December 2014
Subaru Service and Technical Support Line Newsletter

ARTICLES CONTAINED
IN THIS ISSUE
CODE ARTICLE..................................PAGE
(00) November STIS New Releases.. 6

01

QMR OF THE MONTH

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

(01) QMR of the Month.................. 1
(01) Subaru of America’s ASE Master
Technician of the Year............. 4

© 2014 Subaru of America, Inc. All rights reserved.

Austin Balge

(02) Hard Starting, Extended Engine
Cranking Concerns Revisited.... 5

Subaru Superstore in Chandler, AZ

(07) 2015 Legacy / Outback
Unnecessary Power Window
Switch Replacements ............ 3

Austin submitted a very detailed QMR on his diagnosis and repair
of a dash rattle found on a 2014 Legacy resulting from contact
between the firewall and the expansion valve. Austin corrected
the condition by centering the expansion valve in the firewall
opening. He included clear photos of his findings with the addition
of callouts (text and graphics such as arrows that add additional
clarity to the significance of an image) that proved very helpful to
our understanding of this condition.

(09) Hard to Fill Fuel Tank
Revised.............................. 4
(15) 2015 Legacy / Outback,
STARLINK, and iHeartRadio
Application Information .......... 2

2014 CALENDAR OF
SUBARU HOLIDAYS
Happy Holidays
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Friday, December 26, 2014
Techline Hours of operation on Saturday,
December 27, 2014 will be from 9:00 am
until 3:00 pm EST.

Happy New Year
Thursday, January 1, 2015

Keep those QMRs coming on any new (or repeating) condition
you encounter. We are always interested in your reports. Even if
you see something several times a month, enter a quick QMR just
to be sure we know about it too. The ONLY way to be absolutely
sure that WE know what YOU know is if YOU enter a QMR. In
appreciation for going the extra mile and sharing his experience
with us in hopes of improving product quality, Austin will be
receiving the following from his FSE:

A Subaru

Confidence In Motion Jacket
and a $100 Gift Card
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 Tech Tips.

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.

ISO 14001 is 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.

December 2014 TechTIPS

Page 1

15

2015 LEGACY / OUTBACK, STARLINK, AND IHEARTRADIO APPLICATION INFORMATION

Should you receive a customer inquiry about not being able to see the iHeartRadio app on their phone
as a selectable choice after downloading STARLINK, here’s the reason why. If the customer goes into
the Settings menu of their phone before pairing it to the vehicle, although the iHeartRadio icon will be
displayed on the audio unit, it will not be displayed on their phone until after pairing is complete. Once
pairing has been completed, all five applications displayed on the audio unit will be selectable from the
phone’s Settings menu. Although chances of this situation happening are slim, should it arise (after
confirming the Starlink app has been downloaded to the phone), simply pair the phone, open the Starlink
app and all five applications should be selectable from that point forward

Audio Unit Display Showing
iHeart Radio Icon

Phone Display Prior to Pairing
December 2014 TechTIPS

Page 2

07

2015 LEGACY / OUTBACK UNNECESSARY POWER WINDOW SWITCH REPLACEMENTS

We continue to receive warranty claims and Quality Monitoring Reports for failed front door power
window switches which operate normally when tested after part collection. Whenever receiving a
customer concern regarding either front door power window switch operation and / or operation of
the Auto Up / Down feature, always perform the initialization (or “reset”) procedure outlined below
BEFORE replacing either of the switches.
REMINDER: the Auto Up / Down feature is disabled and must be reset after battery disconnect
(although the window switches will still operate normally, the “auto up/down” feature will not function).
Follow the steps shown below to complete the initialization procedure.

STEP 1 - Close the driver’s door.
STEP 2 - Switch the ignition to the “ON” position.
STEP 3 - L
IGHTLY press down on the driver’s window switch to lower the driver’s
window halfway.
STEP 4 - Pull UP on the driver’s window switch to raise the window and close it
completely. Continue pulling the switch up for 1 second after the window
is completely closed.
STEP 5 - Verify proper function. If the feature does not resume normal operation,
it is likely the switch was held up for longer than the 1 second as
described in Step 4. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 again. If normal operation is
still not restored, proceed with the diagnostic steps outlined in the
applicable Service Manual.

IMPORTANT: It will be necessary to repeat the same initialization procedure on the passenger door
power window switch (if equipped with the Auto Up / Down feature).
NOTE: There have also been isolated cases reported where the passenger front window was
inoperable from the driver’s door power window master switch. Performing the initialization procedure
on the passenger side window remedied the condition.

