2000 SUBARU FORESTER service

Maintenance and service10-7
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CONTINUED –
Engine oil
Checking the oil level
Chec k the eng ine oil level at eac h fuel stop .
OM-H2727
HS0173
Upper level
Lower- level Notch
front
1. Park the vehic le on a level surfac e and stop the eng ine.
2. Pull out the d ip stic k, wip e it c lean, and insert it ag ain.
3. Be sure the d ip stic k is c orrec tly inserted until it stop s with the
g rap hic symb ol on its top ap p earing as shown in the illustra-
tion.
4. Pull out the d ip stic k ag ain and c hec k the oil lev el on it. If it is b elow
the lower level, ad d oil to b ring the level up to t he up p er level.
CAUTION
Use only engine oil with the recommended grade and viscosity.
If you c hec k the oil level just after stop p ing the eng ine, wait a few min-
utes for the oil to d rain b ac k into the oil p an b ef ore c hec king the level.
Just after d riving or while the eng ine is warm, the eng ine oil level
read ing may b e in a rang e b etween the up p er level a nd the notc h
mark. This is c aused b y thermal exp ansion of the en g ine oil.
To p revent overfilling the eng ine oil, d o not ad d a ny ad d itional oil
ab ove the up p er level when the eng ine is c old .

Maintenance and service10-9
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CONTINUED –
HS0176
HS0175
Drain plugSealing washer
Oil filter
6. Remove the und er c over.
7. Remove the oil filter with an oil filter wrenc h.
8. Before installing a new oil filter, ap p ly a thin c oat of eng ine oil to the
seal.
9. Clean the rub b er seal seating area of the lower c rank c ase and
install the oil filter b y hand turning . Be c areful not to twist or d amag e
the seal.
10. Tig hten it ap p roximately two-third s of a turn af ter the seal makes
c ontac t with und ersid e of the c rank c ase.
CAUTION
Never over tighten the oil filter because that can result in an oilleak.
11. Reinstall the und er c over.
12. Pour the sp ec ified amount of eng ine oil throug h the filler nec k.
Oil c ap ac ity: 4.2 US q t (4.0 liters, 3.5 Imp q t)
13. Start the eng ine and make sure that no oil leaks ap p ear around
the filter ’s rub b er seal.
14. Run the eng ine until it reac hes the normal op era ting temp erature.
Then stop the eng ine and wait a few minutes to allo w the oil d rain
b ac k. Chec k the oil level ag ain and if nec essary, a d d more eng ine oil.

10-10
Recommended grade and viscosity CAUTION
Use only engine oil with the recommended grade and viscosity.
Oil grade: API classification SJ or SH with the words “ENERGY
CONSERVING II ” (if you cannot obtain the oil with SJ
or SH grade, you may use SG grade oil.) or the new
API mark (Starburst mark) displayed on the container.
New API Certification Mark (Starburst Mark)API Service label
1
2
3
1 Ind ic ates the oil q uality b y API d esig nations
2 Ind ic ates the SAE oil visc osity g rad e
3 Ind ic ates that the oil has fuel saving c ap ab ilities
In c hoosing an oil, you want the p rop er q uality and visc osity, as well
as one that will ad d to fuel ec onomy. The following tab le lists the rec -
ommend ed visc osities and ap p lic ab le temp eratures.
When ad d ing oil, d ifferent b rand s may b e used tog et her as long as
they are the same API c lassific ation and SAE visc os ity as those rec -
ommend ed b y SUBARU.
Eng ine oil visc osity (thic kness) affec ts fuel ec ono my. Oils of lower vis-
c osity p rovid e b etter fuel ec onomy. However, in hot weather, oil of
hig her visc osity is req uired to p rop erly lub ric ate the eng ine.

