2005 SUBARU BAJA steering wheel

8-9
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
Off road driving
yAlways maintain a safe driving speed accord-
ing to the road and weather conditions in order
to avoid having an accident on a sharp turn,
during sudden braking or under other similar
conditions.y Always use the utmost care in driving – over-
confidence because you are driving an all
wheel drive vehicle could easily lead to a seri-
ous accident.
Because of the AWD feature and higher ground clear-
ance, your SUBARU can be driven on ordinary roads
or off-road. But please keep in mind that an AWD
SUBARU is neither a conventional off-road vehicle nor
an all-terrain vehicle. If you do take your SUBARU off-
road, certain common sense precautions such as the
following should be taken: y Make certain that you and all of your passengers
are wearing seatbelts. y Carry some emergency equipment, such as a tow-
ing rope or chain, a shovel, wheel blocks, first aid kit
and cell phone or citizens band radio. y
Drive carefully. Do not take unnecessary risks by
driving in dangerous areas or over rough terrain.y Slow down and employ extra caution at all times.
When driving off-road, you will not have the benefit of
marked traffic lanes, banked curves, traffic signs and
the like. y Do not drive across steep slopes. Instead, drive ei-
ther straight up or straight down the slopes. A vehicle
can much more easily tip over sideways than it can
end over end. Avoid driving straight up or down slopes
that are too steep.y Avoid sharp turning maneuvers, especially at higher
speeds. y Do not grip the inside or spokes of the steering
wheel. A bad bump could jerk the wheel and injure
your hands. Instead drive with your fingers and
thumbs on the outside of the rim.y If driving through water, such as when crossing
shallow streams, first check the depth of the water and
the bottom of the stream bed for firmness and ensure
that the bed of the stream is flat. Drive slowly and com-
pletely through the stream. The water should be shal-
low enough that it does not reach the vehicle’s under-
carriage. Water entering the engine air intake or the
exhaust pipe or water splashing onto electrical parts
may damage your vehicle and may cause it to stall.
Never attempt to drive through rushing water; regard-

8-34
Driving tips
mal turning radius because the trailer wheels will be
closer than the vehicle wheels to the inside of the turn.
In a tight turn, the trailer could hit your vehicle. y
Crosswinds will adversely affect the handling of
your vehicle and trailer, causing sway. Crosswinds
can be due to weather conditions or the passing of
large trucks or buses. If swaying occurs, firmly grip the
steering wheel and slow down immediately but gradu-
ally. y When passing other vehicles, considerable dis-
tance is required because of the added weight and
length caused by attaching the trailer to your vehicle.
1) Left turn
2) Right turn y
Backing up with a trailer is difficult and takes prac-
tice. When backing up with a trailer, never accelerate
or steer rapidly. When turning back, grip the bottom of
the steering wheel with one hand and turn it to the left
for a left turn, and turn it to the right for a right turn.y If the ABS warning light illuminates while the vehicle
is in motion, stop towing the trailer and have repairs
performed immediately by the nearest SUBARU deal-er. T Driving on grades
y 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 overheat-
ing of your vehicle’s brakes. Do not make sudden
downshifts.y When driving uphill in hot weather, the air condition-
er may turn off automatically to protect the engine from
overheating.y When driving uphill in hot weather, pay attention to
the water temperature 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 tem-
perature 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
1 2
HS8023BB

9-27
In case of emergency
– CONTINUED –
„Using a flat-bed truck
This is the best way to transport your vehicle. Use the
following procedures to ensure safe transportation.
1. Shift the selector lever into the “P” position for au-
tomatic transmission vehicles or “1st” for manual
transmission vehicles.
2. Pull up the parking brake lever firmly.
3. Secure the vehicle onto the carrier properly with
safety chains. Each safety chain should be equally
tightened and care must be taken not to pull the chains
so tightly that the suspension bottoms out. „
Towing with all wheels on the ground
yNever turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK”
position while the vehicle is being towed be-
cause the steering wheel and the direction of
the wheels will be locked.y Remember that the brake booster and power
steering do not function when the engine is not
running. Because the engine is turned off, it will
take greater effort to operate the brake pedal
and steering wheel.
UB9072AAUB9071AA

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 9
Maintenance and service
– CONTINUED –
of vehicle control could lead to an accident.
„ Wheel balance
Each wheel was correctly balanced when your vehicle
was new, but the wheels will become unbalanced as
the tires become worn during use. Wheel imbalance
causes the steering wheel to vibrate slightly at certain
vehicle speeds and detracts from the vehicle’s
straight-line stability. It can also cause steering and
suspension system problems and abnormal tire wear.
If you suspect that the wheels are not correctly bal-
anced, have them checked and adjusted by your
SUBARU dealer. Also have them adjusted after tire re-
pairs and after tire rotation.
NOTE
Loss of correct wheel alignment* causes the tires
to wear on one side and reduces the vehicle’s run-
ning stability. Contact your SUBARU dealer if you
notice abnormal tire wear.
*: The suspension system is designed to hold each wheel at
a certain alignment (relative to the other wheels and to the
road) for optimum straight-line stability and cornering perfor-
mance. „
Wear indicators
A) New tread
B) Worn tread
1) Tread wear indicator
Each tire incorporates a tread wear indicator, which
becomes visible when the depth of the tread grooves
decreases to 0.063 in (1.6 mm). A tire must be re-
placed when the tread wear indicator appears as a
solid band across the tread.
When a tire’s tread wear indicator becomes vis-
A 1B
HSB055BB

14-8
Index
Specifications .................................................... 12-2
Speedometer ....................................................... 3-6
Sport activity lights ................................. 6-30, 11-79
SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint
System airbag) .......................................... 4, 1-47
SRS airbag system monitors ............................. 1-60
SRS airbag system servicing ............................ 1-61
SRS airbag system warning light ...................... 3-10
SRS frontal airbag ............................................. 1-52
Starting the engine .............................................. 7-9
State emission testing (U.S. only) ....................... 7-7
Stopping the engine .......................................... 7-12
Storage compartments ........................................ 6-4
Sun shades ....................................................... 2-33
Sun visors ........................................................... 6-3
Supplemental Restraint System airbag (SRS) ......................................................... 4, 1-47
Switchback door ................................................ 2-27
Switchback door indicator light ................. 2-31, 3-14
Synthetic leather upholstery .............................. 10-7 T
Tachometer ......................................................... 3-7
Tail light ........................................................... 11-72
Tailgate ............................................................. 2-25
Temperature gauge ............................................. 3-8
Temporary spare tire ......................................... 9-10 Tie-down hooks ................................................. 9-23
Tilt steering wheel ............................................. 3-33Tire
Chains .......................................................... 8-15
Information ................................................... 13-2
Inspection ................................................... 11-46
Pressures and wear ................................... 11-46
Replacement .............................................. 11-50
Rotation ...................................................... 11-50
Tires .................................................................. 12-4
Types .......................................................... 11-45
Tires and wheels ............................................. 11-45
Top tether anchorages ...................................... 1-40
Towing ............................................................... 9-22
All wheels on the ground .............................. 9-27
Flat-bed truck ............................................... 9-27
Hooks ........................................................... 9-23
Trailer Hitch ............................................................. 8-20
Hitches ......................................................... 8-30
Towing .......................................................... 8-24
Towing tips ................................................... 8-33
Turn signal
Indicator lights .............................................. 3-16
Lever ............................................................ 3-20