2003 SUBARU IMPREZA Owners Manual

Maintenance and service
11-6
2. Release the secondary hood release located
under the front grille by moving the lever toward theleft.Lift up the hood, release the hood prop from its
retainer and put the end of the hood prop into theslot in the hood.
To close the hood: All models except WRX:
1. Lift the hood slightly and remove the hood prop
from the slot in the hood and return the prop to its
retainer.
2. Lower the hood until it approaches about 6 in.
(15 cm) from the closed position and let it drop.

Maintenance and service
11-7
– CONTINUED –
WRX:
1. Lift the hood slightly and remove the hood prop
from the slot in the hood and return the prop to its
retainer.
2. Lower the hood until it approaches about 12 in.
(30 cm) from the closed position and let it drop.
After closing the hood, be sure the hood is securelylocked.
If this does not close the hood, release it from a
slightly higher position. Do not push the hood forci-
bly to close it. It could deform the metal.
WARNING
Always check that the hood is properly locked before you start driving. If it is not, it might fly open while the vehicle is moving and block
your view, which may cause an accident and
serious bodily injury.

Maintenance and service
11-8
Engine compartment overview 2.5 liter model
1) Manual transmission oil level gauge
(MT) (page 11-25) or Differential
gear oil level gauge (AT) (page 11-29)
2) Air cleaner element (page 11-20)
3) Clutch fluid reservoir (page 11-35)
4) Automatic transmission fluid level gauge (page 11-27)
5) Brake fluid reservoir (page 11-34)
6) Windshield washer tank (page
11-50)
7) Fuse box (page 11-56)
8) Battery (page 11-54)
9) Engine oil filler cap (page 11-10)
10) Engine coolant reservoir (page 11-16)
11) Radiator cap (page 11-16)
12) Engine oil level gauge (page 11-10)
13) Power steering fluid reservoir (page 11-32)

Maintenance and service
11-9
– CONTINUED –
2.0 liter (Turbo) model
1) Manual transmission oil level
gauge (MT) (page 11-25) or
Differential gear oil level gauge
(AT) (page 11-29)
2) Air cleaner element (page 11-20)
3) Clutch fluid reservoir (page
11-35)
4) Automatic transmission fluid level gauge (page 11-27)
5) Brake fluid reservoir (page
11-34)
6) Windshield washer tank (page
11-50)
7) Fuse box (page 11-56)
8) Battery (page 11-54)
9) Engine oil filler cap (page 11-10)
10) Engine coolant reservoir (page
11-16)
11) Engine oil level gauge (page 11-10)
12) Radiator cap (page 11-16)
13) Power steering fluid reservoir (page 11-32)

Maintenance and service
11-10
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 it again.
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.
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 thelevel up to the upper level.
CAUTION
Use only engine oil with the recommended
grade and viscosity. Be careful not to spill engine oil when ad-
ding it. If oil touches the exhaust pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or a fire.

Maintenance and service
11-11
– CONTINUED –
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
engine oil level reading may be in a range betweenthe 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 theengine.
3. Remove the oil filler cap.
1) 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.
5. Wipe the seating surface of the drain plug with a
clean cloth and tighten it securely with a new seal-

Maintenance and service
11-12
ing washer after the oil has completely drained out.
1) Oil filter
6. Remove the oil filter with an oil filter wrench.
7. Before installing a new oil filter, apply a thin coatof 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 after the 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 engine oil through the filler neck.
Oil capacity (guideline): 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)
The oil quantity indicated above is only guideline.
The necessary quantity of oil depends on the quan- tity of oil that has been drained. The quantity of
drained oil differs slightly depending on the temper-
ature of the oil and the time the oil is left flowing out.
After refilling the engine with oil, therefore, you must
the dipstick to confirm that the level is correct.
11. Start the engine and make sure that no oil leaks
appear around the filter ’s rubber seal and drain
plug.
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.

Maintenance and service
11-13
– CONTINUED –
Recommended grade and viscosity
Oil grade: API classification SL or SJ with the words “ENERGY CONSERVING ” (if you cannot obtain
the oil with the SL or SJ grade, you may use SH or SG grade oil.) or the new API certification mark
(Starburst mark) displayed on the container.
API Service label
1) Indicates the oil quality by API designations
2) Indicates the SAE oil viscosity grade
3) Indicates that the oil has fuel saving capabilities