2006 SUBARU FORESTER engine overheat

2 the climate control.
Chapter 5: Audio
This chapter informs you how to operate
your audio system.
Chapter 6: Interior equipment
This chapter informs you how to operate
interior equipment.
Chapter 7: Starting and operating
This chapter informs you how to start and
operate your SUBARU.
Chapter 8: Driving tips
This chapter informs you how to drive your
SUBARU in various conditions and ex-
plains some safety tips on driving.
Chapter 9: In case of emergency
This chapter informs you what to do if you
have a problem while driving, such as a
flat tire or engine overheating.
Chapter 10: Appearance care
This chapter informs you how to keep your
SUBARU looking good.
Chapter 11: Maintenance and service
This chapter informs you when you need
to take your SUBARU to the dealer for
scheduled maintenance and informs you
how to keep your SUBARU running prop-
erly.
Chapter 12: Specifications
This chapter informs you about dimension
and capacities of your SUBARU.
Chapter 13: Consumer information and
Reporting safety defectsThis chapter informs you about Uniform
tire quality grading standards and Report-
ing safety defects.
Chapter 14: Index
This is an alphabetical listing of all that’s in
this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.
„
Safety warningsYou will find a number of WARNINGs,
CAUTIONs and NOTEs in this manual.
These safety warnings alert you to poten-
tial hazards that could result in injury to
you or others.
Please read these safety warnings as well
as all other portions of this manual careful-
ly in order to gain a better understanding
of how to use your SUBARU vehicle safe-
ly.
NOTEA NOTE gives information or sugges-
tions how to make better use of your
vehicle.„Safety symbolYou will find a circle with a slash through it
in this manual. This symbol means “Do
not”, “Do not do this”, or “Do not let this
happen”, depending upon the context.
A WARNING indicates a situation in
which serious injury or death could
result if the warning is ignored.
A CAUTION indicates a situation in
which injury or damage to your vehi-
cle, or both, could result if the cau-
tion is ignored.
000013
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-7
– CONTINUED –
NOTEUse of the seat heater for a long period
of time while the engine is not running
can cause battery discharge.
Rear seats
„Head restraint adjustment
yThere is a possibility that people
with delicate skin may suffer
slight burns even at low tempera-
tures if he/she uses the seat heat-
er for a long period of time. When
using the heater, always be sure
to warn the persons concerned.
y Do not put anything on the seat
which insulates against heat,
such as a blanket, cushion, or
similar items. This may cause the
seat heater to overheat.
Seatbelts provide maximum re-
straint when the occupant sits well
back and upright in the seat. Do not
put cushions or any other materials
between occupants and seatbacks
or seat cushions. If you do so, the
risk of sliding under the lap belt and
of the lap belt sliding up over the ab-
domen will increase, and both can
result in serious internal injury or
death.
100093
Never stack luggage or other cargo
higher than the top of the seatback
because it could tumble forward and
injure passengers in the event of a
sudden stop or accident.Never drive the vehicle with the
head restraints removed because
they are designed to reduce the risk
of serious neck injury in the event
that the vehicle is struck from the
rear.
100094
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6-10
Interior equipment
„Use with a cigarette lighter (if
equipped)The cigarette lighter operates only when
the ignition switch is in the “ON” and
“ACC” positions.
To use the cigarette lighter, push in the
knob and wait a few moments. It will auto-
matically spring up when ready for use.
„Using as an accessory power
outletElectrical power (12V DC) from the battery
is available at the socket when the ignition
switch is either in the “ACC” or “ON” posi-
tion.
If you use the socket as an accessory
power outlet, take the following precau-
tions.
When the socket is not in use, always put
the cap on the socket to prevent any for-
eign object from entering it.
If the socket has been used for electrical
appliances, damage may have been done
to the internal mechanism that causes a
cigarette lighter to “pop out” after its ele-
ment has been heated. For that reason, a
cigarette lighter, even if it is a genuine
part, should not be used in the socket. If
you want to use the socket for a cigarette
lighter again, or to protect your purchaser
before you sell your vehicle, have your
SUBARU dealer replace the socket with a
new one.
To avoid being burned, never grasp
the lighter by the end with the heat-
ing element. Doing so could result
in injury and could also damage the
heating element.
