2003 SUBARU FORESTER Owners Manual

7-1
7
Starting and operating
Fuel ............................................................... 7-2 Fuel requirements ........................................... 7-2
Fuel filler lid and cap ...................................... 7-4
State emission testing (U.S. only) .............. 7-6
Preparing to drive ........................................ 7-8
Starting the engine ...................................... 7-9 Manual transmission vehicle ......................... 7-9
Automatic transmission vehicle .................... 7-9
Starting the engine during cold weather below –4°F (–20 °C) .................................................... 7-10
Starting a flooded engine ............................... 7-10
Stopping the engine .................................... 7-11
Manual transmission ................................... 7-11 Shifting speeds ............................................... 7-12
Driving tips ...................................................... 7-13
Automatic transmission .............................. 7-14 Selector lever for automatic transmission ... 7-15
Shift lock release ............................................ 7-18
Rear viscous limited slip differential (LSD)
(if equipped) ................................................. 7-20
Power steering ............................................. 7-20
Braking ......................................................... 7-21 Braking tips ..................................................... 7-21
Brake system ................................................... 7-21
Disc brake pad wear warning indicators ...... 7-22
ABS (Anti-lock Brake System) ................... 7-22 ABS system self-check .................................. 7-23
ABS warning light ........................................... 7-23 Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD)
system (if equipped) .................................... 7-25
Steps to take if EBD system fails .................. 7-25
Parking your vehicle .................................... 7-27 Parking brake .................................................. 7-27
Parking tips ..................................................... 7-27
Hill holder (for manual transmission — if equipped) .................................................. 7-29
Cruise control (if equipped) ........................ 7-31 To set cruise control ...................................... 7-31
To temporarily cancel the cruise control ..... 7-32
To turn off the cruise control ......................... 7-32
To change the cruising speed ....................... 7-32
Self-leveling rear suspension (if equipped) 7-34

7-2
Starting and operating
Starting and operating
Fuel
Use of a fuel which is low in quality or use of an
inappropriate fuel additive may cause engine
damage.
Fuel requirements
The 2.5 Liter engine is designed to operate using un-
leaded gasoline with an octane rating of 87 AKI or
higher. Fuel octane rating
This octane rating is the average of the Research Oc-
tane and Motor Octane numbers and is commonly re-
ferred to as the Anti Knock Index (AKI).
Using a gasoline with a lower octane rating can cause
persistent and heavy knocking, which can damage the
engine. Do not be concerned if your vehicle some-
times knocks lightly when you drive up a hill or when
you accelerate. See your dealer or a qualified service
technician if you use a fuel with the specified octane
rating and your vehicle knocks heavily or persistently.
Unleaded gasoline
The neck of the fuel filler pipe is designed to accept
only an unleaded gasoline filler nozzle. Under no cir-
cumstances should leaded gasoline be used because
it will damage the emission control system and may
impair driveability and fuel economy. Gasoline for California-certified LEV
Your vehicle was certified to California’s low emission
vehicle (LEV) standards as indicated on the under-
hood tune-up label. It is designed to optimize engine
and emission performance with gasoline that meets
the clean burning low-sulfur California gasoline speci-
fications. If you live in any other state than California,
your vehicle will operate on gasoline meeting Federal
specifications. Gasoline sold outside California is per-
mitted to have higher sulfur levels, which may affect
the performance of your vehic le’s catalytic converter
and may produce a sulfur exhaust odor or smell.
SUBARU recommends that you try a different brand of
unleaded gasoline having lower sulfur to determine if
the problem is fuel related before returning your vehi-
cle to an authorized dealer for service. Gasoline for cleaner air
Your use of gasoline with detergent additives will help
prevent deposits from forming in your engine and fuel
system. This helps keep your engine in tune and your

7-3
Starting and operating
–CONTINUED –
emission control system working properly, and is a
way of doing your part for cleaner air. If you continu-
ously use a high quality fuel with the proper detergent
and other additives, you should never need to add any
fuel system cleaning agents to your fuel tank.
Many gasolines are now blended with materials called
oxygenates. Use of these fuels can also help keep the
air cleaner. Oxygenated blend fuels, such as MTBE
(Methyl Tertiary Butyl ether) or ethanol (ethyl or grain
alcohol) may be used in your vehicle, but should con-
tain no more than 15% MTBE or 10% ethanol for the
proper operation of your SUBARU.
In addition, some gasoline suppliers are now produc-
ing reformulated gasolines, which are designed to re-
duce vehicle emissions. SUBARU approves the use of
reformulated gasoline.
If you are not sure what the fuel contains, you should
ask your service station operators if their gasolines
contain detergents and oxygenates and if they have
been reformulated to reduce vehicle emissions.
As additional guidance, only use fuels suited for your
vehicle as explained below. Fuel should be unleaded and have an octane rating
no lower than that specified in this manual. Methanol (methyl or wood alcohol) is sometimes mixed with unleaded gasoline. Methanol can be used
in your vehicle
ONLYif it does not exceed 5% of the
fuel mixture ANDif it is accompanied by sufficient
quantities of the proper cosolvents and corrosion in-
hibitors required to prevent damage to the fuel system.
Do not use fuel containing methanol EXCEPTunder
these conditions. If undesirable driveability problems are experienced
and you suspect they may be fuel related, try a differ-
ent brand of gasoline before seeking service at your
SUBARU dealer. Fuel system damage or driveability problems which
result from the use of improper fuel are not covered
under the SUBARU Limited Warranty.
Do not let fuel spill on the exterior surfaces of
the vehicle. Fuels containing alcohol may
cause paint damage, which is not covered un-
der the SUBARU Limited Warranty.

