2002 SUBARU OUTBACK ECU

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Roof rail and crossbar (if equipped)
CAUTION
For cargo carrying purposes, the roof rail must be used to-
gether with a roof crossbar kit and the appropriate carrying at- tachment. The roof rail must never be used alone to carry cargo.Otherwise, damage to the roof or paint or a dangerous road haz-ard due to loss of cargo could result. When using the roof crossbar kit, make sure that the total
weight of the crossbars, carrying attachment and cargo does not
exceed the maximum load limit. Overloading may cause damageto the vehicle and create a safety hazard.
HB8016BB
The roof rail is not designed to carry cargo by itself. Cargo can be car-
ried after securing the roof crossbar kit to the roof rail and installing the
appropriate carrying attachment. When installing the roof crossbar kit,
follow the manufacturer ’s instructions.
Roof slats are not designed to carry or hold cargo, but are designed as
the protector to prevent the roof from being damaged by cargo while it is
being loaded and unloaded on the roof crossbar or on any carryingattachment.
When you carry cargo on the roof using the roof crossbar kit and a carry-
ing attachment, never exceed the maximum load limit explained below.
You should also be careful that your vehicle does not exceed the Gross

Driving tips8-21
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Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and front and rear Gross Axle Weight Rat-
ing (GAWR). See the “Loading your vehicle ” section in this chapter for
information on loading cargo into or onto your vehicle. The maximum
load limit of the cargo, crossbars and carrying attachment must not ex-
ceed 100 lb. (45 kg). Place the heaviest load at the bottom, nearest the
roof, and evenly distribute the cargo. Always properly secure all cargo.
Installing carrying attachments on the crossbars
When installing any carrying attachment such as a bike carrier, ski
carrier, kayak carrier, cargo basket, etc. on the crossbars, follow the
manufacturer’ s instructions and make sure that the attachment is se-
curely fixed to the crossbars. Use only attachments designed specifi-
cally for the crossbars. A set of the crossbars is designed to carry
loads (cargo and attachment) of not more than 100 lb. (45 kg). Before
operating the vehicle, make sure that the cargo is properly securedon the attachment. NOTE Remember that the vehicle ’s center of gravity is altered with the
weight of the load on the roof, thus affecting the driving charac- teristics.
Drive carefully. Avoid rapid starts, hard cornering and abruptstops. Crosswind effects will be increased. Removal and installation of the crossbars CAUTION
Do not carry cargo on the roof when the crossbars are removed. Luggage on the roof will be thrown forward or backward in sud-den stops or rapid accelerations, resulting in a dangerous roadhazard.
The crossbars can be removed when you do not use the roof to carrycargo.

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NOTE It may be necessary to squeeze the lower clamp and the end sup- port together to compress the pads and gain a better alignment
of the pieces while trying to start the screw. Use care not tocrossthread the screw in the insert.
5. Adjust the alignment of the crossbar on the roof rails, and if avail-
able, use a T-30 torx bit and torque wrench and tighten the T-30
torx head screws to 30 to 35 inch lbs. (3.4 to 4.0 N-m, 0.35 to 0.41
kg-m) of torque (or tighten securely with the torx wrench provided).
Rear crossbar:
HB1012BC
Install the rear crossbar in the same manner as the front crossbar. NOTE The rear crossbar should be positioned 6 inches (152 mm) for- ward of the rear seam (joint) between the rear roof rail supportand the roof rail.
NOTE
Before each use of the roof crossbar, make sure the four T-30 cross- bar clamp screws have been checked, and retightened if necessaryto 35 inch lbs. (4.0 N-m, 0.41 kg-m), as outlined in Step #5 above.

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Connecting a trailer
1. Remove the receiver cover from the hitch receiver tube. Then in-
sert the ball mount into the hitch receiver tube.
2. Insert the hitch pin into the hole on the hitch receiver tube so that
the pin passes through the ball mount.
HB8018BA
3. Insert the safety pin into the hitch pin securely.
HB8019BA

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4. Pull the ball mount to make sure it does not come off the hitch re-
ceiver.
HB8020AA
5. Use only a hitch ball that is appropriate for the ball mount and your
trailer. The hitch ball must be securely installed on the ball mount.
6. Connect your trailer to the hitch ball.
7. Connect the trailer and the hitch with safety chains that will holdthe trailer’s maximum gross weight. The chains should cross under
the trailer tongue to prevent the tongue from dropping onto the
ground in case it should disconnect from the hitch ball. Allow suffi-
cient slack in the chains taking tight –turn situations into account; how-
ever, be careful not to let them drag on the ground.
HB8022BB
HB8020BB

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HBF019BB
Gross Axle Weight
OM-H2784
To check both GVWR and GAWR and to confirm that the total weight
and weight distribution are within safe driving limits, you should have
your vehicle and trailer weighed at a commercial weighing station.
Be sure that all cargo is firmly secured to prevent a change in weight
distribution while driving. nTongue load
WARNING
If the trailer is loaded with more weight in the back of trailer ’s
axle than in the front, the load is taken off the rear axle of the tow- ing vehicle. This may cause the rear wheels to skid, especiallyduring braking or when vehicle speed is reduced during corner-
ing, resulting in over-steer, spin out and/or jackknifing.
Ensure that the trailer tongue load is from 8 to 11 percent of the total
trailer weight and does not exceed the maximum value of 200 lbs (90kg).
The tongue load can be weighed with a bathroom scale as shown in
the illustration below. When weighing the tongue load, be sure to posi-
tion the towing coupler at the height at which it would be during
actual towing, using a jack as shown.

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OM-H2786
Tongue load
OM-H2785
The tongue load can be adjusted by proper distribution of the load in
the trailer. Never load the trailer with more weight in the back than in
the front; approximately 60 percent of the trailer load should be in the
front and approximately 40 percent in the rear. Also, distribute theload as evenly as possible on both the left and right sides.
Be sure that all cargo is firmly secured to prevent a change in weight
distribution while driving.
OM-H2787

8-36
Connection of trailer lights to your vehicle’s electrical system requires
modifications to the vehicle ’s lighting circuit to increase its capacity
and accommodate wiring changes. To ensure the trailer lights are
connected properly, please consult your SUBARU dealer. Check for
proper operation of the turn signals, the brake lights and parkinglights each time you hitch up. n Tires
WARNING
Never tow a trailer when the temporary spare tire is used. The temporary spare tire is not designed to sustain the towing load.
Use of the temporary spare tire when towing can result in failureof the spare tire and/or less stability of the vehicle.
Make sure that all the tires on your vehicle are properly inflated. OUTBACK: The recommended cold tire pressure under trailer
towing conditions is indicated on the tire placard located under thedoor striker on the driver ’s side. Adjust the rear tire pressure to the
recommended pressure shown on the tire placard when the tires
are cold. Normal pressure should be maintained in the front tires.Other models: It is recommended to inflate the rear tires to 3 psi
(20 kPa, 0.2 kg/cm 2
) above their normal operating pressure when
the tires are cold. Normal pressure should be maintained in the
front tires.
Trailer tire condition, size, load rating and proper inflation pressure
should be in accordance with the trailer manufacturer ’s specifications.
In the event your vehicle gets a flat tire when towing a trailer, ask a
commercial road service to repair the flat tire.
If you carry a regular size spare tire in your vehicle or trailer as a pre-
caution against getting a flat tire, be sure that the spare tire is firmly
secured.