2021 Subaru Outback 2.5 L non turbo.

I’ve been having the dealer service my car but now that it’s out of warranty, I’d like to start doing it myself again.

Three things:
Best place to buy plugs?
It seems normal effort wise and lifting/tilting the engine is helpful but not necessary.
Is AllData still good? I’d like to use it for more than one vehicle but need to renew.

Thanks!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Riley,

We use Alldata Pro at work. Very helpful for by the book instructions. Not sure that it is better than YouTube, though, for practicality.

I find rock auto a reasonable vendor for many parts. However, plugs from the dealer might be worth looking at. If you get the SKU from the box, then search on rock auto, you will save money.

If you are working on a subaru this guy is very into them.

If it's an NA engine it's the 2.5L FB25. It's fairly straightforward I don't see the need for Alldata. Just remove the battery on driver side and air filter housing on passenger side.

As far as where to get NGK spark plugs, I've bought from Rock Auto in the past. Even with shipping it's usually cheaper than elsewhere.

You are changing spark plugs on a 2 year old car?

quote:

Originally posted by walker77:
You are changing spark plugs on a 2 year old car?

Never hear of such a thing either. My 2019 Forester has original plugs.

It most likely has iridium plugs, which, all other things being equal, can go more than 100,000 miles without serious wear. What does the owner's manual say? Unless you've already put that many miles on it.

On a (IIRC) 2017 Crosstrek, I had to unbolt the engine mounts and lift the left rear corner up to get the ignition coil out and a spark plug socket into.

Maint interval on 2021 OB is 60,000 miles on spark plugs:

https://techinfo.subaru.com/st...nd_maint__081120.pdf

I drive an OB. 60k miles the interval. Until a couple 9f years ago, NGK has it at 80k on their bur dialed it back to 60k bc they are an OEM supplier to Subaru and need to be 8n sync with them.

60k is fine and you can go longer. Don't sweat it.

If you use the plugs from a Subaru dealer, you will have the best performance. It will cost more, but at least you'll bet the ganuine part, not a knockoff, not a compatible aftermarket, but the same plugs the factory installed on the assembly line. But if you have low miles, like the guys have said, there's no point in replacing them. Modern plugs in late model vehicles are not the plugs your daddy used, or you used yourself if you're an older model.

Thanks! Correction made to engine size.

Manual says 60k, I’m at 65k plus…

Looks an easy as I’d hoped.

Many vehicles list up near 100k miles with plug changes, varies of course with vehicle and plug type.

I changed in my Sierra truck a little over 80k. It usually comes down to 1 or 2 that are hard to get at.

Another thing, with a lightly used vehicle it’s good to get the plugs out at some point, even with lower miles. Plugs can ‘fail’ in other ways, chips of ceramic break, or get frozen in place.

If one changes themselves, rather low cost. I usually cross-reference before buying, original OEM isn’t always best, at least for me. I’ve had a 10 year old vehicle & with cross-referencing I’ve found a plug type rated better than original.

Rock Auto, Amazon, eBay or similar, from a reputable seller, is where I look.

It all depends on the plug and vehicle. I found that the AC plugs in my 1990 C2500 Chevy will last about 20 to 25K miles before the ceramic insulator breaks down. The plug arcs over not at the tip but down inside the plug resulting in the gas mileage droppping off.

Been using ngk plugs for awhile now in my bmws. I was doing them at 20k intervals because I was running a tune. Daughter’s Subaru Impreza is probably going to hit 60k next spring. If ngk makes a plug that fits, I will stick with ngk.
Just be careful where you buy from. There are counterfeit ngks out there.

Thanks. Tool shopping and I’ll try and knock it out in a week or two.