2001 SUBARU LEGACY Owners Manual

7-2
Fuel
CAUTION
Use of a fuel which is low in quality or use of an inappropriate fuel additive may cause engine damage.
Fuel requirements 2.5 Liter models
The 2.5 Liter eng ine is d esig ned to op erate using u nlead ed g asoline
with an oc tane rating of 87 AKI or hig her. 3.0 Liter models
The 3.0 Liter eng ine is d esig ned to op erate using p remium unlead ed
g asoline with an oc tane rating of 91 AKI or hig her. Reg ular unlead ed
g asoline with an oc tane rating of 87 AKI may b e use d if nec essary.
For op timum eng ine p erformanc e and d riveab ility, it is rec ommend ed
that you use p remium g rad e unlead ed g asoline. Fuel octane rating
This oc tane rating is the averag e of the Researc h O c tane and Motor
Oc tane numb ers and is c ommonly referred to as the A nti Knoc k Ind ex
(AKI).
Using a g asoline with a lower oc tane rating c an c au se p ersistent and
heavy knoc king , whic h c an d amag e the eng ine. Do not b e c onc erned
if your vehic le sometimes knoc ks lig htly when you d rive up a hill or
when you ac c elerate. See your d ealer or a q ualified servic e tec hni-
c ian if you use a fuel with the sp ec ified oc tane ra ting and your vehic le
knoc ks heavily or p ersistently. Unleaded gasoline
The nec k of the fuel filler p ip e is d esig ned to ac c ep t only an unlead ed
g asoline filler nozzle. Und er no c irc umstanc es shou ld lead ed g aso-
line b e used b ec ause it will d amag e the emission c o ntrol system and
may imp air d riveab ility and fuel ec onomy.

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Gasoline for California-certified LEV
Your vehic le was c ertified to California ’s low emission vehic le (LEV)
stand ard s as ind ic ated on the und erhood tune-up lab el. It is d esig ned
to op timize eng ine and emission p erformanc e with g a soline that
meets the c lean b urning low-sulfur California g asol ine sp ec ific ations.
If you live in any other state than California, you r vehic le will op erate
on g asoline meeting Fed eral sp ec ific ations. Gasolin e sold outsid e
California is p ermitted to have hig her sulfur level s, whic h may affec t
the p erformanc e of your vehic le ’s c atalytic c onverter and may p ro-
d uc e a sulfur exhaust od or or smell. SUBARU rec omme nd s that you
try a d ifferent b rand of unlead ed g asoline having l ower sulfur to d eter-
mine if the p rob lem is fuel related b efore returnin g your vehic le to an
authorized d ealer for servic e. Gasoline for cleaner air CAUTION
Do not let fuel spill on the exterior surfaces of the vehicle. Fuels containing alcohol may cause paint damage, which is not cov-
ered under the SUBARU Limited Warranty.
Your use of g asoline with d eterg ent ad d itives will help p revent d ep os-
its from forming in your eng ine and fuel system. Th is help s keep your
eng ine in tune and your emission c ontrol system wor king p rop erly,
and is a way of d oing your p art for c leaner air. If you c ontinuously use
a hig h q uality fuel with the p rop er d eterg ent and o ther ad d itives, you
should never need to ad d any fuel system c leaning a g ents to your
fuel tank.
Many g asolines are now b lend ed with materials c alle d oxyg enates.
Use of these fuels c an also help keep the air c lean er. Oxyg enated
b lend fuels, suc h as MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl et her) or ethanol
(ethyl or g rain alc ohol) may b e used in your vehic l e, b ut should c on-
tain no more than 15% MTBE or 10% ethanol for the p rop er op eration
of your SUBARU.

7-4In ad d ition, some g asoline sup p liers are now p rod uc
ing reformulated
g asolines, whic h are d esig ned to red uc e vehic le emi ssions. SUBARU
ap p roves the use of reformulated g asoline.
If you are not sure what the fuel c ontains, you sho uld ask your servic e
station op erators if their g asolines c ontain d eterg ents and oxyg enates
and if they have b een reformulated to red uc e vehic l e emissions.
As ad d itional g uid anc e, only use fuels suited for y our vehic le as ex-
p lained b elow. Fuel should b e unlead ed and have an oc tane rating n o lower than
that sp ec ified in this manual. Methanol (methyl or wood alc ohol) is sometimes mixe d with un-
lead ed g asoline. Methanol c an b e used in your vehic le ONLY if it
d oes not exc eed 5% of the fuel mixture AND if it is ac c omp anied b y
suffic ient q uantities of the p rop er c osolvents and c orrosion inhib itors
req uired to p revent d amag e to the fuel system. Do n ot use fuel c on-
taining methanol EXCEPT und er these c ond itions.
If und esirab le d riveab ility p rob lems are exp erienc e d and you sus-
p ec t they may b e fuel related , try a d ifferent b ran d of g asoline b efore
seeking servic e at your SUBARU d ealer. Fuel system d amag e or d riveab ility p rob lems whic h r esult from the
use of imp rop er fuel are not c overed und er the SUBA RU Limited War-
ranty.
Fuel filler lid and cap Refueling
WARNING
Gasoline vapor is highly flammable. Before refueling, always
first stop the engine and make sure that there are no lighted ciga- rettes, open flames or electrical sparks in the adjacent area. When opening the cap, do not remove the cap quickly. Fuel
may be under pressure and spray out of the fuel filler neck espe-
cially in hot weather, which may cause injury.

