ATTENTION:

CLAIMS PERSONNEL q

IMPORTANT - All
Service Personnel
Should Read and
Initial in the boxes
provided, right.

SERVICE MANAGER

© 2015 Subaru of America, Inc. All rights reserved.

GENERAL MANAGER q
PARTS MANAGER

q
q

SERVICE BULLETIN
APPLICABILITY: 2
013-14MY Legacy and Outback Models
with 2.5L FB Engines
2011-14MY Forester Models with 2.5L FB Engines
2015 MY Forester (Manual Transmissions Only)
with 2.5L FB Engines
2012-13 MY Impreza and XV Crosstrek Models
with 2.0 FB Engines
2014-15 MY Impreza and XV Crosstrek Models
(Manual Transmissions Only) with 2.0 FB Engines

NUMBER: 02-157-14R
DATE: 08/28/14
REVISED: 01/15/16

SUBJECT:
Surface Treatment Change To Oil Control
Piston Rings
INTRODUCTION
This bulletin announces information regarding a major change to the repair procedures previously
outlined in Service Bulletins 02-143-13R, 02-144-13R and 02-145-13R. These bulletins provided
a repair procedure for the replacement of the piston rings to address verified concerns of unusual
engine oil consumption. Vehicles confirmed as having this condition which are within the supplied
VIN ranges will no longer be repaired with piston ring replacement. The revised repair procedure
to address verified unusual oil consumption concerns on these specific vehicles will consist of
replacing the engine short block assembly.
It is critical to understand the nature of the concern as reported by the customer and to confirm the
actual condition prior to attempting repairs. Some oil consumption can and should be expected
as a by-product of engine operation even where no concern exists. Failure to recognize this along
with incorrectly diagnosing the condition presented can result in unnecessary repairs. For example:
a vehicle which is presented with a report of a low engine oil level (as read on engine dipstick/
gauge or indicated by illumination of the low engine oil level warning lamp), which is at or near
the time / mileage of the next service interval (based upon the date / mileage of the most recent oil
change), is not representative of unusual oil consumption. The information supplied in this bulletin
is only applicable to vehicles within the specific production ranges of this publication exhibiting
the condition(s) previously described. Additional production enhancements have been incorporated
to the piston rings used in engines mated with manual transmissions. In a limited number of
cases, it has been found that certain driving styles specific to manual transmission operation such
as: extended higher engine rpm operation and / or extensive use of engine braking may create
conditions under which higher than expected oil consumption may occur. These additional
production enhancements are designed to compensate for the engine conditions created under this
type of usage.
IMPORTANT: Read and understand this bulletin COMPLETELY before starting an oil
consumption test or initiating any repairs.
Continued...
CAUTION: VEHICLE SERVICING PERFORMED BY UNTRAINED PERSONS COULD
RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY TO THOSE PERSONS OR TO OTHERS.
Subaru Service Bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians ONLY. They
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 this
Service Bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition.

Bulletin Number: 02-157-14R; Revised: 01/15/16

SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. IS
ISO 14001 COMPLIANT
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.

Page 1

Concerns related to a possible oil consumption condition are generally initiated when the customer
believes the engine oil level on the dipstick has dropped since the last time it was checked or when
the low oil lamp illuminates. These types of complaints by themselves do not directly indicate
a concern with the vehicle exists. It is important to understand all the factors involved in order
to make a sound decision regarding whether or not a repair is required or if an oil consumption
test should even be started. When speaking with customers about a reported or suspected oil
consumption concern, always keep the following in mind:
Some engine oil will always be consumed as part of normal engine operation. How much and
when it is consumed varies according to manufacturing tolerances, wear, and vehicle usage patterns.
With the extended service intervals commonly used for today’s engines combined with one or more
of the conditions listed below, typical engine oil consumption may require adding engine oil in
between scheduled maintenance intervals:
• When the engine is new and within the break-in period (during the first 1000 miles of
operation)
• When the engine oil being used is of lower quality (other than “Energy or Resource
Conserving” API Classification SM or SN or ILSAC, look for the starburst design with GF-4
or GF-5)
• When the incorrect oil viscosity is used (viscosity other than 0W-20 in the
case of these specific vehicles)
• When engine braking is employed (use of the transmission’s gear ranges
to decelerate while using the engine to apply resistance)
• When the engine is operated at high engine speeds (continually or under
frequent, hard acceleration)
• When the engine is operated under heavy loads (frequent carrying of heavy
cargo, passengers or trailer towing)
• When the engine idles for long periods of time (may be related to frequent
use of a remote engine start system)
• When the vehicle is operated in stop and go and/or heavy traffic situations
• When the vehicle is used under severe temperature conditions (cold or hot)
• When the vehicle accelerates and decelerates frequently
Under these or similar operating conditions, the oil level should be checked more frequently. The
engine oil and filter may also need to be changed more often. As per the Owner’s Manual, engine oil
consumption under these conditions may be as high as 1 quart per 1200 miles.
As related information, the low oil level warning light (on models so equipped) is designed to
illuminate when the engine oil level in the sump drops below approximately 4 quarts with the engine
not running (engine is 1.1 quarts low on oil) and 2.4 quarts when the engine is running. While this
may seem very low, keep in mind that oil remains suspended in the engine while running and will
not fully drain back until the engine has been shut off for at least 5 minutes. In some rare cases, this
light may illuminate with more oil present when the engine is running due to specific road or driving
conditions such as repeated hard acceleration/ deceleration, tight turning, driving on undulating
roads. In these cases, the light will generally reset on its own once the actual level is determined to
be above the illumination threshold. However, this may take some time as certain driving parameters
must be met for the system to self-correct. As long as the oil level has been checked and adjusted (if
necessary), the immediate concern has been addressed. If the lamp does not extinguish on its own
after some time and the oil level remains full, an inspection of the circuit and components should
be performed. See Section 3 of the Owner’s Manual for more information on the oil level warning
system. See Service Procedure to reduce false illumination of low oil level warning lamp (on models
so equipped) later in this bulletin for instructions on how to address customer concerns where the low
engine oil level warning lamp illuminates when the engine oil level is either full or nearly full.
Continued...
Bulletin Number: 02-157-14R; Revised: 01/15/16

