2006 SUBARU BAJA battery

6-20
Interior and exterior equipments
Cargo lamp
The cargo lamp comes on and goes off whenever the
cargo lamp switch is pushed regardless of the position
of the ignition switch. The cargo lamp indicator light lo-
cated in the meter panel will illuminate when the cargo
lamp is on.
When leaving your vehicle, make sure the lamp is
turned off to avoid battery discharge.
Do not switch on the cargo lamp while drivingto avoid distracting other drivers.
UB3018AA
UB7023DA

7-15
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
yWhen 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.
NOTE y When the engine coolant temperature is still
low, your vehicle’s automatic transmission will
up-shift at higher engine speeds than when the
coolant temperature is suffi ciently high in order to
shorten the warm-up time and improve driveabili-
ty. The gearshift timing wil l automatically shift to
the normal timing after the engine has warmed up.
y Immediately after a disconnected battery is re-
connected or ATF (automatic transmission fluid)
is replaced, you may feel that the automatic trans-
mission operation is somewhat unusual.
This results from invalidation of data the on-board
computer has collected and stored in memory to
allow the transmission to shift at the most appro-
priate times for the current condition of your vehi-
cle. Optimized shifting will be restored as the vehi- cle continues to be driven for a while. „
Selector lever
P
RND321
HS7009AA

7-34
Starting and operating
„
ABS warning light
The ABS warning light comes on when the ignition
switch is turned to the “ON” position and goes out after
approximately 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. y
The warning light does not come on when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON” position.
y The warning light comes on when the ignition
switch is turned to th e “ON” position, but it
does not go out even when the vehicle speed
exceeds approximately 8 mph (12 km/h). y The warning light comes on during driving.
If these occur, have the ABS system repaired at
the first available opportunity by your SUBARU
dealer.
NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as described in the
following, the ABS system may be considered nor-
mal. y The warning light comes on right after the en-
gine is started but goes out immediately, remain-
ing off. y The warning light remains on after the engine
has been started, but it goes out when the vehicle
speed reaches approximately 8 mph (12 km/h). y The warning light comes on during driving, but
it goes out immediately and remains off.
When driving with an insufficient battery voltage such
as when the engine is jump started, the ABS warning
light may come on. This is due to the low battery volt-
UB4010GA

7-35
Starting and operating
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age and does not indicate a malfunction. When the
battery becomes fully charged, the light will go out.Parking your vehicle
yNever leave unattended children or pets in
the vehicle. They could accidentally injure
themselves or others through inadvertent oper-
ation of the vehicle. Also, on hot or sunny days,
the temperature in a closed vehicle could
quickly become high enough to cause severe
or possibly fatal injuries to them. y Do not park the vehicle over flammable mate-
rials such as dry grass, waste paper or rags, as
they may burn easily if they come near hot en-
gine or exhaust system parts.y Be sure to stop the engine if you take a nap in
the vehicle. If engine exhaust gas enters the
passenger compartment, occupants in the ve-
hicle could die from carbon monoxide (CO)
contained in the exhaust gas.
Never drive while the parking brake is set be-
cause this will cause unnecessary wear on the
brake linings. Before starting to drive, always

8-11
Driving tips
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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

9-18
In case of emergency
tions and precautions described in the “Temporary
spare tire” section in this chapter.
Replace the temporary spare tire with a conventional
tire as soon as you can.Jump starting
y
Battery fluid is SULFURIC ACID. Do not let it
come in contact with the eyes, skin, clothing or
the vehicle.
If battery fluid gets on you, thoroughly flush the
exposed area with water immediately. Get med-
ical help if the fluid has entered your eyes.
If battery fluid is accidentally swallowed, imme-
diately drink a large amount of milk or water,
and obtain immediate medical help.
Keep everyone including children away from
the battery.y The gas generated by a battery explodes if a
flame or spark is brought near it. Do not smoke
or light a match while jump starting.y Never attempt jump starting if the discharged
battery is frozen. It co uld cause the battery to
burst or explode.y Whenever working on or around a battery, al-
ways wear suitable eye protectors, and remove
metal objects such as rings, bands or othermetal jewelry. y Be sure the jumper cables and clamps on
them do not have loose or missing insulation.

9-19
In case of emergency
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Do not jump start unless cables in suitable con-
dition are available.yA running engine can be dangerous. Keep
your fingers, hands, clothing, hair and tools
away from the cooling fan, belts and any other
moving engine parts. Removing rings, watches
and ties is advisable. y Jump starting is dangerous if it done incor-
rectly. If you are unsure about the proper proce-
dure for jump starting, consult a competent me-
chanic.
When your vehicle does not start due to a run down
(discharged) battery, the vehicle may be jump started
by connecting your battery to another battery (called
the booster battery) with jumper cables. „ How to jump start
1. Make sure the booster battery is 12 volts and the
negative terminal is grounded.
2. If the booster battery is in another vehicle, do not let
the two vehicles touch.
3. Turn off all unnecessary lights and accessories.
4. Connect the jumper cables exactly in the sequence
illustrated.

9-20
In case of emergency
1) Booster battery
2) Engine lifting bracket
_ _
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4 1 2
3
1
2
900275
1) Connect one jumper cable to the
positive (+) terminal on the dis-
charged battery.
2) Connect the other end of the
jumper cable to the positive (+) ter-
minal of the booster battery.
3) Connect one end of the other
cable to the negative (–) terminal
of the booster battery.
4) Connect the other end of the ca-
ble to the engine lifting bracket.
Make sure that the cables are not
near any moving parts and that the
cable clamps are not in contact
with any other metal.