2001 SUBARU FORESTER transmission fluid

Instruments and controls3-13
–
CONTINUED –

AT OIL TEMPerature warning light
(for AT vehicles)
If this light comes on when the engine is running, it may indicate that the
automatic transmission fluid temperature is too hot.
If the light comes on while driving, it is unnecessary to stop the vehicle,
but avoid driving up steep grades or in stop and go traffic.
Automatic transmission control system warning
If the light flashes after the engine starts, it may indicate that the auto-
matic transmission control system is not working properly. Contact
your nearest SUBARU dealer for service immediately.
ABS warning light (for vehicles with ABS)
The ABS warning light comes on when the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position and goes out after about two seconds.
This is an indication that the ABS system is working properly.
CAUTION
If the warning light behaves as follows, the ABS system may not
work properly. When the warning light is on, the ABS function
shuts down; however, the conventional brake system continues
to operate normally.
The warning light does not come on when the ignition switch
is turned to the “ON” position.
The warning light comes on when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON” position, but it does not go out even when
the vehicle speed exceeds approximately 8 mph (12 km/h). The warning light comes on during driving.
If this occurs, have the ABS system repaired at the first available
opportunity by your SUBARU dealer.
(U.S.)
(Canada)
ABS

7-14Automatic transmission
WARNING
Do not shift from the “P” or “N” position into the “D”, “3”, “2”,
“1” or “R” position while depressing the accelerator pedal. This
may cause the vehicle to jump forward or backward.
CAUTION
Shift into the “P” or “R” position only after the vehicle is com-
pletely stopped. Shifting while the vehicle is moving may cause
damage to the transmission. Do not race the engine for more than five seconds in any posi-
tion except the “N” or “P” position when the brake is set or the
tires are on blocks. This may cause the automatic transmissionfluid to overheat. Avoid shifting from one of the forward driving positions into
the “R” position or vice versa until the vehicle has completely
stopped. Such shifting may cause damage to the transmission.
The automatic transmission is elec tronic ally c ontro lled with 4-forward
sp eed s and 1-reverse sp eed .
NOTE
Immediately after a disconnected battery is reconnected or ATF (au- tomatic transmission fluid) is replaced, you may feel that the auto-matic transmission operation is somewhat unusual.This results from erasure or invalidation of data which the on-boardcomputer has collected and stored in memory to allow the transmis-sion to shift at the most appropriate times for the current conditionof your vehicle. Optimized shifting will be restored as the vehiclecontinues to be driven for a while.

Starting and operating7-17
–
CONTINUED –
NOTE
The transmission may downshift to 2nd or 1st gear, depending on the way the accelerator pedal is pressed to accelerate the vehicleagain. n
While going down a hill
When d esc end ing a steep hill, d ep ressing the b rake p ed al will c ause
the transmission to d ownshift to 3rd g ear, thus ap p lying eng ine b rake-
ing . Reac c eleration for a short time will c ause the transmission to up -
shift normally. NOTE In some cases, depressing the brake pedal on a downhill grade
does not result in an automatic downshift to 3rd gear. This canhappen when the automatic transmission fluid temperature is
very low, for example, during driving shortly after the vehicle has
been parked for an extended period of time. When the ATF tem-perature has risen to a certain level, automatic downshift normal-ly takes place. In the meantime, downshift manually for enginebraking as required.Also, downshifting when braking downhill will not occur at
speeds above approximately 50 mph (80 km/h). 3 (Third)
This p osition is for using eng ine b raking when g oin g d own a hill or for
c limb ing a g rad e.
The transmission automatic ally shifts into a suitab le g ear from 1st to
3rd ac c ord ing to the vehic le sp eed and the ac c elera tion you req uire.
When more ac c eleration is req uired in this p osition , p ress the ac c eler-
ator p ed al fully to the floor and hold that p ositio n. The transmission
will automatic ally d ownshift to 2nd or 1st g ear. Wh en you release the
p ed al, the transmission will return to the orig inal g ear p osition.

