LOL. I feel like a total n00b... I checked my oil dipstick and it read low. Checked again... low again?? I was about 3000 mi on this Mobil1 and decided to just pull it all and refill. Pulled off the undercovering and it looked like my oil filter gasket leaked?? There was some oil around the gasket and the bottom of the filter. The undercovering also had some oily gravel in it. Has this ever happened to you? Other weird thing: I got a AA09A last time from BPSubaru. I recently bought five more and they were all AA100. What is the best filter to be using at this point?? Edit: I did some more searching on NASIOC and I guess the AA09As had issues with leaking? that might explain it! grrrr I also checked my oil catch can today. The last time I emptied it was just yesterday but it's already accumulated about 2 tablespoonfuls of something very watery but it smells pungent and slightly sweet. What am I supposed to expect in my oil catch can? There seems to be vapor too in my catch can inlet line (coming from the rebreather tube). There's also some discoloration where I cut the rebreather tube. T_T sometimes I wish I had left the car stock ... ignorance is bliss. heh
From what people tell me...The Catch Can, filters out the Vapors out of the Oil so it stays cleaner and prolongs the life of the Oil. So it is Common to see H20 in Catch Cans
My catch can will also accumulate nasty water, especially during the winter time. It's from condensation, btw. As far as the filter, there might be a possibility that the old gasket stuck to the engine, and you ended up "doubling up" gaskets on the filter. I've had old filter gaskets stick to the engine several times after taking them off.
usually if you double gasket it will more than just have a small leak it will blow out and leave a huge puddle....
True. I was just stating that it was a possiblity, but like jk78 said, it's probably because of a bad filter.
No, the 15208AA09A filters had a bad production run in there and there were some (not all) that were seeping oil. Nothing serious, but enough to start smelling. There used to be two different filters, the 15208AA060 (non turbo) and the 15208AA100 (turbo) that Subaru used (the 6 cyl uses a SOA5165109 filter). When Subaru introduced the new 05s they replaced both the AA060 and the AA100 with the AA09A filter. The new filter was supposed to be able to work for both the turbo and non turbo cars. When they started seeing seepage issues, they put the AA100 back into service, and it's now used for both the turbo and non turbo cars as it's the only one that will clear the exhaust manifolds. The AA060 is too large in diameter for the newer exhaust manifolds, it'll actually touch the piping which isn't a good thing. So, that's why the filters have changed. I've gotten some questions from some people who wonder why the last few times they've been in the keep getting different filters, so now you know.
Thanks for the quick answers guys. Theres no vapor in the return line from the catch can, so I feel ok about it. But I've emptied a half cup of water from there before!!! scary! i guess better than in my engine. Thanks for the answer about the filters Brian. I just got a boat load from you guys of AA100s so I am good to go. The inside man has the inside scoop. -Jon
I remember a year or two ago when I installed a DIY oil catch can onto my RS. It was placed right before the PCV valve. Within a week, it collected a tablespoon full of a cappucinno-like fluid in it (mix of oil and water vapor).
one last question about this as i read 8 pages of posts on NASIOC about the 09A filters. The facts: I noticed the oil on the filter body early on, checked dipstick but it wasn't low. Late in this cycle is when I noticed it was LOW. I added 0.5Qt and the dipstick read close to HIGH again. Dipstick accuracy is prolly not too trustworthy No oil on the garage floor, but some absorbed in gravel of my undercover. I must've ran the engine pretty hard at least a few times. Oil light never once even blinked on. (yes, I realize it's probably too late if it comes on) Oil press read fairly normal, although occasionally higher as attributed to the lack of PRV in the AA100 filters What is your intuition about potential engine or turbo damage/wear? :ugh: My thought is that there wasn't enough seepage to worry about it.
