2000 SUBARU FORESTER warning

Maintenance and service10-25
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CONTINUED –
Power steering fluid
The p ower steering fluid exp and s g reatly as its tem
p erature rises; the
fluid level d iffers ac c ord ing to fluid temp erature. Therefore, the d ip stic k
has two d ifferent c hec king rang es for hot and c old fluid s.
Checking the fluid level when the fluid is hot
WARNING
Be careful not to burn yourself because the fluid may be hot.
CAUTION
When power steering fluid is being added, use only clean fluid,
and be careful not to allow any dirt into the tank. And never use
different brands together. Avoid spilling fluid when adding it in the tank.
Chec k the p ower steering fluid level monthly.
1. Drive the vehic le several miles to raise the temp erature of the p ow-
er steering fluid up to normal op erating temp eratur e, ab out 140F
(60 C).
2. Park the vehic le on a level surfac e, and stop the eng ine.
3. Turn the reservoir c ap c ounterc loc kwise to remove the fluid level
d ip stic k, wip e the d ip stic k c lean, and reinsert it.
HS0186
HS0185
Specified range Specifiedrange

10-264. Remove the d ip stic k ag ain and c hec k the fluid lev
el on it. If it is
b elow the lower level of the “HOT ” rang e, ad d the rec ommend ed
steering fluid up to the sp ec ified rang e of the d ip stic k.
If the fluid level is extreme low, it may ind ic ate p ossib le leakag e. Con-
sult your SUBARU d ealer for insp ec tion. Checking the fluid level when the fluid is cold
When the fluid level has to b e c hec ked without warm ing up the p ower
steering system (ap p roximately 70 F [ 21 C] ), read the fluid level on
the “COLD ” rang e.
Recommended fluid
“ Dexron II ”, “Dexron IIE ” or “Dexron III ” Type Automatic Trans-
mission Fluid
Brake fluid
Checking the fluid level
WARNING
Never let brake fluid contact your eyes because brake fluid can
be harmful to your eyes. If brake fluid gets in your eyes, immedi-
ately flush them thoroughly with clean water. For safety, whenperforming this work, wearing eye protection is advisable. Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. Any absorbed mois-
ture can cause a dangerous loss of braking performance. If the vehicle requires frequent refilling, there may be a leak. If
you suspect a problem, have the vehicle checked at your
SUBARU dealer.

10-28Clutch fluid
WARNING
Never let clutch fluid contact your eyes because clutch fluid can
be harmful to your eyes. If clutch fluid gets in your eyes, immedi-
ately flush them thoroughly with clean water. For safety, whenperforming this work, wearing eye protection is advisable.
CAUTION
Clutch fluid absorbs moisture from the air. Any absorbed
moisture can cause improper clutch operation. If the vehicle requires frequent refilling, there may be a leak. If
you suspect a problem, have the vehicle checked at your
SUBARU dealer. Never use different brands of clutch fluid together.
When clutch fluid is added, be careful not to allow any dirt into
the tank.
Chec k the fluid level on the outsid e of the reservo ir. If the level is b elow
“ MIN ” level mark, ad d the rec ommend ed c lutc h fluid to “MAX ” level mark.
Use only c lutc h fluid from a sealed c ontainer.
HSA002FB

Maintenance and service10-29
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CONTINUED –

Recommended clutch fluid
FMVSS No. 116, fresh DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid
Brake booster
If the b rake b ooster d oes not op erate as d esc rib ed b elow, have it
c hec ked b y your SUBARU d ealer.
1. With the eng ine off, d ep ress the b rake p ed al seve ral times, ap p lying
the same p ed al forc e eac h time. The d istanc e the p e d al travels should
not vary.
2. With the b rake p ed al d ep ressed , start the eng ine. The p ed al should
move slig htly d own to the floor.
3. With the b rake p ed al d ep ressed , stop the eng ine a nd keep the p ed al
d ep ressed for 30 sec ond s. The p ed al heig ht should n ot c hang e.
4. Start the eng ine ag ain and run for ab out one minu te then turn it off.
Dep ress the b rake p ed al several times to c hec k the b rake b ooster.
Brake b ooster op erates p rop erly if the p ed al stroke d ec reases with eac h
d ep ression. Battery
WARNING
Before beginning work on or near any battery, be sure to extin-
guish all cigarettes, matches, and lighters. Never expose a bat- tery to an open flame or electric sparks. Batteries give off a gaswhich is highly flammable and explosive. For safety, in case an explosion does occur, wear eye protec-
tion or shield your eyes when working near any battery. Never
lean over a battery. Do not let battery fluid contact eyes, skin, fabrics, or paint be-
cause battery fluid is a corrosive acid. If battery fluid gets on yourskin or in your eyes, immediately flush the area with water thor-
oughly. Seek medical help immediately if acid has entered the

