Hard Starting - 2013-2016 Subaru BRZ

NUMBER: 07-109-16
DATE: 05/24/16

APPLICABILITY:	2013-2016MY BRZ
SUBJECT:	Hard Starting

Introduction:

This bulletin provides a procedure to address a hard starting condition which may occur on vehicles repeatedly driven for short distances. For example: This condition could arise while the vehicle is in inventory for an extended period of time, regularly started, moved around the lot then shut off before the engine comes up to full operating temperature. This type of repeated, short trip driving can cause carbon deposits to accumulate on the spark plugs and over time, the hard start condition to develop. This condition may take 60 or more similar “cycles” as described above to manifest so, by description alone, it would be very rare for this to happen and quite challenging to duplicate.

Service Procedure / Information:

Should the condition described above occur, confirm the battery is fully charged then perform the following procedure:

Crank the engine over for 30 seconds with the accelerator pedal fully depressed / wide open throttle (WOT). NOTE: The ECM shuts the injectors off when cranking the engine over at WOT. This will allow fresh air to pass through the engine and effectively “dry” the spark plugs.
Try to start the engine again as you would normally. When the engine starts, allow it to come up to operating temperature (cooling fan cycles).
Raise the engine RPM to 4500 and hold it at a steady 4500 RPM for 25 seconds.
Allow the engine to return to idle.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 four (4) more times.
When complete, allow the engine to cool down by idling for 30 seconds.
Repeat steps 3 through 6 two (2) more times to complete the procedure.

This procedure should effectively “clean” the spark plugs and alleviate the hard start condition.

“Before” and “After” photos of the spark plugs are shown below.

Warranty / Claim Information:

For vehicles within the Basic New Car Limited Warranty period, this repair may be submitted using the following claim information:

Labor Description	Labor Operation #	Labor Time	Fail Code
BRZ HARD STARTING PROCEDURE	A813-218	0.5	GAO-43

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

SOA strongly discourages the printing and/or local storage of service information as previously released information and electronic publications may be updated at any time.
Always check for any open recalls or campaigns anytime a vehicle is in for servicing.
Always refer to STIS for the latest service information before performing any repairs.

OTC 6589 Electronic Ignition Spark Tester white

Simple, high quality tool designed to test high energy electronic ignition (HEI) systems
Simply attach plug wire to end then use built in clip to attach to ground
Tester will give you true spark performance results, helping you identify ignition anomalies that simply removing a plug and grounding it won't reveal
For use on vehicles and power equipment equipped with a high energy ignition system