Is Your new Ascent Burning Oil?

17786 Views 21 Replies 15 Participants Last post by pilot1226, Nov 30, 2018

Raven

Discussion Starter · Nov 22, 2018

Question from a long time Subaru owner who recently left Subaru over the 2.0L and 2.5L FB engine engineered oil consumption issue. My daughter is looking at buying a new Ascent but I need to talk her out of it if Subaru still has the oil burning issues. Are any of you experiencing oil consumption on your new Ascents? Even if during the break in period it is unacceptable and not normal. Thanks!

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rockthebeef

· #2 · Nov 22, 2018

No. I changed my oil at 3200 miles and it was still completely full. Of course, one anecdote is fairly meaningless. Good luck.

mr.paul

· #3 · Nov 22, 2018

10,000 miles on my Ascent, and as far as I’ve seen, near zero oil consumption.

zulater

· #4 · Nov 22, 2018

Mine was empty after it was drained.

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Nhwheelman

· #5 · Nov 23, 2018

Fair question based on historical fact. Keep in mind that Subaru wasn't the only manufacturer to experience the oil consumption issue - Toyota had the same problem and issued a TSB that extended engine warranties up to 150k miles. There was another manufacturer but don't recall which one. So if not a new subie, toyotas need extra consideration.

Raven

Discussion Starter · #6 · Nov 23, 2018 (Edited)

Yes, according to consumer reports, in addition to Subaru; BMW and Audi did the same experiment with lowering internal engine tolerances to reduce friction in an attempt to get better fuel mileage. The result was less than desirable. My engineering sources are saying Toyota has approved an 0W-16 oil for the same reason. That is a really thin weight of oil. Time will tell on that.

Anyway thanks for the info from those that chose to respond. My hope is Subaru has fixed the problem.

Reactions: 1

Beluga

· #7 · Nov 23, 2018

In general, I wouldn't worry about oil consumption with Ascent. Engine is FA24dit and it is not related to FB20 and FB25 that had oil consumption issues (and more on manual models). It is engine completely based on FA20dit that is powering Forester XT and WRX for 5+ years. No major issues expect sporadic pre-ignition/hard start issues on early models that was supposed to be resolved with recall. I follow subaruforester forum and that engine seams to be rock solid.
One thing that would make me monitor situation is that on Ascent they switched to 0w-20 oil (that is thiner and better for fuel economy) from 5w-30. It is the same oil grade as FB engines and many people think that ultra thin oil on new engines is to be (partially) blamed for oil consumption.

richw

· #8 · Nov 24, 2018

2200 miles on my Touring, checked the dipstick and I'm down about 1/4" below full. Something to watch

adx

· #9 · Nov 24, 2018

richw said:
2200 miles on my Touring, checked the dipstick and I'm down about 1/4" below full. Something to watch

I wouldn’t count on anything being the same as the initial break-in and oil fill. You won’t really know until you get a full change or two in.

pilot1226

· #10 · Nov 25, 2018

Just a reminder, make sure you are checking oil under the same circumstances:

Flat ground (most driveways are pitched)
Warm engine that has been off for a few minutes to let the oil drain down into the pan

If you’re checking oil level when it’s 10 degrees out that’s a big difference from the 70-80 it was a month or two ago, which is why I don’t suggest you check it cold. At least when it’s warm (after you drive home from work, etc) it’s a similar temperature.

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Nemesis099

· #11 · Nov 26, 2018

I have done two oil changes at 3,000 mile intervals and from what I can see there is zero oil burn in mine over the 6,000 miles I have had it.

Subiesailor

· #12 · Nov 26, 2018

Nhwheelman said:
Fair question based on historical fact. Keep in mind that Subaru wasn't the only manufacturer to experience the oil consumption issue - Toyota had the same problem and issued a TSB that extended engine warranties up to 150k miles. There was another manufacturer but don't recall which one. So if not a new subie, toyotas need extra consideration.

Every Toyota I have owned used about 1 quart every 2000 miles. But my current 4.7L v8 will go through 3 quarts in 4000 miles if I use Mobil 1 synthetic, same for my 1.8t VW but using a higher quality oil results in around 1 quart every 4000-5000 miles.

Oil type plays a big role in this issue. AVOID Mobil 1 and chances are you’ll be fine.

Subaru had similar issues a few years ago caused by parts quality issues by venders. It shouldn’t be an issue today.

Trey T

· #13 · Nov 26, 2018

I was alarmed by our Forester at one point, thinking that there was oil consumption. IIRC, the user manual says something like 4.5qt but I only put in like 4qt of oil - don't ask me why. The next time it was low near the botton-end of the dipstick indicator. After that 18K miles (3 oil change intervals) I found out that it uses 5qts and never had oil consumption issue since - it was false alarm.

I often change oil at night during dinner time and I might have read the oil dip stick wrong. The dipstick on the Forester can be quite misleading sometime, the entire stick is wet.

Thus, the results of oil consumption being reported may have some flaws (or lack of) in the oil changing process.

Wildcrd76

· #14 · Nov 29, 2018

I don’t know about anyone else but I have been using 0w-20 mobile 1 full synthetic for over 12 years on my cars. Never any burning issue or consumption of any sort. Unless you change the oil yourself, it’s time for you to change mechanics. As far as this new engine is concerned I don’t believe there will be any burning oil problems. Have any of you looked at the Intercooler at all? I’ve always been a Honda guy so I’m not used to Subaru’s design just yet but I’m getting there. The intercooler on this engine, unlike all the other models, only has 2 connections. It’s only connected to the throttle body and the turbo. That’s it and nothing else. I saw this when I was working on the car.

