2001 SUBARU FORESTER Owners Manual

4-81. Set the air inlet selec tion lever to the
“
” p osition
2. Set the air flow c ontrol d ial to the “
” p osition.
3. Set the temp erature c ontrol d ial to the most c omf ortab le level.
4. Set the fan sp eed c ontrol lever to the d esired sp eed .
NOTE
Warm air also comes out from the right and left air outlets. To
stop warm air flow from these outlets, turn the correspondingthumb-wheel to the “
” position.
Bi-level heating
HS0078
This setting allows you to d irec t air of d ifferent temp eratures from the
instrument p anel and foot outlets. The air from the foot outlets is
slig htly warmer than from the instrument p anel outl ets.
1. Set the air inlet selec tion lever to the “
” p osition.
2. Set the air flow c ontrol d ial to the “
” p osition.
3. Set the temp erature c ontrol d ial to the d esired t emp erature level.
4. Set the fan sp eed c ontrol lever to the d esired sp eed .
Setting the temp erature c ontrol d ial fully turned t o the red area or b lue
area d ec reases the temp erature d ifferenc e b etween t he air from the
instrument p anel outlets and the air from the foot outlets.

Climate control4-9
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CONTINUED –

Ventilation
WARNING
Continued operaton in the “
” position may fog up the win-
dows. Switch to the “
” position as soon as the outside
dusty condition clears.
HS0080
To forc e outsid e air throug h the instrument p anel o utlets:
1. Set the air inlet selec tion lever to the “
” p osition.
2. Set the air flow c ontrol d ial to the “
” p osition.
3. Set the temp erature c ontrol d ial all the way left .
4. Set the fan sp eed c ontrol lever to the d esired sp eed .
When d riving on a d usty road , set the air inlet sel ec tion lever to the
“
” p osition.

4-10
Air conditioner operation Cooling or dehumidifying
HS0082
ON position
For c ooling and d ehumid ific ation of the p asseng er c omp artment, air
flows throug h the instrument p anel outlets:
1. Set the air inlet selec tion lever to the “
” p osition.
2. Set the air flow c ontrol d ial to the “
” p osition.
3. Push the air c ond itioner b utton to the “ON ” p osition.
4. Set the temp erature c ontrol d ial to the b lue area .
5. Set the fan sp eed c ontrol lever at the hig hest sp eed .
Defrosting or defogging
HS0072
ON position
To d irec t warm air to the wind shield and front d oor wind ows:
1. Set the air inlet selec tion lever to the “
” p osition.

Climate control4-11
–
CONTINUED –
2. Set the air outlet c ontrol d ial to the
“ ” p osition.
3. Push the air c ond itioner b utton to the “ON ” p osition.
4. Set the temp erature c ontrol d ial to the red area.
5. Set the fan sp eed c ontrol lever at the hig hest sp eed .
Operating tips for heater and air conditioner Cleaning ventilator grille
HS0083
Ventilator inlet grille
Always keep the front ventilator inlet g rille free of snow, leaves, or oth-
er ob struc tions to ensure effic ient heating and d ef rosting . Sinc e the
c ond enser is loc ated in front of the rad iator, this area should b e kep t
c 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.

4-12
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 r ad 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
d ealer for servic e. Rep airs need ed as a result of using the wrong re-
frig erant are not c overed und er warranty.
Air filtration system (if equipped)
If your vehic le ’s air c ond itioning system is eq uip p ed with a op tion al air
filtration system, rep lac e the filter element ac c or d ing to the rep lac ement
sc hed ule shown b elow. This sc hed ule should b e follo wed to maintain the
filter ’s d ust c ollec tion ab ility. Und er extremely d usty c o nd itions, the filter
should b e rep lac ed more freq uently. Sinc e the filte r element is a visc ous
typ e, it is unnec essary to c lean or wash the elemen t. It is rec ommend ed
that you have your filter c hec ked or rep lac ed b y yo ur SUBARU d ealer.
For rep lac ement, use only a g enuine SUBARU air filt er kit.

Climate control4-13
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CONTINUED –
Replacement schedule:
Every 12 months or 7,500 miles (12,000 km) whichever comes first
NOTE The filter can influence the air conditioning, heating and defroster performance.
Replacement procedure
HS4007BB
HS0254
Old filter
1. Remove the filter c over from the c ooling unit b y
removing the two
(2) c lip s with a b lad e sc rewd river and unhooking th e hing e. The
sc rewd river must b e inserted into the top of the c l ip . Do not p ry the
mid d le on the c lip .
2. Remove the old filters.

4-14
HS4004BB
3. Insert the front filter assemb ly in the c ooling unit, then install the
rear filter assemb ly. NOTE Hold the filter tabs to facilitate installation.
The passenger compartment side of each filter is marked with
arrows (indicating “UP” and the direction of air flow). Ensure the
arrows point in the correct directions. Ensure each filter assembly ’s tongues and grooves fit the cor-
responding cooling unit and matching filter tongues and grooves.
HS4005BB
4. Reinstall the c over and sec ure it using the c lip s .
NOTE
Ensure no air leaks from the cooling unit through the cover.

Climate control4-15
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CONTINUED –
HS4006BB
5. Fill in the maintenanc e lab el with the rep lac emen t d ate and mile-
ag e.
6. Install it on the left hand sid e of the instrumen t p anel as shown.
The filter must be replaced every 7,500 mile (12,000 km) or 1
year. The filter may need to be replaced more frequently in dusty
areas.
7. Install the c aution lab el on the left hand sid e o f the instrument p an-
el next to the maintenanc e lab el as shown ab ove.