August 2016
Subaru Service and Technical Support Line Newsletter

ARTICLES CONTAINED
IN THIS ISSUE
CODE ARTICLE..................................PAGE
(00) STIS New Releases............... 7
(01) QMR of the Month................. 1
(01) QMR of the Month Award
Presentation....................... 2
(01) Subaru University................. 2
(01) Accessing Techline Pre-Call
Worksheets......................... 4
(03) No movement after Valve Body
replacement on 10-12 Legacy/
Outback CVT....................... 4
(06) Eyesight Replacement Parts.... 5
(14) Precautions When Using The
DST-I Box........................... 6

2016 CALENDAR OF
SUBARU HOLIDAYS
Labor Day
Monday, September 5, 2016
Thanksgiving
Thursday, November 24, 2016

01

© 2016 Subaru of America, Inc. All rights reserved.

QMR OF THE MONTH

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

Kjell McDaniel from
McCurley Integrity Subaru in Pasco, WA
Kjell submitted a very detailed QMR on his diagnosis and repair of a 2016
Outback with 3300 miles. The customer reported that intermittently they
could not get the selector out of park and that multiple warning lights
illuminated. Based upon the complaint, Kjell started his diagnosis by
confirming if the condition could be duplicated. It could not. Inspecting
each control unit for codes, Kjell found every module had a “U” code in
history for lost network communications. Believing he had a Controller
Area Network (CAN) communications concern, Kjell proceeded to inspect
the resistance of the CAN and found it to be 60 ohms as specified. He
then proceeded to check the wiring focusing on code U0155 Lost
Communication with Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Control Module
found in the BIU. He found that when the wires going to connector i171
were manipulated the circuit would fail. He determined that the wires
associated with the failure were K2 and K22 (connector i171 terminals 2
and 22). Further diagnosis made it clear the fault was at terminal 22 for
the CAN LO circuit and a result of poor pin tension at the connector. Kjell
replaced the pin using one from the Subaru Terminal Wiring Kit J-47606
and resolved the condition. Kjell supplied clear photos with callouts and
comments that showed the before and after repair conditions. These
details made it very clear how he arrived at the final result and provided
useful feedback for manufacturing.
In appreciation for going the extra mile and sharing his experience with
us, Kjell will be the first to receive our newest award item his from
FSE:

A Snap On ATECH2FR100B Electronic Torque Wrench plus
credits to be used for additional award items of his choice.
Any Subaru Service Technician can participate in QMR of the
Month. See the February 2013 and January 2016 Tech Tips for full
details. You may see your name here in a future Tech Tips.
CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE
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.

August 2016 TechTIPS

Page 1

01

QMR OF THE MONTH AWARD PRESENTATION

As part of our “enhanced” QMR of the Month recognition program, we will be including a photo
(whenever available) of the recipient’s award presentation in TIPS. The winner selected from QMR of
the Month submissions received during June, was Kjell McDaniel, a Technician at McCurley Integrity
Subaru in Pasco, WA. Kjell is shown above receiving his award and is joined by: (l to r), Jane Andrews,
Assistant Service Manager, Troy Lively, Parts and Service Director, Steve Tinsley, Service Manager,
Henry Field, CEO and Gary Borland, Field Service Engineer, SOA.
Congratulations and THANK YOU to June’s QMR of the Month Award recipient!

01

SUBARU UNIVERSITY

Subaru-U is committed not only to the development of
future Technicians, but also educating existing Service
personnel on how Automotive Education works and
how to give back to local programs. The Subaru-U
Program is a true partnership and it cannot work unless
all parties strive to make it work.
Over the next few months, a series of short articles will be released to help inform you, our retailers,
about the education side of Subaru-U and what you can do to make the program a success and get the
most out of it.

