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Old 03-07-2012, 10:27 PM   #1
Xafen
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Default 2012+ Impreza Hard to start? Fails to start the first time? Hard cranking? (SOLVED)

Edit: See/Google discussion over TSB 11-156-15, Reprogramming File Availability for Extended Engine Cranking (Delayed Starting).

Other TSB #s:
11-153-15R Technical Service Bulletin Reprogramming File Availability for Extended Engine Cranking May 27, 2015 [View PDF]
11-157-15 Technical Service Bulletin Reprogramming File Availability for Extended Engine Cranking (Delayed Starting) May 27, 2015 [View PDF]
11-156-15 Technical Service Bulletin Reprogramming File Availability for Extended Engine Cranking (Delayed Starting) May 27, 2015 [View PDF]

This seems like an appropriate place for most of us to declare it solved. The TSB, and the description on the TSB, VERY closely, if not exactly, describes the problem, and purports to fix it.

Tech info here for other models: http://techinfo.subaru.com/proxy/988...acklisting.pdf -thanks dcon9999

Misc. search terms:
hard start crank extended long rough starter

Original Post:
This issue was brought up several times in the 'News and Rumors' section under the 2012 Impreza thread. With that thread hitting its limit...

Several people have reported that they occasionally experience a car that is hard to start, or cranks hard, or simply fails to start the first time.

I have had this happen to me 4 times now, I took delivery on it December 31st. 2 times for me were at home, car cold, 2 were at work on the weekends after the car had sat for ~2-3 hours after being warm. Only one time was in "winter" cold of <20 degrees F.

The only other threads relating to hard starting are from 2002 or older...hopefully this is the correct place to post this.

I'll include all details that have electrical/mechanical bearing on the car.
2012 Impreza Premium + CVT, All-Weather Package, Fog Lights
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Last edited by Xafen; 07-10-2015 at 11:10 AM. Reason: TSB Update/Solution
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Old 03-08-2012, 08:21 AM   #2
zlr101
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Yes i have had this happen i have the same options on my car took about 3-4 seconds to start. It also idles higher 1300-1500 rpm for a few minutes even when warm.
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Old 03-08-2012, 09:44 AM   #3
jparker070
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I was actually going to post a thread similar to this as well. I have a little over 600 miles. Every time i start the car the car idles at just under 2000 rpms. If i put the car in gear and drive a few feet, the rpms go down a little until the car is fully warmed up. I live in NY and this has happened with the temp being between 20-50 degrees. IS this normal?
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Old 03-08-2012, 11:05 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jparker070
I was actually going to post a thread similar to this as well. I have a little over 600 miles. Every time i start the car the car idles at just under 2000 rpms. If i put the car in gear and drive a few feet, the rpms go down a little until the car is fully warmed up. I live in NY and this has happened with the temp being between 20-50 degrees. IS this normal?
Yes it is.
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Old 03-08-2012, 03:51 PM   #5
thom52
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Subaru Banner fix/workaround

Might as well carry over the fix into this thread too.

Turn the key to "ON" (not just "ACC").
Buckle your seatbelt or just watch the lights and gauges waving and greeting you for a couple seconds.(or listen for the fuel pump to cycle)
Do not under any circumstance touch the accelerator on a first attempt.
THEN crank the car.

My wife was having this issue, until she followed this procedure. So far so good. Seems to work for most/all people most/ all the time.

I would be interested in hearing from anyone that does this exactly and still has the hard crank problem.

There is a chance that this only has to be done if the car has been sitting overnight or similar, but easiest is to just be in the habit of doing this every time.

Probably not a good bank heist get away car. That should mean it gets stolen less than other cars.
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Old 03-08-2012, 04:28 PM   #6
Xafen
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Yep, I remember reading about that suggestion. Is that just how the fuel pump operates, or is there a problem with it. The fact that it has only happened to me 4 times in 2.5 months seems to suggest something wrong with something.

It seems to me you shouldn't have to follow a 'procedure' to start a new car. This seems more like something I would have had to do with my brothers old '85 Honda Civic all beat to hell; stick a screwdriver in this slot here, hold your hand just so, and turn the key while you whistle kind of thing...

