2002 SUBARU IMPREZA engine oil

Maintenance and service
11-9
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Engine oil Checking the oil level
Check the engine oil level at each fuel stop.
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and stop theengine.
2. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it clean, and insert itagain.
HGB001BA
3. Be sure the dipstick is correctly inserted until it
stops with the graphic symbol i on its top ap-
pearing as shown in the illustration.
HBB061BC
1) Notch
2) Upper level 3) Lower level
4) Front of vehicle
4. Pull out the dipstick again and check the oil level on it. If it is below the lower level, add oil to bring the level up to the upper level.
CAUTION
Use only engine oil with the recommended
grade and viscosity.
If you check the oil level just after stopping the en-
gine, wait a few minutes for the oil to drain back into
the oil pan before checking the level.
Just after driving or while the engine is warm, the

Maintenance and service
11-10
engine oil level reading may be in a range between the upper level and the notch mark. This is caused
by thermal expansion of the engine oil.
To prevent overfilling the engine oil, do not add any
additional oil above the upper level when the engineis cold. Changing the oil and oil filter
Change the oil and oil filter according to the mainte-
nance schedule in the “Warranty and Maintenance
Booklet”.
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed more
frequently than listed in the maintenance schedule
when driving on dusty roads, when short trips are
frequently made, or when driving in extremely cold
whether.
1. Warm up the engine by letting the engine idle for
about 10 minutes to ease draining the engine oil.
2. Park the vehicle on a level surface and stop the engine.
3. Remove the oil filler cap.
OM-H2283
1) Sealing washer
2) Drain plug
4. Drain out the engine oil by removing the drain
plug while the engine is still warm. The used oil
should be drained into an appropriate container and
disposed of properly.
WARNING
Be careful not to burn yourself with hot en- gine oil.

Maintenance and service
11-11
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5. Wipe the seating surface of the drain plug with a
clean cloth and tighten it securely with a new seal-ing washer after the oil has completely drained out.
HS0176
1) Oil filter
6. Remove the oil filter with an oil filter wrench.
7. Before installing a new oil filter, apply a thin coat of engine oil to the seal.
8. Clean the rubber seal seating area of the lower
crank case and install the oil filter by hand turning.
Be careful not to twist or damage the seal.
9. Tighten it approximately two-thirds of a turn afterthe seal makes contact with the lower crank case.
CAUTION
Never over tighten the oil filter because that can result in an oil leak.
10. Pour the specified amount of engine oil throughthe filler neck.
Oil capacity: Non-turbo models: 4.2 US qt (4.0 liters, 3.5 Imp qt)
Turbo models: 4.8 US qt (4.5 liters, 4.0 Imp qt)
11. Start the engine and make sure that no oil leaks
appear around the filter ’s rubber seal.
12. Run the engine until it reaches the normal oper-
ating temperature. Then stop the engine and wait a
few minutes to allow the oil drain back. Check the oil
level again and if necessary, add more engine oil. Recommended grade and viscosity
CAUTION
Use only engine oil with the recommended
grade and viscosity.

Maintenance and service
11-12
Oil grade:API classification SJ or SH with the words “ENERGY CONSERVING II ” (if you cannot obtain
the oil with SJ or SH grade, you may use SG grade oil.) or the new API certification mark (Starburst mark)
displayed on the container.
HGB018BB
API Service label
1) Indicates the oil quality by API designa- tions
2) Indicates the SAE oil viscosity grade
3) Indicates that the oil has fuel saving capabilities
HGB019AA
New API Certification Mark (Starburst Mark)
In choosing an oil, you want the proper quality and
viscosity, as well as one that will add to fuel econo-
my. The following table lists the recommended vis-
cosities and applicable temperatures.
When adding oil, different brands may be used to-
gether as long as they are the same API classifica-
tion and SAE viscosity as those recommended by SUBARU.
Engine oil viscosity (thickness) affects fuel economy.
Oils of lower viscosity provide better fuel economy.
However, in hot weather, oil of higher viscosity is re-
quired to properly lubricate the engine.

Maintenance and service
11-13
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HGB032BB
SAE viscosity number and applicable temperature
1) 5W-30, SAE 5W-30 preferred
2) 10W-30, 10W-40
Recommended grade and viscosity under severe driving conditions
If the vehicle is used in desert areas, in areas with
very high temperatures, or used for heavy-duty ap-
plications such as a towing a trailer, use of oil with
the following grade and viscosities is recom-mended.
API classification SJ or SH: SAE viscosity No.: 30, 40, 10W-50, 20W-40,
20W-50
Cooling system
WARNING
Never attempt to remove the radiator cap until the engine has been shut off and has cooled
down completely. Since the coolant is underpressure, you may suffer serious burns from a
spray of boiling hot coolant when the cap isremoved.
CAUTION
The cooling system has been filled at the
factory with a high quality, corrosion-inhibit-
ing, year-around coolant which provides protection 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 cool-
ant. Use of improper coolants may result in
corrosion in the cooling system. It is impor- tant to maintain protection against freezing and corrosion, even if freezing temperaturesare not expected. Never mix different kinds ofcoolant.

Maintenance and service
11-17
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HGB001CB
1) “FULL” level mark
2) “LOW” level mark
WARNING
Never attempt to remove the radiator cap until the engine has been shut off and has cooled
down completely. Since the coolant is under pressure, you may suffer serious burns from a
spray of boiling hot coolant when the cap isremoved.
4. Slowly pour the coolant and fill to the radiator fill-
er neck and to the reserve tank ’s “FULL” level mark.
Do not pour the coolant too quickly, as this may lead to insufficient air bleeding and trapped air in thesystem.
Coolant capacity: Non-turbo models: MT. 7.4 US qt (7.0 liters, 6.2 Imp qt)
AT. 7.3 US qt (6.9 liters, 6.1 Imp qt)
Turbo models: MT. 8.1 US qt (7.7 liters, 6.8 Imp qt)
AT. 8.0 US qt (7.6 liters, 6.7 Imp qt)
HG0115
1) Rubber gaskets
5. Put the radiator cap back on and tighten firmly. At
this time, make sure that the rubber gasket in the ra-

Maintenance and service
11-23
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Manual transmission oil Checking the oil level
Check the oil level monthly.
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and stop theengine.
HGB001DB
Non-turbo model
1) Yellow handle
HGB001JA
Turbo model
HGB034BB
1) Upper level 2) Lower level

Maintenance and service
11-24
2. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it clean, and insert it again.
3. Pull out the dipstick again and check the oil level
on it. If it is below the lower level, add oil through thedipstick hole to bring the level up to the upper level. Recommended grade and viscosity
Each oil manufacturer has its own base oils and ad-
ditives. Never use different brands together.
Oil grade: API classification GL-5
OM-H0205
SAE viscosity No. and Applicable
Temperature Automatic transmission fluid
Checking the fluid level
The automatic transmission fluid expands largely as
its temperature rises; the fluid level differs according
to fluid temperature. Therefore, there are two differ-ent scales for checking the level of hot fluid andcold fluid on the dipstick.
Though the fluid level can be checked without
warming up the fluid on the “COLD” range, we rec-
ommend checking the fluid level when the fluid is at
operating temperature.
Checking the fluid level when the fluid is hot
Check the fluid level monthly.
1. Drive the vehicle several miles to raise the tem-
perature of the transmission fluid up to normal oper-
ating temperature; 140 to 176 °F (60 to 80 °C) is nor-
mal.
2. Park the vehicle on a level surface and set theparking brake.
3. First shift the selector lever in each position. Then shift it in the “P” position, and run the engine at id-
ling speed.