2004 SUBARU LEGACY Owners Manual

7-24
Starting and operating
the pedal, the transmission will return to the original
gear position.
To use the SPORTSHIFT mode, move the lever from
this position into the manual gate. V
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 accelerating again.
This prevents repeated upshifting and downshifting re-
sulting 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 vehicle again. V 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 brakeing. Reacceleration
for a short time will cause the transmission to upshift
normally.
NOTE
In some cases, depressing the brake pedal on a
downhill grade does not result in an automatic downshift to 3rd gear. This can happen 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 temperature has risen to a cer-
tain level, automatic downshift normally takes
place. In the meantime, downshift manually for en-
gine braking as required.
Also, downshifting when braking downhill will not
occur at speeds above approximately 50 mph (80
km/h). T
3 (Third)
This position is for using engine braking when going
down a hill or for climbing a grade.
The transmission automatically shifts into a suitable
gear from 1st to 3rd according to the vehicle speed
and the acceleration you require.
When more acceleration is required in this position,
press the accelerator pedal fully to the floor and hold
that position. The transmission will automatically
downshift to 2nd or 1st gear. When you release the
pedal, the transmission will return to the original gear position. T 2 (Second)
To shift from the “3” to “2” position, push the release

7-25
Starting and operating
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button.
This position is for using engine braking when going
down a hill or for climbing a steep grade.
In this position, the transmission holds in the 2nd gear.
Use this position when starting off from a standstill on
slippery road surfaces such as mud or snow. It will en-
sure greater traction. T1 (First)
This position is for driving up or down very steep
grades, or driving through mud or sand, or on slippery
surfaces. In this position, the transmission holds in the
1st gear. „
Selection of SPORTSHIFT mode (man-
ual mode)
1) Selector lever
1. Select the SPORTSHIFT mode by moving the se-
lector lever into the manual gate from the “D” position
with the vehicle stationary or moving.
1
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7-26
Starting and operating
1) Lamp showing whether upshift is possible
2) Lamp showing whether downshift is possible
3) Indication of currently selected gear
2. Once the SPORTSHIFT mode is selected, the cur-
rently selected gear is shown by the shift position indi-
cator in the meter cluster. Next to this indication, ar-
row-shaped lamps show whether an upshift is possi-
ble and whether a downshift is possible.
Lamps showing whether upshifting and downshifting
are possible:
The and lamps show whether upshifting and
downshifting are possible. When both lamps are off,
SPORTSHIFT operation is not possible. When both lamps are on, upshifting and downshifting are both
possible. When only the lamp is on, only upshift-
ing is possible. When only the lamp is on, only
downshifting is possible.
3. Perform gearshifts using the selector lever. You
can shift by one gear at a time in the 1st-to-4th-gear
range.
Upshifting
Shift to the next-higher gear (in the 1st-to-4th-gear
range) by pushing the selector lever toward the “+”
end of the manual gate.
Downshifting
Shift to the next-lower gear (in the 1st-to-4th-gear
range) by pushing the selector lever toward the “–”
end of the manual gate.
4. To deselect the SPORTSHIFT mode, return the se-
lector lever to the “D” position from the manual gate.
NOTE
Please read the following points carefully and bear
them in mind when using the SPORTSHIFT mode. y
When the temperature of the automatic trans-
mission fluid is lower or higher than normal, warn-
ing beeps are emitted and the shift position indica-
tor shows “–”. If these warnings are issued, dese-
lect the SPORTSHIFT mode to protect the auto-
1
2 3
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7-27
Starting and operating
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matic transmission from damage. yAutomatic gearshifts do not take place in the
SPORTSHIFT mode. Perform gearshifts in accor-
dance with road conditions so that the tachometer
needle does not enter the red zone. If the engine
speed reaches a predetermined level, a fuel-cut
function will operate. Shift up if this happens. y If you attempt to shift down when the engine
speed is too high, i.e., when a downshift would
push the tachometer needle beyond the red zone,
beeps will be emitted to warn you that the down-
shift is not possible. y If you attempt to shift up when the vehicle speed
is too low, the transmission will not respond. y You can perform a skip-shift (for example, from
4th to 2nd or from 2nd to 4th) by operating the se-
lector lever twice in rapid succession.y The transmission automatically selects 1st gear
when the vehicle stops moving. It will not permit a
standing start in 2nd gear. T Maximum speeds
When down shifting a gear, ensure that the ve-
hicle is not travelling at a speed exceeding the
Maximum Allowable Speed for the gear which is about to be selected. Failure to observe this
precaution can lead to engine over-revving and
this in turn can result in engine damage.
In addition, sudden application of engine brak-
ing caused by downshifting when the vehicle is
travelling on a slippery surface can lead to
wheel locking; as a consequence, control of the
vehicle may be lost and the risk of an accident
increased.
The following tables show the maximum speeds that
are possible with each different gear.
When down shifting, it is important to confirm that the
current vehicle speed is not in excess of the Maximum
Allowable Speed of the gear which is about to be se- lected.
NOTE
In order to prevent over-revving during decelera-
tion of the vehicle, the transmission will remain in
the current gear if the speed of the vehicle is in ex-
cess of the Maximum Allowable Speed for the gear
to which the selector lever has been moved.

