July 2013
Subaru Service and
Technical Support Line Newsletter

HELPING TO ACHIEVE THE PREMIUM SERVICE EXPERIENCE

ARTICLES CONTAINED
IN THIS ISSUE
CODE ARTICLE....................... PAGE
(00) STIS Release Highlights from
06/01/2013 to 07/03/2013... 05

01

QMR OF THE MONTH

We are pleased to announce this month’s winner of the QMR of
the Month.

Irvine Subaru in
Lake Forest, CA

Edward Dowell

(01) QMR of the Month............ 01
(01) Using STIS, the “What’s New”
section and Tech TIPS....... 03
(01) New Oil Consumption
Form ........................03-04
(02) FB Engine Upper Oil Pan No.
11120AA111.................... 02

Ed submitted a very detailed QMR providing a correction to the
2014 Forester RES Troubleshooting Guide. In appreciation for
going the extra mile and sharing his experience with us, Ed will
be receiving the following from his FSE:
A Subaru Confidence
In Motion Jacket

05

A $100
Gift Card

Congratulations Ed!

(02) Too much Oil in the Engine... 03
(05) Tire Circumference........... 01

&

Any Subaru Service Technician can participate in QMR of the
Month. See the February 2013 Tech Tips for full details. You
may see your name here in a future issue of Tech Tips.

TIRE CIRCUMFERENCE

If you have a customer complaint of when using the paddle shifters in “D” (Drive Mode not Manual
Mode), the transmission does not automatically return to “D” as indicated in the instrument
cluster following use of the paddle shifters. The condition may be a result of a variation in the tire
circumferences. Confirm all four tires are of the same brand, size, and circumference. If a variation
is found, then the recommendation would be to review with the customer their need to replace the
necessary tires to arrive at a matched set (or return to the tire store where the recently purchased
mismatched tires came from for correction).

CAUTION: VEHICLE SERVICING PERFORMED BY UNTRAINED PERSONS
COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY TO THOSE PERSONS OR TO OTHERS.

SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. IS
“ISO 14001 COMPLIANT”

The Subaru TechTIPS newsletter is intended for use by professional technicians ONLY. Articles
are written to inform those technicians of conditions that may occur in some vehicles, or to
provide information that could assist in the proper servicing of the vehicle. Properly trained
technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions, and know-how to do the job correctly
and safely. If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that your vehicle has or will have that
condition. Impreza, Legacy, Justy, Loyale, Outback, Forester, Subaru SVX, WRX, WRX STI,
L.L. Bean, Baja, Tribeca, BRZ, XV Crosstrek and “Quality Driven” are Registered Trademarks.

The international standard for excellence
in Environmental Management Systems.
Please recycle or dispose of automotive
products in a manner that is friendly to our
environment and in accordance with all
local, state and federal laws and regulations.

July 2013 TechTIPS

Page 1

02

FB ENGINE UPPER OIL PAN NO. 11120AA111

A manufacturing change was made to the upper oil pan used on FB engines. Previously, there were 4
holes drilled and tapped for the 4 bolts used to secure the crankcase oil baffle plate. The replacement
part has 3 holes drilled and tapped. There is no need to drill and tap the 4th hole. Simply use 3 bolts
to secure the baffle plate. FHI has notified us this was a planned production change and not an error
in manufacturing.

Original has all 4 holes
drilled and tapped

Not drilled

Replacement Part

Not drilled

Shows Baffle Plate
in place
July 2013 TechTIPS

Page 2

01

USING STIS, THE “WHAT’S NEW” SECTION AND TECH TIPS

In monitoring Techline calls for quality assurance purposes, we sometimes notice callers are
unaware of recently published information. It is important that Subarunet and the STIS site be
reviewed on a regular, if not daily, basis. By reviewing the information found on these sites on a
regular basis, (for example: the “What’s New” section) your Technicians will have the most updated
information on repair procedures, Service Manual corrections, Technical Service Bulletins, and Tech
TIPS. As you know, having this information readily available, increases Technician efficiency (not to
mention customer satisfaction).
In addition to searching for Tech Tips, please be aware that there is a Tech Tips Article Locator
document that breaks TIPS down into 17 different categories. This allows you to look directly for a TIP
in any area of the vehicle for the problem that you are working on. It can be found by searching the On
Line Reference Column on STIS, then select “Other/ Misc” then click on the first search box. At the
bottom of all of the documents returned from your search, you will find the TIPS Locator document.
Once you open and view it, you can scroll to the particular area you are looking for to see if there is a
TIP on the subject matter. The TIPS Locator document is updated quarterly.
Any data files you send to Techline can be sent from a desktop computer to tech@subaru.com or,
if you are using your CF19, click on “Tech Support”. This will ensure that they are delivered to the
Techline mailbox.

02

TOO MUCH OIL IN THE ENGINE

How much is too much? What can happen if you put too much oil in an engine? If you’ve ever seen
an engine that had way too much oil added, you’d say a lot can happen and all of it is very bad and
expensive. What if it’s just a little over full, say by half a quart? Shouldn’t hurt anything…right? Excess
will just burn off…right? Wrong. What if we told you that an engine just half a quart over full could result
in a drivability concern? It can. If you encounter a concern of sluggish operation, hesitation, or surging
on a vehicle you may want to check the engine oil level when the engine is cold. If the engine oil is
over full, drain the excess oil and see if the condition is corrected. Conditions like this will generally be
most noticeable when accelerating up a grade. If you are monitoring the ECM using the SSMIII, you
may notice knocking correction occurring at the same time you experience the surging sensation. We
are aware of concerns like this occurring in the field following both dealer and aftermarket oil changes.
Always confirm the engine oil level is correct following any service. What if the car is new? What if
the mileage isn’t near the service interval? Don’t discount the possibility of someone adding oil to an
engine between services. After all, if it’s down half a quart why not just add the whole quart. It’s only a
little over full. What could it hurt? Now you know. It could hurt drivability.