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CAUTION
Never add any cleaning agents to the fuel tank. The addition of
a cleaning agent may cause damage to the fuel system. Make sure that the cap is tightened until it clicks to prevent
fuel spillage in the event of an accident. Do not let fuel spill on the exterior surfaces of the vehicle.
Fuels may cause paint damage, which is not covered under the
SUBARU Limited Warranty. Always use a genuine SUBARU fuel filler cap. If you use the
wrong cap, it may not fit or have proper venting, and your fueltank and emission control system might be damaged.
HBF013DA
HB3000BB
Sedan
HB3007BA
HB3001BD
1. To op en the fuel filler lid , p ull the lid release lever up .

7-6
HB3008BB
2. Remove the fuel filler c ap b y turning it slowly counterc loc kwise.
3. Stop filling the tank after the fuel filler p ump automatic ally c lic ks off.
Do not ad d any more fuel.
4. Put the c ap b ac k on, turn it c loc kwise until you hear a c lic king
noise. Be c ertain not to c atc h the tether und er the c ap while tig hten-
ing .
5. Close the fuel filler lid c omp letely.
If you sp ill any fuel on the p ainted surfac e, rinse it off immed iately.
Otherwise, the p ainted surfac e c ould b e d amag ed . NOTE If the fuel filler cap is not tightened until it clicks or if the tether is caught under the cap, the CHECK ENGINE warning light maycome on. Refer to the “Warning and indicator lights ” section lo-
cated in chapter 3.
State emission testing (U.S. only)
WARNING
Testing of an All-Wheel Drive vehicle must NEVER be performed
on a single two-wheel dynamometer. Attempting to do so willresult in uncontrolled vehicle movement and may cause an acci-
dent or injuries to persons nearby.

Starting and operating7-7
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CAUTION
Resultant vehicle damage due to improper testing is not covered
under the SUBARU Limited Warranty and is the responsibility ofthe state inspection program or its contractors or licensees.
At state inspection time, remember to tell your inspection or service
station in advance not to place your Subaru AWD vehicle on a two-
wheel dynamometer. Otherwise, serious transmission damage willresult.
Some states have started using d ynamometers in thei r state insp ec tion
p rog rams in ord er to meet their ob lig ation und er fe d eral law to imp lement
stric ter vehic le emission stand ard s to red uc e air p ollution from c ars. A
d ynamometer is a tread mill or roller-like testing d evic e that allows your
c ar ’s wheels to turn while the c ar remains in one p lac e . Dep end ing on
the severity of a state ’s air p ollution p rob lems, the states must ad op t
either a “b asic ” or “enhanc ed ” vehic le emission insp ec tion test. Nor-
mally, a p ortion of the b asic emission test c onsist s of an emission
insp ec tor inserting an analyzer p rob e into the exha ust p ip e of an id ling
vehic le for a short p eriod of time. States with mor e severe air p ollution
p rob lems are req uired to ad op t an enhanc ed vehic le emission test. This
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 .

7-8
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
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.

Starting and operating7-9
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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.
6. Confirm that all warning and ind ic ator lig hts hav e g one off after the
eng ine has started . The fuel injec tion system autom atic ally lowers the
id le sp eed as the eng ine warms up .
Starting the engine for an automatic transmission ve- hicle
CAUTION
If you restart the engine while the vehicle is moving, shift the se- lector lever into the “N” position. Do not attempt to place the se-
lector lever of a moving vehicle into the “P” position.
1. Ap p ly the p arking b rake.
2. Turn off unnec essary lig hts and ac c essories.
3. Shift the selec tor lever to the “P ” or “N ” p osition (p referab ly “P ” p osi-
tion). The starter will only op erate when the selec t lever is at the “P ” or
“ N ” p osition.
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 hts ” 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 .