2001 SUBARU FORESTER engine coolant

Instruments and controls3-9
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CONTINUED –

Temperature gauge
CAUTION
If the pointer exceeds the normal operating range, safely stop the
vehicle as soon as possible.
See “ In case of emergency ” in this manual.
HS0052
Normal operating range
The temperature gauge shows engine coolant temperature when the
ignition switch is in the
“ON” position.
The coolant temperature will vary in accordance with the outside temper-
ature and driving conditions.
We recommend that you drive moderately until the pointer of the tempera-
ture gauge reaches near the middle of the range. Engine operation is opti-
mum with the engine coolant at this temperature range and high revving
operation when the engine is not warmed up enough should be avoided.
Warning and indicator lights
Several of the warning and indicator lights come on momentarily and
then go out when the ignition switch is initially turned to the “ON” posi-
tion. This permits checking the operation of the bulbs.
Apply the parking brake and turn the ignition switch to the “ON” position.
The following lights come on:

Starting and operating7-7
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CONTINUED –
test simulates ac tual d riving c ond itions on a d ynam
ometer and p ermits
more ac c urate measurement of tailp ip e emitted p ollu tion than the b asic
emission test.
The U.S. Environmental Protec tion Ag enc y (EPA) and states using two-
wheel d ynamometers in their emission testing p rog ra ms have
EXEMPTED Sub aru AWD vehic les from the p ortion of the testin g p ro-
g ram that involves a two-wheel d ynamometer.
There are some states that use four-wheel d ynamomet ers in their testing
p rog rams. When p rop erly used , that eq uip ment will n ot d amag e an AWD
Sub aru vehic le.
Und er no c irc umstanc es should the rear wheels b e ja c ked off the
g round , nor should the d riveshaft b e d isc onnec ted f or state emission
testing .
Preparing to drive
You should p erform the following c hec ks and ad justm ents every d ay b e-
fore you start d riving .
1. Chec k that all wind ows, mirrors, and lig hts are c lean and unob -
struc ted .
2. Chec k the ap p earanc e and c ond ition of the tires. Also c hec k tires for
p rop er inflation.
3. Look und er the vehic le for any sig n of leaks.
4. Chec k that the hood , trunk and rear g ate are full y c losed .
5. Chec k the ad justment of the seat.
6. Chec k the ad justment of the insid e and outsid e mi rrors.
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

9-10Make sure that the c ab les are not near any moving p
arts and that
the c ab le c lamp s are not in c ontac t with any other metal.
5. Start the eng ine of the vehic le with the b ooster b attery and run it at
mod erate sp eed . Then start the eng ine of the vehic l e that has the d is-
c harg ed b attery.
6. When finished , c arefully d isc onnec t the c ab les in exac tly the re-
verse ord er.
Engine overheating
WARNING
Never attempt to remove the radiator cap until the engine hasbeen shut off and has fully cooled down. When the engine is hot,the coolant is under pressure. Removing the cap while the engineis still hot could release a spray of boiling hot coolant, which
could burn you very seriously.
If the eng ine overheats, safely p ull off the road a nd stop the vehic le in a
safe p lac e.
If steam is coming from the engine compartment
Turn the eng ine off and g et everyone away from the vehic le until it
c ools d own. If no steam is coming from the engine compartment
1. Keep the eng ine running at id ling sp eed .
2. Op en the hood to ventilate the eng ine c omp artment .
Confirm that the c ooling fan is turning . If the fan is not turning , im-
med iately turn the eng ine off and c ontac t your auth orized d ealer for
rep air.
3. After the eng ine c oolant temp erature has d rop p ed , turn off the en-
g ine.
If the temp erature g aug e stays at the overheated zo ne, turn the en-
g ine off.
4. After the eng ine has fully c ooled d own, c hec k the c oolant level in

