2006 SUBARU BAJA stop start

7-5
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
0
1. To open the fuel filler door, pull it outward. 1) Open
2) Close
2. Remove the fuel filler cap by turning it slowly coun-
terclockwise.
3. Stop filling the tank after the fuel filler pump auto-
matically clicks off. Do not add any more fuel.
4. Put the cap back on, turn it clockwise until you hear
a clicking sound. Be certain not to catch the tether un-
der the cap while tightening.
5. Close the fuel filler door completely.
If you spill any fuel on the painted surface, rinse it off
immediately. Otherwise, t he painted surface could be
damaged.
UB7034BA
1 2
UB7030BB

7-8
Starting and operating
y
A state emission inspection may reject (not pass or
fail) a vehicle if the numbe r of OBD system readiness
monitors “Not Ready” is greater than one. Under this
condition, the vehicle opera tor should be instructed to
drive his/her vehicle for a few days to set the monitors
and return for an emission re-inspection. y Owners of rejected or failing vehicles should contact
their SUBARU Dealer for service.Preparing to drive
You should perform the following checks and adjust-
ments every day before you start driving.
1. Check that all windows, mirrors, and lights are
clean and unobstructed.
2. Check the appearance and condition of the tires.
Also check tires for proper inflation.
3. Look under the vehicle for any sign of leaks.
4. Check that the hood is fully closed.
5. Check the adjustment of the seat.
6. Check the adjustment of the inside and outside mir-
rors.
7. Fasten your seatbelt. Check that your passengers
have fastened their seatbelts.
8. Check the operation of the warning and indicator
lights when the ignition switch is turned to the “ON” po-sition.
9. Check the gauges, indicator and warning lights af-
ter starting the engine.
NOTE
Engine oil, engine coolant, brake fluid, washer flu-
id and other fluid levels should be checked daily,
weekly or at fuel stops.

7-11
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
While the engine is warming up, make sure that the
selector lever is at the “P” or “N” position and that the
parking brake is applied.
NOTE (Turbo models)
The engine may be difficult to start when the bat-
tery has been disconnected and reconnected (for
maintenance or other purposes). This difficulty is
caused by the electronically controlled throttle’s
self-diagnosis function. To overcome it, keep the
ignition switch in the “O N” position for approxi-
mately 10 seconds before starting the engine.
Stopping the engine
Do not stop the engine when the vehicle is mov-
ing. This will cause loss of power to the power
steering and the brake booster, making steer-
ing and braking more difficult. It could also re-
sult in accidental activation of the “LOCK” po-
sition on the ignition switch, causing the steer-
ing wheel to lock.
The ignition switch should be turned off only when the
vehicle is stopped and the engine is idling.

7-12
Starting and operating
Manual transmission
Do not drive the vehicle with the clutch disen-
gaged (i.e., when the clutch pedal is depressed)or with the shift lever
in the neutral position.
Engine braking has no effect in either of these
conditions and the risk of an accident is conse-
quently increased.
Shift into reverse ONLY when the vehicle has
completely stopped. It may cause damage to
the transmission to try shifting into reverse
when the vehicle is moving.
The manual transmission is a fully synchromeshed, 5-
forward-speeds and 1-reverse-speed transmission. The shift pattern is shown on the shift lever knob.
When shifting from 5th gear to reverse gear, first re-
turn the shift lever to the neu
tral position then shift into
reverse gear.
To change gears, fully depress the clutch pedal, move
the shift lever, and gradually let up on the clutch pedal.
If it is difficult to shift in to gear, put the transmission in
neutral, release the clut ch pedal momentarily, and
then try again.
135
24R
N
13524R
HS7008BA

7-14
Starting and operating
„
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 afault. Automatic transmission (Non-turbo
models)
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 chocks are
used in the wheels. This may cause the auto-
matic 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-
sion.

7-16
Starting and operating
: With the brake pedal depressed, move the lever
along the gate.
: Move the lever along the gate.
The selector lever has seven positions.
T P (Park)
This position is for parking the vehicle and starting the
engine.
In this position, the transmission is mechanically
locked to prevent the vehicle from rolling freely.
When you park the vehicle, first set the parking brake
fully, then shift into the “P” position. Do not hold the ve-
hicle with only the transmission. A shift interlock function is employed in the automatictransmission 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 lu rching 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.
T R (Reverse)
This position is for backing the vehicle.
To shift from “N” to “R” posi tion, 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) po sition. 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.
HS7010BA

7-19
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
mph (km/h)
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 highest gear if the Maximum
Allowable Speed for the current gear is exceeded.y Similarly, in order to prevent over-revving dur-
ing deceleration of the ve hicle, 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.
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” posit ion, perform the following
steps:
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
flat-head screwdriver.
Position Non-turbo models
1 23 (38)
2 55 (89)
3 91 (147)

7-21
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
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 chocks are
used in the wheels. This may cause the auto-matic 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 dama ge to the transmis-
sion. y
When parking the vehicle, first securely apply
the parking brake and then place the selector
lever in the “P” position. Avoid parking for a
long time with the selector lever in any other
position as doing so could result in a dead bat-
tery.
The automatic transmission is electronically controlled
and provides 4 forward speeds and 1 reverse speed.
Also, it has a manual mode.
NOTE y When the engine coolant temperature is still
low, your vehicle’s auto matic transmission will
up-shift at higher engine speeds than when the
coolant temperature is sufficiently high in order to
shorten the warm-up time and improve driveabili-
ty. The gearshift timing w ill automatically shift to
the normal timing after th e engine has warmed up.
y Immediately after ATF (automatic transmission
fluid) is replaced, you may feel that the automatic
transmission operation is somewhat unusual.
This results from invalidation of data which the
on-board computer has collected and stored in
memory to allow the transmission to shift at the
most appropriate times for the current condition
of your vehicle. Optimized shifting will be restored