2006 SUBARU FORESTER tow

In case of emergency
9-15
„Jack and jack handleThe jack is stored under the left side of the
cargo floor.
The jack handle is stowed under the rear-
left and center lids in the cargo area. For how to use the jack, refer to the “Flat
tires” section in this chapter.
900003900004
ProCarManuals.com

Maintenance and service
11 - 5
3. Release the secondary hood release
located under the front grille by moving
the lever toward the left.
Lift up the hood, release the hood prop
from its retainer and put the end of the
hood prop into the slot in the hood.To close the hood:
1. Lift the hood slightly and remove the
hood prop from the slot in the hood and re-
turn the prop to its retainer.
2. Lower the hood until it approaches ap-
proximately
12 in (30 cm) from the closed
position and let it drop.
After closing the hood, be sure the hood is
securely locked.
If this does not close the hood, release it
from a slightly higher position. Do not
push the hood forcibly to close it. It could
deform the metal.
200747200748
Always check that the hood is prop-
erly locked before you start driving.
If it is not, it might fly open while the
vehicle is moving and block your
view, which may cause an accident
and serious bodily injury.
ProCarManuals.com

11 - 8
Maintenance and service
Engine oil„Checking the oil levelCheck the engine oil level at each fuel
stop.
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
stop the engine.
2. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it clean, and
insert it again.
3. Be sure the dipstick is correctly insert-
ed until it stops with the graphic symbol
“ ” on its top appearing as shown in
the illustration.
1) Notch
2) Upper level
3) Lower level4. Pull out the dipstick again and check
the oil level on it. If it is below the lower
level, add oil to bring the level up to the up-
per level.
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 engine oil level reading may be
in a range between the upper level and
the notch mark. This is caused by thermal
expansion of the engine oil.
To prevent overfilling the engine oil, do not
add any additional oil above the upper lev-
el when the engine is cold.„Changing the oil and oil filterChange the oil and oil filter according to
the maintenance schedule in the “Warran-
ty and Maintenance Booklet”.
The engine oil and oil filter must be
changed more frequently than listed in the
maintenance schedule when driving on
dusty roads, when short trips are frequent-
ly made, when towing a trailer, or when
driving in extremely cold whether.
1. Warm up the engine by letting the en-
gine idle for approximately 10 minutes to
ease draining the engine oil.
2. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
stop the engine.
3. Remove the oil filler cap.
B00359
yUse only engine oil with the rec-
ommended grade and viscosity.
y Be careful not to spill engine oil
when adding it. If oil touches the
exhaust pipe, it may cause a bad
smell, smoke, and/or a fire. If en-
gine oil gets on the exhaust pipe,
be sure to wipe it off.
1
2
3
B00418
ProCarManuals.com

Maintenance and service
11 - 11
– CONTINUED –
SAE viscosity number and applicable
temperature
*: 5W-30 is recommended.Engine oil viscosity (thickness) affects fuel
economy. Oils of lower viscosity provide
better fuel economy. However, in hot
weather, oil of higher viscosity is required
to properly lubricate the engine.„Recommended grade and
viscosity under severe driv-
ing conditionsIf the vehicle is used in desert areas, in ar- eas with very high temperatures, or used
for heavy-duty applications such as tow-
ing a trailer, use of oil with the following
grade and viscosities is recommended.
API classification SM (or SL):
SAE viscosity No.:
30, 40, 10W-50, 20W-40, 20W-50
„Synthetic oilYou can use synthetic engine oil that
meets the same requirements given for
conventional engine oil. When using syn-
thetic oil, you must use oil of the same
classification, viscosity and grade shown
in this owner’s manual, and must follow
the oil and filter changing intervals shown
in the maintenance schedule.
Cooling system
Use only engine oil with the recom-
mended grade and viscosity.
5W-30*
10W-30, 10W-40
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40
-20 0 60 20 80 10040
B00016
Never attempt to remove the radia-
tor cap until the engine has been
shut off and has cooled down com-
pletely. Since the coolant is under
pressure, you may suffer serious
burns from a spray of boiling hot
coolant when the cap is removed.
The cooling system has been filled
at the factory with a high quality,
corrosion-inhibiting, year-around
coolant which provides protection
against freezing down to –33 °F
(–36 °C). For adding, use genuine
SUBARU coolant or an equivalent: a
mixture of 50% soft water and 50%
ethylene-glycol basis coolant. Use
of improper coolants may result in
corrosion in the cooling system. It is
important to maintain protection
against freezing and corrosion,
even if freezing temperatures are
not expected. Never mix different
kinds of coolant.
ProCarManuals.com

