Tech Tips March 2018 (TIPS 0318)

TECH TIPS MARCH 2018

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN

01 QMR OF THE MONTH

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

The QMR William submitted had the unusual customer concern of a "water sloshing" -type sound heard inside the car while driving. After confirming the sound, he found water had accumulated in the driver's side front and rear foot well areas. William began his search for the source of the leak by first confirming all the sunroof drains along with the A/C evaporator drain hose were properly connected and clear of obstructions. He then proceeded to remove the interior trim as needed to expose suspect areas where the water may be coming in. William's extensive water testing finally paid off as he was able to isolate a void in the seam sealer applied near the left end of the bulkhead below the "A" pillar. He cleaned the area thoroughly and applied fresh seam sealer to the affected area. William followed up the next day with more water testing to confirm the leak had been fully addressed before re-assembling the interior. His QMR included quality before and after photographs along with an excellent video documenting the condition prior to the repairs.

In appreciation for going the extra mile and sharing his experience with us, William will be receiving the following from his Field Service Engineer:

The other Regional winners selected from QMRs submitted during January 2018 were:

Any Subaru Technician can participate in the QMR of the Month program. See the February 2013 and January 2016 issues of TechTIPS for full details. You just might see your name and photo in a future issue of Tech TIPS!

03 ALLOWABLE REPAIRS TO CVT ASSEMBLIES

All too often, the Techline is called asking what kind of repairs can I do? The procedure for all allowable repairs is outlined in the Policy and Procedures Manual on Subarunet under the Claims & Warranty Administration  tab.

It is always a good idea to look at this whenever working on a CVT as these will update from time to time.

After opening the manual, refer to Section 8 - Warranty Statements. > 8.4 Warranty Policy, 

Coverage and Program Guide. > 8.4.33 Replacement Parts.  This section provides a list of all the components that can be repaired.

Example of the Policy and Procedure manual: 

8.4.33.1.4 Remanufactured CVT Transmission 

The following component repairs are required to be performed to the vehicle's remanufactured transmission when it is determined that such repairs will correct a failure:

• Torque Converter and seal, as long as it is not an internal failure that has contaminated the fluid
• Control Valve Body replacement as long as an internal failure has not contaminated the fluid
• Control Valve Body Harness
• Front Oil Pump Seal
• Oil Pump Chain Cover Reseal
• Output Clutch Control Valve Body (Hybrid vehicle)
• Drive Motor Assembly (Hybrid vehicle)
• Multi Plate Transfer Clutches (MPT)
• Mechanical Shifter and parking system components
• Valve Body and Pick Up Screen
• Secondary Oil Pressure Switch
• Inhibitor Switch
• Extension Housing Rear Seal
• Oil Inlet and Outlet Pipes
• Cooler Pipes
• Axles and seals
• All external sensors or switches
• Oil pressure test parts and drain plug
• Parking Pawl and spring

A new repair will be added to the Policy and Procedure Manual for CVT oil pump chain cover reseal. There is a TSB for TR690, TSB# 16-103-16R explaining repairs. The Service Manual covers the repair for TR580. We are no longer replacing CVT assemblies for leaking oil pump chain covers. Please use the applicable Service Manual for repairs.

07 GROUND CIRCUIT IDENTIFICATION

The Techline receives many calls throughout the year about ground circuit identification and location. Whenever circuits are down, ground conformation is imperative. The ground schematics can be found in the Body & Electrical/WIRING SYSTEM of the Service Manual. After identifying the affected ground, use the specific harness location to identify ground location.

Example below is from a 2017 Outback Service Manual:

Green circle= affected circuits 

Red circle= Ground 

Red Arrow= Harness location 

Red Circle= Ground Location 

07 NO HYBRID AUTO START STOP OR EV TRAVEL

The Techline has been receiving an increased amount of calls on Hybrid vehicles with a concern of no auto start stop operation, with or without DTCs. If you encounter one of these issues, a necessary step to include into your diagnosis should be to check the 12V Restart battery condition with the DSS. We have seen a bad restart battery accompany DTCs related to the Integrated Starter Generator (ISG) along with disabling both the Auto Start Stop and EV traveling modes. If DTCs are involved, the applicable troubleshooting procedure should be followed including the battery testing. If questioning the necessary conditions required for EV travel or Auto Start Stop operation, this can be found in the applicable Service Manual under the HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE (DIAGNOSTICS) > Read Current Data > Operation section. Figure 1 is an excerpt from the 2014 XV Crosstrek Hybrid Service Manual highlighting the 12V restart battery parameters which must be met before either mode is enabled.

Figure 1 - 12v Restart Battery Parameters

Information on the electrical system shown below in Figure 2 can be found under General Specifications in the Service Manual. Always review the applicable Service Manual before testing any electrical system.

Figure 1 - 12v Restart Battery Parameters

15 THULE ROOF RACK WIND NOISE COMPLAINTS

Through aerodynamic profiles and extensive testing, Thule roof racks are designed and engineered to operate quietly while driving at highway speeds. They will however generate some level of air disturbance when compared to a vehicle with no rack installed. With that in mind, if a consumer is complaining of high levels of noise and /or whistling, check for missing or incorrectly fitting cover strips first as they are typically the root cause. If any of these parts are missing or poorly fitted, whistling will likely occur.

These parts are easily available. Call Thule customer service: 1-800-238-2388 to order these parts at no charge.

Cover strip TOP  : 8525402005

Cover strip LOWER  : 8524498001

End Cap RIGHT (passenger)  : 7522867002

End Cap LEFT (driver)  : 7522867001

BOTTOM RUBBER STRIP GUIDE 

TOP RUBBER STRIP GUIDE 

16 CVT APPLICATION AND GENERATION CHART

16 TORQUE CONVERTER RELEARN

If you receive a customer concern of a shuddering at slight throttle, it could be related to the torque converter. The torque converter relearn should be performed on CVT vehicles anytime the TCM is unplugged or the battery is disconnected. The purpose is to stabilize the lock-up engagement quality.

Criteria for Torque Converter relearn:

Once criteria are met, safely drive the vehicle from 0-20MPH. Be sure to keep the engine speed between 1,000 and 1400. After reaching 20 MPH decelerate the vehicle to a stop. Repeat 5 times.