ER HC Code, won't start.

[suby2001]

Subaru Legacy 2006 automatic

 

Just did a lot of work on my Subaru, timing belt, water pump, head gaskets. Today put everything back, plugged everything back, all the wires and grounds too (rechecked). Tried to start the car but nope, On the odometer says "ER HC". (High Speed CAN communication error) Did a lot of research on it hoping to find something and so I wouldn't have to post in here, but literally nothing! No one fixed this issue yet except the dealers. Found some topics related to the ECU connectors and stuff like that, but no legit answer

 

This is the best thing so far that I found and planning to try this tomorrow:

 

http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/n9320h/2010-07-16_222648_sub.pdf

 

maybe somebody faced this issue before and knows how to solve it?

 

I really hope so..

 

Thank you.

[Fairtax4me]

Do you have any of the DTCs listed in the TSB?

 

Failure of the engine to start could be a low battery voltage or power issue/blown fuse(s) like the TSB says.

Check those first.

Scan it for codes as well.

[suby2001]

battery is good, and all the fuses are good ( we checked last night ) Going to check for everything else and follow TSB, and I hope it will lead me somewhere. If there's a TSB on this problem, shouldn't the dealer fix it for free? Or I'm just mistaken?

[suby2001]

Can not check for codes, scanner is working with just a key in, but when switch is off it shuts off Just unplugged all the sensors, and cleaning them. Also, sprayed some brake cleaner on 3 ground places also for cleaning.. Now just waiting.

[1 Lucky Texan]

I  *borrowed*  this from another forum - maybe it will work;

 

06-09: How To Read Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs)
            
            

            
        

        
        
            
            How to Read Diagnostic Trouble Codes on 2005 thru 2009 Subaru Legacy and Outback



The 2005 thru 2009 model year Legacy and Outback can display Diagnostic Trouble Codes
(DTCs) directly on the dashboard. No scan tool is needed. No jumper
wires are required, and it is not necessary to count blinky lights. The
codes are displayed in plain text on the instrument cluster.



Trouble codes from the ECM (Engine
Control Module), TCM (Transmission Control Module) and ABSCM/VDCCM (ABS
or VDC Control Module) are displayed.



This procedure was distilled from the FSM. The English translation in
the FSM is not very good, so I have attempted to make it easier to
follow. The FSM has this procedure in the Body Section,
Instrument/Driver Information, Comination Meter System chapter.



Some notes before starting:



- I believe this procedure will work for all 2005 to 2009 Legacys and
Outbacks. However, I have only tested the procedure on my car, a 2007
Outback 2.5i automatic.



- I don't know of a way to reset the codes without a scan tool. Disconnecting the battery may or may not work.



- Exactly what you will see depends on what type of display your car
has. There are two images of tables below, one for the Normal display
and one for the Multi-Information Display that is found on Turbo models.



The Procedure



Starting condition: key off, headlight switch off.



Steps 1 through 7 must be performed within 10 seconds.



1. Turn key to ON position. This is the normal running position, the
click just before starting, when all the lights on the dash come on, but
before you twist to START. Don't start the engine!



2. Within 3 seconds, turn the headlight switch ON.



3. Press the Trip/Odometer button 4 times.



4. Turn the headlight switch OFF.



5. Press the Trip/Odometer button 4 times.



6. Turn headlight swtich ON.



7. Press Trip/Odometer button 4 times. At this point, the DTC display will begin.



8. Turn headlight switch OFF. Not necessary for the procedure, but your display may be dimmed and hard to read in bright sunlight. Besides, why drain the battery?



The DTCs for each module will display in order: ECM, TCM, ABSCM/VDCCM.
Press the Trip/Odometer button to cycle between modules. The FSM
states that the display will cycle between modules automatically every
three seconds if the button is not pushed, but that did not happen in my
car - I had to push the button to cycle the display.



For each module, there are three display states:

- Receiving DTC from module (blinking "P" or "C")

- DTC detected & displayed ("P" or "C" followed by 4 digits)

- No DTC found ("P" or "C" followed by "----")



If there is a CAN (Controller Area Network) bus communication error, you
will see only "----" in the display. Basically, that means that the
network in your car is broken. That will need to be repaired before
anything else can be done.



See the table below that applies to your car, depending on which type of display you have.



Notes



- TCM error codes will not be displayed
for cars with manual transmissions. The TCM display state will remain
in "Receiving DTC" (blinking "P" on display). In my case, my car is an
automatic, but the blinking "P" remained, possibly because I have no codes set.



