered to wipe away oil on the exhaust manifold, trying to charge $10 to add a pint of coolant...); just complete incompetence. I no longer trust anyone offering a cheap oil change.
I've had the same trouble, even at dealers! I've had drain bolts and filters put on so tight, that a breaker bar was needed to remove them. I've had dipsticks missing and filler caps left off.

On my '96 Saturn Sl2, the owners manual warns not to let oil from the filter (which is on the bottom of this car) soak the CV joint boot. The first time the dealer did it, they soaked the boot and had no idea the owners manual even said that.

Andy
 
#27 ·
I'll agree with Hiker, no where around here can one get a $35 oil change, even the quick change places are at least $50 and of questionable abilities. I got a 3 pack of filters on evilbay for $23 and Wallymart has syn oil for about $25/5 if they actually have any. The Wallymart here is pretty poor for keeping things in stock. What are the 'black TR' filters? I do have a local shop I trust, but I can change the oil at home in less time than it takes to ride into town and wait to get it done.

That was the only thing I liked about the Mini we had, the filter was at the top which made it real easy and it had a large 'nut' as part of the top of the filter.
 
#28 ·
@DogT
Sorry for the confusion, I should have just said OEM filters. They are the black ones, made in Japan by Tokyo Roki, and supposedly the only filters that actually meet Subaru's high bypass pressure spec.
Also, I forgot, one thing to be cautious of when removing the filter is a small wiring harness located just above (and in very close proximity). If you're using one of the universal self-adjusting wrenches, make sure it doesn't get caught in there. Looks like it could be easily ripped out.
 
#29 ·
I too, 'love' the oil filter on top. When I shopped for a car, I actually looked for that. We wanted an Outback and I was very pleasantly surprised to find it on top of the 4 cyl.

My 2002 Saturn L200 has the filter on top and it really spoiled me. It's even easier than the Outback, since it is a cartridge type. A few easy turns of the plastic top with an adjustable wrench and you replace the innards. Every car should be designed like this.

Andy
 
#31 ·
Quick lube shops (in my neck of the woods) charge about $ 60.00 (if you bring your own OEM filter) and use (while you watch them) synthetic major brand oil from sealed containers/bottles.

With temps in the 100's and the same humidity, I don't change my oil myself in summer here...even though I like to live dangerously...LOL
 
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