2005 SUBARU BAJA wheel

7-14
Starting and operating
pery 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 table shows the maximum speeds that
are possible with each different gear.
Never exceed the speed limit below for each gear po-
sition except for brief acceleration in an emergency.
The tachometer’s needle will enter the red area if
these speeds are exceeded. Failure to observe this
precaution can lead to excessive engine wear and
poor fuel economy. mph (km/h)
Never exceed posted speed limits. „
Driving tips
Do not drive with your foot resting on the clutch pedal
and do not use the clutch to hold your vehicle at a
standstill on an upgrade. Either of those actions may
cause clutch damage.
Do not drive with your hand resting on the shift lever.
This may cause wear on the transmission compo-
nents.
When it is necessary to reduce vehicle speed due to
slow traffic, turning corners, or driving up steep hills,
downshift to a lower gear before the engine starts to
labor.
On steep downgrades, downshift the transmission to
4th, 3rd or 2nd gear as necessary; this helps to main-
tain a safe speed and to extend brake pad life.
In this way, the engine provides a braking effect. Re-
member, if you “ride” (over use) the brakes while de-
scending a hill, they may overheat and not work prop-
erly.
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.
Gear Non-turbo models Turbo models
1st 31 (50) 29 (47)
2nd 52 (84) 48 (78)
3rd 74 (119) 71 (114)

7-17
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
A shift interlock function is employed in the automatic
transmission system to ensure safe starting of the ve-
hicle.
To shift the selector lever from the “P” to the any other
position, you have to depress the brake pedal fully
when the ignition switch is in the “ON” position. This
prevents the vehicle from lurching when it is started.
If the shift lever does not move from the “P” position
with the brake pedal depressed, refer to the “Shift lock
release” section in this chapter. TR (Reverse)
This position is for backing the vehicle.
To shift from “N” to “R” position, first stop the vehicle
completely then move the lever to “R” position. T N (Neutral)
Do not drive the vehicle with the selector lever
in the “N” (neutral) position. Engine braking
has no effect in this condition and the risk of an
accident is consequently increased.
This position is for restarting a stalled engine. In this position the wheels and transmission are not
locked. In this position, the transmission is neutral; the
vehicle will roll freely, even on the slightest incline un-
less the parking brake or foot brake is on.
Avoid coasting with the transmission neutral.
During coasting, the engine braking does not act. T
D (Drive)
This position is for normal driving.
The transmission automatically shifts into a suitable
gear from 1st to 4th 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 3rd, 2nd or 1st gear. When you release
the pedal, the transmission will return to the original
gear position. 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.

7-19
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
TMaximum speeds
When shifting down 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
brakes when the vehicle is travelling on a slip-
pery 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 shifting down a gear, 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 selected. mph (km/h)
Never exceed posted speed limits.
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. „ 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. Position Non-turbo models
1 23 (38)
2 55 (89)
3 91 (147)

7-21
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
5. Push down on the screwdriver and move the selec-
tor 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. Automatic transmission (Turbo mod-
els)
Do not shift from the “P” or “N” position into
the “D”, “3”, “2”, “1” or “R” position while de-
pressing the accelerator pedal. This may cause
the vehicle to jump forward or backward.
y
Shift into the “P” or “R” position only after
the vehicle is completely stopped. Shifting
while the vehicle is moving may cause damage
to the transmission.y Do not race the engine for more than five sec-
onds in any position except the “N” or “P” po-
sition when the brake is set or when wheel
blocks are used. This may cause the automatic
transmission fluid to overheat. y Avoid shifting from one of the forward driving
positions into the “R” position or vice versa un-
til the vehicle has completely stopped. Such
shifting may cause damage to the transmis-

7-24
Starting and operating
T
N (Neutral)
Do not drive the vehicle with the selector lever
in the “N” (neutral) position. Engine braking
has no effect in this condition and the risk of an
accident is consequently increased.
This position is for restarting a stalled engine.
In this position the wheels and transmission are not
locked. In this position, the transmission is neutral; the
vehicle will roll freely, even on the slightest incline un-
less the parking brake or foot brake is on.
Avoid coasting with the transmission neutral.
During coasting, there is no engine braking effect.
NOTE
If the selector lever is in the “N” position when you
stop the engine for parking, you may not subse-
quently be able to move it to the “R” and “P” posi- tions. If this happens, turn the ignition switch to
the “ON” position. You will then be able to move
the selector lever to the “P” position. T D (Drive)
This position is for normal driving. The transmission automatically shifts into a suitable
gear from 1st to 4th 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 3rd, 2nd or 1st gear. When you release
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

7-29
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
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. mph (km/h)
*: SPORTSHIFT mode Never exceed posted speed limits.
NOTE y
In order to prevent over-revving during acceler-
ation of the vehicle, the transmission will automat-
ically shift to the next higher gear if the Maximum
Allowable Speed for the current gear is reached. y Similarly, in order to prevent over-revving dur-
ing deceleration of the vehicle, the transmission
will remain in the current gear if the speed of the
vehicle is in excess of the Maximum Allowable
Speed for the gear to which the selector lever has
been moved. „ 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.
Position Turbo models
1 29 (47), 36 (58) *
2 60 (96), 62 (100) *
3 102 (164), 102 (164) *

7-31
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
Limited slip differential (LSD)
yNever 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.
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.

7-34
Starting and operating
The ABS system prevents the lock-up of wheels which
may occur during sudden braking or braking on slip-
pery road surfaces. This helps prevent the loss of
steering control and directional stability caused by
wheel lock-up.
When the ABS system is operating, you may hear a
chattering noise or feel a slight vibration in the brake
pedal. This is normal when the ABS operates.
The ABS system will not operate when the vehicle
speed is below approximately 6 mph (10 km/h). „
ABS system self-check
You may feel a slight shock in the brake pedal and
hear the operating sound of ABS from the engine com-
partment just after the vehicle is started. This is
caused by an automatic functional test of the ABS sys-
tem being carried out and does not indicate any abnor-
mal condition. „
ABS warning light
The ABS warning light comes on when the ignition
switch is turned to the “ON” position and goes out after
about two seconds.
This is an indication that the ABS system is working
properly.
If the warning light behaves as follows, the ABS
system may not be working properly.
When the warning light is on, the ABS function
shuts down; however, the conventional brake
system continues to operate normally.
UB4010GA