2005 SUBARU BAJA brake fluid

7-32
Starting and operating
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. T
Braking 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 a dual circuit brake systems. Each
circuit works diagonally across the vehicle. If one cir-
cuit 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

8-11
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
yFrequent driving of an AWD vehicle under hard-driv-
ing conditions such as rough roads or off roads will ne-
cessitate more frequent replacement of engine oil,
brake fluid and transmission oil than that specified in
the maintenance schedule described in the “Warranty
and Maintenance Booklet”.
Remember that damage done to your SUBARU while
operating it off-road and not using common sense pre-
cautions such as those listed above is not eligible for
warranty coverage.Winter driving „ Operation during cold weather
Carry some emergency equipment, such as tire
chains, a window scraper, a bag of sand, flares, a
small shovel, and jumper cables.
Check the battery and cables. Cold temperatures re-
duce battery capacity. The battery must be in good
condition to provide enough power for cold winterstarts.
Use an engine oil of proper grade and viscosity for
cold weather. Heavy summer oil will cause harder
UB8046AA

8-12
Driving tips
starting.
Keep the door locks from freezing by squirting them
with deicer or glycerin.
Forcing a frozen door open may damage or separate
the rubber weather strips around the door. If the door
is frozen, use hot water to melt the ice, and afterwards
thoroughly wipe the water away.
Use a windshield washer fluid that contains an anti-
freeze solution. Do not use engine antifreeze or other
substitutes because they may damage the paint of the
vehicle. T
Before driving your vehicle
Before entering the vehicle, remove any snow or ice
from your shoes because that could make the pedals
slippery and dangerous.
While warming up the vehicle before driving, check
that the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, and all other
controls operate smoothly.
Clear away ice and snow that has accumulated under
the fenders to avoid making steering difficult. During
severe winter driving, stop when and where it is safe
to do so and check under the fenders periodically. T
Parking in cold weather
Snow can trap dangerous exhaust gases under
your vehicle. Keep snow clear of the exhaust
pipe and from around your vehicle if you park
the vehicle in snow with the engine running.
Do not use the parking brake when parking for long
periods in cold weather since it could freeze in that po-
sition. Instead, observe the following:
1. Place the shift lever in “1” or “R” for manual trans-
mission vehicles, and in “P” for automatic transmission
vehicles.
2. Use tire stops under the tires to prevent the vehicle
from moving.
When the vehicle is parked in snow or when it snows,
raise the wiper blades off the glass to prevent damage to them.
When the vehicle has been left parked after use on
roads heavily covered with snow, or has been left
parked during a snowstorm, icing may develop on the
brake system, which could cause poor braking action.
Check for snow or ice buildup on the suspension, disc
brakes and brake hoses underneath the vehicle.

8-35
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
overheating” section in chapter 9, and “Warning and
indicator lights” section in chapter 3.
NOTE (Turbo models only)
In a vehicle that has an automatic transmission,
the engine is less likely to overheat with the “D”
range selected than it is with the manual mode se-
lected. yIf your vehicle has an automatic transmission, avoid
using the accelerator pedal to stay stationary on an
uphill slope instead of using the parking brake or foot
brake. That may cause the transmission fluid to over-
heat. y Non-turbo models only: If your vehicle is equipped
with an automatic transmission, avoid driving with the
gear selector lever in “D” when towing a heavy trailer
to prevent fluid overheating. A lower gear should be
used. T 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 take the
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 park-
ing brake; slowly release the regular brakes.
5. Shift into 1st or reverse gear (manual transmission)
or “P” (automatic transmission) and shut off the en-
gine.

