STAR Center News
Jan/Feb 2015

No. 86

STAR Center New s
Jan/Feb Announcements

WHAT’S NEW! W e’re
m akingsom e
changesfor2015!

Where to Find the STAR News…
The STAR News link has always been located in TechCONNECT on left side of the home
page beneath the SEARCH Box.
In addition STAR News will now be accessible through other communication channels
including:
1. Link on the LMS (Academy Site)
2. Monthly Master Tech
3. Instructor Lead Training will include a reminder of electronic file location and hard
copies, when possible
4. NEW!!! Via E-mail subscription – details to follow on how to submit your E-mail
address to receive an electronic copy of the STAR News.

FCA USA LLC
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STAR Center News
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No. 86

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STAR Center News
Jan/Feb 2015
From the STAR Center
Good things are happening at STAR for
2015. We want you to know that we are
making some positive changes based on
your feedback and are focused on the
following initiatives.



Quicker response times
Quality response and repair
guidance

No. 86
is a Master ASE technician and has been
with STAR for 7 years.
He is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys four
wheeling, hunting, fishing, biking, boating,
hiking and camp fires. He also enjoys
attending concerts and sporting events with
his family and friends.
Larry Nonis – Body/Chassis

Over the course of the next quarter we will
be rolling out some changes in
DealerCONNECT to help you get the
answers you need the first time and
improve our first contact experience.
Thank you for your patience as we move
forward.
Your feedback has been positive. We
ended the year with dealer satisfaction
scores averaging 4.71/5.0.
We will continue to work hard to service
you…our customer.

STAR Agent Introductions
Meet some of our STAR Top Agents. Each
month we will highlight some of our agents
so you can get to know us.

Larry has been in the automotive business
since 1978 fresh out of MCI Automotive
Technical Academy. He has held positions
as Technician, Service Director, Warranty
Administrator, Technical Instructor and
STAR Helpline Consultant.
Larry’s
Interests include world travel, fishing,
performance cars, wine connoisseur,
traveling, and he is professional model
builder.

Jeff Campbell – Engine/Driveability

Michael Bell – Transmission

Jeff has over 36 years of automotive
experience and has spent 17 years with
Chrysler dealers before joining STAR. He

Mike has been an auto tech for 27 years.
He worked in a dealership for 12 years
then moved into the technical assistance
center side and has been with Chrysler for

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STAR Center News
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No. 86

8 years. Mike enjoys spending time with
his family and friends including his two
sons that he adores. Mike is our resident
comedian and says that his hobbies
include sumo wrestling, auto racing and
working around the house.
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STAR Center News
Jan/Feb 2015
8-Speed Automatic Transmission
Adaptation
Beginning with all 845RE-equipped, 2015
Model Year vehicles, a QUICK LEARN
procedure is now available to quickly adapt
the transmission.
This new feature drastically shortens the
time required for the transmission controls
to adapt for optimal shift quality. The
procedure is run using WiTech and
requires 2-5 minutes to perform in a
stationary vehicle. Very little driving is
required, except to warm the transmission
(to at least 131°F) and to cycle each clutch
prior to running the routine.
In most cases of shift quality related
concerns, running QUICK LEARN should
be used as a first attempt at resolution.
The feature will also be available with
newer
2014
MY
service-released
software. Also, QUICK LEARN should be
run when performing valve body or
transmission replacements, or any internal
clutch repairs.
Refer
to
28
DTC-Based
Diagnostics/MODULE,
Transmission
Control (TCM)/Standard Procedure in
TechCONNECT under service information
for detailed instructions.

No. 86
2. When changing oil cooler lines,
ensure that the cooler line clips or
“Jiffy Tites” are properly seated
when installed.
3. If the engine has any issues with
“blue smoke” from the exhaust,
perform a crankcase (and oil cooler)
drain and fill with a filter change per
the service procedure. Do not prefill the oil filter. Note that the service
fill for the 6.2L Hellcat engine with a
dry oil filter is 6 quarts of oil
compared to the standard HEMI
engine service fill of 7 quarts.
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New Seat Fasteners 2015 UF, PF,
KL
UF, PF and KL have new seat attachment
fasteners starting with the 2015 model
year.
The new hardware is called a Mortorq®style #2 fastener. It looks somewhat like a
cross between a Philips-head and a Torx®style configuration (Figs 1-3).