Maintenance and service10-11
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CONTINUED –
OM-H2756
SAE viscosity number and applicable temperature
Recommended grade and viscosity under severe driving conditions
If the vehic le is used in d esert areas, in areas wi th very hig h temp era-
tures, or used for heavy-d uty ap p lic ations suc h as a towing a trailer,
use of oil with the following g rad e and visc osities is rec ommend ed .
API classification SJ or SH:
SAE viscosity No.: 30, 40, 10W-50, 20W-40, 20W-50

Maintenance and service10-13
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CONTINUED –

Engine coolant Checking the coolant level
Chec k the c oolant level at eac h fuel stop .
HS0178
“FULL”
level mark
“LOW” level mark
1. Chec k the c oolant level on the outsid e of the res ervoir while the
eng ine is c ool.
2. If the level is c lose to or lower than the “LOW ” level mark, ad d
c oolant up to the “FULL ” level mark. If the reserve tank is emp ty, re-
move the rad iator c ap and refill as req uired .
HG0115
Rubber gaskets
3. After refilling the reserve tank and the rad iator , reinstall the c ap s
and c hec k that the rub b er g askets insid e the rad iat or c ap are in the
p rop er p osition.

Maintenance and service10-15
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CONTINUED –
HS0178
HSA003BB
“FULL”
level mark
“ LOW ”
level mark
5. Slowly p our the c oolant and fill to the rad iator filler nec k and to the
reserve tank ’s “FULL ” level mark. Do not p our the c oolant too q uic kly,
as this may lead to insuffic ient air b leed ing and t rap p ed air in the sys-
tem.
Coolant c ap ac ity 6.6 US q t (6.2 liters, 5.5 Imp q t)
HG0115
Rubber gaskets
6. Put the rad iator c ap b ac k on and tig hten firmly. At this time, make
sure that the rub b er g askets in the rad iator c ap ar e c orrec tly in p lac e.
7. Start and run the eng ine for more than five minut es at 2,000 to
3,000 rp m.
8. Stop the eng ine and wait until the c oolant c ools d own (122 to
140 F [ 50 to 60 C] ). If there is any loss of c oolant, ad d c oolant t o the

Maintenance and service10-17
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CONTINUED –
2. Unsnap the three c lamp s hold ing the rear air c lea
ner element
c ase.
3. Sep arate the rear air c leaner element c ase from t he front air c lean-
er element c ase and remove the air c leaner element.
4. Clean the insid e of the front and rear air c leane r element c ases
with a d amp c loth and install a new air c leaner ele ment.
5. Insert the four p rojec tions on the rear air c lean er element c ase into
the slits on the front air c leaner element c ase and snap the three
c lamp s on the rear air c leaner element c ase and the n tig hten the b olt.
Spark plugs
CAUTION
When disconnecting the spark plug cables, always grasp the
spark plug cap, not the cables. Make sure the cables are replaced in the correct order.
HBA004BA
It may b e d iffic ult to rep lac e the sp ark p lug s. It is rec ommend ed that you
have the sp ark p lug s rep lac ed b y your SUBARU d ealer .
The sp ark p lug s should b e rep lac ed ac c ord ing to the maintenanc e
sc hed ule in the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Booklet ”.

Maintenance and service10-19
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CONTINUED –
p ulleys b y using a sp ring sc ale. Belt d eflec tion sh
ould b e the amount
sp ec ified . If a b elt is loose, c rac ked , or worn, c o ntac t your SUBARU
d ealer.
Manual transmission oil
Checking the oil level
Chec k the oil level monthly.
1. Park the vehic le on a level surfac e and stop the eng ine.
OM-H0210
HSA002CB
Upper level Lower level
2. Pull out the d ip stic k, wip e it c lean, and insert it ag ain.
3. Pull out the d ip stic k ag ain and c hec k the oil lev el on it. If it is b elow
the lower level, ad d oil throug h the d ip stic k hole to b ring the level up
to the up p er level. Recommended grade and viscosity
Eac h oil manufac turer has its own b ase oils and ad d itives. Never use
d ifferent b rand s tog ether.
Oil grade: API classification GL-5