10-38n
Parking brake lining
WARNING
A safe location and situation should be selected for break-in driv- ing.
CAUTION
Pulling the parking brake lever too forcefully may cause the rear
wheels to lock. To avoid this, be certain to pull the lever up slowly
and gently.
1. Drive the vehic le at a sp eed of ab out 22 mp h (35 km/h).
2. With the p arking b rake release b utton p ushed in, p ull the p arking
b rake lever SLOWLY and GENTLY. (Pulling with a forc e of ap p roxi-
mately 147 N [ 33 lb , 15 kg ] .)
3. Drive the vehic le for ab out 220 yard s (200 meters ) in this c ond ition.
4. Wait 5 to 10 minutes for the p arking b rake to c oo l d own. Rep eat
this p roc ed ure.
5. Chec k the p arking b rake stroke. If the p arking b r ake stroke is out
of the sp ec ified rang e, ad just it b y turning the ad justing nut loc ated
on the p arking b rake lever.
Parking b rake stroke: 7 — 8 notc hes / 196 N (44 lb , 20 kg )
Parking brake stroke
Chec k the p arking b rake stroke ac c ord ing to the mai ntenanc e sc hed ule
in the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Booklet ”. When the p arking b rake is
p rop erly ad justed , b raking p ower is fully ap p lied b y p ulling the lever up
seven to eig ht notc hes g ently b ut firmly (ab out 196 N, 44 lb , 20 kg ). If the
p arking b rake lever stroke is not within the sp ec if ied rang e, have the
b rake system c hec ked and ad justed at your SUBARU d e aler.

Maintenance and service10-39
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CONTINUED –
HS0199
7 to 8 notches
Tires and wheels WARNING
When replacing a tire, make sure you use only the same size,
circumferece, construction, brand, and load range as the original tires listed on the tire placard. Using other sizes, circumferecesor construction may result in severe mechanical damage to thedrivetrain of your vehicle and may affect ride, handling, braking,
speedometer/odometer calibration, and clearance between thebody and tires. It also may be dangerous and lead to loss of ve-hicle control. Do not use a combination of radial, belted bias or bias tires
since it may cause dangerous handling characteristics and leadto an accident. Do not let air out of warm tires to adjust pressure. Doing so
will result in low tire pressure.
The tires should b e c hec ked freq uently for p rop er t ire p ressure, wear,
and c uts. Tire pressure
For the b est b alanc e b etween fuel ec onomy, tire lif e, rid e c omfort, and
hand ling , tire p ressure should b e maintained in ac c ord anc e with sp ec ifi-

11-6
Fuse panel located in the engine compartment
HS0225Fusible link FWD socket
A S
K L Z X
G H J
DF
Fuse panel
Fuse ratingCircuit
2020A Rad iator c ooling fan (Main)
2120ARad iator c ooling fan (Sub )
2220ARear wind ow d efog g er
2315AHazard warning flasher
Horn
2415AMeter
SRS airb ag system warning lig ht
2510AAutomatic transmission c ontrol unit
2610AAlternator
2715AHead lig ht (rig ht sid e)
2815AHead lig ht (left sid e)
2920ALig hting switc h
3015ACloc k
Interior lig ht

12-2For U.S.A.
The following information has b een c omp iled ac c ord i
ng to Cod e of Fed -
eral Reg ulations “Title 49, Part 575 ”.
Uniform tire quality grading standards
This information ind ic ates the relative p erformanc e of p asseng er c ar tires
in the area of tread wear, trac tion, and temp erature resistanc e. This is to
aid the c onsumer in making an informed c hoic e in th e p urc hase of tires.
These g rad es are mold ed in the sid ewall of the tire and c an b e inter-
p reted b y referring to the following information: Treadwear
The tread wear g rad e is a c omp arative rating b ased o n the wear rate of
the tire when tested und er c ontrolled c ond itions on a sp ec ified g overn-
ment test c ourse.
For examp le, a tire g rad ed 150 would wear one and o ne-half (1-1/2)
times as well on the g overnment c ourse as a tire g r ad ed 100. The rela-
tive p erformanc e of tires d ep end s up on the ac tual c ond itions of their
use, however, and may d ep art sig nific antly from the norm d ue to varia-
tions in d riving hab its, servic e p rac tic es and d iff erenc es in road c harac -
teristic s and c limate. Traction A, B, C
The trac tion g rad es, from hig hest to lowest, are A, B and C, and they
rep resent a tire ’s ab ility to stop on wet p avement as measured und er
c ontrolled c ond itions on sp ec ified g overnment test surfac es of asp halt
and c onc rete. A tire marked C may have p oor trac tio n p erformanc e.
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to a tire is based on braking (straigh- tahead) traction tests and does not include cornering (turning)traction.