2000 SUBARU FORESTER Owners Manual

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.

Maintenance and service10-27
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CONTINUED –
CAUTION
Never use different brands of brake fluid together.
When adding brake fluid, be careful not to allow any dirt into
the reservoir. Never splash the brake fluid over painted surfaces or rubber
parts. Alcohol contained in the brake fluid may damage them.
Chec k the fluid level monthly.
HSA004BB
Chec k the fluid level on the outsid e of the reservo ir. If the level is b e-
low “MIN ”, ad d the rec ommend ed b rake fluid to “MAX ”.
Use only b rake fluid from a sealed c ontainer. Recommended brake fluid
FMVSS No. 116, fresh DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid

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

10-30eyes.
To lessen the risk of sparks, remove rings, metal watchbands,
and other metal jewelry. Never allow metal tools to contact the
positive battery terminal and anything connected to it WHILE youare at the same time in contact with any other metallic portion ofthe vehicle because a short circuit will result. Keep everyone including children away from the battery.
Charge the battery in a well-ventilated area.
CAUTION
Never use more than 10 amperes when charging the battery be-
cause it will shorten battery life.
Checking the fluid level
OM-H1048
Upper level
Lower level Cap
It is unnec essary to p eriod ic ally c hec k the b attery fluid level or p eri-
od ic ally refill with d istilled water.
However, if the b attery fluid level is b elow the lo wer level, remove the
c ap . Fill to the up p er level with d istilled water.

Maintenance and service10-31
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CONTINUED –
Windshield washer fluid
CAUTION
Never use engine coolant as washer fluid because it could cause paint damage.
Chec k the level of the washer fluid at eac h fuel st op . If the level is low, fill
the fluid up to the nec k of the reservoir.
Use wind shield washer fluid . If wind shield washer f luid is unavailab le use
c lean water.
In areas where water freezes in winter, use an anti -freeze typ e wind shield
washer fluid . SUBARU Wind shield Washer Fluid c ontai ns 58.5% methyl
alc ohol and 41.5% surfac tant, b y volume. Its freezi ng temp erature varies
ac c ord ing to how muc h it is d iluted , as ind ic ated b elow.
Washer Fluid Concentration
Freezing Temperature
30% 50%
100%10.4 F ( –12 C)
–4 F ( –20 C)
–49 F ( –45 C)
HS0189

10-32Replacement of windshield wiper blades
Grease, wax, insec ts, or other materials on the win
d shield or the wip er
b lad e results in jerky wip er op eration and streakin g on the g lass. If you
c annot remove the streaks after op erating the wind s hield washer or if the
wip er op eration is jerky, c lean the outer surfac e o f the wind shield (or rear
wind ow) and the wip er b lad es using a sp ong e or soft c loth with a neutral
d eterg ent or mild -ab rasive c leaner. After c leaning , rinse the wind shield
and wip er b lad es with c lean water. The wind shield i s c lean if b ead s d o
not form when you rinse the wind shield with water.
CAUTION
Do not clean the wiper blades with gasoline or a solvent, such as
paint thinner or benzene. This will cause deterioration of thewiper blades.
If you c annot eliminate the streaking even after fo llowing this method ,
rep lac e the wip er b lad es using the following p roc ed ures:
1. Raise the wip er arm off the wind shield .
2. Remove the wip er b lad e assemb ly b y hold ing its p i vot area and p ush-
ing it in the d irec tion shown b y the arrow while d e p ressing the wip er
b lad e stop p er.
HS0190
Stopper
3. Grasp the loc ked end of the b lad e rub b er assemb ly and p ull it firmly
until the stop p ers on the rub b er are free of the me tal sup p ort.