And yes, until the car warms up, it runs higher rpms. Slightly off-topic, the car does not like to run cold. Once it warms up, everything is awesome, mpg, engine sounds, gear shifts, etc.
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Old 03-08-2012, 05:03 PM   #7
zlr101
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I do that whole method of listening for the fuel pump to prime and cycle still slow star. The TC i traded in on original battery and 4 years old started better IM gonna check battery terminal tightness for personal piece of mind.
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Old 03-08-2012, 05:29 PM   #8
MINIz guy
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I drive a 5-speed car and I've also had the hard start twice. The first time was ~4 hours after a 40 mile drive and it cranked for a long time before starting. I took it to the dealer and they "fixed" it by replacing the battery. The second time was when it was sitting for 6+ hours after a 2.5 mile drive; it took less time to start but sputtered until it went back to normal PZEV idle speed.

No more problems now and it has probably been one month.
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Old 03-09-2012, 01:14 PM   #9
saabarupp
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I wonder if this could be the immobilizer chip taking a second to recognize the key is present in the car.
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Old 03-09-2012, 06:04 PM   #10
NOOBARU922
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Quote:
Originally Posted by saabarupp View Post
I wonder if this could be the immobilizer chip taking a second to recognize the key is present in the car.
+1!

Is there a way to test the chip to see if it's faulty?
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Old 03-14-2012, 06:51 PM   #11
xnyc
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doubt its the immobilizer taking time to read the chip. sounds like a fuel pressure regulator problem. The pressure in the fuel line dissipates causing hard start, hence the "turn key on, wait, start" fix.
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Old 03-20-2012, 12:08 AM   #12
thom52
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Unhappy

My wife had another incident of our brand new Impreza not wanting to start. Gotta say thats pretty irritating.
She did the key to "ON" thing, waited for the gauges to stop waving and then cranked it over. .....or tried to. This is with a warmed up car and enough miles and long trips to have the battery all charged up. (I checked the terminals and they are tight).

We are going to complain to the dealer, but since its sporadic, we will just get the "can't duplicate" brush off, I am sure.

Starting reliably is something I have always taken for granted on a new car. I haven't had that problem in any car since my mid 70's Toyota Corona(yes Corona) that I bought well used. This is pretty disappointing in our first Subaru.(after giving up on boring Toyotas and recently less reliable Honda's)

Other than that and not even being able to hit within 25% of the EPA gas mileage ratings(ANY of the ratings), we do love this car.
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Old 03-20-2012, 11:11 AM   #13
riccnick
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Hey guys, I've had the car "hard start" a couple times since it was new. I ran my tank as low as I could (about .5 gal left in it) and added an entire bottle of Seafoam and filled the tank with 93 Octane. Made sure to run that entire tank through, as low as I could. Since then I've been running regular 87 and the car has started flawlessly every time. I don't know if it has anything to do with the weather, because it has been warmer lately, but it wasn't really that cold initially when it was hard starting anyway. Just thought I'd post just in case it helps someone else out too.

2012 Impreza 2.0i
CVT
Premuim w/ All Weather/AlloyWheels/Sunroof
Fog Lights added
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Old 03-20-2012, 11:40 AM   #14
79letour
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Mine didnt start right up once. Its a 5mt.
The 1970's era battery that looks like it was oem in a Pinto and the electrical taped ground dont inspire confidence.
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Old 03-20-2012, 11:43 AM   #15
saabarupp
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Has it ever actually failed to start? Or does it always start on the second attempt?
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Old 03-20-2012, 11:47 AM   #16
79letour
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Mine turned over for several seconds. Tried it again. Nothing. Waited a couple mins and it started. Was going to mention it to the dealer and SOA but they both seem to really suck at addressing problems with these cars.
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Old 03-20-2012, 01:37 PM   #17
riccnick
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Mine would turn over, no start. Three times. On the fourth time it fired up and stumbled its way to cold idle (~2150 RPM) and then settled in at a smooth 1900 RPM. Each time after the original start, i would wait for the fuel pump to cycle, but it didn't seem to help. Dealer said it stored no codes, and of course couldn't duplicate the problem. One tank of 93 with the Seafoam made it run like a champ. I've noticed a little better gas mileage too compared to before I ran that tank. And yes, even after switching back to 87, the mileage is still 2mpg better. My thought is that these cars obviously are sitting on the lot, not being run for a while. Moisture, and any traces of chemicals and seealants from assembly of the fuel system could be making it hard for these things to get fuel when the block is cold. I don't really know, I'm just guessing. But it would explain why my method is working (at least for now). I have probably put about 5 or more tanks of 87 with no extra additives since, so the solution is pretty long term.
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Old 03-20-2012, 05:02 PM   #18
thom52
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I notice in the owners manual it specifically says DO NOT put any gas cleaners etc through the fuel system. Its a.bit vague but seems to be implying Sea Foam and similar cleaners could damage something. That has me nervous about trying your technique.
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Old 03-21-2012, 12:12 AM   #19
ocellaris
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My car has done this a few times. Turning the key to the ON position and waiting didn't help anything. It hasn't done it in a few weeks now, possibly due to the furl blends changing away from winter gas, or maybe from solar flares or ??? I mentioned it to the dealer, they took a note of it and couldn't reproduce the problem (as expected). They also said that "no one" else has mentioned this to them.
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Old 03-21-2012, 12:28 AM   #20
thom52
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Have a Nice Day? sea foam solution ?

