greasemonkey

Eh? Are we talking about the same engine here? About the only way it could be more accessible would be if the alternator was elsewhere. I've never had a problem removing and refitting CPS plugs by hand - and I'm not double-jointed!

Not necessarily correct. It's normal for my EJ207 engined car to need a good 15 seconds of cranking before the oil pressure light goes out, even with a filter that's been pre-filled to the brim. For a bit of insurance I normally turn for an additional 10 to 15 seconds. The earlier engines don't have crosdrilled cranks, so they'll probably take even longer to come up.

The one main dealer I have experience of does. First thing they do when a car comes in for service is to break out a new filter and fill it with oil, after which it's topped up til saturated. When they put it on and fill the sump, the plugs will still be out, and the engine is cranked until pressure is established.

Done as part of a service, these "extra" measures add virtually no time at all if they're done in the right order.

You're right though, there will be plenty of dealers who can't be *rs*d, as ultimately it's not their problem whether the engine picks up a big end once it's out of their shop. Either the warranty company or the owner will pay them to rebuild the engine anyway, so they're still on a winner.


[Edited by greasemonkey - 10/1/2003 4:13:56 PM]

fastfrank

Phil,
No, on another thread I posted a chap said it wasn't necessary on the newer models. Seems to run fine. Do you have a WRX03 to?

Don't even know where the sensor would be located on this car.. :-~

Frank

[Edited by fastfrank - 10/4/2003 10:42:14 PM]

fastfrank

Hi there,
I'm toying with idea of doing my own oil change on my WRX03 because its looking a little dirty and its been in for 6k miles. I still think a 10k service is too long to go without an oil change! Any advice on which oil I should use, 10w40 semi? Is it fairly straight forward process to do on these cars?

It shouldn't effect my warranty should it? The dealer charges £80 for something I can do for £40 so it seems worth my while to do a little DIY.

Thanks in advance.

greasemonkey

You're right. 9,000 miles is waaaaay too long on one fill of oil, especially on an engine that's still opening out. Under ideal circumstances you'd have changed a couple of thou ago, but that's water under bridge now...

At 6000 miles on the clock you could probably go full synth, but unless you're been abusing it lots I'd be tempted to wait a little longer and thus this time, yes, a good semi. Mobil Super S 10w/40, Shell Helix Plus 10w/40 or Motul 200V 10w/40.

Changing the oil is in some ways easier than on a "normal" inline engined car as the filter's really easy to get at and remove. However, there's a technique to doing it right that could prevent you running into longer term engine trouble if you follow it. Look here for further details.

Note that removing the crank position sensor as suggested above will cause a CEL on new age cars. The light will extinguish after five successful engine starts, but the garage may ask you what happened at the subsequent service.

Incidentally, if you change and put semi synth in now, get the garage to put a full synth in at the 10K mile service. Motul 300V 15/50, Mobil 1 Motorsport 15/50 or Castrol RS 10/60 are the oils of choice.

10,000 mile service intervals are far longer than ideal for the oil. Given this framework I'd change every 3,300 - so you do two changes of your own in between each service.

Edited to say, I've just read your post again. Are you saying that your current oil has been in for 6K miles, so your odo is reading 7k (i.e. 1000 miles on running in oil plus the current)? If so, put one of the three full synths suggested above in now, and get garage to put more of the same in at the 10K service.


[Edited by greasemonkey - 10/1/2003 2:17:47 AM]

fastfrank

Good advice, cheers m8...

Don't mean to sound dumb but:
whats the CEL bit of 'Note that removing the crank position sensor as suggested above will cause a CEL on new age cars' mean?

stu200

iTrader: (1)

It means that the Check Engine Light will come on when you dry crank the engine with the crank sensor removed. To clear it, once you've finished the oil change, just start the engine and switch off again four times.

ZIPPY

Dont bother with the crank sensor, 1 because its a bitch to get at and 2 if you follow the procedure and fill your filter before hand you will be fine as the oil light goes out immediately on start up.

Zippy

stu200

iTrader: (1)

Is that the sound of a can of worms being opened ...

ZIPPY

I know Stu, but lets be honest do you think your main dealer is going to wait 20 minutes to pre-fill your oil filter,me either.

Just my opinion of course as i've changed my oil plenty of times and followed the CORRECT procedure - the crank sensor bit.

Zippy

stu200

iTrader: (1)

It wouldn't surprise me if the main dealer's procedure consisted of;

1) Connect suction pump to sump
2) Place stocking on suction pump outlet
3) Place suction pump outlet into oil filler neck
4) Start engine and leave for 10 minutes



However, if one is taking the time and trouble to do the oil oneself, it's really not much of an effort to do it right. All you have to do is disjoint your wrist in about 17 different places, and it's then a piece of p155 to get at the crank sensor!

ZIPPY

LOL @ Stu, i like that one, but you forgot that they then place the said stocking over their heads and rob you of £120.

Zippy

fastfrank

Chaps,
Oil changed this afternoon successfully... but not without complication. My biggest trouble was trying to remove the oil filter. It didn't help being in such a confined space. Anyway thats all sorted now and I've slung in some Shell Helix Plus as recommended by 'GreaseMonkey' and it actually seems to feel better to drive.

cheers for the tip about filling the oil filter prior to installation... stops the oil pressure light from coming on when starting.

cheers for the feedback.

