Questions for 3.6R owners

[Perscitus]

Ghia - latest 2012 3.6R CIDs below. You can reference the PAK files to the dealership tech, they have them in their reflash pack they receive from SoA. If your car doesn't report these CIDs (Calibration IDs) for the ECU and TCU, you don't have the latest/last set for MY2012 3.6R

 

2012 3.6R ECU reflash:

CAL-emissions spec: PAK 22765AC68C, CID DE5K800B

FED-emissions spec: PAK 22765AC69C, CID DE5K800G

(Applies to 2012 3.6Rs, release date: Nov-2012)

 

2010-2013 3.6R TCU reflash:

FED/CAL emissions spec: PAK 30919AA074, CID EZFB2WB3

(Applies to 2010-2013 3.6Rs, release date: Nov-2012)

 

ChasWG -same for your 2011. These are the latest SoA reflashes for your car.

TCU reflash is shared with the 2010-2013 like above.

 

2011 3.6R ECU reflash:

CAL-emissions spec: PAK 22765AC97C, CID DE5IB40B

FED-emissions spec: PAK 22765AC98C, CID DE5IB40G

(Applies to 2011 3.6Rs, release date: Oct-2012)

[GhiaAddict]

Appreciate all the info Perscitus... Thanks brother.

[Falcor]

Lot of great info here. Thanks for the response. You guys made sure to make a good case for the 3.6R.

[west_minist]

Hello:

 

Not all cars I post to be honest.

 

Yes I do break down every detail, even working with old chaps 60yrs+ to tune.

[Falcor]

I've never tuned a car before, but I have worked in cars most of my life. Will the tune require any hard parts to be changed/modified? Also, does a tune add stress to areas to watch for?

[Golferdude1087]

I've never tuned a car before, but I have worked in cars most of my life. Will the tune require any hard parts to be changed/modified? Also, does a tune add stress to areas to watch for?

Hard parts? No, but you'll want performance parts just because...#racecar

 

Typically when you tune you would think it puts added stress on a car, with an N/A motor it's not as bad, mostly bc you're changing timing and other stuff, not adding boost or pressure. Obviously you'll want to keep up on maintanence even more so then before.

 

Once you're on XRT, west_minist not only tunes but he's able to tell when your cars having issues such as bad plugs, bad gas, leaks, etc.

 

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[west_minist]

Per usual you need a tactrix cable and a laptop. A good notebook would also work.

 

Just make sure you at least perform an oil and spark plugs change.

 

The car works poorly on the gas. Its interesting how it is design to run on low octane, but really doesn't do that well. Thats stress. Well a good tuned should be stress Free.

 

Tuning can highlight issues too through diagnostics.

 

http://forum.liberty.asn.au/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=7684&start=45#p430175

[Golferdude1087]

For 3.6R performance mods, check out the 3.6R official mod list. Plenty of goodness there

 

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[ssulb]

So should I start planning a trip to head over to my local Subaru dealer and just ask about those ECU reflashes? Hopefully it will be at no charge

[Perscitus]

Yes, you can - just make sure you're armed with some info.

 

Ask that the dealership techs give you the ECUID/CID (CALID) and TCUID/CID (CALID) off of your car as-is, then compare the CIDs with what I list below. If they are different, ask that they reflash your ECU and TCU to the latest and perform the complete TCU learning procedure outlined in their SSM III/IV software suite.

 

2010 3.6R ECU Reflash:

CAL-emissions spec: PAK 22765AA05B, CID DE5F201B

FED-emissions spec: PAK 22765AA06B, CID DE5F201G

(applies to 2010 3.6Rs, release date: Nov-2009)

 

2010-2013 3.6R TCU reflash:

FED/CAL emissions spec: PAK 30919AA074, CID EZFB2WB3

(applies to 2010-2013 3.6Rs, release date: Nov-2012)

 

2010 EPB reflash (C0251 actuator system in EPB system update):

FED/CAL emissions spec: PAK 26002AJ001_00Bz, CID None

(applies to 2010 3.6Rs, release date: Sep-2009)

[ChasWG]

Lots of techno-bable for sure, but hopefully the Subie techs at the dealership understand what I'll be saying... LOL!

[Golferdude1087]

Lots of techno-bable for sure, but hopefully the Subie techs at the dealership understand what I'll be saying... LOL!

If they don't, they aren't good techs lol

 

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[Falcor]

I went and finally drove a 3.6R Outback on Saturday. I know now what everyone was talking about with the transmission shifting. The get up was much better than the 2.5, but I really hope a tune is the fix for that tranny.

[Golferdude1087]

I went and finally drove a 3.6R Outback on Saturday. I know now what everyone was talking about with the transmission shifting. The get up was much better than the 2.5, but I really hope a tune is the fix for that tranny.