Maintenance and service
11 - 3 1
– CONTINUED –
Incorrect tire pressures detract from con-
trollability and ride comfort, and they
cause the tires to wear abnormally.
yCorrect tire pressure (tread worn
evenly)
Roadholding is good, and steering is re-
sponsive. Rolling resistance is low, so fuel
consumption is also lower. y
Abnormally low tire pressure (tread
worn at shoulders)
Rolling resistance is high, so fuel con-
sumption is also higher. y
Abnormally high tire pressure (tread
worn in center)
Ride comfort is poor. Also, the tire magni-
fies the effects of road-surface bumps and
dips, possibly resulting in vehicle damage.
If the tire placard shows tire pressures for
the vehicle when fully loaded and for the
vehicle when towing a trailer, adjust the
tire pressures to the values that match
current loading conditions.
B00050
B00051
B00052
ProCarManuals.com

Specifications
12-5
„Tires
„ Wheel alignmentTire size
P215/60R16 94H
P215/55R17 93H
Wheel size
16 × 6
1/2 JJ
17 × 7 JJ
Pressure
Front
Light load
29 psi (200 kPa, 2.0 kgf/cm
2)
32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm
2)
Full load
29 psi (200 kPa, 2.0 kgf/cm
2)
32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm
2)
Rear
Light load
28 psi (190 kPa, 1.9 kgf/cm
2)
30 psi (210 kPa, 2.1 kgf/cm
2)
Full load
36 psi (250 kPa, 2.5 kgf/cm
2)
32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm
2)
Trailer towing
41 psi (280 kPa, 2.8 kgf/cm
2)
36 psi (250 kPa, 2.5 kgf/cm
2)
Temporary spare tire
Size
T135/80D16
T135/90D16
Pressure
60 psi (420 kPa, 4.2 kgf/cm
2)
Item
2.5-liter non-turbo models
2.5-liter turbo models
Drive system
AWD
Toe
Front
0 ± 0.12 in (0 ± 3 mm)
Rear
0.079 ± 0.12 in (2 ± 3 mm)
Camber
Front
–0°25’ ± 45’
Rear
–0 °50’ ± 45’
–0 °55’ ± 45’
ProCarManuals.com

Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
13-5
– CONTINUED –
„Recommended tire inflation pressureT
Recommended cold tire inflation pressure
Recommended cold tire inflation pressure for your vehicle’s tires is as follows,Tire size
P215/60R16 94H
P215/55R17 93H
Wheel size
16 × 6
1/2 JJ
17 × 7 JJ
Pressure
Front
Light load
29 psi (200 kPa, 2.0 kgf/cm
2)
32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm
2)
Full load
29 psi (200 kPa, 2.0 kgf/cm
2)
32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm
2)
Rear
Light load
28 psi (190 kPa, 1.9 kgf/cm
2)
30 psi (210 kPa, 2.1 kgf/cm
2)
Full load
36 psi (250 kPa, 2.5 kgf/cm
2)
32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm
2)
Trailer towing
41 psi (280 kPa, 2.8 kgf/cm
2)
36 psi (250 kPa, 2.5 kgf/cm
2)
Temporary spare
tire
Size
T135/80D16
T135/90D16
Pressure
60 psi (420 kPa, 4.2 kgf/cm
2)
ProCarManuals.com

13-8
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
„Vehicle load limit – how to de-
termineThe load capacity of your vehicle is
determined by weight, not by avail-
able cargo space. The load limit of
your vehicle is shown on the vehicle
placard attached to the driver’s side
B-pillar. Locate the statement “The
combined weight of occupants and
cargo should never exceed XXX kg or
XXX lbs” on your vehicle’s placard.
The vehicle placard also shows seat-
ing capacity of your vehicle.
The total load capacity includes the
total weight of driver and all passen-
gers and their belongings, any cargo,
any optional equipment such as a
trailer hitch, roof rack or bike carrier,
etc., and the tongue load of a trailer.
Therefore cargo capacity can be cal-
culated by the following method.
Cargo capacity = Load limit – (total
weight of occupants + total weight of
optional equipment + tongue load of a
trailer (if applicable))
For towing capacity information and
weight limits, refer to “Trailer towing”
in Chapter 8.
T
Calculating total and load capac-
ities varying seating configura-
tions
Calculate the available load capacity
as shown in the following examples:
Example 1A
Vehicle capacity weight of the vehicle
is 900 lbs (408 kg), which is indicated
on the vehicle placard with the state-
ment “The combined weight of occu-
pants and cargo should never exceed
900 lbs or 408 kg”.
For example, if the vehicle has one
occupant weighing 154 lbs (70 kg)
plus cargo weighing 662 lbs (300 kg). 1. Calculate the total weight.
2. Calculate the available load capac-
ity by subtracting the total weight from
the vehicle capacity weight of 900 lbs
(408 kg).
3. The result of step 2 shows that a
further 84 lbs (38 kg) of cargo can be
carried.
D00106
Total weight
= 154 lbs (70 kg) + 662 lbs (300 kg)
= 816 lbs (370 kg)
(Occupant) (Cargo)
ProCarManuals.com