2000 SUBARU FORESTER maintenance

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

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

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

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

Maintenance and service10-33
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CONTINUED –
HS0191
Metal support
4. If the new b lad e rub b er is not p rovid ed with two metal sp ines, remove
the metal sp ines from the old b lad e rub b er and inst all them in the new
b lad e rub b er.
HS0192
Metal spines
5. Alig n the c laws of the metal sup p ort with the g ro oves in the rub b er
and slid e the b lad e rub b er assemb ly into the metal sup p ort until it loc ks.
Be sure to p osition the c laws at the end of the met al sup p ort b etween the
stop p ers on the rub b er as shown. If the rub b er is n ot retained p rop erly,
the wip er b lad e may sc ratc h the wind shield .

Maintenance and service10-35
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CONTINUED –
Brake pedal
Chec k the b rake p ed al free p lay and reserve d istanc
e ac c ord ing to the
maintenanc e sc hed ule in the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Booklet ”.
Checking the brake pedal free play
OM-H0224
0.04 — 0.12 in
(1.0 — 3.0 mm)
Stop the eng ine and firmly d ep ress the b rake p ed al several times.
Lig htly p ress the b rake p ed al d own with one fing er to c hec k the free
p lay with a forc e of less than 10 N (2 lb , 1 kg ).
If the free p lay is not within p rop er sp ec ific ation , c ontac t your SUB-
ARU d ealer. Checking the brake pedal reserve distance
OM-H0225
More than 2.56 in (65 mm)
Dep ress the p ed al with a forc e of ap p roximately 294
N (66 lb , 30 kg )

Maintenance and service10-37
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CONTINUED –
Replacement of brake pad and lining
CAUTION
If you continue to drive despite the scraping noise from the audi-
ble brake pad wear indicator, it will result in the need for costlybrake rotor repair or replacement.
OM-H0163
The front d isc b rakes and the rig ht sid e rear d isc b rake have aud ib le
wear ind ic ators on the b rake p ad s. If the b rake p ad s wear c lose to their
servic e limit, the wear ind ic ator makes a very aud i b le sc rap ing noise
when the b rake p ed al is ap p lied .
If you hear this sc rap ing noise eac h time you ap p ly the b rake p ed al,
have the b rake p ad s servic ed b y your SUBARU d ealer as soon as p os-
sib le.
Breaking-in of new brake pads and linings
When rep lac ing the b rake p ad or lining , use only g e nuine SUBARU
p arts. After rep lac ement, the new p arts must b e b ro ken in as follows:
n Brake pad and lining
While maintaining a sp eed of 30 to 40 mp h (50 to 65 km/h), step on
the b rake p ed al lig htly. Rep eat this five or more t imes.

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-