2006 SUBARU BAJA engine

7-9
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
Starting the engine
Do not operate the starter motor continuously
for more than ten seconds. If the engine fails to
start after operating the starter for five to ten
seconds, wait for ten seconds or more before
trying again.
„ Manual transmission vehicle
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and accessories.
3. Press the clutch pedal to the floor and shift the shift
lever into neutral.
Hold the clutch pedal to the floor while starting the en-
gine. The starter motor will only operate when the
clutch pedal is pressed fully to the floor.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON” position and
check the operation of the warning and indicator lights.
Refer to the “Warning and indicator lights” section
(chapter 3).
5. Turn the ignition switch to the “START” position
without depressing the accelerator pedal. Release
the key immediately after the engine has started. If the engine does not start, try the following.
1) Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF” position and
wait for at least 10 seconds. After checking that the
parking brake is firmly set, turn the ignition switch to
the “START” position while depressing the acceler-
ator pedal slightly (about a quarter of the full stroke).
Release the accelerator pedal as soon as the en-
gine starts.
2) If this fails to start th e engine, turn the ignition
switch back to the “OFF” position and wait for at
least 10 seconds. Then fully depress the accelerator
pedal and turn the ignition switch to the “START”
position. If the engine starts, quickly release the ac-
celerator pedal.
3) If this fails to start th e engine, turn the ignition
switch again to the “OFF” position. After waiting for
10 seconds or longer, turn the ignition switch to the
“START” position without depressing the accelera-
tor pedal.
4) If the engine still refuses to start, contact your
nearest SUBARU deale r for assistance.
6. Confirm that all warning and indicator lights have
gone off after the engine has started. The fuel injection
system automatically lowers the idle speed as the en-
gine warms up.
NOTE (Turbo models)
The engine may be difficult to start when the bat-

7-10
Starting and operating
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. „ Automatic transmission vehicle
If you restart the engine while the vehicle is
moving, shift the selector lever into the “N” po-
sition. Do not attempt to place the selector lever
of a moving vehicle into the “P” position.
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and accessories.
3. Shift the selector lever to the “P” or “N” position
(preferably “P” position). Th e starter will only operate
when the select lever is at the “P” or “N” position.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON” position and
check the operation of the warning and indicator lights.
Refer to the “Warning and indicator lights” section
(chapter 3).
5. Turn the ignition switch to the “START” position without
depressing the accelerator pedal. Release
the key immediately after the engine has started.
If the engine does not start, try the following.
1) Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF” position and
wait for at least 10 seconds. After checking that the
parking brake is firmly set, turn the ignition switch to
the “START” position while depressing the acceler-
ator pedal slightly (about a quarter of the full stroke).
Release the accelerator pedal as soon as the en-
gine starts.
2) If this fails to start the engine, turn the ignition
switch back to the “OFF” position and wait for at
least 10 seconds. Then fully depress the accelerator
pedal and turn the ignition switch to the “START”
position. If the engine starts, quickly release the ac-
celerator pedal.
3) If this fails to start the engine, turn the ignition
switch again to the “OFF” position. After waiting for 10 seconds or longer, turn the ignition switch to the
“START” position without depressing the accelera-
tor pedal.
4) If the engine still refuses to start, contact your
nearest SUBARU dealer for assistance.
6. Confirm that all warning and indicator lights have
gone out after the engine ha s started. The fuel injec-
tion system automatically lowers the idle speed as the
engine warms up.

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

7-13
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
„Shifting speeds
T Recommended shifting speeds
The best compromise between fuel economy and ve-
hicle performance during normal driving is ensured by
shifting up at the speeds listed in the following table. T Maximum allowable 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 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 wi ll 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.
Shift up mph (km/h)
1st to 2nd 15 (24)
2nd to 3rd 25 (40)
3rd to 4th 40 (65)4th to 5th 45 (73)
Gear Non-turbo models Turbo models 1st 31 (50) 29 (47)
2nd 52 (84) 48 (78)
3rd 74 (119) 71 (114)

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.

7-15
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

7-16
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