07

REVISED OIL CONSUMPTION FORM

Please be advised there is a revised Oil Consumption Document on Subarunet. Once you open the
site, click on Service/Forms/Oil Consumption Test. The majority of the form and the evaluation and
testing procedures remain unchanged for the most part. The most significant addition are the lines for
listing cylinder leakage test results. While a common practice used for evaluation, the old form did not
have a place to list those results. The balance of the form remains unchanged other than the addition
Continued...
July 2013 TechTIPS

Page 3

07

REVISED OIL CONSUMPTION FORM (CONTINUED)

of supplemental instructions for test completion and calculation of the test results which was
not outlined in detail on the old form. A copy of this new form is provided below for your reference.

17.12 Oil Consumption Test

Oil Consumption Test

This test must be completed before performing any internal repairs.
Owner’s Name: _________________________________________________________________________
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): _________________________________________________________
Engine Type and size (i.e. EJ 2.5 SOHC): _____________________________________________________
Engine Number:_________________________ Techline Case Number: ____________________________
Transmission Number: ____________________________________________________________________
Dealer Number, Name and Contact Person: ___________________________________________________
This test is used to determine the rate of oil consumption and is required as supporting documentation for subsequent
engine repairs after determining there are no external leaks.
Note: Vehicle must have more than 3000 miles before performing test.
Begin the test by changing the oil and filter (Owner’s responsibility or reimbursed by SOA if a warranty repair is started as
a result) and recording the date and mileage here.
Oil and Filter Change

Date:

Mileage:

Instruct the owner on how to check the oil level. It should be checked regularly for example, when refueling (Engine
must be off for no less than five minutes and the vehicle parked on a level surface while checking). The customer must
be instructed to return to the dealer when the oil level is one (1) quart low (at or below lower hole in dipstick) or after 1,200
miles, whichever occurs first. The owner should not add any oil to the vehicle unless there will be a delay in returning to the
dealer for inspection, in which case the specified grade of oil should be added to bring the level back up to the full mark
(upper hole in dipstick). The date, mileage, and amount of oil added must be noted by the customer or the test may have
to be started over with a fresh oil and filter change.

#

DATE

MILEAGE

OIL LEVEL

OIL ADDED

MILES DRIVEN

OIL CONS/MILES

1
2
3
4
The oil usage must be checked four (4) times.

TOTAL

Do not change the oil/filter during the test period.
Consumption rate determined: ________________________ per ________________________ miles
(Divide Total MILES DRIVEN by Total OIL ADDED)
If more than 1 quart per 1200 miles, perform a Cylinder Leakage test and a Compression test. Results must be reviewed
with Techline before proceeding with any warranty repairs.
Note: DPSM prior authorization may be required for claim purposes.
Cylinder Leakage (percentage %)
Cylinder #1 _____________ #2 ____________#3 ___________ #4 ____________ #5 ____________#6____________
Leakage (I - Intake, E - Exhaust, C - Crankcase) Indicate Flow of Leakage - for example air is flowing into crankcase, indicate with a “C”
Cylinder #1 _____________ #2 ____________#3 ___________ #4 ____________ #5 ____________#6____________
Compression Test - Dry
Cylinder #1 _____________ #2 ____________#3 ___________ #4 ____________ #5 ____________#6____________
Compression Test - Wet
Cylinder #1 _____________ #2 ____________#3 ___________ #4 ____________ #5 ____________#6____________
Subaru Policies & Procedures - Revised 06/13

July 2013 TechTIPS

Page 4

00

2013 Calendar of
Subaru Holidays

STIS RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS FROM 06/01/2013 TO 07/03/2013

15-159-13R; Technical Service
Bulletin, Tire Rubbing Sound from
Right Front

E201SSC300; Accessory
Installation Guide, Forester
Fender Flares

07-75-13; Technical Service
Bulletin, DTC P0606 after Vehicle
Battery Is Reconnected

WQH-44; Subaru Product /
Campaign Bulletin, Genuine Subaru
Carpeted Floor Mats

09-55-13; Technical Service
Bulletin, Fuel Tank Insulation Pad /
Fuel Delivery

11-132-13; Technical Service
Bulletin, ECM Reprogramming
Availability for DTC P0244

Independence Day
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Labor Day
Monday, September 3, 2013
Thanksgiving Day
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Christmas Eve
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Christmas Day
Wednesday, December 25, 2013

*** NOW YOU CAN E-MAIL YOUR TECHTIPS INPUT AND SUGGESTIONS TO: TECH@SUBARU.COM ***

This is your chance to offer suggestions for use in future issues of TechTIPS! Make sure that if you
e-mail us, you place in the subject line of your e-mail “For TechTIPS Newsletter”. Thank you!
MODEL:
YEAR:
VIN:
Description of situation encountered:

Your suggestion for repair procedure, product improvements, etc.:

Please attach separate sheets, if necessary. You may also want to include Service Manual diagrams or references, or
your own drawings to assist in describing your suggestion. All information submitted becomes the property of Subaru of
America, Inc. Permission is granted to Subaru of America, Inc. to print your name and suggestions in TechTIPS and other
Subaru of America, Inc. publications. Mail items to: PO Box 6000, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-6000.

Your Name: Signature:
Dealer’s Name: City:
Date: Dealer Code:

SUBARU TECHLINE
Hours of Operation

July 2013 TechTIPS

Monday – Thursday 8:30am to 6:30pm
Friday 10:30am to 5pm
Page 5