7-4
Starting and operating

Fuel filler lid and cap
Refueling
0
1. To open the fuel filler lid, pull the lid release lever
up.
HS7005BA
HS7006BA

7-5
Starting and operating
–CONTINUED –
1) Open
2) Close
2. Remove the fuel filler cap by turning it slowly coun-
terclockwise.
Gasoline vapor is highly flammable. Before
refueling, always first stop the engine and make
sure that there are no lighted cigarettes, 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 especially in hot
weather, which may cause injury.
3. Stop filling the tank after the fuel filler pump auto-
matically stops. Do not add any more fuel.
4. Put the cap back on, turn it clockwise until you hear
a clicking noise. Be certain not to catch the tether un-
der the cap while tightening.
5. Close the fuel filler lid completely.
If you spill any fuel on the painted surface, rinse it off
immediately. Otherwise, the painted surface could be
damaged.
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 may come on. Refer to the
“Warning and indicator lights” section located in
chapter 3.
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.
1 2
HS7007BB

7-6
Starting and operating

Do not let fuel spill on the exterior surfaces of
the vehicle. Fuels may cause paint damage,
which is not covered under the SUBARU Limit-
ed 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 fuel tank and emis-
sion control system might be damaged.
State emission testing (U.S. only)
At state inspection time, remember to tell your in-
spection or service station in advance not to place
your Subaru AWD vehicle on a two-wheel dyna-
mometer. Otherwise, serious transmission dam-
age will result.
Some states have started using dynamometers in
their state inspection programs in order to meet their
obligation under federal law to implement stricter vehi-
cle emission standards to reduce air pollution from
cars. A dynamometer is a treadmill or roller-like testing
device that allows your car’s wheels to turn while the
car remains in one place. Depending on the severity of
a state’s air pollution problems, the states must adopt
either a “basic” or “enhanced” vehicle emission in-
spection test. Normally, a portion of the basic emission
test consists of an emission inspector inserting an an-
alyzer probe into the exhaust pipe of an idling vehicle
for a short period of time. States with more severe air
pollution problems are required to adopt an enhanced
vehicle emission test. This test simulates actual driv-
ing conditions on a dynamometer and permits more
accurate measurement of tailpipe emitted pollution
than the basic emission test.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and

7-7
Starting and operating
–CONTINUED –
states using two-wheel dynamometers in their emis-
sion testing programs have EXEMPTEDSubaru AWD
vehicles from the portion of the testing program that in-
volves a two-wheel dynamometer.
There are some states that use four-wheel dynamom-
eters in their testing programs. When properly used,
that equipment will not damage an AWD Subaru vehi- cle.
Under no circumstances should the rear wheels be
jacked off the ground, nor should the driveshaft be dis-
connected for state emission testing.
Testing of an All-Wheel Drive vehicle must
NEVERbeperformedonasingletwo-wheeldy-
namometer. Attempting to do so will result in
uncontrolled vehicle movement and may cause
an accident or injuries to persons nearby.
Resultant vehicle damage due to improper test-
ing is not covered under the SUBARU Limited
Warranty and is the responsibility of the state inspection program or its contractors or licens-
ees.
The EPA has issued regulations for inspecting the On-
Board Diagnostic (OBD) system as part of the state
emissions inspection. The OBD system is designed to
detect engine and transmission problems that might
cause vehicle emissions to exceed allowable limits.
These inspections apply to all 1996 model year and
newer passenger cars and light trucks. Several states
plus the District of Columbia have opted to start the
OBD system inspection prior to the required EPA reg-
ulation effective date of January 1, 2002. Other states
will add OBD system inspection in 2002. The inspection of the OBD system consists of a vi-
sual operational check of the “CHECK ENGINE”
warning light/malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) and an
examination of the OBD system with an electronic
scan tool while the engine is running A vehicle passes
the OBD system inspection if
proper the “CHECK ENGINE” warning light/MIL illu-
mination is observed, there is nostored diagnostic
trouble codes, and the OBD system readiness moni-
tors are complete. A vehicle fails
the OBD inspection if the “CHECK
ENGINE” warning light/MIL is not properly operating