Wait for others. I always use less than recommended torque. I settled on 22 ft lbs on every drain pan I have changed oil on (including 08 forester) and that's quite a lot.

 

Thanks for the quick reply. Do you know the recommended torque for 2017 Forester? It is strange. For my previous Honda cars, it is very easy to get the torque information by googling. It seems not the case for Subaru 2017 Forester. Perhaps it is because it is a new model.

 

32 ft lbs

 

thanks a lot.

 

If you use 32 ft obs it will take 75 ft lbs to remove it. Even at 22 ft lbs it takes over 50 ft lbs to remove it. They publish these high numbers bc of liability. Note I am not saying you should not use 32 ft lbs.

The first time folks remove their plugs they complain a gorilla installed them. Yes a gorilla that actually did use 32 ft lbs. And no its not the paint that caused it to come off hard..that's urban legend

 

That is interesting to know. I will see how difficult to remove the drain plug. I have an impact wrench. So, I will certainly be able to remove it. However, I will try to remove by a regular wrench first. Thanks.

 

Use a 6 point socket and make sure it's pressed on the bolt well

 

This!!!!!!!!~

 

Also, you'll want to develop a feel when tightening it. It will start to snug and you will feel the bolt seat and the crush washer begin to compress. This is when you want to watch your torquing.

 

Do NOT use an impact wrench on your oil drain plug under any circumstance, nothing good will come of it.

 

Do NOT used an impact wrench on your oil drain plug under any circumstance, nothing good will come of it.

The only time an impact wrench is useful is to remove a stuck bolt. That plus an extractor socket was the only thing that was able to help me get the bolt off for the first oil change.

 

I'm with @adc on this one. I used a torque wrench to set the drain plug to the correct torque on my first oil change and it still required a breaker bar to break it free on the following oil change. I know a lot of people complain about Subaru and dealers over tightening the drain plug, but if they set it exactly to spec, it still seems overly tight the next time you try to remove it.

I've since learned to tighten the drain plug by hand until it is finger tight, and then use a my standard socket wrench to tighten just until the crush washer crushes. You will know when this happens by the feel. I don't bother with a torque wrench any more. It takes some experience, but it works well for me.

StanF

 

Same here. I tighten it by hand until I can't any more. Then tighten it with a wrench until it's snug. Then I give a quick pull and that's it. Haven't had problems with this method.

 

Do yourself a favor and buy a Fumoto valve for your forester. You will not regret it. Best single upgrade any owner can do period for general maintenance.

 

I agree.

Although I use a torque wrench routinely on everything else in my garage, I have used a Fuoto valve on five different Subarus without a single issue. The valves eliminate so many headaches.

 

Absolutely True ^^

 

Did you end up replacing the plug once you got it out of the pan? Impact wrenches usually do a number on fasteners that are that tight, setting you up for rounding off and further drama down the road. On the FB25 is the pan aluminum and the plug steel? That usually leads to heartache as well, although letting things cool off a little while longer can sometimes assist is removing a really stubborn drain plug.

 

Yes...it was already stripped to begin with. Subaru sells larger drain plug bolts now rather than the crappy 14mm ones they were putting on 2017 Foresters.

I wonder if the 2018 Foresters have the larger drain plug bolt now, since Subaru did issue a TSB for it late last year.

 

My 2018 still has the 14mm drain bolt...I was unable to find the part number for the larger 17mm one...does anyone have that?

 

Well that's disappointing. I wonder if it's a build date thing, since the TSB came out in November 2017 after a few months of 2018 production.

My thread chronicling my misadventures are here if anyone wants to read a bit more: http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f88/first-oil-change-woes-733017/

As for the 17mm drain plug part number, it's 807016210. It fit like a charm and is much beefier than the old one. I bought an additional spare just in case for future oil changes as well but I'm not expecting any further issues now that I removed it that first time.

 

Fumoto
Fumoto
Fumoto
Fumoto ftw.

 

Nothing against the thing but you don't get as good an oil flush

 

I have the F108N and I will say it's pretty handy...my only gripe is the location on ours and how you have to get your hand up there on the lever, you still splash oil all over your hands...but such is life.

 

If you're splashing oil on your hands you're doing it wrong. Time to hit the hardware store and buy vinyl tubing to dump directly into the container you wish to put your used oil in.

I can do an oil change with a Fumoto valve in the clothes I'm about to go to dinner in and not get oil on myself. Get yourself some tubing and fall back in love with Fumoto valves.

Cheers.

 

I have finished the oil changing for my 2017 Forester. It was not difficult to take off the drain plug. I used a six-point wrench and a hammer. I just hammered it once and the plug turned. So, the plug on my car was not tight. Perhaps my dealer did something right for the previous oil changing. I used a torque wrench with 32ftb to tighten it.

I bought from eBay wrong oil filters, which fitted previous Foresters. So, I have to reuse the old one. Thankfully, I did not damage the old one.

There is a cover for the drain plug. The design of the cover is good but not perfect. When the oil flowed out, it hit the cover and splashed. It left oil on my t-shirt and pants. I should have been more careful.

 

The guy asked for oil drain bolt torque. Use this link to get your factory service manual up to '15. Not sure of the bolt torque for '16-19 Foresters, probably 33 ftlbs. Seems like a lot. Get the Fumoto valve and save yourself removing the plug and buggering up the hex.
Link:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...tory-Service-Manuals-(FSM)-Every-Model-USDM-EU&usg=AOvVaw1Yf1mN6ELQLfZB_sOIy-Wc

 

Hello,
Do you know if the 2018 Forester 2.5i has a 16 or 20mm oil plug?

Thanks,

Richard

 

Just did my 2018 today and it was 14mm. It was bought in March of 2018 so maybe they didn't get around to switching them until later in the production year.

 

I do not remember this size of the oil plug. I have a toolset so that I just find the right one when I change the oil. I will check it next time and report here.

 

To the weightlifter who last changed the oil on my wife's 2018 Subaru. I hope your shween falls off from steroid use. So I go to change the oil in our 2018 Forester since we used the last of our free oil changes we got when we bought the car. The oil plug was rounded If the dealer wasn't a 45 minute drive I would have brought it back to them however, I had to get the oil changed and I was in no mood to fight with the dealer. So I tried a 6 point socket no help. I tried vice grips nope. Finally I went to Harbor Freight and bought a set of metric bolt extractors (29.99). The 14mm bolt extractor worked like a dream. I have now ordered a Fumoto as recommended on this thread because it just makes sense to use since the bolt itself isn't the easiest bolt to get to. Not sure about the other years but on the 2018 they only give you a little access hole about 2" X 5". So I will use the Fumoto and some hose for the next oil change. Until then the ratty plug had to go back on. Thanks for the advice I hope it works out.

 

31 ft-lbs

 

I noticed that after changing the oil it can show a high reading after settling overnight. It was about 5 mm above the full dot. Does not always show high. Could be from the oil filter being on top of the engine. On a 2017 forester.

 

The factory fill is 1/4 inch above the upper hole. No worries. I put in a full 5 quarts and that is where my level stays.