2003 SUBARU BAJA oil

4-12
Operating tips for heater and air conditionerCleaning ventilator grille
HBF046BA
Always keep the front ventilator inlet grille free of snow, leaves, or oth-
er obstructions to ensure efficient heating and defrosting. Since the
condenser is located in front of the radiator, this area should be kept
clean because cooling performance is impaired by any accumulation
of insects and leaves on the condenser. Efficient cooling after parking in direct sunlight
After parking in direct sunlight, drive with the windows open for a few
minutes to allow outside air to circulate into the heated interior. This
results in quicker cooling by the air conditioner. Keep the windowsclosed during the operation of the air conditioner for maximum cool-
ing efficiency. Lubrication oil circulation in the refrigerant circuit
Operate the air conditioner compressor at a low engine speed (at idle
or low driving speeds) a few minutes each month during the off-sea-
son to circulate its oil. Checking air conditioning system before summer season
Check the air conditioner unit for refrigerant leaks, hose conditions,
and proper operation each spring. This check is best performed by
your SUBARU dealer.

Interior and exterior equipments6-9
–
CONTINUED –
Cigarette lighter socket
CAUTION
The electrical power socket located on the lower part of the
instrument panel is originally designed to use a SUBARU genuine
cigarette lighter plug. Do not use non-genuine cigarette lighterplugs in the socket. Doing so may cause a short-circuit and over-heating, resulting in a fire. If the socket is ever used for a plug-in accessory such as a
mobile phone, they may damage the portion of the socket ’s inter-
nal mechanism that causes a cigarette lighter plug to “pop out ”
after its lighter element is heated. Therefore, do not place a ciga-rette lighter plug in a socket that has been used, even once, to
power a plug-in accessory. Doing so may cause the plug to stickand overheat, creating a potential fire hazard. Do not place any foreign objects, especially metal ones such
as coins or aluminum foil, into the socket. That could cause ashort circuit.
HB6011BA
The electrical power socket located on the lower part of the instrument
panel can be used as cigarette lighter socket. A cigarette lighter plug is
an optional accessory. It is available from your SUBARU dealer.
The cigarette lighter socket may also be used as a power source for anin-car use electrical appliance.

Starting and operating7-9
–
CONTINUED –
9. Check the gauges, indicator and warning lights after starting the en- gine. 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 manual transmission vehicle
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and accessories.
3. Press the clutch pedal to the floor and shift the shift lever into neutral.
Hold the clutch pedal to the floor while starting the engine. The starter
motor will only operate when the clutch pedal is pressed fully to the floor.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON” position and check the operation
of the warning and indicator lights. Refer to the “Warning and indicator
light” section (Chapter 3).
5. Turn the ignition switch to the “START” position without depressing
the accelerator pedal. Release the key immediately after the engine has
started.
If the engine does not start within ten seconds, wait a while and then turn the ignition switch to the “START” position again while depressing the ac-
celerator pedal half way down.
6. Confirm that all warning and indicator lights have gone off after the
engine has started. The fuel injection system automatically lowers the
idle speed as the engine warms up.

Driving tips8-9
–
CONTINUED –
After driving through tall grass, mud, rock, sand, rivers, etc., check
that there is no grass, bush, paper, rags, stones, sand, etc. adhering to
or trapped on the underbody. Clear off any such matter from the under-
body. If the vehicle is used with these materials trapped or adhering to
the underbody, a mechanical breakdown or fire could occur. Secure all cargo carried inside the vehicle and make certain that it is
not piled higher than the seatbacks. During sudden stops or jolts, unse-
cured cargo could be thrown around in the vehicle and cause injury. Do not pile heavy loads on the roof. Those loads raise the vehicle ’s
center of gravity and make it more prone to tip over. Cargo should be evenly distributed over the cargo bed. Keep heavier
items as low and far forward as possible. Loading the vehicle improperly
can deteriorate handling capability and contribute to loss of vehicle con-
trol. Be sure the cargo is secured properly. Unsecured cargo in the cargo
bed can be thrown around when driving on off-road. To prevent loose
cargo from entering the passenger compartment, always close the
switchback door while driving off-road. Always close the tailgate while driving off-road. Also remove the bed
extender (if so equipped) to avoid damage. If you must rock the vehicle to free it from sand or mud, depress the
accelerator pedal slightly and move the selector lever back and forth be-tween “D” and “R” repeatedly. Do not race the engine. For the best pos-
sible traction, avoid spinning the wheels when trying to free the vehicle. When the road surface is extremely slippery, you can obtain better
traction by starting the vehicle with the transmission in 2nd than 1st (both
for MT and AT). Never equip your vehicle with tires larger than those specified in this
manual. Frequent driving of an AWD vehicle under hard-driving conditions such
as rough roads or off roads will necessitate more frequent replacement of
engine oil, brake fluid and transmission oil than that specified in the main-
tenance schedule described in the “Warranty and Maintenance Booklet ”.
Remember that damage done to your Subaru while operating it off-road
and not using common sense precautions such as those listed above is

