2003 SUBARU LEGACY Owners Manual

8
Driving tips8-39
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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
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

8-40release the regular brakes.
5. Shift into 1st or reverse gear (manual transmission) or
“P” (auto-
matic transmission) and shut off the engine.

9
In case of emergency
If you park your vehicle in an emergency 9-2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Temporary spare tire 9-3
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Flat tires 9-4
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Jump starting 9-12
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Engine overheating 9-15
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Towing 9-16
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Moonroof — if the moonroof cannot be closed 9-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Maintenance tools 9-25
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Jack and jack handle 9-26
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9-2
If you park your vehicle in an emergency
HB8002BA
The hazard warning flasher should be used in day or night to warn other
drivers when you have to park your vehicle under emergency conditions.
Avoid stopping on the road. It is best to safely pull off the road if a prob-lem occurs.
The hazard warning flasher can be activated regardless of the ignition switch position.
Turn on the hazard warning by pushing the hazard warning flasher
switch. Turn it off by pushing the switch again. NOTE When the hazard warning flasher is on, the turn signals do not work.

9
In case of emergency9-3
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Temporary spare tire
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 and may leadto an accident.
CAUTION
Never use any temporary spare tire other than the original. Usingother sizes may result in severe mechanical damage to the drivetrain of your vehicle.
The temporary spare tire is smaller and lighter than a conventional tire
and is designed for emergency use only. Remove the temporary spare
tire and re-install the conventional tire as soon as possible because the
spare tire is designed only for temporary use.
Check the inflation pressure of the temporary spare tire periodically to
keep the tire ready for use. The correct pressure is 60 psi (420 kPa, 4.2
kg/cm 2
).
When using the temporary spare tire, note the following: Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h).
Do not put a tire chain on the temporary spare tire. Because of the
smaller tire size, a tire chain will not fit properly. Do not use two or more temporary spare tires at the same time.
Do not drive over obstacles. This tire has a smaller diameter, so
road clearance is reduced. When the wear indicator appears on the tread, replace the tire.

9-4
HB8003BB
HG0106
Indicator location mark
Tread wear indicator bar
NOTE
[Automatic transmission vehicle not equipped with VDC (Vehicle Dy-
namics Control) and not equipped with SPORTSHIFT] Before drivingyour vehicle with the temporary spare tire, put a spare fuse insidethe FWD connector located in the engine compartment and confirm
that the Front-wheel drive warning light comes on. The all wheeldrive capability of the vehicle has now been deactivated. After re-
installing the conventional tire, remove the spare fuse from the FWDconnector in order to reactivate all wheel drive.
Flat tires
WARNING
Do not jack up the vehicle on an incline or a loose road sur-
face. The jack can come out of the jacking point or sink into the ground and this can result in a severe accident. Use only the jack provided with your vehicle. The jack sup-
plied with the vehicle is designed only for changing a tire. Neverget under the vehicle while supporting the vehicle with this jack. Always turn the engine off before raising the flat tire off the
ground using the jack. Never swing or push the vehicle sup-ported with the jack. The jack can come out of the jacking pointdue to a jolt and this can result in a severe accident.

9
In case of emergency9-5
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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 loose and lead to an accident. Never place a tire or tire changing tools in the passenger
compartment after changing wheels. In a sudden stop or colli-
sions, loose equipment could strike occupants and cause injury.Store the tire and all tools in the proper place.
If you have a flat tire while driving, never brake suddenly; keep driving
straight ahead while gradually reducing speed. Then slowly pull off the
road to a safe place.
1. Park on a hard, level surface, whenever possible, then stop the en- gine.
2. Set the parking brake securely and shift a manual transmission ve-
hicle in reverse or an automatic transmission vehicle in the “P” (Park)
position.
3. Turn on the hazard warning flasher and have everyone get out of thevehicle.
4. Put wheel blocks at the front and rear of the tire diagonally opposite
the flat tire.
HGS038BA

9-6
5. Take out the spare tire, jack, and wheel nut wrench.
HB6008BCHB9003BB
HS0252
Temporary spare tire
HBF015CB
Jack handle
Jack
Spare tireHB8004BD
The spare tire is stored under the floor of the trunk or cargo area.
To remove the spare tire, proceed as follows:Sedan: Remove the floor cover from the trunk. Remove the storage tray.
Turn the attaching bolt counterclockwise, then take the spare tire out.Station wagon: Open the lid and hang the hook provided on the under-