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2014 3.6R Transmission Fluid Type

10K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  dino benelli 
#1 ·
Hello everyone,
I have been searching the forum for over an hour trying to find out what type of fluid the 5 speed automatic trans can use.Cannot find any info.

The owners manual says use Subaru or Idemitsu. Can't get either of these brands very easily.

Are these compatible with Valvoline or Mobil or Castrol or any other commonly found fluid from the local auto parts store or Walmart?

One other question I am wondering is: is it "normal" for this trans to use fluid? Last service at the dealer was 7 months ago, about 14,000 miles, and they supposedly checked the trans fluid level. Got home today and the wife says car sometimes won't go from standstill and is shifting strangely.
Checked the fluid level as directed in the owners manual and the dip stick is completely dry!
 
#2 ·
No the transmission should not use any oil.

In Australia the Subaru dealers use Valvoline MaxLife synthetic transmission oil which is what I also use.

You need about a gallon for a drain and fill and About 3 to 3,5 gallons for a complete flush and fill.

Seagrass
 
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#3 ·
I did a flush and fill with Amsoil Signature series multi-vehicle. Works great. Even dampened the shudder. Ignore the 15,000 mile text. Subaru called for a change every 30,000. 15,000 is how often I change it.
483508
 
#7 ·
The spec is ATF-HP. Brand doesn't matter.
 
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#8 ·
Thanks all for the responses.

I added about a quart and half and it is shifting okay now. Fluid is still a little low but the wife is taking it into a local shop tomorrow to have it checked over.

When I was at the dealership I spoke with the service advisors and found out I actually just had the car in back in February. So I asked them, didn't you check the fluids? Receipt says you did.
I can't believe it lost 2 quarts since February, especially since there are no drips at it's normal parking spot. I have not been very happy with Subaru dealers so far (have tried 2 different ones), so going to a local shop that I trust with my other vehicles.

Thanks again for the answers. Kind of figured I could use the other brands, but since all the stores were closed until the morning it didn't hurt to check. The reason I was being careful was that I had a Plymouth minivan once that the book said you could use Dexron trans fluid, but if you used anything other than the Chrysler ATF +4 it would get all gummed up.
 
#9 ·
There is something "not quite correct" with what has happened with your transmission oil level. I doubt the dealer checked the level and indeed if they did I am wondering if one of their junior techs actually removed some transmission oil while the vehicle was being "checked"

You need to check the transmission oil level on a flat/level surface otherwise you can get an incorrect reading.

The transmission oil level was obviously low as there were "shifting" problems. If there are no leaks (a quart and a half of oil is quite a large leak) then the only other logical conclusion is that someone drained out some transmission oil.

If it was my vehicle I would check the level again on a flat surface (using the method in the owners manual) and top it up to the correct level and then monitor the level every week or so to see what is happening.

Seagrass
 
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#10 ·
Thanks Seagrass. I am thinking the same thing. Will see what the shop says tomorrow. I don't have a lot of time to work on it myself so will have them check it over for leaks and issues.
Will have to add the trans fluid to the list of weekly checks for a while.

Does your 3.6 burn oil? Mine goes thru 1/2 to 1 quart every 7,000 or so miles. I use a full synthetic 5w/30.
 
#11 ·
All boxer engines "use oil" which is a topic of many posts on this forum.

Mine uses about 1 quart every 4,000 miles (6,500Km's) which is what I expect it to do after owning several Subaru's over the last 15 years. My 3.6 has now traveled around 135,000 miles.

The 2006 Forester XT (turbo) that I own (but my daughter drives) uses about 1.5 to 2 quarts every 4,000 miles which I also consider to be "normal" as it has traveled just over 200,000 miles now.

Seagrass
 
#12 ·
define use oil? I have a 2003 and 2014 that do not use any significant amount of oil... (less than 1/4 quart every 6K miles. the 2010 outback uses about half a quart every 6K miles and most of that is due to a leak... all car engines consume some oil it is by design as nothing seals perfectly... oil consumption should not be noticeable on any engine, boxer included.

the cars have 142,74, and 146K on the respectively
 
#14 ·
While my post was originally about what type of trans fluid I could use, I also mentioned the about why I would have lost so much so quickly. Just got car back from the shop, so here is an update.

Replaced the radiator, trans cooler line, and trans hose.

So, I assume this car does not have a separate trans cooler radiator, but that it's built into the main radiator. Have to say I'm surprised this would go out after only 125,000 miles.
 
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