2000 SUBARU IMPREZA engine

3-6

Charge warning light
If this lig ht c omes on when the eng ine is running , it may ind ic ate that the
c harg ing system is not working p rop erly.
If the lig ht c omes on while d riving or d oes not g o out after the eng ine
starts, stop the eng ine at the first safe op p ortuni ty and c hec k the alterna-
tor b elt. If the b elt is loose, b roken or if the b e lt is in g ood c ond ition b ut
the lig ht remains on, c ontac t your nearest SUBARU d ealer immed iately.
Oil pressure warning light
CAUTION
Do not operate the engine with the oil pressure warning light on. This may cause serious engine damage.
If this lig ht c omes on when the eng ine is running , it may ind ic ate that the
eng ine oil p ressure is low and the lub ric ating syst em is not working p rop -
erly.
If the lig ht c omes on while d riving or d oes not g o out after the eng ine
starts, stop the eng ine at the first safe op p ortuni ty and c hec k the eng ine
oil level. If the oil level is low, ad d oil immed ia tely. If the eng ine oil is at
the p rop er level b ut the lig ht remains on, c ontac t your nearest SUBARU
d ealer immed iately. Brake system warning light
WARNING
Driving with the brake system warning light on is dangerous.
This indicates your brake system may not be working properly. If the light remains on, have the brakes inspected by a SUBARU
dealer immediately. If at all in doubt about whether the brakes are operating prop-
erly, do not drive the vehicle. Have your vehicle towed to the
nearest SUBARU dealer for repair.
(Canada)
BRAKE (US)

Instruments and controls3-7
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CONTINUED –
This lig ht has the following two func tions:
Parking brake warning
The lig ht c omes on with the p arking b rake ap p lied w hile the ig nition
switc h is in the “ON ” p osition. It g oes out when the p arking b rake is
fully released . Brake fluid level warning
This lig ht c omes on when the b rake fluid level d rop s to near the “MIN ”
level of the b rake fluid reservoir with the ig nitio n switc h in the “ON ”
p osition and with the p arking b rake fully released .
If the b rake system warning lig ht should c ome on wh ile d riving with
the p arking b rake lever fully released , it c ould b e an ind ic ation of
leaking of b rake fluid or worn b rake p ad s. In suc h a c ase, have your
vehic le c hec ked b y a SUBARU d ealer immed iately.
CHECK ENGINE warning light/ Malfunction indicator lamp
CAUTION
If the CHECK ENGINE light comes on while you are driving, have
your vehicle checked/repaired by your SUBARU dealer as soonas possible. Continued vehicle operation without having the
emission control system checked and repaired as necessarycould cause serious damage, which may not be covered by your
vehicle’ s warranty.
If this lig ht c omes on stead ily or b links while the eng ine is running , it may
ind ic ate that there is a p rob lem or p otential p rob l em somewhere in the
emission c ontrol system.
If the light comes on steadily:
If the lig ht c omes on stead ily while d riving or d oe s not g o out after the
eng ine starts, an emission c ontrol system malfunc ti on has b een d e-
tec ted .
You should have your vehic le c hec ked b y an authoriz ed SUBARU
d ealer immed iately.

3-8NOTE This light also comes on when the fuel filler cap is not tightened until it clicks. If you have recently refueled your vehicle, the
cause of the CHECK ENGINE warning light/malfunction indicatorlamp coming on could be a loose or missing fuel filler cap.Remove the cap and retighten it until it clicks. Make sure nothing
is interfering with the sealing of the cap. Tightening the cap will
not make the CHECK ENGINE warning light turn off immediately.It may take several driving trips. If the light does not go out, take
your vehicle to your authorized SUBARU dealer immediately.
If the light is blinking:
If the lig ht is b linking while d riving , an eng ine m isfire c ond ition has
b een d etec ted whic h may d amag e the emission c ontrol system.
To p revent serious d amag e to the emission c ontrol s ystem, you
should d o the following : Red uc e vehic le sp eed .
Avoid hard ac c eleration.
Avoid steep up hill g rad es.
Red uc e the amount of c arg o, if p ossib le.
Stop towing a trailer as soon as p ossib le.
The CHECK ENGINE warning lig ht may stop b linking an d c ome on
stead ily after several d riving trip s. You should ha ve your vehic le
c hec ked b y an authorized SUBARU d ealer immed iately.
ABS warning light (for vehicles with ABS)
The ABS warning lig ht c omes on when the ig nition sw itc h is turned to the
“ ON ” p osition and g oes out after ab out two sec ond s.
This is an ind ic ation that the ABS system is workin g p rop erly.
If the warning lig ht b ehaves as follows, the ABS sy stem may not work
p rop erly. The warning lig ht d oes not c ome on when the ig nitio n switc h is turned
to the “ON ” p osition.
The warning lig ht c omes on when the ig nition switc h is turned to the
“ ON ” p osition, b ut it d oes not g o out even when the veh ic le sp eed
(U.S.)
(Canada)
ABS

Instruments and controls3-9
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CONTINUED –
exc eed s ap p roximately 8 mp h (12 km/h).
The warning lig ht c omes on d uring d riving .
When the warning lig ht is on, the ABS func tion shut s d own; however, the
c onventional b rake system c ontinues to op erate norm ally. If this oc c urs,
have the ABS system rep aired at the first availab le op p ortunity b y your
SUBARU d ealer. NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as shown below, the ABS system may be considered normal. The warning light comes on right after the engine is started but
goes out immediately, remaining off. The warning light remains on after the engine has been started,
but it goes out when the vehicle speed reaches about 8 mph (12km/h). The warning light comes on during driving, but it goes out
immediately and remains off.
When d riving with an insuffic ient b attery voltag e s uc h as when the en-
g ine is jump started , the ABS warning lig ht may c om e on. This is d ue to
the low b attery voltag e and d oes not ind ic ate a mal func tion. When the
b attery b ec omes fully c harg ed , the lig ht will g o ou t.
AT OIL TEMPerature warning light
(for AT vehicles)
This lig ht c omes on when the ig nition switc h is tur ned to the “ON ” p osi-
tion and g oes out after ab out two sec ond s. If this lig ht c omes on when
the eng ine is running , it may ind ic ate that the aut omatic transmission
fluid temp erature is too hot.
Even if the lig ht c omes on while d riving , it is unn ec essary to stop the ve-
hic le. But avoid d riving up steep g rad es or d riving in stop and g o traffic .
Automatic transmission control system warning
If the lig ht flashes after the eng ine starts, it ma y ind ic ate that the auto-
matic transmission c ontrol system is not working p r op erly. Contac t
your nearest SUBARU d ealer for servic e immed iately.

4-10c lean b ec ause c ooling p erformanc e is imp aired b y an
y ac c umulation
of insec ts and leaves on the c ond enser. Efficient cooling after parking in direct sunlight
After p arking in d irec t sunlig ht, d rive with the wi nd ows op en for a few
minutes to allow outsid e air to c irc ulate into the heated interior. This re-
sults in q uic ker c ooling b y the air c ond itioner. Ke ep the wind ows
c losed d uring the op eration of the air c ond itioner for maximum c ooling
effic ienc y. Lubrication oil circulation in the refrigerant circuit
Op erate the air c ond itioner c omp ressor at a low eng ine sp eed (at id le
or low d riving sp eed s) a few minutes eac h month d ur ing the off-sea-
son to c irc ulate its oil. Checking air conditioning system before summer season
Chec k the air c ond itioner unit for refrig erant leak s, hose c ond itions,
and p rop er op eration eac h sp ring . This c hec k is b es t p erformed b y
your SUBARU d ealer. Cooling and dehumidifying in high humidity and low tempera- ture weather condition
Und er c ertain weather c ond itions (hig h relative hum id ity, low temp era-
tures, etc .) a small amount of water vap or emission from the air outlets
may b e notic ed d uring c ooling or d ehumid ifying . Thi s c ond ition is nor-
mal and d oes not ind ic ate any p rob lem with the air c ond itioning sys-
tem. Air conditioner compressor shut-off when engine is heavily loaded
To imp rove ac c eleration and g as mileag e, the air c o nd itioner c om-
p ressor is d esig ned to temp orarily shut off d uring air c ond itioner op -
eration whenever the ac c elerator is fully d ep ressed . Suc h as d uring
rap id ac c eleration or when d riving on a steep up g ra d e.
Refrigerant for your climate control system
Your air c ond itioner uses ozone friend ly refrig eran t HFC134a. There-
fore, the method of ad d ing , c hang ing or c hec king th e refrig erant is
d ifferent from the method for CFC12 (freon). Consul t your SUBARU

6-8
Do not place any foreign objects, especially metal ones such
as coins or aluminum foil, into the accessory power socket. That could cause a short circuit. Always put the cap on the accessorypower socket when it is not in use. Use only electrical appliances which are designed for 12V DC
and which consume less than 120W. Overloading the accessorypower socket can cause a short circuit. Do not use double adapt-ers or more than one electrical appliance. If the plug on your electric appliance is either too loose or too
tight for the accessory power socket, this can result in a poorcontact or cause the plug to get stuck. Only use plugs that fitproperly in the accessory power socket. Use of an electric appliance in the accessory power socket for
a long period of time while the engine is not running can causebattery discharge.
HG6000BA
The ac c essory p ower soc ket is loc ated on the rig ht sid e of the lug -
g ag e c omp artment.
Elec tric al p ower (12V DC) from the b attery is on ta p at the soc ket
when the ig nition switc h is either in the “ACC ” or “ON ” p osition.
You c an use an in-c ar use elec tric al ap p lianc e b y c onnec ting it to the
soc ket.

7
Starting and operating New vehicle break-in driving – the first 1,000 miles
(1,600 km) 7-3
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Fuel requirements 7-4
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State emission testing (U.S. only) 7-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine exhaust gas (Carbon monoxide) 7-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Catalytic converter 7-8
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Fuel economy hints 7-9
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Preparing to drive 7-10
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Driving in foreign countries 7-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Periodic inspections 7-10
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Ignition switch 7-11
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Key reminder chime 7-13
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Key interlock release (AT vehicles only) 7-13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Starting the engine 7-14
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Stopping the engine 7-16
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Manual transmission 7-16
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Automatic transmission 7-19
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Selector lever 7-20
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Shift lock release 7-24
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear viscous limited slip differential (For RS models) 7-26 . . . . . . .
Steering 7-26
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Tilt steering wheel 7-26
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Power steering 7-27
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Cruise control (if equipped) 7-28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parking your vehicle 7-30
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Braking 7-32
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Braking tips 7-32
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Brake system 7-33
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Disc brake pad wear warning indicators 7-34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ABS (Anti-Lock Brake System) (if equipped) 7-34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Driving tips for AWD vehicles 7-37 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Off road driving 7-38
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Winter driving 7-41
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Snow tires 7-45
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Tire chains 7-45
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Rocking the vehicle 7-46
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Starting and operating7-3
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CONTINUED –
New vehicle break-in driving
– the first 1,000 miles
(1,600 km)
The p erformanc e and long life of your vehic le are d ep end ent on how you
hand le and c are for your vehic le while it is new. F ollow these instruc tions
d uring the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km): Do not rac e the eng ine. Break-in engine speed limit
Vehic le with tac hometer
Never exc eed 4,000 rp m eng ine sp eed exc ep t for b rie f ac c eleration
in an emerg enc y. Vehic le without tac hometer (for manual transmission )
Do not exc eed the sp eed limits b elow for eac h g ear p osition exc ep t
for b rief ac c eleration in an emerg enc y.
mp h (km/h)
1st
2nd3rd4th
20 (30)30 (50)50 (80)65 (105)
Vehic les without tac hometer (for automatic transmis sion)
Try to d rive at mod erate sp eed s while ac c elerating and b raking
smoothly. Prop er g ears are selec ted automatic ally a c c ord ing to the
d riving c ond itions.
Do not d rive at one c onstant eng ine or vehic le sp ee d for a long time,
either fast or slow. Avoid starting sud d enly and rap id ac c eleration, exc ep t in an emer-
g enc y. Avoid hard b raking , exc ep t in an emerg enc y.
The same b reak-in p roc ed ures should b e ap p lied to a newly-installed or
overhauled eng ine or when b rake p ad s or b rake linin g s are rep lac ed
with new ones.