2003 SUBARU OUTBACK air condition

4-4
Manual heating and air conditioning system
Control panel
HB5004BC
1. Temperature control dial
2. Fan speed control dial
3. Air flow control dial
4. Air conditioner button
5. Air inlet selection button
6. Rear window defogger button (Refer to “Rear window defogger ” in
chapter 3.) n Temperature control dial
This dial regulates the temperature of air flow from the air outlets over
a range from the blue area (cool) to red area (warm). n Fan speed control dial
The fan operates only when the ignition switch is turned to the “ON”
position. The fan speed control dial is used to select four fan speeds. n Air flow control dial
This dial has the following five positions:
: Air flows through the instrument panel outlets.
: Air flows through the instrument panel outlets and the footoutlets.

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: Air flows through the foot outlets and some through the wind-
shield defroster outlets.
: Air flows through the windshield defroster outlets and foot outlets.
: Air flows through the windshield defroster outlets.
NOTE When the dial is placed in the “
” or “”position, the air
conditioner compressor operates automatically regardless of the position of the air conditioner button to defog the windshield
quickly. At the same time, the air inlet selection is automaticallyset to “Outside air ” mode.
In this state, you cannot select “recirculation” mode by manually
pressing the air inlet selection button. n Air conditioner button
HB5010BB
The air conditioner operates only when the engine is running.
Push the air conditioner button while the fan is in operation to turn on
the air conditioner. The indicator light will come on.
Push it again to turn off the air conditioner.

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Bi-level heating
HB5014AA
This setting allows you to direct air of different temperatures from the
instrument panel and foot outlets. The air from the foot outlets is
slightly warmer than from the instrument panel outlets.
1. Set the air inlet selection button to the “OFF” position.
2. Set the air flow control dial to the “
” position.
3. Set the temperature control dial to the desired temperature level.
4. Set the fan speed control dial to the desired speed.
Setting the temperature control dial fully turned to the red area or blue
area decreases the temperature difference between the air from the
instrument panel outlets and the air from the foot outlets. Ventilation
WARNING
Continued operation in the “ON” position may fog up the win-
dows. Switch to the “OFF” position as soon as the outside dusty
condition clears.

4-10
HB5015AA
To force outside air through the instrument panel outlets:
1. Set the air inlet selection button to the “OFF” position.
2. Set the air flow control dial to the “
” position.
3. Set the temperature control dial all the way left.
4. Set the fan speed control dial to the desired speed.
When driving on a dusty road, set the air inlet control lever to the “ON”
position.
Air conditioner operation Cooling or dehumidifying
HB5016BB
For cooling and dehumidification of the passenger compartment, air
flows through the instrument panel outlets:

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1. Set the air inlet selection button to the
“OFF” position.
2. Set the air flow control dial to the “
” position.
3. Set the air conditioner button to the “ON” position.
4. Set the temperature control dial to the blue area.
5. Set the fan speed control dial at the highest speed. Defrosting or defogging
HB5011BB
To direct warm air to the windshield and front door windows:
1. Set the air outlet control dial to the “ ” position.
2. Set the temperature control dial to the red area.
3. Set the fan speed control dial at the highest speed.

4-12Automatic climate control system (if equipped) NOTE
Operate the automatic climate control system when the engine is
running. When the engine coolant is cold, for instance in cold weather, the
air flows through the windshield defroster outlets and the blowerruns at the lowest speed to prevent cold air from blowing directly
against the driver and front passenger. In the “AUTO” mode, if the air temperature in the passenger
compartment is cooled down to the specified temperature, the air
conditioner compressor stops automatically. For efficient defogging
or dehumidifying in cold weather, press the “A/C” switch on.
Even when cooling is not necessary, setting the temperature
much lower than the current outlet air temperature turns on the airconditioner compressor automatically and the “A/C” indicator light
on the control panel comes on.
The automatic climate control system automatically controls outlet air
temperature, fan speed, air flow distribution air-inlet control, and air con-
ditioner compressor operation. It activates when the “AUTO” switch is
pressed, and is used in conjunction with the Temperature control dial to
maintain a constant, comfortable climate within the passenger compart-ment.
The temperature can be set within a range of 65 – 85 F (18 – 32 C).
NOTE
The temperature is shown in units of Fahrenheit for US model and in Centigrade for Canadian model.

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Control panel
HB4031BC
1. AUTO switch
2. OFF switch/BRIGHT
3. Outside air temperature switch
4. Defroster switch
5. Rear window defogger switch (Refer to the “Rear window defog-
ger” in chapter 3.)
6. Fan speed control switch
7. Air conditioner switch
8. Air flow control switch
9. Air inlet selection switch
10. Temperature control dial
11. In-vehicle temperature sensor. n AUTO switch
AUTO mode operation:
The Automatic Climate Control system automatically controls the air
temperature of the passenger compartment in the AUTO mode. Whenthe “AUTO” switch is pressed, the indicator light “AUTO” on the con-
trol panel comes on. In this state, outlet air temperature, fan speed, air
flow distribution, air-inlet control, and air conditioner compressor op-
eration are automatically controlled.

4-14ECON (economy) mode:
When you press the
“AUTO” switch while the system is in the AUTO
mode, it selects the ECON (economy) mode, turning on the“
ECON ” indicator light. In the ECON mode, the compressor runs to
be thrifty with energy consumption. Interior windows tend to fog in this
energy-saving operation. It is therefore recommended that the AUTOmode be used only in high humidity conditions. Manual mode operation:
When the Automatic Climate Control system is operating in the AUTO
mode, pressing the “
”, “”, “MODE”, “A/C” or
“
” switch shifts the operation into the “MANUAL” mode and the
indicator light “AUTO” on the control panel will go out.
When the “
”, “”, “MODE”, “A/C” or “”
switch is pressed, the corresponding function can be controlled inde-
pendently, while automatic control of the other functions are main-tained.
To change the system back to the AUTO mode, press the “AUTO”
switch. n OFF switch
The Automatic Climate Control system turns off (the air conditioner
compressor and fan turn off) when the “OFF” switch is pressed.
When the “OFF” switch is pressed, the outside air introduction mode
(“
” position) is automatically selected.
NOTE Display illumination dimness cancellation (BRIGHT): Setting the light switch to the “p ” or “ a ” position causes the
illuminating icons on the display panel to dim. When travelingwith the lights on in gloomy daylight or in twilight, press the OFFswitch for 1 second or longer if you feel it is too hard to identify
the icons clearly. The brightness comes back to normal.If you wish to dim the icons again, hold down the OFF switchagain or if you can safely do so, turn the light switch OFF andthen place it in the “p ” or “a ” position.