 

 

 

There is, don't fret

 

 

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[aperson]

Are you happy with the 3.6R?

Overall yes, it's a very capable highway cruiser that anyone can pickup and drive and not be surprised by it. It has more than enough torque and acceleration for a DD and having a manual mode with 5 speeds still allows for fun.

 

Would you rather have purchased a GT or 3.6R Outback?

There are days where I wish it had a turbo and a 6 speed but that's not my purpose for owning this car. This is a grown up car compared to my 2002 WRX (which I still own). For it's intended purpose I'm impressed with the car.

 

How bad is the lag on the auto shifting? Will a tune fix this?

When I first got the car it was ATROCIOUS! However as you drive it it seems to learn how you want to drive it and just does it, after an ECU reset I've found it takes some time to relearn. The manual mode shifting is still pretty slow but I've found in auto mode that it responds better to small throttle inputs better than if you just mash the gas. A tune should fix this and possibly valve body mods but there is some differences with the 2010 5EAT and the earlier ones.

 

Overall I love this car but I did need some bushings to fix immediate issues. I got whiteline rear subframe bushings, RalliTek trans mount insert (go with the soft), and the Perrin Steering lockdown kit (http://perrinperformance.com/i-22342620-steering-dampener-lockdown.html). The bushings helped with engine braking and acceleration and the lockdown kit made the steering feel much more centered.

 

Also before you buy one drive it on the highway from 60-72 on a smooth road to see if it has the shimmy. I found that the lockdown kit didn't make mine any worse and that tire selection is the biggest factor that can be easily changed to mitigate the issue.

 

I've had the 3.6r for 2.5 years now and I average 18-22 city and 25-27 on the highway (By my own calculation, not the car's). It's easier to hit the upper end of those with higher octane fuel and the car also seems to run better on it so there's plenty of headroom for a tune on these.

 

EDIT: Changed mind on RalliTek bushing

I feel that if you don't want to go full out performance and don't care about NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) that the hard RalliTek bushing will give you more engine noise in the cabin. I didn't want to put a cat-back or anything on yet but still wanted more motor noise and found that I was able to obtain this with the hard 5EAT bushing. It wasn't the reason I purchased it (the RalliTek page defaults to hard so triple check before ordering) but found that it gave me this unintended side effect. That's a plus to me but YMMV.

 

Sorry for the self quote but I remembered why I got the subframe bushings and didn't want it to get missed if I edited the post.

 

I don't know if this goes for every Legacy my rear subframe bushings were waayyy too soft. I found that if I went around a curve (not over speed limit and even ~10mph under) AND hit a staggered bump that the rear end would wobble and crab walk the rear end towards the outside of the turn. For most people this won't be that big of a deal but there are a few bumps where the left side is 6"-8" ahead or behind the right side of the bump (sorta like this: --_ ) on a road that I travel frequently.

 

My thoughts were that if it bothered me as much as it did then it'd be downright scary for my mother or sisters to drive since they wouldn't know what was happening or to slow way down for the bumps. I do feel that a stiffer strut would also help alleviate this but at the time that was the more expensive option and I don't think it would solve the issue completely like the subframe bushings did.

[Falcor]

Another question. Should I shy away from a higher mileage 3.6R? Most of these are just tons of highway miles, and I have owned my share of high mileage cars. I'm trying to stay under 100k if possible, but I'm thinking up to 130k should be fine. It would have to be checked out for wear and tear for sure.

[Golferdude1087]

Another question. Should I shy away from a higher mileage 3.6R? Most of these are just tons of highway miles, and I have owned my share of high mileage cars. I'm trying to stay under 100k if possible, but I'm thinking up to 130k should be fine. It would have to be checked out for wear and tear for sure.

Honestly these cars shouldn't be any problem to 200k easily. No timing belt to worry about. Under 100 is a good idea but these are highway cruisers you're right.

 

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[GhiaAddict]

The more service records the better. My 3.6R was all highway miles when I purchased it, and I primarily use it for highway driving. 82K and still sounds like she has 5k on her. Never driven an engine so smooth since my Honda days. Still not tuned, so looking forward to that.

 

Anyone in the Florida area willing to help me out with the whole E-Tuning thing?

[Timothy.B]

The more service records the better. My 3.6R was all highway miles when I purchased it, and I primarily use it for highway driving. 82K and still sounds like she has 5k on her. Never driven an engine so smooth since my Honda days. Still not tuned, so looking forward to that.

 

Anyone in the Florida area willing to help me out with the whole E-Tuning thing?

 

If you're going with XRT, ask Ed about the group chat. I can probably help you with the software part. I had an issue or two that others didn't have when setting it up. It's pretty easy.