2005 SUBARU FORESTER oil change

1-29
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
– CONTINUED –
„Seatbelt maintenance
To clean the seatbelts, use a mild soap and lukewarm
water. Never bleach or dye the belts because this
could seriously affect their strength.
Inspect the seatbelts and attachments including the
webbing and all hardware periodically for cracks, cuts,
gashes, tears, damage, loose bolts or worn areas. Re-
place the seatbelts even if only minor damage is
found.
y Keep the belts free of polishes, oils, chemi-
cals and particularly battery acid. y Never attempt to make modifications or
changes that will prevent the seatbelt from op-
erating properly.
Seatbelt extender
If the front seatbelts are not long enough to permit the
tongue plate to engage with the seatbelt buckle, an
optional seatbelt extender is available from your
SUBARU dealer. When ordering an extender, only or-
der one particularly designed for your vehicle. Several
different types of extenders are available to match var-
ious varieties of front seatbelt designs. See your
SUBARU dealer for assistance.
The extender adds approximately 8 inches (200 mm)
of length and it can be used for either the driver or front
passenger seating position.
Be sure to observe the following when using
the seatbelt extender.
Failure to follow these instructions and warn-
ings could reduce the effectiveness of the seat-
belt and result in more serious injury in the
event of a collision.y Never use the extender when the belt itself is
long enough to permit it to be buckled properly.
If removal of heavy clothing is all that is needed
to permit the seatbelt to be buckled properly,
remove the heavy clothing and do not use the

3-1
3
Instruments and controls
Ignition switch .............................................. 3-3 LOCK .................................................................. 3-3
ACC .................................................................... 3-4
ON ....................................................................... 3-4
START ................................................................ 3-4
Key reminder chime .......................................... 3-5
Ignition switch light (if equipped) .................... 3-5
Key interlock release (AT vehicles only) ........ 3-6
Hazard warning flasher ................................ 3-7
Meters and gauges ....................................... 3-7 Speedometer ..................................................... 3-7
Odometer/Trip meter ........................................ 3-7
Tachometer ........................................................ 3-8
Fuel gauge ......................................................... 3-9
Temperature gauge ........................................... 3-10
Outside temperature indicator ......................... 3-11
Warning and indicator lights ....................... 3-12 Seatbelt warning light and chime .................... 3-13
SRS airbag system warning light .................... 3-13
CHECK ENGINE warning light/Malfunction indicator lamp ................................................. 3-13
Charge warning light ........................................ 3-14
Oil pressure warning light ................................ 3-15
AT OIL TEMPerature warning light
(AT vehicles) ................................................... 3-15
ABS warning light ............................................. 3-15
Vehicle Dynamics Control warning light (if equipped)/Vehicle Dynamics Control
OFF indicator light (if equipped) ................... 3-16
Brake system warning light ............................. 3-18
Door open warning lights ................................. 3-19 Low fuel warning light ...................................... 3-19
All-Wheel Drive warning light (AT vehicles) ... 3-19
Vehicle Dynamics Control operation
indicator light (if equipped) ........................... 3-20
Shift position indicator (AT vehicles) ............. 3-20
Turn signal indicator lights .............................. 3-21
High beam indicator light ................................. 3-21
Cruise control indicator light (if equipped) .... 3-21
Cruise control set indicator light (if equipped) .................................................... 3-21
Clock .............................................................. 3-22
Light control switch ...................................... 3-23 Headlights ......................................................... 3-23
High/low beam change (dimmer) .................... 3-24
Headlight flasher ............................................... 3-24
Daytime running light system ......................... 3-25
Turn signal lever ........................................... 3-25
Illumination brightness control ................... 3-26
Parking light switch ...................................... 3-27
Fog light button (if equipped) ...................... 3-27
Wiper and washer ......................................... 3-28 Windshield wiper and washer switches ......... 3-29
Rear window wiper and washer switch .......... 3-31
Windshield wiper deicer (if equipped) ........ 3-32
Rear window defogger button ..................... 3-33
Mirrors ............................................................ 3-35 Inside mirror ...................................................... 3-35
Outside mirrors ................................................. 3-37
Tilt steering wheel ......................................... 3-39

11-11
Maintenance and service
– CONTINUED –
a bad smell, smoke, and/or a fire.
If you check the oil level just after stopping the engine,
wait a few minutes for the oil to drain back into the oil
pan before checking the level.
Just after driving or while the engine is warm, the en-
gine oil level reading may be in a range between the
upper level and the notch mark. This is caused by ther-
mal expansion of the engine oil.
To prevent overfilling the engine oil, do not add any
additional oil above the upper level when the engine is cold. „ Changing the oil and oil filter
Change the oil and oil filter according to the mainte-
nance schedule in the “Warranty and Maintenance Booklet”.
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed more fre-
quently than listed in the maintenance schedule when
driving on dusty roads, when short trips are frequently
made, when towing a trailer, or when driving in ex-
tremely cold whether.
1. Warm up the engine by letting the engine idle for
about 10 minutes to ease draining the engine oil.
2. Park the vehicle on a level surface and stop the en- gine.
3. Remove the oil filler cap.
4. Open the access cover by removing the six clips
and turning the access cover counterclockwise. The
drain plug will be exposed.
HSB025BA

11 - 1 8
Maintenance and service
coolant may damage the paint surface.
T Changing the coolant
A) Drain plug
Always add genuine Subaru cooling system condition-
er whenever the coolant is replaced.
Change the engine coolant and add genuine Subaru
cooling system conditioner using the following proce-
dures according to the maintenance schedule.
1. Remove the under cover.
2. Place a proper container under the drain plug and
loosen the drain plug. 3. Loosen the radiator cap to drain the coolant from
the radiator. Then drain the coolant from the reserve
tank. Tighten the drain plug securely.
Never attempt to remove the radiator cap until
the engine has been shut off and has cooled
down completely. Since the coolant is under
pressure, you may suffer serious burns from a
spray of boiling hot coolant when the cap is re-
moved.
4. Install the under cover.
AHSB027BC

11 - 5 0
Maintenance and service
Aluminum wheels (if equipped)
Aluminum wheels can be scratched and damaged
easily. Handle them carefully to maintain their appear-
ance, performance, and safety. y
When any of the wheels is removed and replaced
for tire rotation or to change a flat, always check the
tightness of the wheel nuts after driving approximately
600 miles (1,000 km). If any nut is loose, tighten it to
the specified torque.y Never apply oil to the threaded parts, wheel nuts, or
tapered surface of the wheel.y Never let the wheel rub against sharp protrusions or
curbs. y Be sure to fit tire chains on uniformly and completely
around the tire, otherwise the chains may scratch the
wheel.y When wheel nuts, balance weights, or the center
cap is replaced, be sure to replace them with genuine
SUBARU parts designed for aluminum wheels.Windshield washer fluid
Check the level of the washer fluid at each fuel stop. If
the level is low, fill the fluid up to the neck of the reser- voir.
Use windshield washer fluid. If windshield washer fluid
is unavailable use clean water.
In areas where water freezes in winter, use an anti-
freeze type windshield washer fluid. SUBARU Wind-
shield Washer Fluid contains 58.5% methyl alcohol
and 41.5% surfactant, by volume. Its freezing temper-
ature varies according to how much it is diluted, as in-
dicated in the following table.
HSB018IA