[uuganbat]

I am new to subaru outback, and recently I purchased OB 2006, 2.5L engine with MT transmission; After the purchase I had it timing belt changed and engine oil changed.

But I just noticed engine oil showing at lower level on oil level gauge. car is been driving around 1,300 miles after engine oil is changed. Took the car back to the mechanic , he said that there is no oil leak he can find of and asked me to take the car to the dealer. Now car has 126K miles on it.

Any suggestions what I need to look into it? or 126K subaru OB takes that much of oil, should I think it is normal?

 

[rasterman]

They do burn some oil normally. You may want to try a different brand on the next change- some owners have reported lower consumption with different oils.

Can you quantify the consumption? How much did you have to add to get it back up to a full reading?

 

[Novablue]

Any suggestions what I need to look into it? or 126K subaru OB takes that much of oil, should I think it is normal?

Key piece of information is:

a) How much oil was on the stick after the change AND
b) How much oil was on the stick when you discovered it was low 1300 miles later.

One quart in 1300 miles is not considered horrible though I suspect only a tiny fraction of subies burn that much oil. If there is nothing else wrong I wouldn't worry if it was just a quart. If it's more than that it might be an indication of bigger problems.

 

[Papa Smurf]

What does the end of your tail pipe look like? I had a rabbit that burned thru a quart in 1000 miles because of valve stem seals. The fellow at the VW shop told me there is a tail tale sign is a dark/black ring around the end of the tail pipe if its burning that much oil. Went back to look and he was right. You can see it plain as day.

 

[subiesailor]

I am new to subaru outback, and recently I purchased OB 2006, 2.5L engine with MT transmission; After the purchase I had it timing belt changed and engine oil changed.

But I just noticed engine oil showing at lower level on oil level gauge. car is been driving around 1,300 miles after engine oil is changed. Took the car back to the mechanic , he said that there is no oil leak he can find of and asked me to take the car to the dealer. Now car has 126K miles on it.

Any suggestions what I need to look into it? or 126K subaru OB takes that much of oil, should I think it is normal?

Top it up in a spot you can park in every time you check the oil. Then keep an eye on it for a while by checking when the car is parked in the same spot every time. The dip stick is just a very generic indicator and prone to large ranges of error regarding what is in or not in the car.

For sure never assume that the oil change guys got the oil level all the way to the top mark. They rarely do. As long as you have oil between the marks the car has enough oil in the system to not pose any issues to the engine. All cars carry more oil in their systems than they need - its a precaution against oil loss and enabling the oil to cool some as it circulates through the system.

 

[ScoobyRu]

Mine burns through a little over a quart every 3,000 miles. I've learned to live with it. If I'm doing a lot of mountain driving and engine braking, I can burn through a quart in 500 miles. I think oil is pulled past the rings and valve stem seals during engine braking.