2016 SUBARU WRX engine oil

Engine compartment overview & STI 1) Power steering fluid reservoir
(page 11-24)
2) Brake fluid reservoir/Clutch fluid reservoir
(page 11-25)
3) Fuse box (page 11-42)
4) Battery (page 11-41)
5) Windshield washer tank (page 11-38)
6) Engine oil filler cap (page 11-13)
7) Engine coolant reservoir (page 11-18)
8) Engine oil level gauge (page 11-13)
9) Coolant filler tank cap (page 11-18)
10) Air cleaner case (page 11-19)Maintenance and service/Engine compartment overview
– CONTINUED –11-11

Maintenance and service/Engine compartment overview
& Except STI 1) Brake fluid reservoir/Clutch fluid reservoir
(MT models) (page 11-25)
2) Fuse box (page 11-42)
3) Battery (page 11-41)
4) Windshield washer tank (page 11-38)
5) Engine oil filler cap (page 11-13)
6) Engine coolant reservoir (page 11-18)
7) Radiator cap (page 11-18)
8) Engine oil filter (page 11-15)
9) Engine oil level gauge (page 11-13)
10) Air cleaner case (page 11-19)
11-12

Engine oil CAUTION. If the level gauge is not pulled out
easily, twist the level gauge right
and left, then pull it out. Other-
wise, you may be injured acci-
dentally straining yourself.
. Use only engine oil with the
recommended grade and vis-
cosity.
. Be careful not to spill engine oil
when adding it. If oil touches the
exhaust pipe, it may cause a bad
smell, smoke, and/or a fire. If
engine oil gets on the exhaust
pipe, be sure to wipe it off.
& Engine oil consumption Some engine oil will be consumed while
driving. Under the following conditions, oil
consumption can be increased and thus
require refilling between maintenance
intervals:
. When the engine is new and within the
break-in period
. When the engine oil is of lower quality
. When the incorrect oil viscosity is used . When engine braking is employed
. When the engine is operated at high
engine speeds
. When the engine is operated under
heavy loads
. When the engine idles for long periods
of time
. When the vehicle is operated in stop
and go and/or heavy traffic situations
. When the vehicle is used under severe
thermal conditions
. When the vehicle accelerates and
decelerates frequently
Under these or similar conditions, you
should check your oil at least every 2nd
fuel fill-up and change your engine oil
more frequently. If your oil consumption
rate is greater than 1 quart every 1,200
miles or 1 liter every 2,000 kilometers,
contact your SUBARU dealer who may
perform a test under controlled conditions.
& Checking the oil level 1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
stop the engine. If you check the oil level
just after stopping the engine, wait a few
minutes for the oil to drain back into the oil
pan before checking the level. STI
1) Oil level gauge
2) Oil filler capMaintenance and service/Engine oil
– CONTINUED –11-13

Maintenance and service/Engine oil
Except STI
1) Oil level gauge
2) Oil filler cap
3) Oil filter
CAUTION
If the level gauge is not pulled out
easily, twist the level gauge right
and left, then pull it out. Otherwise,
you may be injured accidentally
straining yourself.
2. Pull out the level gauge, wipe it clean,
and insert it again.
3. Be sure the level gauge is correctly
inserted until it stops. STI
1) Notch
2) Full level
3) Low level
4) Approximately 1.1 US qt (1.0 liter, 0.9
Imp qt) from low level to full level Except STI
1) Full level
2) Low level
3) Approximately 1.1 US qt (1.0 liter, 0.9
Imp qt) from low level to full level
4. Pull out the oil level gauge again.
5. STI:
Check the oil level on the gauge. If the oil
level is below the low level mark, add oil
so that the full level is reached.
Except STI:
Check the oil levels on both sides of the
level gauge. The engine oil level must be
judged by the lowest of the two levels. If
the oil level is below the low level mark,
add oil so that the full level is reached.11-14

CAUTION. For models except STI, be careful
not to touch the engine oil filter
when removing the oil filler cap.
Doing so may result in a burn, a
pinched finger, or may cause
some other injury.
. Use only engine oil with the
recommended grade and vis-
cosity.
. Be careful not to spill engine oil
when adding it. If oil touches the
exhaust pipe, it may cause a bad
smell, smoke, and/or a fire. If
engine oil gets on the exhaust
pipe, be sure to wipe it off.
To add engine oil, remove the engine oil
filler cap and slowly pour engine oil
through the filler neck. After pouring oil
into the engine, you must use the level
gauge to confirm that the oil level is
correct.
For models STI, just after driving or while
the engine is warm, the engine oil level
reading may be in a range between the
upper level and the notch mark. This is
caused by thermal expansion of the
engine oil. NOTE To prevent overfilling the engine oil, do
not add any additional oil above the
upper level when the engine is cold.
& Changing the oil and oil filter Change the oil and oil filter according to
the maintenance schedule in the “ War-
ranty and Maintenance Booklet ” .
NOTE . Changing the engine oil and oil filter
should be performed by a well-trained
expert. Contact your SUBARU dealer
for changing the engine oil and oil filter.
Fully trained mechanics are on standby
at a SUBARU dealer to utilize the
special tools, spare parts and recom-
mended oil for this work, and also,
used oils are properly disposed of.
. If performing oil replacement your-
self, observe the local regulations and
dispose of waste oil properly.
The engine oil and oil filter must be
changed more frequently than listed in
the maintenance schedule when driving
on dusty roads, when short trips are
frequently made, or when driving in
extremely cold weather. ! Changing the oil filter
It may be difficult to change the oil filter.
Have the oil filter changed by your
SUBARU dealer if necessary.
! Changing the oil
1. Warm up the engine by letting the
engine idle for approximately 10 minutes
to ease draining the engine oil.
2. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
stop the engine.
3. Remove the oil filler cap.
STIMaintenance and service/Engine oil
– CONTINUED –11-15

