2003 SUBARU BAJA transmission fluid

Instruments and controls3-13
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CONTINUED –
If the light comes on while driving or does not go out after the engine
starts, stop the engine at the first safe opportunity and check the engine
oil level. If the oil level is low, add oil immediately. If the engine oil is at
the proper level but the light remains on, contact your nearest SUBARU
dealer immediately. 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
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; how-
ever, the conventional brake system continues to operate normal-
ly. 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).
(U.S.) (Canada)

Starting and operating7-9
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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.

7-14
ing corners, or driving up steep hills, downshift to a lower gear before
the engine starts to labor.
On steep downgrades, downshift the transmission to 4th, 3rd or 2nd
gear as necessary; this helps to maintain a safe speed and to extendbrake pad life.
In this way, the engine provides a braking effect. Remember, if you
“ride” (over use) the brakes while descending a hill, they may over-
heat and not work properly.
The engine may, on rare occasions, knock when the vehicle rapidly
accelerates or rapidly pulls away from a standstill. This phenomenondoes not indicate a fault.
Automatic 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 electronically controlled with 4-forward

Starting and operating7-15
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CONTINUED –
speeds and 1-reverse speed. 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 the on-board com-puter has collected and stored in memory to allow the transmissionto shift at the most appropriate times for the current condition ofyour vehicle. Optimized shifting will be restored as the vehicle con-tinues to be driven for a while. Selector lever
HB7010AA
HB7036BB
The selector lever has seven positions.

Starting and operating7-17
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CONTINUED –
During coasting, the engine braking does not act. D (Drive)
This position is for normal driving.
The transmission automatically shifts into a suitable gear from 1st to
4th according to the vehicle speed and the acceleration you require.
When more acceleration is required in this position, press the acceler- ator pedal fully to the floor and hold that position. The transmission
will automatically downshift to 3rd, 2nd or 1st gear. When you release
the pedal, the transmission will return to the original gear position. n While climbing a grade
When driving up a hill, undesired upshift to 4th gear is prevented from
taking place when the accelerator is released. This minimizes the
chance of subsequent downshifting to a lower gear when accelerat-
ing again. This prevents repeated upshifting and downshifting result-ing in a smoother operation of the vehicle. 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 descending a steep hill, depressing the brake pedal will cause
the transmission to downshift to 3rd gear, thus applying engine brak-
ing. Reacceleration for a short time will cause 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 engine

Driving tips8-9
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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

Driving tips8-35
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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.

11
Maintenance and service
Maintenance schedule11-3
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Maintenance precautions 11-3
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Engine hood 11-5
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Engine compartment overview 11-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine oil 11-8
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Cooling system 11-13
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Engine coolant 11-14
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Air cleaner element 11-17
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Spark plugs 11-19
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Drive belts 11-20
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Manual transmission oil 11-21
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Automatic transmission fluid 11-22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front differential gear oil (AT vehicles) 11-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear differential gear oil 11-25
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Power steering fluid 11-27
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Brake fluid 11-28
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Clutch fluid (MT vehicles) 11-30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brake booster 11-31
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Brake pedal 11-32
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Clutch pedal (Manual transmission vehicles) 11-33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Replacement of brake pad and lining 11-34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parking brake stroke 11-35
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Tires and wheels 11-36
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Types of tires 11-36
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Tire inspection 11-37
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Tire pressures and wear 11-37
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Wheel balance 11-40
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Wear indicators 11-41
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Tire rotation 11-42
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Tire replacement 11-42
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Wheel replacement 11-43
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Aluminum wheels 11-44
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Windshield washer fluid 11-44
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Replacement of windshield wiper blades 11-45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Battery 11-48
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