8-10
not eligible for warranty coverage.
Winter driving
HB8046AA
Operation during cold weather
Carry some emergency equipment, such as tire chains, a window
scraper, a bag of sand, flares, a small shovel, and jumper cables.
Check the battery and cables. Cold temperatures reduce battery ca-
pacity. The battery must be in good condition to provide enough pow-
er for cold winter starts.
Use an engine oil of proper grade and viscosity for cold weather.
Heavy summer oil will cause harder starting.
Keep the door locks from freezing by squirting them with deicer orglycerin.
Forcing a frozen door open may damage or separate the rubber
weather strips around the door. If the door is frozen, use hot water to
melt the ice, and afterwards thoroughly wipe the water away.
Use a windshield washer fluid that contains an antifreeze solution. Do
not use engine antifreeze or other substitutes because they may dam-age the paint of the vehicle. n Before driving your vehicle
Before entering the vehicle, remove any snow or ice from your shoes

8-34
trailer, causing sway. Crosswinds can be due to weather conditions or
the passing of large trucks or buses. If swaying occurs, firmly grip the
steering wheel and slow down immediately but gradually.When passing other vehicles, considerable distance is required
because of the added weight and length caused by attaching the
trailer to your vehicle. Backing up with a trailer is difficult and takes practice. When back-
ing up with a trailer, never accelerate or steer rapidly. When turning
back, grip the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand and turn it
to the left for a left turn, and turn it to the right for a right turn.
Left turn Right turn
OM-H2791
If the ABS warning light illuminates while the vehicle is in motion,
stop towing the trailer and have repairs performed immediately by the
nearest SUBARU dealer. n Driving on grades
Before going down a steep hill, slow down and shift into lower gear
(if necessary, use 1st gear) in order to utilize the engine braking effect
and prevent overheating of your vehicle ’s brakes. Do not make sud-
den downshifts. When driving uphill in hot weather, the air conditioner may turn off
automatically to protect the engine from overheating. When driving uphill in hot weather, pay attention to the water tem-
perature gauge pointer (for all vehicles) and AT OIL TEMP warning
light (for AT vehicles) since the engine and transmission are relatively
prone to overheating under these conditions. If the water temperature

Driving tips8-35
–
CONTINUED –
gauge pointer approaches the OVERHEAT zone or the AT OIL TEMP
warning light illuminates, immediately switch off the air conditioner
and stop the vehicle at the nearest safe place. Refer to the “Engine
overheat” section in Chapter 9, and “Warning and indicator lights ”
section in Chapter 3. If your vehicle has an automatic transmission, avoid using the
accelerator pedal to stay stationary on an uphill slope instead of usingthe parking brake or foot brake. That may cause the transmission fluidto overheat. Also, if your vehicle is equipped with an automatic trans-mission, avoid driving with the gear selector lever in “D” when towing
a heavy trailer to prevent fluid overheating. A lower gear should beused. n Parking on a grade
Always block the wheels under both vehicle and trailer when parking.
Apply the parking brake firmly. You should not park on a hill or slope.But if parking on a hill or slope cannot be avoided, you should takethe following steps:
1. Apply the brakes and hold the pedal down.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks under both the vehicle and
trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release the regular brakes
slowly until the blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the regular brakes and then apply the parking brake; slowly
release the regular brakes.
5. Shift into 1st or reverse gear (manual transmission) or “P” (auto-
matic transmission) and shut off the engine.

9-14
HB9060BA
4. Insert the jack drive tube into the jackscrew and attach the wheel
nut wrench into the jack drive tube, and turn the handle until the tire
clears the ground. Do not raise the vehicle higher than necessary.
5. Remove the wheel nuts and the flat tire.
HG0104
OM-H0172
6. Before putting the spare tire on, clean the mounting surface of the wheel and hub with a cloth.
7. Put on the spare tire. Replace the wheel nuts. Tighten them byhand.
WARNING
Do not use oil or grease on the wheel studs or nuts when the
spare tire is installed. This could cause the nuts to become looseand lead to an accident.