Maintenance and service/Engine oil
Except STI
4. Drain out the engine oil by removing
the drain plug while the engine is still
warm. The used oil should be drained into
an appropriate container and disposed of
properly.
WARNING
Be careful not to burn yourself with
hot engine oil.
5. Wipe the seating surface of the drain
plug with a clean cloth and tighten it
securely with a new sealing washer after
the oil has completely drained out.
CAUTION
Thoroughly wipe off any engine oil that has spilled over the exhaust
pipe and/or under-cover. If spilled oil
is not promptly wiped up, the oil
could cause a fire.
6. Pour engine oil through the filler neck.
For the oil capacity (guideline), refer to
“ Engine oil ” F 12-4.
The oil quantity indicated above is only
guideline.
The necessary quantity of oil depends on
the quantity of oil that has been drained.
The quantity of drained oil differs slightly
depending on the temperature of the oil
and the time the oil is left flowing out. After
refilling the engine with oil, therefore, you
must use the level gauge to confirm that
the level is correct.
7. Start the engine and make sure that no
oil leaks appear around the drain plug.
8. Run the engine until it reaches the
normal operating temperature. Then stop
the engine and wait a few minutes to allow
the oil drain back. Check the oil level
again and if necessary, add more engine
oil.
CAUTION
Be careful not to spill engine oil
when adding it. If oil touches the exhaust pipe, it may cause a bad
smell, smoke, and/or a fire.
& Recommended grade and
viscosity CAUTIONUse only engine oil with the recom-
mended grade and viscosity.
Refer to “ Engine oil ” F 12-4.
NOTE Engine oil viscosity (thickness) affects
fuel economy. Oils of lower viscosity
provide better fuel economy. However,
in hot weather, oil of higher viscosity is
required to properly lubricate the en-
gine.
& Synthetic oil You must follow the oil and filter changing
intervals shown in the Warranty and
Maintenance booklet.
NOTE Synthetic oil of the grade and viscosity
noted in chapter 12 is the recom-
mended engine oil for optimum engine
performance. Conventional oil may be11-16

used if synthetic oil is unavailable.
Cooling system WARNING. Never attempt to remove the
radiator cap until the engine has
been shut off and has cooled
down completely. Since the cool-
ant is under pressure, you may
suffer serious burns from a spray
of boiling hot coolant when the
cap is removed.
. Be careful of the rotating cooling
fan when the engine hood is
open. When the engine tempera-
ture is high, the cooling fan in the
engine compartment may oper-
ate when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ ON ” position, even
if the engine is stopped. Touch-
ing the cooling fan while it is
rotating may result in injury.
CAUTION
. Vehicles are filled at the factory
with SUBARU Super Coolant that
does not require the first change
for 11 years/137,500 miles (11
years/220,000 km). This coolant
should not be mixed with any other brand or type of coolant
during this period. Mixing with a
different coolant will reduce the
life of the coolant. Should it be
necessary to top up the coolant
for any reason, use only
SUBARU Super Coolant.
If the SUBARU Super Coolant is
diluted with another brand or
type, the maintenance interval is
shortened to that of the mixing
coolant.
. Do not splash the engine coolant
over painted parts. The alcohol
contained in the engine coolant
may damage the paint surface.
& Cooling fan, hose and con-
nections Your vehicle employs an electric cooling
fan which is thermostatically controlled to
operate when the engine coolant reaches
a specific temperature.
If the radiator cooling fan does not operate
even when the engine coolant tempera-
ture gauge exceeds the normal operating
range, the cooling fan circuit may be
defective. Refer to “ Temperature gauge ”
F 3-11. Maintenance and service/Cooling system
– CONTINUED –11-17

Maintenance and service/Drive belts
Drive belts NOTE For models except STI, it is unneces-
sary to check the deflection of the drive
belt periodically because this engine is
equipped with an automatic belt ten-
sion adjuster. However, replacement of
the belt should be done according to
the maintenance schedule in the “ War-
ranty and Maintenance Booklet ” . Con-
sult your SUBARU dealer for replace-
ment.
If the drive belt is loose, cracked or
worn, contact your SUBARU dealer. STI
1) Power steering oil pump pulley
2) Front side belt
3) Alternator pulley
4) Air conditioner compressor pulley
5) Rear side belt
6) Crank pulley
A) 22 lbf (98 N, 10 kgf)
CAUTION
The front side belt, which runs in
conjunction with the following com-
ponents, must be used within the
specified deflection.
. Power steering oil pump pulley
. Alternator pulley
. Crank pulley
Check the deflection of the front side belt and if there is any loosen-
ess, cracks, wear or unusual noise
on the front side belt, contact your
SUBARU dealer.
Continuing to use the vehicle with
the belt outside of the specification
may cause the engine to malfunc-
tion and the above components to
malfunction.
To check the deflection of the front side
belt, place a straightedge (ruler) across
two adjacent pulleys (alternator pulley and
crank pulley) and apply a force of 22 lbf
(98 N, 10 kgf) midway between the pulleys
by using a spring scale. The belt deflec-
tion should be the amount specified. If the
front side belt is loose, cracked or worn,
contact your SUBARU dealer. in (mm)
Deflection
New belt
Used belt
A 0.28 – 0.35
(7.0 – 9.0) 0.35 – 0.43
(9.0 – 11.0)
The rear side belt is a stretch-type belt,
therefore the deflection does not need to
be checked. If there are cracks or wear
confirmed on the belts and a squeaking
noise is heard from them, contact your
SUBARU dealer.11-22