7-28
Starting and operating
mph (km/h)
*: SPORTSHIFT mode
Never exceed posted speed limits.
T Driving tips
y Always apply the foot or parking brake when the ve-
hicle is stopped in the “D”, “3”, “2”, “1”, or “R” position. y Always set the parking brake when parking your ve-
hicle. Do not hold the vehicle with only the transmis- sion. y Do not keep the vehicle in a stationary position on
an uphill grade by using the “D”, “3”, “2” or “1” position.
Use the brake instead. y The engine may, on rare occasions, knock when the
vehicle rapidly accelerates or rapidly pulls away from
a standstill. This phenomenon does not indicate a fault. „
Shift lock release
If the selector lever does not move from the “P” posi-
tion with the brake pedal depressed and the ignition
switch in the “ON” position, perform the followingsteps:
To override the shift lock:
1. Set the parking brake and stop the engine.
2. Take out the screwdriver from the tool bag.
3. Remove the cover by prying on the edge with the
regular screwdriver.
Position 2.5GT, 2.5GTLO
1 23 (38), 30 (48)*
2 51 (83), 55 (88)*
3 85 (136), 93 (150)*
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Starting and operating
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4. Insert the screwdriver into the hole.
5. Push down on the screwdriver, push down the but-
ton and move the selector lever from the “P” to the “N”position.
6. Remove the screwdriver from the hole. Depress
the brake pedal and start the engine.
Take your vehicle to the nearest SUBARU dealer im-
mediately to have the system repaired. Rear viscous limited slip differential
(LSD) (if equipped)
y
Never start the engine while a tire on one side
is jacked up, as the vehicle may move. y If one rear tire is spinning in mud, avoid con-
tinued spinning at high speed as this could ad-
versely affect the LSD. y If a different size rear tire is temporarily used
(as in an emergency), it will adversely affect the
LSD. Always replace it with a regular size tire as
soon as possible.
The LSD provides optimum distribution of power ac-
cording to the difference in revolutions between the
right and left rear wheels that may be caused by cer-
tain driving conditions, thereby improving driving sta-
bility on snow-covered, muddy or other slippery roads.
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7-30
Starting and operating
Power steering
Do not hold the steering wheel at the fully
locked position left or right for more than five
seconds. This may damage the power steering
pump.
The power steering system operates only when the
engine is running.
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system fails to function, you can steer but it will take much more effort.
NOTE
Right after the engine has been started and before
it has warmed up, you may hear a noise coming
from areas adjacent to the power steering pump
which is located at the right-front area of the en-
gine compartment. This noise is normal. It does
not indicate power steering system trouble.
Braking „ Braking tips
Never rest your foot on the brake pedal while
driving. This can cause dangerous overheating
of the brakes and needless wear on the brake
pads and linings.
T When the brakes get wet
When driving in rain or after washing the vehicle, the
brakes may get wet. As a result, brake stopping dis-
tance will be longer. To dry the brakes, drive the vehi-
cle at a safe speed while lightly depressing the brake
pedal to heat up the brakes. T Use of engine braking
Remember to make use of engine braking in addition
to foot braking. When descending a grade, if only the
foot brake is used, the brakes may start working im-
properly because of brake fluid overheating, caused
by overheated brake pads. To help prevent this, shift
into a lower gear to get stronger engine braking.

7-31
Starting and operating
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TBraking when a tire is punctured
Do not depress the brake pedal suddenly when a tire
is punctured. This could cause a loss of control of the
vehicle. Keep driving straight ahead while gradually
reducing speed. Then slowly pull off the road to a safe
place. „ Brake system
T Two separate circuits
Your vehicle has two separate circuit brake systems.
Each circuit works diagonally across the vehicle. If one
circuit of the brake system should fail, the other half of
the system still works. If one circuit fails, the brake
pedal will go down much closer to the floor than usual
and you will need to press it down much harder. And a
much longer distance will be needed to stop the vehi- cle. T Brake booster
The brake booster uses engine manifold vacuum to
assist braking force. Do not turn off the engine while
driving because that will turn off the brake booster, re-
sulting in poor braking power.
The brakes will continue to work even when the brake
booster completely stops functioning. If this happens,
however, you will have to push the pedal much harder than normal and the braking distance will increase. „
Disc brake pad wear warning indica- tors
The disc brake pad wear warning indicators on the
disc brakes give a warning noise when the brake pads
are worn.
If a squeaking or scraping noise is heard from the disc
brakes while braking, immediately have your vehicle
checked by your SUBARU dealer.
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