- To cancel the DTC display, turn the key to OFF.



- If the engine is started, the DTC display will remain until the car starts to move. (I did not test this)



- Past DTCs that have been repaired will be displayed until the engine is started 3 times. (I did not test this)



Display Tables



Normal Display





Multi-Information Display

 

 

from; http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/99-do-yourself-illustrated-guides/19053-06-09-how-read-diagnostic-trouble-codes-dtcs.html

Edited June 14, 2014 by 1 Lucky Texan

[Fairtax4me]

Can not check for codes, scanner is working with just a key in, but when switch is off it shuts off Just unplugged all the sensors, and cleaning them. Also, sprayed some brake cleaner on 3 ground places also for cleaning.. Now just waiting.

The key needs to be ON for the DLC 12v pin to be powered. This is what powers the scanner when its plugged in. Also, the ECU needs to be Turned on in order for the scanner to communicate with it. This is also only possible with the key ON since the ECU turns off with the key off.

[suby2001]

Tried to follow all the steps 3 times but nothing Er HC on and nothing else shows up. The battery is charged, key is ON and I can see all the dashboard lights, but when I plug in the scanner tool, nothing changes. When I turn the key off ( one click back) the scanner turns on but won't let me read the codes. ( link error ) feels like something blocking it from read the codes or start the engine..

[Fairtax4me]

The DLC should also be powered when cranking the engine, see if the scanner turns on with key turned to start.

[suby2001]

Not sure what does the DLC means, also you guys think I should try to crank it from the starter?

[Fairtax4me]

DLC = Data Link Connector. It's the plug the scanner plugs into.

[suby2001]

was standing in front of the engine and think what else does it needs.. and! Found two more ground connectors on the spider that were loose. Which means there's 5 ground connectors in total. Car runs great with no engine light or any other issues!

Thank you guys for giving some advises

[drewbabich]

Suby 2001 thats great info.

 

I did my timing belt, water pump etc and got 3000 miles out of the car before it shut down and started showing ER HC.  ( my temp gauge also goes right not HOT) as well.  It won't start anymore and it died on me on the highway.

 

Where are your five grounds at?  My two ground straps to the underside of the heads have been rusted out the entire time I've owned the car so I didn't replace them.  (It ran for 60,000 miles without them, and also after the timing belt change).

 

But tracing back from the negative side of the battery the only ground I see goes to the starter.  ( I disconnected and cleaned it last night). Where are the other two grounds?  Which ones did you find that needed to be plugged in.

 

Still no cranking for my car even after disconnecting the battery.

I'm going to try and DTC trouble code scanning tonight to see if I can get it any more info.

[suby2001]

yep, I had the same issues and I know how frustrating this is. I also went to talk to a dealership's mechanic but they have not heard anything about it. 

Five grounds:

1. Starter

2&3. Two ground wires right on the spider - intake manifold (I think those are grounds lol) when you facing the engine it's gonna be on you left ish side, and right side on the spider that faces you. They are going together, but two wires and two bolts.

4&5. Left and right chassis parts under the front quarter panels. The wire goes to underneath the valve covers from each side.

 

I hope that's helpful! 

Edited June 17, 2014 by suby2001

[suby2001]

It's probably one of the connectors or grounds got loose, or something had happened with ECU. Even if it's ECU don't worry too much, I went  on Ebay and found 2 ECU's for legacy just under 100$. You still would have to programmed it tho.

[drewbabich]

My car still hates me and does nothing but say ER HC and laugh at me. 

 

But when you say spider....  Are you talking about the engine harness?  I see a ground right behind the fuse box.  My grounds that went from the valve covers to the chasis have been rusted away to non existant (literally) for the last 60,000 miles so I didn't bother buying new ones. 

 

These two supposedly were added in 2005 to protect the head gaskets so i figure they have no impact on engine starting...

[drewbabich]

And when I do the car diagnostic trick of connecting the white connectors the car, the three codes that show up are P (flashing), P (flashing) a second time, and C0105.

 

Can C0105 cause the ER HC you guys think?

 

It is a rear wheel speed sensor unexpected reading code.

[suby2001]

Spider is an aluminium intake manifold that's on the top of your engine. So check if there any ground wires loose (outside of 1 or 2 cylinder I think)

[Fairtax4me]

The ER HC issue is a High speed Can-bus error. It's a communications problem between control modules, not a sensor problem.

 

The fix above was to clean the main grounds for the ECU where they attach to the intake manifold. It kinda looks like a spider.