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE
August 2016 TechTIPS

Page 2

01

SUBARU UNIVERSITY

I Can’t Mentor Students. Part 2
In the first part of this article, we visited some of the common reasons given by retailers as to why they
cannot mentor young student/Technicians. As with everything else, there are two sides to this issue.
Some retailers have not only seen the need to work with education but have been proactive in exposing
the next generation of Technicians to the rewards and challenges of the industry.
Instead of the reasons why a retailer cannot accommodate apprentices in their facility, let’s look at some
of the reasons a retailer is willing to do so.
“I want to mentor because I have an immediate need for one or more Technicians”- As many
retailers are realizing, highly qualified Technicians are not easy to come by. They don’t just walk into the
store looking for a job and some of the ones out there looking for employment might not be of adequate
quality. As we have said in previous articles, growing your own is the best way to get the Technician
you need in your store. Bringing students on board to apprentice with your team will allow you to build
that apprentice in the areas you need most in your store to service your customers in the most efficient
manner possible. But as with everything else, building that Technician can take time and not all of them
are a good fit for your store. Quite simply, the longer you wait to vet potential team members and get
them into your store, the longer it will take to get them developed into the Technician you need them to
be. Development of a quality Technician can take 24 to 36 months depending on when you start them
in your shop and the college program they are or will be attending. Even with interviews and references,
not all apprentices are going to be a good fit. Working with two or more apprentices at a time gives you
flexibility in the event that not all of them make the cut.
“I would like to work with the automotive program in my area”- Some SM’s and retailer executives
do not know where the local programs which have the potential of “feeding” apprentice/Technicians
into their stores are even located. A healthy relationship between education and industry is necessary
to provide two-way communication. Education needs feedback on the quality of instruction in their
respective programs and industry needs feedback on how they are developing and retaining Technicians
once they have gone to the workforce. Depending on the location of the store, there may be several
programs in the area to choose from. If there are post-secondary programs in a particular area, retailers
have the tendency to gravitate towards them. However, without support for the secondary programs,
the number of “feeder schools” directing students towards those college programs begins to dwindle.
This doesn’t mean a store should ignore a college for a high school program, but there is nothing to
says a retailer cannot support more than one program. Working with these programs shows them you
care about the quality of the next generation of Technician that is coming from them. And, if you have
concerns about what their course content is, that gives you a voice to provide feedback to them. If you
don’t know where the programs are, all you have to do is ask someone. Technicians are usually (but not
always) from the area. They should be able to help. NATEF and AYES are always willing to help open
lines of communication between schools and retailers. Stores having strong ties to education ensure
there is always someone from the store at the advisory meetings because that provides a chance for
them to be involved.
Other skilled trades are very proactive in this area. They are competing for the same group of young
people having a good grasp of mechanical comprehension. Unless the automotive repair sector is willing
to settle for whatever is leftover, then as an industry, we need to show young people the rewarding side
of this occupation.
CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE
August 2016 TechTIPS

Page 3

01

SUBARU UNIVERSITY

“I would like some of my Technicians trained to be a mentor”- Some retailers know that throwing
an apprentice directly onto the line or burning them out on the lube rack is tantamount to pushing them
right out of the business and into another skilled trade. Sending them to work with a Technician who
is not prepared or capable of being an effective mentor is just as bad. Not all Technicians are going to
be mentor material, and that’s alright. But, the ones that do have the ability to be patient and show the
apprentice how to accurately diagnose and repair problems while raising up the apprentice are the ones
a store needs in order to be successful. If a store has more than one Technician who have this ability, all
the better. Every Technician has strengths and weaknesses. Rotating apprentices between Technicians
allows a team to play to those strengths and weaknesses. AYES has information on how to become
an effective mentor. Anyone interested in contributing to the development of the next generation of
Technician can find out how to do so.
As an employee for a retailer, you can look at the Technician crisis and do nothing or be proactive. As it
has been stated in previous article, we will not be 100% successful with all of the upcoming Technicians.
But, if we choose to do nothing or let others put forth the effort instead, the entire industry loses. It
requires an effort on the part of everyone to bring fresh new talent into our industry.

01

ACCESSING TECHLINE PRE-CALL WORKSHEETS

When accessing any of the
Techline Pre-Call Worksheets
from Subarunet, it is necessary
to use Internet Explorer to
properly view these worksheets.
If you launch them using Google
Chrome, the worksheets will not
display properly and you may
also get a message asking you to
update your Adobe to the newest
version. The photo below shows
an example of this error message.