11 - 1
11
Maintenance and service
Maintenance schedule ................................. 11-3
Maintenance precautions ............................ 11-3 Before checking or servicing in the engine compartment .................................................. 11-4
When you do checking or servicing in the engine compartment while the engine is
running ............................................................ 11-5
Engine hood .................................................. 11-5
Engine compartment overview ................... 11-8 Non-turbo models ............................................. 11-8
Turbo models .................................................... 11-9
Engine oil ...................................................... 11-10 Checking the oil level ....................................... 11-10
Changing the oil and oil filter .......................... 11-12
Recommended grade and viscosity ................ 11-15
Recommended grade and viscosity under severe driving conditions .............................. 11-16
Cooling system ............................................. 11-17 Hose and connections ...................................... 11-18
Engine coolant .................................................. 11-18
Air cleaner element ...................................... 11-23 Replacing the air cleaner element ................... 11-23
Spark plugs ................................................... 11-25 Recommended spark plugs ............................. 11-26
Drive belts ..................................................... 11-26
Manual transmission oil ............................... 11-27 Checking the oil level ....................................... 11-27
Recommended grade and viscosity ................ 11-28
Automatic transmission fluid ...................... 11-29 Checking the fluid level .................................... 11-29
Recommended fluid ......................................... 11-31
Front differential gear oil (AT vehicles) ...... 11-32 Checking the oil level ....................................... 11-32
Recommended grade and viscosity ............... 11-32
Rear differential gear oil ............................... 11-33 Checking the gear oil level .............................. 11-33
Recommended grade and viscosity ............... 11-35
Power steering fluid ...................................... 11-36 Checking the fluid level .................................... 11-36
Recommended fluid ......................................... 11-37
Brake fluid ..................................................... 11-38 Checking the fluid level .................................... 11-38
Recommended brake fluid ............................... 11-39
Clutch fluid (MT vehicles) ............................ 11-39 Checking the fluid level .................................... 11-39
Recommended clutch fluid .............................. 11-40
Brake booster ................................................ 11-41
Brake pedal .................................................... 11-41 Checking the brake pedal free play ................ 11-41
Checking the brake pedal reserve distance ... 11-42
Clutch pedal (Manual transmission vehicles) ............... 11-42Checking the clutch function .......................... 11-42
Checking the clutch pedal free play ............... 11-43
Replacement of brake pad and lining ......... 11-43 Breaking-in of new brake pads and linings .... 11-44
Parking brake stroke .................................... 11-45
Tires and wheels ........................................... 11-45

11 - 4
Maintenance and service
the materials in the vehicle may be hazardous if
improperly used or handled, for example, bat-tery acid. y
Your vehicle should only be serviced by per-
sons fully competent to do so. Serious person-
al injury may result to persons not experienced
in servicing vehicles. y Always use the proper tools and make certain
that they are well maintained. y Never get under the vehicle supported only
by a jack. Always use a safety stands to sup-
port the vehicle. y Never keep the engine running in a poorly
ventilated area, such as a garage or other
closed areas. y Do not smoke or allow open flames around
the fuel or battery. This will cause a fire. y Because the fuel system is under pressure,
replacement of the fuel filter should be per-
formed only by your SUBARU dealer.y Wear adequate eye protection to guard
against getting oil or fluids in your eyes. If
something does get in your eyes, thoroughly
wash them out with clean water. y Do not tamper with the wiring of the SRS air-
bag system or seatbelt pretensioner system, or
attempt to take its connectors apart, as that may activate the system or it can render it inop-
erative. The wiring and connectors of these
systems are yellow for easy identification. NEV-
ER use a circuit tester for these wiring.
If your SRS airbag or seatbelt pretensioner
needs service, consult your nearest SUBARU
dealer.
„ Before checking or servicing in the en-
gine compartment
yAlways stop the engine and set the parking
brake firmly to prevent the vehicle from mov-
ing. y Always let the engine cool down. Engine
parts become very hot when the engine is run-
ning and remain hot for some time after the en-
gine is stopped.y Do not spill engine oil, engine coolant, brake
fluid or any other fluid on hot engine compo-
nents. This may cause a fire.y Always remove the key from the ignition
switch. When the ignition switch is in the “ON”
position, the cooling fan may operate suddenly

11 - 8
Maintenance and service
Engine compartment overview „
Non-turbo models
12 3 4567
8
9
10
11
12
13
UBB106BB
1) Manual transmission oil level
gauge (MT) (page 11-27) or Dif-
ferential gear oil level gauge
(AT) (page 11-32)
2) Air cleaner element (page 11- 23)
3) Clutch fluid reservoir (page 11-
39)
4) Automatic transmission fluid lev- el gauge (page 11-29)
5) Brake fluid reservoir (page 11- 38)
6) Windshield washer tank (page
11-52)
7) Fuse box (page 11-57)
8) Battery (page 11-56)
9) Engine oil filler cap (page 11-10)
10) Engine coolant reservoir (page 11-18)
11) Radiator cap (page 11-18)
12) Engine oil level gauge (page 11- 10)
13) Power steering fluid reservoir (page 11-36)

11 - 9
Maintenance and service
– CONTINUED –
„Turbo models
1
11 1 0 9 8
12
13 23
45 67
UBB098CB
1) Air cleaner element (page 11-
23)
2) Manual transmission oil level gauge (MT) (page 11-27) or Dif-
ferential gear oil level gauge
(AT) (page 11-32)
3) Clutch fluid reservoir (page 11-
39)
4) Automatic transmission fluid lev- el gauge (page 11-29)
5) Brake fluid reservoir (page 11- 38)
6) Windshield washer tank (page
11-52)
7) Fuse box (page 11-57)
8) Battery (page 11-56)
9) Engine oil filler cap (page 11-10)
10) Engine coolant reservoir (page 11-18)
11) Engine oil level gauge (page 11- 10)
12) Radiator cap (page 11-18)
13) Power steering fluid reservoir (page 11-36)