Page 2

PRODUCTION CHANGE INFORMATION
The updated piston rings were incorporated into production as per the table below. Vehicles with
VINs / engine numbers PRIOR to those listed below should be repaired following the procedures
outlined in this TSB and the applicable Service Manual.
MODEL

MODEL YEAR

STARTING VIN

ENGINE NUMBER

All

All

Below F*543650

Below 527514

All

All

Below E*529004

Below 132164

All

All

2015

Below F*270253

Below 627010

2012

All

All

2013

Below D*033336

Below 930025 (FA1 Line*)
or 652640 (FB2 Line*)

2012

All

All

Below D*886714

Below 930025 (FA1 Line*)
or 652640 (FB2 Line*)

2011-14
2015
Forester

2011-13
2014

Impreza 4- &
5-Door

Impreza
4-Door

Impreza
5-Door

2012-14

TRANSMISSION
MT

4AT or CVT

MT

CVT

CVT
2013
2013-14

MT

All

All

2013

CVT

Below D*048086

Below 151602

2013-14

MT

All

All

2013

CVT

Below D*321435

Below 151602

All

All

Below F*270284

Below 627010

Below D*856139

Below 930025 (FA1 Line*)
or 652640 (FB2 Line*)

Legacy

Outback

2013-14
MT
XV Crosstrek

2015
2013

CVT

* NOTE: When determining the engine number, use the LAST 8
characters of the number stamped into the boss on top of the block
adjacent to the starter and shown in the illustration. The engine number
range for the FA1 assembly line is 800000 to 930025 and the FB2 range
is 000000 to 652640.
PART INFORMATION
The chart below provides a required part list for the short block
replacement procedure. This list is provided as a reference only and
may not be totally complete depending on the needs of your specific
repair. Always verify with your Parts Department that all needed
parts with the most up-to-date part numbers are ordered.
Bulletin Number: 02-157-14R; Revised: 01/15/16

Engine
Number
Location

Continued...
Page 3

PART NUMBER

DESCRIPTION

QTY. /REPAIR

2014-2015MY Forester

10103AC600

2013-2014MY Legacy & Outback

10103AC390*
10103AC700*

APPLICABILITY

2013MY XV Crosstrek 2.0L CVT
Short Block Assy.

1

2013-2015MY XV Crosstrek 2.0L MT

10103AC420*

2012-2013MY Impreza 2.0L CVT

10103AC690*

2012-2015MY Impreza 2.0L MT

10103AC660

2011-2013MY Forester

11821AA660

PCV Adaptor

1

44011AC030

Exhaust Gasket

2

44616AA200

Center Pipe Gasket

1

14035AA580

Intake Gasket

2

14852AA040
14738AA150
806912190
806924120
806915100
806916080
10966AA040

EGR Pipe Gasket

O-Ring, Chain Cover

O-Ring, Tensioner
Seal, Spark Plug Tube

13270AA240
13272AA170
13270AA27A*

1
3
1
1

Up to 1/2012

1

2/2012 and Later

4
1

Rocker Gasket*

13272AA21A*
806915170

1

1
1
1

O-Ring, Cam Carrier

1

10944AA080

1

Head Gasket*