03

NO MOVEMENT AFTER VALVE BODY REPLACEMENT ON 10-12 LEGACY/OUTBACK CVT

Techline has received calls regarding no vehicle movement after valve body replacement on the first
generation CVT (TR690). After investigation, it was determined the valve body was installed without
transferring the primary pressure pipe. Loss of hydraulic fluid pressure will result along with several
DTCs, most commonly P0841 and P2746. When removing and installing a new valve body, the primary
fluid pressure pipe will need to be transferred to the new valve body. Typically, the pressure pipe will
be found in the original valve body. New O-rings are required to be installed when the pressure pipe is
removed during valve body service. Figure 1 shows the oil pump pick up and the primary fluid pressure
pipes. Servicing the oil pump pick-up tube is not necessary, other than verifying it is fully seated into
the CVT case. Refer to the applicable Service Manual for the valve body removal and installation
instructions.

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE

August 2016 TechTIPS

Page 4

03

NO MOVEMENT AFTER VALVE BODY REPLACEMENT ON 10-12 LEGACY/OUTBACK CVT

Figure 1: Generation 1 TR690 Hydraulic Pipes
Primary Fluid Pressure

Oil Pump Pick-up

06

EYESIGHT REPLACEMENT PARTS

The Techline has received multiple reports of stereo cameras being returned with issues of spider webs
and debris on the hood assembly. Remember, these parts are serviceable for generation two eyesight
systems, this would be 13-14 MY Legacy/Outback and 14-16 MY Forester.

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE
August 2016 TechTIPS

Page 5

06

EYESIGHT REPLACEMENT PARTS

14

PRECAUTIONS WHEN USING THE DST-I BOX

When using the DST-I box, it is very important to first disconnect the Data Link Connector from the
vehicle when you are finished. Otherwise, if you disconnect the connector from the DST-I box while
the Data Link Connector is still plugged into the vehicle’s diagnostic connector, it can set false CAN
Communication codes in certain control modules. If this is not noticed by the Technician, it may lead to
unnecessary repairs being performed at a later date due to the stored Diagnostic Trouble Codes. If you
should accidently do this, be sure to check each module and delete any stored DTCs. This will not create
any vehicle issues, it will just store the CAN Codes.
Another area of potential concern is the storage of the cable itself. As with previous Subaru Select
Monitors, do not put stress on the harness near the connector ends by wrapping it around the DST-I box.
Over time, this can lead to poor terminal contact and eventually broken wires.
Proper
Storage

August 2016 TechTIPS

NG

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE
Page 6

14

PRECAUTIONS WHEN USING THE DST-I BOX

Disconnect ONLY AFTER
the Data Link Connector has
been disconnected from vehicle

First disconnect the
Data Link Connector
from vehicle

00

STIS NEW RELEASES

ITEM TYPE

TITLE

CREATED
DATE

14-22-16R

Technical Service
Bulletin

Special Service Tool Cross Reference List

25-Aug-16

TKC-16R

Subaru Product / Takata Front Passenger Airbag Inflator ReplaceCampaign Bulletin ment

ITEM CODE

All revised publications are highlighted in yellow.
August 2016 TechTIPS

25-Aug-16

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE
Page 7

00

STIS NEW RELEASES

ITEM CODE

ITEM TYPE

CREATED
DATE

TITLE

TKB-16R

Subaru Product / Takata Front Passenger Airbag Inflator ReplaceCampaign Bulletin ment

25-Aug-16

TKA-16R

Subaru Product / Takata Front Passenger Airbag Inflator ReplaceCampaign Bulletin ment

25-Aug-16

WQR-53R

Subaru Product / Takata Front Passenger Air Bag Inflator ReplaceCampaign Bulletin ment

24-Aug-16

18-188-16

Technical Service
Bulletin

Service Manual Corrections

24-Aug-16

13-99-16

Technical Service
Bulletin

2017MY Paint Coding Information

24-Aug-16

WTH-68

Subaru Product /
Engine No-Start Condition in Cold Climates
Campaign Bulletin

07-89-15R

Technical Service
Bulletin

WTG-67

Subaru Product /
Engine No-Start Condition in Cold Climates
Campaign Bulletin

23-Aug-16

01-168-09R

Technical Service
Bulletin