Motor vehicle Automotive fuel system Automotive design Automotive air manifold Car

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Subiesailor

· #15 · Nov 29, 2018

Wildcrd76 said:
I don’t know about anyone else but I have been using 0w-20 mobile 1 full synthetic for over 12 years on my cars. Never any burning issue or consumption of any sort. Unless you change the oil yourself, it’s time for you to change mechanics. As far as this new engine is concerned I don’t believe there will be any burning oil problems. Have any of you looked at the Intercooler at all? I’ve always been a Honda guy so I’m not used to Subaru’s design just yet but I’m getting there. The intercooler on this engine, unlike all the other models, only has 2 connections. It’s only connected to the throttle body and the turbo. That’s it and nothing else. I saw this when I was working on the car. View attachment 5039

You must be in Europe or have a special US source for the Euro blend which was replaced with a very low quality base oil in the US retail market around 2008 ish when the US spec Mobil 1 started being associated to oil use in cars that hadn’t before the switch to a higher volatility lower quality oil.

But if you don’t see consumption then continue using it. Just be aware its a known issue with Mobil 1 these days. If your using Mobil 1 and see oil use switch to another brand high probability your oil use will drop or stop.

Robert.Mauro

· #16 · Nov 29, 2018

I think you're confusing engines...

Beluga said:
In general, I wouldn't worry about oil consumption with Ascent. Engine is FA24dit and it is not related to FB20 and FB25 that had oil consumption issues (and more on manual models). It is engine completely based on FA20dit that is powering Forester XT and WRX for 5+ years. No major issues expect sporadic pre-ignition/hard start issues on early models that was supposed to be resolved with recall. I follow subaruforester forum and that engine seams to be rock solid.
One thing that would make me monitor situation is that on Ascent they switched to 0w-20 oil (that is thiner and better for fuel economy) from 5w-30. It is the same oil grade as FB engines and many people think that ultra thin oil on new engines is to be (partially) blamed for oil consumption.

All engines consume oil. It's how much they consume that determines whether it's an issue or not. :tango_face_wink:

The EJ25 had oil consumption issues. Those were partially rectified with a different gasket design around the debut of the Gen 4 Outback. One key culprit many pointed out was the open deck with smaller cylinder tops causing a smaller head gasket sealing area.

The FA series engine IS based off the FB series, which did NOT have that problem to my knowledge. The FB is a closed deck engine. The FA series is a kinda semi-open deck (it has rigid side supports for the cylinder walls) with thicker cylinder walls than the EJ series.

One reason the oil was switched was fuel economy, but the other was also to adequately lubricate the turbo under virtually all usage scenarios at virtually any environmental condition (eg: in Canada or northern part of the United States in the winter).

Regardless, there's more to the oil than just that. Newer oil formulations are also designed to help reduce buildup in the engine and shear less. We'll soon see 0W-10 and 0W-8 oil in more common use here (outside of the racing market).

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Robert.Mauro

· #17 · Nov 29, 2018 (Edited)

2

First, to answer your question, no, my Ascent isn't burning oil, and I've towed and off-roaded with it, just like my Outback before it.

This is the inside of my former 2010 Subaru Outback Premium 6MT, after lots of off-road and beach use, and 201,430 miles. I was easily going 6,000-7,500 miles without burning enough oil to need to add any.

This is Subaru oil used for all 201,430 miles up until that day, every oil change, every time - AND consistent oil changes.

I plan on only going to the dealerships that use Subaru branded oil, and continue to only use Subaru branded oil, each and every time in the Ascent, and to regularly change the oil as directed.

Anyone can use any schedule they want and any oil they want, but, I'm happy with the results of using Subie oil on Subaru's schedule. No oil consumption to speak of, very very clean engine internals. And, remember, I use my Subies to a far greater extent than 90% of Subaru owners. :tango_face_wink:

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MAGNUMB

· #18 · Nov 29, 2018

cured my oil burn issue in my 2013 2.5 FB by replacing one of the purge valves. It was making a hissing noise, but not broke enough to throw a code

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Beluga

· #19 · Nov 30, 2018

Robert.Mauro said:
The FA series engine IS based off the FB series, which did NOT have that problem to my knowledge.

You points are valid but FB definitely had oil consumption issues, especially early models (2011+) and again with early SJ Forester (2014-2015). There is a lot of info about that on Subaru Forester forum. I think that Subaru was hit with class action lawsuit about that and that certain model years had extended warranty and short blocks replaced quite often. General consensus was that manual models were more often affected and that CVTs and later models were less affected. Some members were using thicker oil and they reported improvement. I don’t have enough technical knowledge to go into detail about differences but it seams that FA engines of any years had none of those issues and it was never addressed by Subaru.

pilot1226

· #20 · Nov 30, 2018

Beluga said:
Robert.Mauro said:

The FA series engine IS based off the FB series, which did NOT have that problem to my knowledge.

Click to expand...

You points are valid but FB definitely had oil consumption issues, especially early models (2011+) and again with early SJ Forester (2014-2015). There is a lot of info about that on Subaru Forester forum. I think that Subaru was hit with class action lawsuit about that and that certain model years had extended warranty and short blocks replaced quite often. General consensus was that manual models were more often affected and that CVTs and later models were less affected. Some members were using thicker oil and they reported improvement. I don’t have enough technical knowledge to go into detail about differences but it seams that FA engines of any years had none of those issues and it was never addressed by Subaru.

I believe you are referring to the oil control rings which had a manufacturing defect from the supplier. This was corrected.

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