Phil WRX 01

Fastfrank did you bother disconnecting the crank sensor ?

Phil WRX 01

No frank i don't have a my03 .
I have a my01.

cheers phil.

fastfrank

P,
In that case I think different techniques apply on the newer scoobs. I took it for a slow drive since and everything is hunky-dory. I'll let you know when the engine seizes up hehehe...

Cheers

Phil WRX 01

Frank I have just finished changing my oil and all went well.
After reading the threads earlier this week about oil changes i was in 2 minds if i would go ahead and do it ,but after reading your thread i was more happy about attempting it .

Cheers phil.

fastfrank

Cheer Phil,
Always glad to be of service. Thanks to Greasemonkey as well, his advice was good.

PS. Just had a quick blast in NWales... WOW what a different an oil change makes. The engine seems to accelerate more gracefully now.

Bi for now
F

macka

chaps

I've ben on other threads re this issue and am getting a bit paraniod about my dealer doing the job properly on my new 03 WRX that I haven't even picked up yet!

Can anyone confirm for definate if the 03 is less prone to damage if the correct procedure isn't followed - my guess is that often it won't be! Also the dealer is fitting a ProDrive engine pack from new - is this a bit risky on a brand new engine - they say not if I run it in carefully.

Cheers - macka

fastfrank

hello macka,
congratulations on your scooby purchase.. you'll never look back :-)

I don't see why theres a big issue with doing an oil change on this model of car. I wouldn't worry, the dealer can't do much wrong, they have all the tools for the job. The problem with reading too many of these threads is that you can become paranoid.
I've done an oil change myself and its worked a treat. The on thing I did different that i've not done on other cars is to make sure the oil filter is FULL of oil before screwing in place. That way you don't see the oil pressure light remaining on until the oil is at the correct pressure. Have faith in your dealer.

Regards the PPP I can't see any issue installing a PPP from new. Just drive it easy as if you with any new car. Maybe take a little longer before going mad from 1000m onwards. Do any other change @ 6000m... keep it sweet.


hope this helps
FF

[Edited by fastfrank - 10/5/2003 8:33:43 PM]

[Edited by fastfrank - 10/5/2003 8:35:25 PM]

bullant

One thing to watch out for is to ask the mechanic or whoever is prefilling your Oil Filter is to put a cover over the thing, cause i watched mine sitting on the bench getting covered in crap from another mechanic who was blowing out an air filter with compressed air. Not impressed.
Ken

lucky_strike

Just a quick question relating to this thread - why is it that the oil should be changed (or advisable to change) so often (3,300 miles suggested higher up, therefore 2 changes between main services).

Are these engines so hard on oil that they limit the oil manufacturers expectations (some I've seen state that there oil is good for 20,000 miles, although not sure for what car/engine combinations). Are Subaru UK gambling on 10000 service intervals? Why can Vauxhall/Ford et al manage on 20,000 mile service intervals?

Thanks,
Richard.

greasemonkey

In an ideal world, all cars would have their oil changed this frequently, it's the best way to protect the engine and keep it in as close to "as new" condition as possible.

The reason engine oil turns black is the presence of carbon. As carbon is one of the hardest substances known to man, bits of it floating round in your engine aren't really what you want.

Japanese engines in general tend to be built on quite tight tolerances, and the Impreza turbo engine in particular gives its oil a hard time due to the high power output, combustion chamber and turbocharger temperatures, and relatively small bearing areas. Thus, the fresher the oil the better. Every 3K3 is close to optimal, but every 5K (so you do one change between each service) is still pretty good.

Yes, some manufacturers may claim their oil is "good" for 20,000 miles, but their interpretation of "good" is pretty nebulous. They certainly wouldn't claim that the performance is the same as new oil after that amount of time, especially in an environment like an Impreza engine.

On the flipside of all this though is the question of economics, and return on investment.

At end of day, if you buy your car new and intend to sell it back into the dealer network, the extra expenditure on oil probably won't be reflected in the part ex offer you receive, and any problems caused by the "long" oil service periods are likely to be faced by subsequent owners (or the warranty) rather than yourself directly. Thus, while frequent oil changes are good from a technical standpoint, and will likely give your car a longer working life, whether it suits your needs is a slightly different matter.

fastfrank

If you're planning on keeping the car for a long time, which I am, then its worth doing. It has to be said that an oil change is the cheapest bit of maintenance you can do and for the price of a full tank of Super unleaded you can help extent the life of your motor.

The owners manual actually states and I quote "Change the oil and oil and filter according to the maintenance schedule.
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed more frequently than listed in the maintenance schedule when driving on dusty roads, when short trips are frequently made, when towing trailers, or when driving in extremely cold weather."

I use mine to commute most days so I fall into the 'short trips' category hence regular changes are a good idea.

At the end of the day it falls down to the individual. Most scooby owners are enthusiasts so changing the oil regular will be a must.

:-)

macka

cheers guys.

I'll take your advice FF, trust in the dealer and pay a litle extra for the more regular servicing (and hope there's no sand blasting going on at the same time!!) Can't wait to pick the new motor up on Saturday.

macka