Hello I have a 2014 Subaru Legacy with only 36k miles and it has oil consumption issues. It consumes about 1 1/2 quarts of oil between 5k mile oil changes. Subaru will not replace the short block because it does not consume enough oil. My question is, as long as I keep the oil filled can I expect the motor to be ok? Or will there be long term damage? Thanks!
Engines that new should not be consuming that much oil. If it is indeed burning the oil, then all the burnt oil is being passed through your catalytic converters, which will eventually cause emission efficiency issues. An easy way to see if it's burning is to stick a finger in the muffler and see if the residue is oily. It will always be black and sooty, but should only be mildly slippery. This may give you a good indication.
If it is burning oil, then a possible fix may be to replace the PCV valve. This part is cheap and is responsible for alleviating pressure caused by the pistons going up and down inside the engine. If it jams, it can cause the oily vapor inside the engine to blow past the piston rings and burn oil. If this does not solve the issue, then it will likely take expensive engine teardown work to remedy the problem.Â
If the tailpipe is relatively clean, then it may be worth your while to have a mechanic validate that there are no leaks. Many newer cars with skid plates can leak oil onto the skid plate that doesn't drip down when you park the car.
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Take it to the dealer and have them do an oil consumption test. Find out how much oil it has to consume in order qualify for a new engine.
Drive the car on a long distance trip as that's when the most oil consumption occurs.
I drove my 2012 Forester to Vermont and on the 6-hour drive, it drank a quart of oil.
Before you return it to the dealership, drain out the oil and measure it to make sure it's missing enough oil to qualify for engine replacement. If not, remove some oil and pour the remainder back in the engine.
I know this seems shady but I think it's total B.S. that's Subaru makes their car owners jump through hoops to get something fixed that wasn't built properly in the first place.
Subaru's own service bulletin for the oil consumption test says they will only replace the engine if it has an...
"...Oil consumption rate of MORE THAN one-third (1/3) of a quart (10.6 fluid ounces) in 1200 miles as determined by an engine oil consumption test."
https://subaru.oemdtc.com/80/engine-oil-consumption-2013-2015-subaru
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