600095
Do not hold the lighter pushed in,
because it will overheat.
yUse only in-car use electrical ap-
pliances which are designed for
12V DC and which consume less
than 120W. Overloading the sock-
et can cause a short circuit. Do
not use double adapters or more
than one electrical appliance.
yIf the plug on your electric appli-
ance is either too loose or too
tight for the socket, this can result
in a poor contact or cause the
plug to get stuck. Only use plugs
that fit properly.
y Use of an electric appliance in the
socket for a long period of time
while the engine is not running
can cause battery discharge.
y Before driving your vehicle, make
sure that the plug and the cord on
your electrical appliance will not
interfere with your shifting gears
and operating the accelerator and
brake pedals. If they do, do not
use the electrical appliance while
driving.
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7-10
Starting and operating
mph (km/h)
„Driving tipsDo 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 up-
grade. 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 components.
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 la-
bor.
On steep downgrades, downshift the
transmission to 4th, 3rd or 2nd gear as
necessary; this helps to maintain a safe
speed and to extend brake pad life.
In this way, the engine provides a braking
effect. Remember, if you “ride” (over use)
the brakes while descending a hill, they
may overheat and not work properly.
Automatic transmissionThe automatic transmission is electroni-
cally controlled and provides 4 forward
speeds and 1 reverse speed.NOTEy
When the engine coolant tempera-
ture is still low, your vehicle’s automat-
ic transmission will up-shift at higher
engine speeds than when the coolant
temperature is sufficiently high in or-
der to shorten the warm-up time and
improve driveability. The gearshift tim-
ing will automatically shift to the nor-
mal timing after the engine has warmed
up.
y Immediately after ATF (automatic
transmission fluid) is replaced, you
may feel that the automatic transmis-
sion 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 ap-
propriate times for the current condi-
tion of your vehicle. Optimized shifting
will be restored as the vehicle contin-
ues to be driven for a while.
Non-turbo
models Turbo models
1st 30 (49) 28 (46)
2nd 51 (82) 52 (83) 3rd 73 (117) 73 (118)
When shifting down a gear, ensure
that the vehicle is not traveling at a
speed exceeding the Maximum Al-
lowable Speed for the gear which is
about to be selected. Failure to ob-
serve this precaution can lead to en-
gine 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 slippery surface can
lead to wheel locking; as a conse-
quence, control of the vehicle may
be lost and the risk of an accident in-
creased.
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Starting and operating
7-11
– CONTINUED –
„Selector lever for automatic
transmission
: 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 me-
chanically 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 vehicle with only
the transmission.
A shift interlock function is employed in
the automatic transmission system to en-
Do not shift from the “P” or “N” po-
sition into the “D”, “3”, “2”, “1” or
“R” position while depressing the
accelerator pedal. This may cause
the vehicle to jump forward or back-
ward.
y Shift into the “P” or “R” position
only after the vehicle is complete-
ly stopped. Shifting while the ve-
hicle is moving may cause dam-
age to the transmission.
y Do not race the engine for more
than five seconds in any position
except the “N” or “P” position
when the brake is set or when
chocks are used in the wheels.
This may cause the automatic
transmission fluid to overheat.
y Avoid shifting from one of the for-
ward driving positions into the
“R” position or vice versa until the
vehicle has completely stopped.
Such shifting may cause damage
to the transmission.
yWhen parking the vehicle, first se-
curely apply the parking brake
and then place the selector lever
in the “P” position.
P
R
N
D
3
2
1
700034
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Starting and operating
7-15
– CONTINUED –
Power steeringThe power steering system operates only
when the engine is running.
If you lose power steering assist because
the engine stops or the system fails to
function, you can steer but it will take
much more effort.NOTERight after the engine has been started
and before it has warmed up, you may
hear a noise coming from areas adja-
cent to the power steering pump which
is located at the right-front area of the
engine compartment. This noise is nor-
mal. It does not indicate power steering
system trouble.
Braking„Braking tipsT When the brakes get wet
When driving in rain or after washing the
vehicle, the brakes may get wet. As a re-
sult, brake stopping distance will be long-
er. To dry the brakes, drive the vehicle at
a safe speed while lightly depressing the
brake pedal to heat up the brakes.
T Use of engine braking
Remember to make use of engine braking
in addition to foot braking. When descend-
ing a grade, if only the foot brake is used,
the brakes may start working improperly
because of brake fluid overheating,
caused by overheated brake pads. To
help prevent this, shift into a lower gear to
get stronger engine braking.
T Braking when a tire is punctured
Do not depress the brake pedal suddenly when a tire is punctured. This could cause
a loss of control of the vehicle. Keep driv-
ing straight ahead while gradually reduc-
ing speed. Then slowly pull off the road to
a safe place.