I am starting to think the Sea Foam gas cleaner solution is worth a shot.

We have a 10 year period of increased solar activity....I am really hoping thats not it.

No bad effects seen so far? I can't find the Owner's Manual reference recommending against it. I was either dreaming or they have it REALLY hidden. I have NEVER heard of a car that can't use standard fuel system cleaner additives. After all, they put a light dose of them right into Chevron gas....We use Chevron gas. D'oh! Maybe that IS the problem? You can't EVER clean the fuel system on this car???

Probably best to try it during the warranty period and just play it as dumb as the dealers are playing it with us about the hard start problem. "Nope, no additives, not me, not ever."
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Old 03-21-2012, 12:33 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thom52 View Post
I am starting to think the Sea Foam gas cleaner solution is worth a shot.

We have a 10 year period of increased solar activity....I am really hoping thats not it.

No bad effects seen so far? I can't find the Owner's Manual reference recommending against it. I was either dreaming or they have it REALLY hidden. I have NEVER heard of a car that can't use standard fuel system cleaner additives. After all, they put a light dose of them right into Chevron gas....We use Chevron gas. D'oh! Maybe that IS the problem? You can't EVER clean the fuel system on this car???

Probably best to try it during the warranty period and just play it as dumb as the dealers are playing it with us about the hard start problem. "Nope, no additives, not me, not ever."
All modern gas has cleaners and detergents in it. It is impossible to put NO cleaners through the car, because its in the gas already. Presumably the warning is in the manual so SOA can cover their asses in case someone dumps something harmful into the fuel, or goes way overboard on fuel treatment.
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Old 03-21-2012, 01:20 PM   #22
riccnick
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http://techinfo.subaru.com/proxy/660...BE-Ball_16.pdf

Just for clarity, here is the section of the manual that states to not use fuel with octane boosters or specific additives that contain harmful and corrosive chemicals. Also, just as a note on my "Seafoam" treatment. I have only ran Seafoam ONE TIME. All other tanks have been without ANY additives or other chemicals, and have been REGULAR 87 octane. I have not seen, heard, or felt any side effects from the one-time use, other than noticeably less knock under load when running the 93 octane. But that is normal for any vehicle.
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Old 03-21-2012, 01:27 PM   #23
thom52
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Angry

we finally got hold of the local Subaru Expert mechanic, who unfortunately cannot do warranty work. He is adamant about NOT trying Sea Foam solution on a new car. He thinks it might be a carburetor problem.

Sadly our local dealer is well known for their terrible Service Dept. So we may have to go elsewhere.

And I just got a report that they have no record of the hard starting being a problem, so they did not want to record the problem. ????? My wife insisted they log it. We need more people doing that or Subaru will never address this problem that seems to have been a Subie problem of many years.
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Old 03-21-2012, 01:39 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thom52 View Post
we finally got hold of the local Subaru Expert mechanic, who unfortunately cannot do warranty work. He is adamant about NOT trying Sea Foam solution on a new car. He thinks it might be a carburetor problem.
Considering your car doesn't have a carburetor, you might have to take his advice with a grain of salt
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Old 03-21-2012, 02:26 PM   #25
riccnick
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thom52 View Post
we finally got hold of the local Subaru Expert mechanic, who unfortunately cannot do warranty work. He is adamant about NOT trying Sea Foam solution on a new car. He thinks it might be a carburetor problem.

Sadly our local dealer is well known for their terrible Service Dept. So we may have to go elsewhere.

And I just got a report that they have no record of the hard starting being a problem, so they did not want to record the problem. ????? My wife insisted they log it. We need more people doing that or Subaru will never address this problem that seems to have been a Subie problem of many years.
GO FIND A NEW MECHANIC NOW!

Quote:
Originally Posted by ocellaris View Post
Considering your car doesn't have a carburetor, you might have to take his advice with a grain of salt
^This.

My service advisor logged the problem without me asking. I was in to have them install the fog lights and I casually mentioned it. She just started typing away, and printed me a copy to prove she put it in the system. She told me she'd have the tech check it out (to no avail) and if it happened again to call her and she'd get me right in.
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