Yesterday I drove to Elk River and back to Shakopee and noticed my oil lamp light coming on/off (mainly when I down shift and slow down). Worried/distressed, I finally made it home and checked the oil level. I had little-to-no oil on the dip stick upon pulling it out! I did a immediate oil change this morning and oil levels are stable after driving around a bit. I still had 500 miles left to run before my next oil change. I wonder if I am burning oil or have bad piston rings. I just bought this car about 3 months ago and this is my first (to me) major issue I've had. Any thoughts on what this problem could be would ease my mind.
I'm guessing your problems are going to be running much deeper at this point, that oil light is more of a sign of impending catastrophic failure due to low oil pressure than it is a warning light. Turbo Subarus burn oil, some more than most. How many miles are on the car and what mods? Have you had the oil pickup tube checked to make sure it isn't cracking? Have the screens in the turbo oil lines been pulled?
Correct me if im wrong, but I believe that the oil light comes on when it hits about 3psi. That's not good dude. I hope you figure it out quick. I wouldn't drive it until the repair is made.
You might get lucky and the oil light may have come on because you burned off so much oil, that the engine couldn't keep adequate pressure, and maybe you caught it before it's catastrophic. Yes, the oil light does come on a about 3 psi, which is WAY low. OEM spec at fully warm idle is like 15 or 16 psi. And you wouldn't have destroyed your piston rings, more like your bearings, possibly crank, heads, etc. And shorty is correct as well, could be a cracked oil pickup tube. Read more here: http://killerbmotorsport.com/index_files/OilPickupStory.htm Have you been checking your oil between changes? Were there any metal shavings in the oil when you drained it? Any knocking noises? Is the oil light now gone after the change? Is it still eating oil? FYI in the future, if your oil light comes on, don't drive the damn thing until you know what's wrong. Running an engine with the light on and extremely low pressure will quickly grenade your engine.
Time for some diagnostic work to be done! Good results will ease your mind, while poor ones will cost you money. Either way, I wish you luck! Check the Oil level Oil pressure check Pull pan and check for debris/shavings Check oil pickup while the pan is off Good places to start!
The light was never fully on while I was driving home. And also the light was not on when I checked the oil at home. Just came on and off about 2 miles before I got home. Once I changed the oil the light is now off. I never heard clicking or clacking yesterday when the light was on\off and also I didn't hear anything today. I have been pretty good about checking the oil level, this just recently happened in between a 2 week check. (Didn't drive much in the past 2 weeks) The old oil did not have metal shavings. As for the oil being eaten, I don't see a significant amount being eaten for today. But then again I only drove around town about 7 miles.
When you change the downpipe check for oily residue in the old pipe. Black sooty residue is normal, but oily is a sign of a bad seal. Like the others have said, these cars like to use oil. Check oil often.
Check under the alternator first to see if there is a problem with the oil pressure switch. After crawl under and figure out where all the oil is leaking. if there aren't any signs of leakage then look at deeper issues. What oil are you using and what is your change interval?
Will do yuseforester. I have driven my car a full two days now without any sign of leaking or significant oil consumption. Drove quite a bit already and will get a deeper diagnosis if a lot of oil consumption persists.
Two days isn't a very good indicator of oil consumption, especially if you're not driving much. What is your definition of "quite a bit"?
I would still recommend checking out your oil pressure...you can get a mechanical gauge from auto zone for about $15. It takes a little bit of effort to install, but it's easier and cheaper to install a gauge, than replace an entire longblock. I'd also recommend checking your oil pickup tube, since it is a fairly known issue. I think the only way to inspect that is to drop your oil pan.
What do you mean by "never fully on"? Was the light never continuously lit or did it not light to full brightness?
I wish the best for you. Mine was the lack of taking out the banjo filters. Here is the link to my excursion - LINK - hope you don't need to do all the same stuff I had to do. But listen to the people on here, they will help you if you're willing to take the help. I did my build through NF. They did a fantastic job, and my car has been running perfectly since. Good luck, and I'll throw in my $.02 if necessary.
I was with OP when this happened, the light would go on for a couple sec during downshifts or hard braking. It was never on all the time and didn't go off on every downshift or braking. Did an oil Change at 2500miles with Rotella T6.
What boost said, and also I don't have any mods and I'm sitting at 113k miles with a 2 year 100k warranty. As for driving around which I'm not really suppose to be doing, I have just driven around town about a total of 20 miles so far shorty. I will look into buying a mechanic gauge tmf. Any advise as to installing it and also how to check the oil pickup tube after I take the oil pan off? I'm pretty new to working on my car. Thanks for all the advise given so far everyone.
Here's some info on where to run the sender for the oil pressure gauge: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2141165 If you're using a mechanical one (much cheaper than electrical), there is no "sender", instead it is just an oil galley adapter with a threaded barb for a hose. The Prosport Premium is one of the more inexpensive electrical gauge options, and the Premiums seem to last better than other Prosport models. Mine has been fine for a year + so far. I would check out the oil pressure first. If it is low, then check the pickup tube. For checking the pickup tube, you have to drop the oil pan, which may or may not involve lifting the engine. If the pickup tube is fine, and your oil pressure is still low, then you have other issues to look into.
Late update (been really busy) Figured out I only burn oil when I boost. I had a compression test done (all good numbers). PVC valve good. Probably leak down test next.
yea, but burning oil from a blown oil seal in the turbo doesn't explain the low oil pressure light...unless the light was on due to super low oil level.
that's what I am thinking it was from. the light hasn't been back on since. Doesn't burn a drop if driven normally.