„
Brake systemT Two separate circuits
Your vehicle has two separate circuit
brake systems. Each circuit works diago-
nally across the vehicle. If one circuit of
the brake system should fail, the other half
of the system still works. If one circuit fails,
the brake pedal will go down much closer
to the floor than usual and you will need to
press it down much harder. And a much
longer distance will be needed to stop the
vehicle.
T Brake booster
The brake booster uses engine manifold
vacuum to assist braking force. Do not
turn off the engine while driving because
that will turn off the brake booster, result-
ing in poor braking power.
The brakes will continue to work even
when the brake booster completely stops
functioning. If this happens, however, you
will have to push the pedal much harder
than normal and the braking distance will
increase.
Do not hold the steering wheel at the
fully locked position left or right for
more than five seconds. This may
damage the power steering pump.
Never rest your foot on the brake
pedal while driving. This can cause
dangerous overheating of the
brakes and needless wear on the
brake pads and linings.
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8-24
Driving tips
tight turn, the trailer could hit your vehicle.
yCrosswinds will adversely affect the
handling of your vehicle and trailer, caus-
ing sway. Crosswinds can be due to
weather conditions or the passing of large
trucks or buses. If swaying occurs, firmly
grip the steering wheel and slow down im-
mediately but gradually.
y When passing other vehicles, consider-
able distance is required because of the
added weight and length caused by at-
taching the trailer to your vehicle.1) Left turn
2) Right turny Backing up with a trailer is difficult and
takes practice. When backing up with a
trailer, never accelerate or steer rapidly.
When turning back, grip the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand and turn it to
the left for a left turn, and turn it to the right
for a right turn.
y
If the ABS warning light illuminates
while the vehicle is in motion, stop towing
the trailer and have repairs performed im-
mediately by the nearest SUBARU dealer.
T Driving on grades
y Before going down a steep hill, slow
down and shift into lower gear (if neces-
sary, use 1st gear) in order to utilize the
engine braking effect and prevent over-
heating of your vehicle’s brakes. Do not
make sudden downshifts.
y When driving uphill in hot weather, the
air conditioner may turn off automatically
to protect the engine from overheating.
y When driving uphill in hot weather, pay
attention to the water temperature gauge
pointer (for all vehicles) and AT OIL TEMP
warning light (for AT vehicles) since the
engine and transmission are relatively
prone to overheating under these condi-
tions. If the water temperature gauge
pointer approaches the OVERHEAT zone
or the AT OIL TEMP warning light illumi-
nates, immediately switch off the air con-
ditioner and stop the vehicle at the nearest
safe place. Refer to the “Engine overheat-
ing” section in chapter 9, and “Warning
and indicator lights” section in chapter 3. y
If your vehicle has an automatic trans-
mission, avoid using the accelerator pedal
to stay stationary on an uphill slope in-
stead of using the parking brake or foot
brake. That may cause the transmission
fluid to overheat.
y If your vehicle has an automatic trans-
mission, place the selector lever as fol-
lows:
Uphill slopes: “D” position
Downhill slopes: A low-speed gear posi-
tion to use engine braking
T Parking on a grade
Always block the wheels under both vehi-
cle and trailer when parking. Apply the
parking brake firmly. You should not park
on a hill or slope. But if parking on a hill or
slope cannot be avoided, you should take
the following steps:
1. Apply the brakes and hold the pedal
down.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks un-
der both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, re-
lease the regular brakes slowly until the
blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the regular brakes and then ap-
ply the parking brake; slowly release the
regular brakes.
5. Shift into 1st or reverse gear (manual
transmission) or “P” (automatic transmis-1 2
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9
In case of emergency
If you park your vehicle in case of an emergency ....................................................... 9-2
Temporary spare tire (if equipped) ................... 9-2
Flat tires .............................................................. 9-3
Changing a flat tire ................................................. 9-3
Jump starting ...................................................... 9-7
How to jump start ................................................... 9-8
Engine overheating ............................................ 9-10
If steam is coming from the engine compartment ......................................................... 9-10
If no steam is coming from the engine compartment ......................................................... 9-10
Towing ................................................................. 9-10
Towing and tie-down hooks .................................. 9-11
Using a flat-bed truck ............................................. 9-12
Towing with all wheels on the ground .................. 9-12
Rear gate – if the rear gate cannot be unlocked .......................................................... 9-13
Moonroof – if the moonroof cannot be closed ............................................................... 9-14
Maintenance tools .............................................. 9-14
Jack and jack handle .............................................. 9-15
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