December 2014 TechTIPS

Page 3

01

SUBARU OF AMERICA’S ASE MASTER TECHNICIAN OF THE YEAR

It is with great pleasure that Subaru of America
congratulates Mr. Daniel Welser, Subaru Senior
Master Technician at Subaru of Jacksonville. Dan
has been awarded Subaru of America’s ASE
Master Technician of the Year. This monumental
achievement was based on his outstanding ASE
test scores combined with exceeding the criteria
set forth by Subaru of America. On September
25th, 2014, Dan was honored by Subaru of
America Executives and presented with a plaque
of appreciation by Mr. Tom Doll, President and
COO of Subaru of America and the Eastern
Region Vice President, Mr. Michael Hafertape.

Pictured with Mr. Welser are Tom Doll, COO Subaru of America,
Mr. Phil Porter, Dealer Principal, Subaru of Jacksonville, and
Mr. Michael Hafertape, Eastern Regional Vice President.

Dan has been a Subaru technician for the past 16
years and has an impeccable ability to properly diagnose and repair all Subaru models with a Stellar,
“Fixed Right the First Time” OLP score. He is fully committed to his craft and the products he services.
Dan proves every day how he takes great pride in providing Subaru of Jacksonville customers with the
highest level of technical expertise he can deliver as a Senior Master Technician.
Dan was honored by the ASE Society in a formal reception on November 19th, held at the Hyatt
Regency hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida along with Technicians from many other manufacturers.
Please congratulate Mr. Daniel Welser for being the best he can be!

09

HARD TO FILL FUEL TANK REVISED

If you have a customer concern of difficulty filling
the fuel tank, please be aware it may be the filler
neck hose. We have had situations of fuel tanks
being replaced for this concern because the hose
was not removed with the fuel tank and inspected
for obstructions.
Because of lighting and location, a quick look at
the outside of the hose may not show any problem.
The hose needs to be removed and light needs
to be directed into the hose on both ends in order
to see the obstruction. Originally, this issue was
only found on 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback
models but recently, we have confirmed reports
of this same issue on 2013 models as well. When
presented with this complaint on any model year
Subaru, it is always a good idea to inspect this
hose prior to removing the fuel tank.

December 2014 TechTIPS

Page 4

02

HARD STARTING, EXTENDED ENGINE CRANKING CONCERNS REVISITED

As the cold weather months rapidly approach, the Techline is beginning to see an increase in the
number of inquiries regarding extended engine crank time and hard starting. In some cases, data files
have been requested, received and submitted to the Engineers for review. The condition can occur
at any engine temperature and is still being closely investigated by the Engineers. After reviewing
submitted data files, some of them show the accelerator pedal being depressed by the operator
while cranking the engine. The number of these cases can be reduced by carefully interviewing the
customer about their starting “routine”, and following that up with a review of the related pages in the
Black plate
(356,1)
Owner’s Manual (especially the highlighted areas in the example below). By doing
this,
in many
cases, the condition can be resolved.

7-10

Starting and operating/Starting and stopping the engine (models without push–button ignition switch)

. On rare occasions, transient knocking may be heard from the engine when
the accelerator is operated rapidly
such as a rapid start-up and a rapid
acceleration. This is not a malfunction.
. The engine starts more easily when
the headlights, air conditioner and rear
window defogger are turned off.
. After the engine starts, the engine
speed will be kept high until the engine
has warmed up sufficiently.
! MT models
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and accessories.
3. Depress the clutch pedal to the floor
and shift the shift lever into neutral. Hold
the clutch pedal to the floor while starting
the engine.
The starter motor will only operate when
the clutch pedal is depressed fully to the
floor.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON”
position and check the operation of the
warning and indicator lights. Refer to
“Warning and indicator lights” F3-11.
5. Turn the ignition switch to the “START”
position without depressing the accelerator pedal. Release the key immediately
after the engine has started.
If the engine does not start, try the

following.
(1) Turn the ignition switch to the
“OFF” position and wait for at least
10 seconds. After checking that the
parking brake is firmly set, turn the
ignition switch to the “START” position
while depressing the accelerator pedal
slightly (approximately a quarter of the
full stroke). Release the accelerator
pedal as soon as the engine starts.
(2) If this fails to start the engine, turn
the ignition switch back to the “OFF”
position and wait for at least 10
seconds. Then fully depress the accelerator pedal and turn the ignition
switch to the “START” position. If the
engine starts, quickly release the
accelerator pedal.
(3) If this fails to start the engine, turn
the ignition switch again to the “OFF”
position. After waiting for 10 seconds
or longer, turn the ignition switch to the
“START” position without depressing
the accelerator pedal.
(4) If the engine still refuses to start,
contact your nearest SUBARU dealer
for assistance.
6. Confirm that all warning and indicator
lights have turned off after the engine has
started. The fuel injection system automatically lowers the idle speed as the
engine warms up.

! CVT models
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and accessories.
3. Shift the select lever to the “P” or “N”
position (preferably the “P” position).
The starter motor will only operate when
the select lever is at the “P” or “N” position.