11
Maintenance and service
Maintenance schedule11-3
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Maintenance precautions 11-3
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine hood 11-6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine compartment overview 11-8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine oil 11-9
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cooling system 11-14
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine coolant 11-15
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Air cleaner element 11-18
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Spark plugs 11-19
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Drive belts 11-20
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Manual transmission oil 11-21
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic transmission fluid 11-22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front differential gear oil (Automatic transmission vehicles) 11-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear differential gear oil 11-25
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Power steering fluid 11-27
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brake fluid 11-28
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Clutch fluid 11-30
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brake booster 11-31
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Battery 11-31
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Windshield washer fluid 11-33
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Replacement of windshield wiper blades 11-34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brake pedal 11-37
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Clutch pedal (Manual transmission vehicles) 11-38 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Replacement of brake pad and lining 11-39 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parking brake stroke 11-40
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tires and wheels 11-41
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tire pressure 11-41
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Tire rotation 11-42
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Aluminum wheels (If equipped) 11-43 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fuses 11-44
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Main fuse and fusible link 11-47 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Installation of accessories 11-47 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Replacing bulbs 11-48
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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 stand 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. Wear adequate eye protection to guard against getting oil or
other fluids in your eyes. If something does get in your eyes,
thoroughly wash it out with clean water. Because the fuel system is under pressure, replacement of the
fuel filter should be performed only by your SUBARU dealer. The SRS airbag has no user-serviceable parts. Tampering with
or disconnecting the system ’s wiring could result in accidental
inflation of the airbag or could make the system inoperative,
which may result in serious injury. The wiring harnesses of theSRS airbag system are covered with yellow insulation and the
connectors of the system are yellow, for easy identification. Donot use electrical test equipment on any circuit related to the SRSairbag system. For required servicing of the SRS airbag, see your
nearest SUBARU dealer. Before checking or servicing in the engine compartment
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.

11-14Cooling system
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.
CAUTION
The cooling system has been filled at the factory with a high
quality, corrosion-inhibiting, year-around coolant which providesprotection against freezing down to –33°F ( –36 °C). For adding,
use genuine SUBARU coolant or an equivalent: a mixture of 50%
soft water and 50% ethylene-glycol basis coolant. Use of improp-er coolants may result in corrosion in the cooling system. It is im-portant to maintain protection against freezing and corrosion,
even if freezing temperatures are not expected. Never mix differ-ent kinds of coolant. Do not splash the engine coolant over painted parts. The alco-
hol contained in the engine coolant may damage the paint sur-face.
Hose and connections
Your vehic le emp loys an elec tric c ooling fan whic h is thermostatic ally
c ontrolled to op erate when the eng ine c oolant reac h es a sp ec ific tem-
p erature.
If the rad iator c ooling fan d oes not op erate even w hen the eng ine
c oolant temp erature g aug e exc eed s the normal op erat ing rang e, the
c ooling fan c irc uit may b e d efec tive. Chec k the fus e and rep lac e it if
nec essary. If the fuse is not b lown, have the c ooli ng system c hec ked
b y your SUBARU d ealer.
If freq uent ad d ition of c oolant is nec essary, there may b e a leak in the
eng ine c ooling system. It is rec ommend ed that the c ooling system
and c onnec tions b e c hec ked for leaks, d amag e, or lo oseness.

Maintenance and service11-15
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CONTINUED –

Engine coolant Checking the coolant level
Chec k the c oolant level at eac h fuel stop .
HS0178
“FULL”
level mark
“LOW” level mark
1. Chec k the c oolant level on the outsid e of the res ervoir while the
eng ine is c ool.
2. If the level is c lose to or lower than the “LOW ” level mark, ad d
c oolant up to the “FULL ” level mark. If the reserve tank is emp ty, re-
move the rad iator c ap and refill as req uired .
HG0115
Rubber gaskets
3. After refilling the reserve tank and the rad iator , reinstall the c ap s
and c hec k that the rub b er g askets insid e the rad iat or c ap are in the
p rop er p osition.

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.