2001 SUBARU FORESTER Owners Manual

11-16
Changing the coolant
WARNING
Never attempt to remove the radiator cap until the engine has
been shut off and has cooled down completely. Since the coolantis under pressure, you may suffer serious burns from a spray ofboiling hot coolant when the cap is removed.
Chang e the eng ine c oolant in the following p roc ed ur es ac c ord ing to
the maintenanc e sc hed ule in the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Book-
let ”.
1. Remove the und er c over.
2. Plac e a p rop er c ontainer und er the d rain p lug and loosen the d rain
p lug .
HSA002BB
HSA001BB
3. Loosen the rad iator c ap to d rain the c oolant from the rad iator. Then
d rain the c oolant from the reserve tank. Tig hten th e d rain p lug sec ure-
ly.
4. Install the und er c over.

Maintenance and service11-17
–
CONTINUED –
HS0178
HSA003BB
“FULL”
level mark
“ LOW ”
level mark
5. Slowly p our the c oolant and fill to the rad iator filler nec k and to the
reserve tank ’s “FULL ” level mark. Do not p our the c oolant too q uic kly,
as this may lead to insuffic ient air b leed ing and t rap p ed air in the sys-
tem.
Coolant c ap ac ity 6.6 US q t (6.2 liters, 5.5 Imp q t)
HG0115
Rubber gaskets
6. Put the rad iator c ap b ac k on and tig hten firmly. At this time, make
sure that the rub b er g askets in the rad iator c ap ar e c orrec tly in p lac e.
7. Start and run the eng ine for more than five minut es at 2,000 to
3,000 rp m.
8. Stop the eng ine and wait until the c oolant c ools d own (122 to
140 °F [ 50 to 60 °C] ). If there is any loss of c oolant, ad d c oolant t o the

11-18rad iator
’s filler nec k and to the reserve tank ’s “Full ” level.
9. Put the rad iator c ap and reservoir c ap b ac k on an d tig hten firmly.
Air cleaner element
WARNING
Do not operate the engine with the air cleaner element removed. The air cleaner element not only filters intake air but also stops
flames if the engine backfires. If the air cleaner element is not
installed when the engine backfires, you could be burned.
The air c leaner element func tions as a filter sc ree n. When the element is
p erforated or removed , eng ine wear will b e exc essiv e and eng ine life
shortened .
The air c leaner element is a visc ous typ e. It is un nec essary to c lean or
wash the element.
Replacing the air cleaner element
Rep lac e the air c leaner element ac c ord ing to the ma intenanc e sc hed -
ule in the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Booklet ”. Und er extremely
d usty c ond itions, rep lac e it more freq uently. It is rec ommend ed that
you always use g enuine SUBARU p arts.
HBA003BB
HBA002BB
1. Remove the b olt sec uring the rear air c leaner ele ment c ase.

Maintenance and service11-19
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CONTINUED –
2. Unsnap the three c lamp s hold ing the rear air c lea
ner element
c ase.
3. Sep arate the rear air c leaner element c ase from t he front air c lean-
er element c ase and remove the air c leaner element.
4. Clean the insid e of the front and rear air c leane r element c ases
with a d amp c loth and install a new air c leaner ele ment.
5. Insert the four p rojec tions on the rear air c lean er element c ase into
the slits on the front air c leaner element c ase and snap the three
c lamp s on the rear air c leaner element c ase and the n tig hten the b olt.
Spark plugs
CAUTION
When disconnecting the spark plug cables, always grasp the
spark plug cap, not the cables. Make sure the cables are replaced in the correct order.
HBA004BA
It may b e d iffic ult to rep lac e the sp ark p lug s. It is rec ommend ed that you
have the sp ark p lug s rep lac ed b y your SUBARU d ealer .
The sp ark p lug s should b e rep lac ed ac c ord ing to the maintenanc e
sc hed ule in the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Booklet ”.

11-20
Recommended spark plugs
RC10YC4 (Champ ion)
RC8YC4 (Champ ion)
BKR6E-11 (NGK)
K20PR-U11 (NIPPONDENSO)
Drive belts
The alternator, p ower steering p ump , and air c ond it ioner c omp ressor d e-
p end on d rive b elts. Satisfac tory p erformanc e req ui res that b elt tension
b e c orrec t.
HGA005BB
in. (mm)
Deflec tion
New b eltUsed b elt
10.28 — 0.35
(7.0 — 9.0)0.35 — 0.43
(9.0 — 11.0)
20.30 — 0.33
(7.5 — 8.5)0.35 — 0.40
(9.0 — 10.0)
To c hec k b elt tension, p lac e a straig hted g e (ruler) ac ross two ad jac ent
p ulleys and ap p ly a forc e of 98 N (22 lb , 10 kg ) mi d way b etween the

Maintenance and service11-21
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CONTINUED –
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
HSA002CB
Upper level Lower level
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

11-22SAE viscosity No. and Applicable Temperature
OM-H0205
Automatic transmission fluid
Checking the fluid level
The automatic transmission fluid exp and s larg ely as its temp erature
rises; the fluid level d iffers ac c ord ing to fluid t emp erature. Therefore,
there are two d ifferent sc ales for c hec king the lev el of hot fluid and
c old fluid on the d ip stic k.
Thoug h the fluid level c an b e c hec ked without warmi ng up the fluid
on the “COLD ” rang e, we rec ommend c hec king the fluid level when
the fluid is at op erating temp erature. n Checking the fluid level when the fluid is hot
Chec k the fluid level monthly.
1. Drive the vehic le several miles to raise the temp erature of the
transmission fluid up to normal op erating temp eratu re; 140 to 176°F
(60 to 80 °C) is normal.
2. Park the vehic le on a level surfac e and set the p arking b rake.
3. First shift the selec tor lever in eac h p osition. Then shift it in the “P ”
p osition, and run the eng ine at id ling sp eed .

Maintenance and service11-23
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CONTINUED –
HBA008BB
HSA002DB
4. Pull out the d ip stic k and c hec k the fluid level o n the g aug e. If it is
b elow the lower level on the “HOT ” rang e, ad d the rec ommend ed au-
tomatic transmission fluid up to the up p er level. n Checking the fluid level when the fluid is cold
When the fluid level has to b e c hec ked without time to warm up the
automatic transmission, c hec k to see that the fluid level is b etween
the lower level and up p er level on the “COLD ” rang e. If it is b elow that
rang e, ad d fluid up to the up p er level. Be c areful not to overfill.
Recommended fluid
“ Dexron II ” or “Dexron III ” Type Automatic Transmission Fluid