I have a 2001 subaru forrester that developed a rod knock, i already swapped the oil filter and topped it off. how do I make the engine last longer?
I’ve seen subis run rod knocks for 1000s of miles. They also sometimes just die. Drive it till it dies and have a good towing coverage
You don’t. Also, the faster you get it fixed the cheaper it would be. It may be as simple as changing rod bearings and machining the crankshaft if you catch it early enough
So the honest answer is you need to plan on getting a new short block if you want to keep the car. Once it starts it’s not going to get better. A junkyard engine may also be an option.
That being said, you could run thicker oil. So maybe a 10W30, put some motor honey in it. Try not to hammer on the throttle too much. I had a 97 legacy that had a horrible rod knock, and I drove it for a year with the knock before selling. Never had it completely fail. Was that the right way to do things? Absolutely not.
15w40 oil and keep the rpm low
I had a Sunfire with knock I filled it with 50% lucus 50% 85w-140 gear oil, drove it for a year and a half and sold it to some kid
Thick oil but it will very likely blow within a 100 miles or so if your lucky. It is a terminal failure.