Oil is the lifeblood of your Subaru's engine. It provides the lubrication needed to minimize friction and extend the working life of the moving parts within. Each engine needs a certain amount of oil to function properly, which makes monitoring oil levels crucial for keeping your engine in great shape. Driving around with a low oil level puts your engine at risk of severe damage and eventual failure.
What Causes a Low Oil Level?
Oil leaks can cause your engine to slowly lose its oil over time. Aging seals and gaskets, a damaged oil pan, and even a loose drain plug can cause oil to escape in small amounts. Some engines can also consume minute amounts of oil as part of the combustion process, especially if said engine isn't properly maintained throughout its life.
What to Expect with a Low Oil Level
Poor Lubrication
A low oil level makes it harder for the engine to circulate oil properly. The engine may not build enough oil pressure to effectively move the oil where it needs to go, allowing many moving parts to go unlubricated.
Reduced Engine Performance
Without proper lubrication, the engine has to fight against the heat and friction caused by its moving parts. As a result, the engine works harder while producing less horsepower and torque. The engine also needs more fuel to counteract the forces working against it, resulting in reduced fuel economy and increased engine emissions.
Overheating
Oil does more than lubricate moving parts. It also removes excess heat as it circulates throughout the engine. Many Subaru vehicles feature a standalone oil cooler to dissipate more heat for better performance. A lack of oil can quickly lead to overheating issues as the resulting friction between moving parts creates additional heat.
While engine coolant and antifreeze play an important role in keeping engines cool, there's only so much it can do to remove excess heat. The excessive heat buildup caused by increased friction can easily overwhelm the coolant's ability to move heat away from the engine. Moving parts can warp out of shape due to the excessive heat, not only rendering them useless but also leading to catastrophic engine failure.
Difficulty with Starting
Low oil levels may also make your engine harder to start, especially if it was previously run without proper lubrication. The engine's starter may have to overcome the friction of oil-starved parts as it attempts to start the motor. This may not always happen with engines that run low on oil, but it is a potential symptom nonetheless.
Total Engine Failure
Run an engine long enough without oil and, sooner or later, you're looking at total engine failure. The most common way for oil-starved engines to fail is simply by locking up. Without an adequate layer of oil to prevent metal-on-metal contact, the engine's internal metal parts will rub against each other, generating enough heat through friction to effectively "weld" themselves together. The metal parts may separate once the engine cools down, but the damage is already done.
Oil-starved engines can also "blow up" in spectacular fashion. For instance, a piston or connecting rod can break loose and punch a hole through the block. Pistons can also make contact with the valves, resulting in catastrophic damage to the cylinder heads and block. Head gaskets can also fail as a side effect of oil starvation.
How to Check the Oil Level
Checking your Subaru's oil level on a regular basis is one of the easiest and most crucial steps towards preventing the above-mentioned symptoms. Here's a step-by-step process you can do in your own driveway:
- Make sure you're parked on a flat, level surface and the engine is shut off.
- Look for the yellow oil dipstick attached to the engine and pull it all the way out of the tube.
- Make a note of the MAX and MIN marks near the end of the dipstick.
- Wipe the end of the dipstick clean with a paper towel. Reinsert the dipstick into the tube and wait about 5 seconds before pulling it out again.
- Check the oil level. If the oil is between the MAX and MIN marks, then the engine has the correct amount of oil. If the oil is below the MIN mark, then add a quart of fresh engine oil and check the dipstick again.
Oil is essential for your engine. If you want to avoid extensive engine damage and the staggering repair bills that come with it, then it pays to check your oil levels frequently and have your oil changed as recommended by your Subaru's service schedule. Leave it to the service experts at C&S Subaru to handle your oil changes and perform other crucial maintenance to keep your vehicle going strong.