---------------------------------------------------------Fig. 1- Philips

6.2L Hellcat Engine News

Fig. 2 - Torx

The following are just a few bits of service
information to be mindful of regarding the
6.2L Hellcat Engine (ESD sales code):
1. For catastrophic engine failures, it
is important to change the oil cooler
and cooler lines to avoid reintroducing any potential debris into
the replacement engine.
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Fig. 3 - Mortorq

However, attempting to remove or install a
Mortorq® fastener using a standard Torx®

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STAR Center News
Jan/Feb 2015
bit or a Philips bit will resort in a stripped
fastener head.
Mortorq® #2 bits are available thru Snapon Tools (SDMMT2), Mopar Service
Equipment (MSE) group (MCOK5440MT2)
or other commercial tool suppliers.
----------------------------------------------------------

Patriot/Compass Engine Inlet Air
Duct Attachment
On the Patriot / Compass equipped with
gasoline engines, we are seeing incidents
where the fresh air induction duct is not
getting reattached properly after service
has been performed on many underhood
components.

No. 86
pieces, they are cast together and the
cover cannot be removed separately
without damaging both components. Care
should be exercised to follow the removal
procedure in the service information to
ensure damage does not occur.
Proper Engine Cover/Resonator Removal
1. Disconnect the electrical connector
(2) from the Inlet Air Temperature
(IAT) sensor.
2. Loosen the clamp at the throttle
body (1).
3. Pull the front of the resonator away
from the throttle body while lifting
from the rear of the resonator to
separate from the ball joint mount.

¼turnplasticfasteners

----------------------------------------------------------

Proper PF Brake Pad Orientation
Technicians need to ensure that the ¼-turn
plastic fasteners are securely positioned in
the
fore/aft
position,
after
any
vehicle/powertrain work that required
removal of the induction duct.
----------------------------------------------------------

3.6L DS Engine Cover/Intake
Resonator Improper Removal

The front inboard and outboard brake pads
on PF vehicles have different friction pad
shape when compared to each other. This
difference is designed to help reduce
noises from the braking system. The
figures below show the proper orientation.
The red circles in the images below
highlight the differences.

Ram 1500 trucks equipped with the 3.6L
engine come fitted with an intake air
resonator that has an integral engine cover.
Although they look like two separate
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No. 86
commands the AGS to regulate airflow
across the radiator or to improve the
vehicles drag coefficient. When airflow is
not required and/or vehicle speeds reach a
threshold, the PCM commands the shutter
vanes to close. If additional cooling is
required the PCM commands the grille
shutter vanes to open. In cold climates, the
AGS system can improve engine coolant
warm-up times further increasing fuel
economy.

----------------------------------------------------------

Active Grill Shutter (AGS)
Operation and Diagnostics
Aerodynamics plays an important role with
regards to fuel efficiency. Aerodynamic
drag increases as vehicle speed increases
resulting in increased engine power
requirements.
Reducing wind drag
coefficient across the front of the vehicle is
directly proportional to an improvement in
fuel efficiency.
That’s where the Active Grill Shutter
System (AGS) comes into play. It is
designed to reduce aerodynamic drag.
The AGS system is located behind the front
grill on a number of our vehicles, Ram
1500, Cherokee, Dart, and the new 200.
The system consists of an electric stepper
motor (actuator), a set of vanes that make
up the shutter, linkage, and a set of seals
that direct air flow.
Operation
The AGS system is controlled by the
powertrain control module (PCM) over a
dedicated network LIN bus. The PCM
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Each time the vehicle is started the AGS
performs an initialization calibration. This
function can be used as a quick way to
validate the operation of the AGS. To
validate AGS, start the engine and observe
the AGS shutter, the vanes will cycle to the
fully open position and then move to the
fully closed position. The AGS uses this
procedure to learn the hard stops on the
grille shutter frame for that key cycle.

FAULT CODE DESCRIPTION
The AGS actuator contains an integral
smart module that uses the LIN bus to
communicate with the PCM. It receives
shutter position commands from the PCM
and reports its position to the PCM. The
AGS communicates a series of faults to the
PCM.
For gasoline engines, the faults are:
P1D73 - Active Grille Shutter Performance
U11E9 - Lost Communication with AGS
P05A5-AGS "A" Control Circuit Low
P05A4-AGS "A" Control Circuit High
P1D6D - AGS Circuit Over Temperature
If the AGS smart module detects the grille
shutter vanes are jammed, it will attempt to
free them by cycling the shutter from the
open to closed positions 3 times. If this
condition is detected when the ambient air

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Jan/Feb 2015
temperature is greater than 4.4° C (40° F),
the MIL will illuminate and the fault P1D73
will set. If the ambient air temperature is
below 4.4° C (40° F) and a jammed
condition is detected, the smart module will
assume the shutters are frozen and will not
illuminate the MIL or set a fault.
Information for Common Faults
P1D73 – AGS performance Mechanically
Stuck or Broken – is set if:




The AGS determines it can’t complete
the initialization procedure
The AGS determines it can’t achieve
the desired position
The PCM determines that the AGS has
taken too long to report on its status

Note: