2000 SUBARU LEGACY check oil

3
Instruments and controls Ignition switch3-3
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Key reminder chime 3-5
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Key interlock release (AT vehicles only) 3-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hazard warning flasher 3-6
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Meters and gauges 3-7
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Speedometer 3-7
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Odometer/Trip meter 3-7
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Tachometer (if equipped) 3-8
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Fuel gauge 3-8
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Temperature gauge 3-9
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Warning and indicator lights 3-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelt warning light and chime 3-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag system warning light 3-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHECK ENGINE warning light/Malfunction indicator lamp 3-11
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Charge warning light 3-12
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Oil pressure warning light 3-12
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AT OIL TEMPerature warning light (for AT vehicles) 3-13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ABS warning light 3-13
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Brake system warning light 3-14
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Door open warning lights 3-15
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Low fuel warning light 3-15
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Front-wheel drive warning light (for AT vehicles) 3-15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Security system status indicator light (if equipped) 3-15
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Shift position indicator (for AT vehicles) 3-16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Turn signal indicator lights 3-16
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High beam indicator light 3-16
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Clock 3-16
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Light control switch 3-17
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Daytime running light system 3-18
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Turn signal lever 3-19
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Illumination brightness control 3-19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parking light switch 3-20
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Fog light switch (if equipped) 3-21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wiper and washer 3-21
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Windshield wiper and washer switches 3-23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear window wiper and washer switch (if equipped) 3-25 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear window defogger switch 3-26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-10Warning and indicator lights
Several of the warning and ind ic ator lig hts c ome on
momentarily and
then g o out when the ig nition switc h is initially t urned to the “ON ” p osi-
tion. This p ermits c hec king the op eration of the b u lb s.
Ap p ly the p arking b rake and turn the ig nition switc h to the “ON ” p osition.
The following lig hts c ome on:
Seatb elt warning lig ht
SRS airb ag system warning lig ht
CHECK ENGINE warning lig ht / Malfunc tion ind ic ator lamp
Charg e warning lig ht
Oil p ressure warning lig ht
AT OIL temp erature warning lig ht (AT vehic les)
ABS warning lig ht
Brake system warning lig ht
If any lig hts fail to c ome on, it ind ic ates a b urne d -out b ulb or a malfunc -
tion of the c orresp ond ing system.
Consult your authorized SUBARU d ealer for rep air. Seatbelt warning light and chime
When the ig nition switc h is turned to the “ON ” p osition, the seatb elt
warning lig ht will c ome on and the remind er c hime w ill sound for ab out
six sec ond s to remind the d river to fasten the seat b elt.
The seatb elt warning lig ht remains on for ab out six sec ond s and turns off
automatic ally after six sec ond s.
The seatb elt remind er c hime will turn off when the d river’s sid e seatb elt is
b uc kled or it will turn off automatic ally after six sec ond s.
SRS airbag system warning light AIRBAG
When the ig nition switc h is turned to the “ON ” p osition, the SRS airb ag
system warning lig ht will c ome on for ab out six sec ond s and g o out. This
shows the SRS frontal airb ag and SRS sid e airb ag (i f eq uip p ed ) and
seatb elt p retensioners are in normal op eration.
If this lig ht c omes on while d riving or d oes not g o out after the eng ine
starts, it may ind ic ate that the SRS frontal airb ag system or SRS sid e air-

3-12
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.
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

7-8
7. Fasten your seatb elt. Chec k that your p asseng ers
have fastened their
seatb elts.
8. Chec k the op eration of the warning and ind ic ator lig hts when the ig ni-
tion switc h is turned to the “ON ” p osition.
9. Chec k the g aug es, ind ic ator and warning lig hts af ter starting the en-
g ine. NOTE Engine oil, engine coolant, brake fluid, washer fluid and other fluid
levels should be checked daily, weekly or at fuel stops.
Starting the engine
CAUTION
Do not operate the starter motor continuously for more than ten
seconds. If the engine fails to start after operating the starter forfive to ten seconds, wait for ten seconds or more before tryingagain.
Starting the engine for a manual transmission vehicle
1. Ap p ly the p arking b rake.
2. Turn off unnec essary lig hts and ac c essories.
3. Press the c lutc h p ed al to the floor and shift the shift lever into neutral.
Hold the c lutc h p ed al to the floor while starting t he eng ine. The starter
motor will only op erate when the c lutc h p ed al is p r essed fully to the floor.
4. Turn the ig nition switc h to the “ON ” p osition and c hec k the op eration
of the warning and ind ic ator lig hts. Refer to the “Warning and ind ic ator
lig ht ” sec tion (c hap ter 3).
5. Turn the ig nition switc h to the “START ” p osition without d ep ressing
the ac c elerator p ed al. Release the key immed iately after the eng ine has
started .
If the eng ine d oes not start within ten sec ond s, wa it a while and then turn
the ig nition switc h to the “START ” p osition ag ain while d ep ressing the ac -
c elerator p ed al half way d own.

11-4
Always use the proper tools and make certain that they are
well maintained. Never get under the vehicle supported only by a jack. Always
use a safety stands to support the vehicle. Never keep the engine running in a poorly ventilated area,
such as a garage or other closed areas. Do not smoke or allow open flames around the fuel or battery.
This will cause a fire. Because the fuel system is under pressure, replacement of the
fuel filter should be performed only by your SUBARU dealer. Wear adequate eye protection to guard against getting oil or
fluids in your eyes. If something does get in your eyes, thorough-
ly wash it out with clean water. Do not tamper with the wiring of the SRS airbag system or
seatbelt pretensioner system, or attempt to take its connectorsapart, as that may activate the system or it can render it inopera-tive. The wiring and connectors of these systems are yellow for
easy identification. NEVER use a circuit tester for these wiring. If your SRS airbag or seatbelt pretensioner needs service, con-
sult your nearest SUBARU dealer. Before checking or servicing in the engine compart- ment
Always stop the engine and set the parking brake firmly to pre-
vent the vehicle from moving. Always let the engine cool down. Engine parts become very
hot when the engine is running and remain hot for some time af-ter the engine is stopped. Do not spill engine oil, engine coolant, brake fluid or any other
fluid on hot engine components. This may cause a fire. Always remove the key from the ignition switch. When the
ignition switch is in the “ON” position, the cooling fan may oper-
ate suddenly even when the engine is stopped.

11-8Engine oil
Checking the oil level
Chec k the eng ine oil level at eac h fuel stop .
OM-H0189HBB004BA
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 .

11-20p ulleys and ap p ly a forc e of 22 lb (98 N, 10 kg ) mi
d way b etween the
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
Upper level Lower level
HBB004DB
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

Maintenance and service11-23
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CONTINUED –
Front differential gear oil (AT vehicles)
Checking the oil level
Chec k the d ifferential oil level monthly.
HBA010BB
Lower level Upper levelHBB004EB
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. 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.
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