Hello, I recently purchased a 2012 Legacy 2.5 non turbo. It has 80,000 miles. Was thinking of doing a front and rear differential fluid change since the car had no service records when I bought it and what I read was every 30K miles it is recommended. Called Morrie's in Brooklyn Park and they quoted me roughly $110 to do the change. Can anyone help me out and tell me if this is a fair price? I was going to call a few places and get a ballpark idea of the average, but just looking for a little bit more experienced information if possible. Thanks guys.
This is a very simple DIYS repair, just in case you're considering it. If not, try NF performance, from what I hear they provide real good value.
A follow up question. Looking through the manuals it is unclear to me whether synthetic differential oil/fluid is required? I would assume so, but any tips on this would be helpful also.
Thanks, I have minimal experience with DIY'selfing on cars. I have a garage and some tools at my disposal, but I have not done much myself.
Yeah go with synthetic 75w90 subaru gear oil. It is called Subaru "Extra S" or "High performance gear oil"
If you decide to go through Morries, be sure to tell them you're a MNsubaru members. We get a discount, I believe 20% on parts and 10% on labor...but don't quote me on that.
Sweet, thanks for the heads up. They actually had the cheapest so far that I found. The Mobil shop close to me wanted $99 an axle to do it.
Do you happen to know the quantity of gear oil the 4cyl takes? Thinking about doing it myself now. Trying to save myself looking into the manual haha.
Price after discount on my '05 was $41.22 per diff at Morrie's Minnetonka, including non-synthetic gear oil, but before tax and other assorted shop fees. Personally I don't like lying under my car with it on jack stands, having to then dispose of the old lube, and make a trip to the dealer for fresh oil (I prefer to use OEM driveline lubricants as I am assured of not having something effed up by an independent shop that services all makes). And gear oil has a horrid stench, which I prefer to not smell like.
It is very simple. Very similar to changing oil. If you're changing the rear differential I suggest buying a hand pump to transfer the fluid from the bottle to the diff. Only took me about a minute to refill with hand pump.
I'd be willing to do it with Subaru Extra-S for a small fee. Should be about 2 qts for both the front and rear diff. Need new gaskets for the front diff drain plug and overflow plug. The part number for the front diff drain plug is 803926090, and according to the PDF I have there is a gasket for the overflow plug, but I can't find the part #. The part guys should be able to help you at Morrie's. While it is a relatively easy job to do by yourself, you need a 13.1MM square bit (yes, 1/2 drive is close, but not always close enough), a T70 torx, and a large breaker bar/ratchet to get those rear diff plugs off.
Do you have those tools? How much would you be willing to do it for? My dad's friend is a mechanic and has a nice set up in his home garage, I dunno if he has the metric bit or torx.
Yup, I've got em! Just bought a new ratchet with the rear diff fluid change in mind (and to use it where ever else it fits!). You've also got a PM incoming!
I just did this on my gf's 11 outback with the cvt..the rear diff is about 0.8 quarts and the front diff was closer to 1.6-1.8 quarts. I didn't use new gaskets on the front diff...hope I won't be kicking myself later! PS - "someone" in parts told me that this car took 80w90 in the diffs...however the service manual and various online sources state 75w90. Doh! After all these years of changing diff fluid, I always thought the 1/2" drive was a hair small (although it has always worked). Where did you find the 13.1mm square bit?
It's from ultimate tool co (http://ultimatetoolco.com/13mm). They have it listed as a 1/2 drive 13MM (as do most sites/companies), but in reality it is a 13.1MM square bit. Harbor Freight also sells a drain plug socket set (http://www.harborfreight.com/12-piece-drain-plug-socket-set-94961.html), but the 13.1MM square in that set is 3/8 drive for under $10 with a 25% off coupon. I prefer the KTC one from Ultimate Tool Co because first of all, it is 1/2 drive. The HF one is only 3/8 drive, and it is very hard to get a long 3/8 drive breaker bar (for good reason, 3/8 is not as strong as 1/2 drive, obviously). Most 3/8 drive breaker bars or ratchets are only TEN INCHES MAX. I have a rather hard to find 18in 3/8 drive breaker bar, and even that is too short to break loose many of the really stuck diff plugs (harbor freight also sells an 18in 3/8 drive breaker bar, but as the reviews show, it is very prone to breaking). The HF bit is also longer than the KTC too., which isn't nice and will be explained in the next paragraph. In order to use the HF one and get enough leverage, especially for older vehicles that it is much tighter on, you need to use a 1/2 female to 3/8 male adapter to utilize your larger and stronger 1/2 drive breaker bar, which puts your breaker bar even further away from what you are trying to loosen, and makes it harder to keep the 13.1MM bit in the plug and not slip out. 24 or 25in breaker bars in 1/2 drive are fairly easy to find, and the HF 25in 1/2 drive breaker bar is actually pretty strong for the money (even many tool snobs like me have one, albeit I keep mine in the car for roadside emergencies and use my SK Tools one for actual work when in the garage ). This is about the right size of breaker bar for what you want, and if you have the KTC bit, it makes removing them much easier. The HF bit is more difficult because the bar is pushed out rather far from the plug being loosened. I have attached pictures to illustrate the size differences mentioned above (giant pictures incoming) This last one shows the sizes of breaker bars I was talking about. The top one is a 10in SK 3/8 drive breaker bar, the second to top my titan 3/8 drive 18IN breaker bar, 3rd is my SK 1/2 drive 24in b reaker bar, and the last one (Bottom) is my Snap On 25in 1/2 drive ratchet.
I'm getting ready to change the front/rear diff fluid also when I came across this old thread. 2012 Subaru Outback 2.5 CVT. If the Extra S 75w90 is synthetic, is it really necessary to change it every 30,000 miles? I was under the impression in general you can run longer with synthetics... thoughts?
If the automaker does not give different service intervals for synthetic lubricants versus conventional, that interval recommendation is what you need to adhere to to maintain warranty coverage.
Sorry, forgot to mention I have over 100k on the vehicle. So not really concerned about warranty coverage, but more interested on views others have on being able to extend intervals with synthetics.
Fluid changes are cheaper than differentials. I went with Subaru's recommendations for both interval and fluid even after our Outback was out of warranty. Just my opinion.
a Subaru 30k mile service includes Air filter, Cabin Air filter, front and rear differential fluid, transmission fluid, oil, oil filter, fuel injection cleaner, brake fluid flush, spark plugs (a couple models at 30k, most at 60k, and some at 100k), and fuel filter (if applicable, they stopped using external fuel filters in about 2003).
I just did this to my 92x yesterday morning. Went to Orielly down the street for the fluid. Didn't see anything in the ( yeah that will do) price range so I bought 75w90 Royal Purple. It was painful removing the top plug on the rear diffy, Used a 2 ft breaker bar with the Company23 13mm diff socket. After a few minutes of cursing both plugs came loose and I filled up just shy of a full quart. The hand pump would have been a good idea. Ended up cutting clear tubing and zip tying it to the bottle until it fell off and got purple goo all over my hands.. link to the tool, not a bad price compared to other suppliers online. http://www.rallysportdirect.com/Company23-521-13mm-Square-Drain-Socket