Starting and operating8-9
–
CONTINUED –
that there is no g rass, b ush, p ap er, rag s, stones,
sand , etc . ad hering to
or trap p ed on the und erb od y. Clear off any suc h mat ter from the und er-
b od y. If the vehic le is used with these materials t rap p ed or ad hering to
the und erb od y, a mec hanic al b reakd own or fire c ould oc c ur.
Sec ure all c arg o c arried insid e the vehic le and mak e c ertain that it is
not p iled hig her than the seatb ac ks. During sud d en stop s or jolts, unse-
c ured c arg o c ould b e thrown around in the vehic le a nd c ause injury. Do
not p ile heavy load s on the roof. Those load s raise the vehic le’s c enter of
g ravity and make it more p rone to tip over. If you must roc k the vehic le to free it from sand o r mud , d ep ress the
ac c elerator p ed al slig htly and move the selec tor le ver b ac k and forth
b etween “D ” and “R ” rep eated ly. Do not rac e the eng ine. For the b est
p ossib le trac tion, avoid sp inning the wheels when t rying to free the
vehic le.
When the road surfac e is extremely slip p ery, you c a n ob tain b etter trac -
tion b y starting the vehic le with the transmission in 2nd than 1st (b oth for
MT and AT). Never eq uip your vehic le with tires larg er than tho se sp ec ified in this
manual. Freq uent d riving of an AWD vehic le und er hard -d rivi ng c ond itions suc h
as roug h road s or off road s will nec essitate more f req uent rep lac ement of
eng ine oil, b rake fluid and transmission oil than t hat sp ec ified in the main-
tenanc e sc hed ule d esc rib ed in the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Booklet ”.
Rememb er that d amag e d one to your Sub aru while op er ating it off-road
and not using c ommon sense p rec autions suc h as thos e listed ab ove is
not elig ib le for warranty c overag e.

8-32
OM-H2791
If the ABS warning lig ht illuminates while the vehi c le is in motion,
stop towing the trailer and have rep airs p erformed immed iately b y the
nearest SUBARU d ealer. n Driving on grades
Before g oing d own a steep hill, slow d own and shift into low g ear
in ord er to utilize the eng ine b raking effec t and p revent overheating of
your vehic le ’s b rakes. Do not make sud d en d ownshifts.
When d riving up hill in hot weather, the air c ond iti oner may turn off
automatic ally to p rotec t the eng ine from overheatin g .
When d riving up hill in hot weather, p ay attention t o the water tem-
p erature g aug e need le (for all vehic les) and ATF OI L TEMP warning
lig ht (for AT vehic les) sinc e the eng ine and transm ission are relatively
p rone to overheating und er these c ond itions. If the water temp erature
g aug e need le ap p roac hes the OVERHEAT zone or the AT F OIL TEMP
warning lig ht illuminates, immed iately switc h off t he air c ond itioner
and stop the vehic le at the nearest safe p lac e. Ref er to “Eng ine over-
heat ” sec tion (c hap ter 9), and “Warning and ind ic ator lig hts ” sec tion
(c hap ter 3) in the owner ’s manual.
If your vehic le has a automatic transmission, avoid using the ac c el-
erator p ed al to stay stationary on an up hill slop e instead of using the
p arking b rake or foot b rake. That may c ause the tra nsmission fluid to
overheat. Also, if your vehic le is eq uip p ed with an automatic transmis-
sion, avoid d riving with the g ear selec tor lever in “ D ” when towing a
heavy trailer to p revent fluid overheating .

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
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tire rotation 11-42
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11-8Engine compartment overview 1
Manual transmission oil level
g aug e (MT) (p ag e 11-21) or
Differential g ear oil level
g aug e (AT) (p ag e 11-24)
2 Air c leaner element
(p ag e 11-18)
3 Clutc h fluid reservoir
(p ag e 11-30)
4 Automatic transmission fluid
level g aug e (p ag e 11-22)
5 Brake fluid reservoir
(p ag e 11-28)
6 Fuel filter 7
Wind shield washer tank
(p ag e 11-33)
8 Fuse b ox (p ag e 11-44)
9 Battery (p ag e 11-31)
Q Eng ine oil filler c ap
(p ag e 11-9)
W Eng ine c oolant reservoir
(p ag e 11-15)
E Eng ine oil level g aug e
(p ag e 11-9)
R Power steering fluid reservoir
(p ag e 11-27)
T Rad iator c ap (p ag e 11-15) HGA017BB

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 .