2006 SUBARU TRIBECA automatic transmission

Starting and operating 7-13
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of the gear which is about to be selected.
Never exceed posted speed limits.
NOTE y In order to prevent over-revving dur-
ing acceleration of the vehicle, the
transmission will automatically 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 during deceleration of the vehi-
cle, 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 selec-
tor lever has been moved. „ Driving tips
y On a road surface where there is a risk
of wheelspin (for example, a snow- or
gravel-covered road), you can pull away
from a standstill safely and easily by first selecting the 2nd gear of the manual mode. y
Always apply the foot or parking brake
when the vehicle is stopped in the “D” or
“R” position. y Always set the parking brake when
parking your vehicle. Do not hold the vehi-
cle with only the transmission. y Do not keep the vehicle in a stationary
position on an uphill grade by using the
“D” position. Use the brake instead. y The engine may, on rare occasions,
knock when the vehicle rapidly acceler-
ates or rapidly pulls away from a standstill.
This phenomenon does not indicate a
problem. y A slight reduction in output torque may
occur before the engine warms up. „
SPORT mode
SPORT mode is used when power is
needed for rapid acceleration or for uphill
driving. To select this mode, move the se-
lector lever from the “D” position to the
manual gate.
Position mph (km/h)
1 25 (40)
2 59 (95)
3 95 (153)
700310
700311

Driving tips 8-11
– CONTINUED –
Recommended winter (snow) tire size
P255/55R18 stud less
„ Tire chains
Driving on snowy grades or icy roads may
require the use of tire chains, in which
case put genuine SUBARU spring chains
on the front wheels only. Genuine
SUBARU spring chains are available from
your SUBARU dealer. These chains can
be installed on “all season tires” as origi-
nal equipment. Never install them on win- ter (snow) tires.
When driving with tire chains, drive at
speeds below 19 mph (30 km/h). When a
temporary spare tire is on a front wheel,
replace the temporary spare tire with the
rear tire on the same side of the vehicle,
and then fit chains on the front tires.
Always use the utmost care when driving
with tire chains – overconfidence because you are driving with tire chains could eas-
ily lead to a serious accident. „
Rocking the vehicle
If you must rock the vehicle to free it from
snow, sand, or mud, depress the acceler-
ator pedal slightly and move the selector
lever back and forth between “D” and “R”
repeatedly. Do not race the engine. For
the best possible traction, avoid spinning
the wheels when trying to free the vehicle.
When the road surface is extremely slip-
pery, you can obtain better traction by
starting the vehicle with the transmission
in 2nd than 1st.
Refer to the “Automatic transmission” sec-
tion in chapter 7 for information on holding
the transmission in 2nd position.
Loading your vehicle
Tire chains cannot be used on tires
listed in the following because of
lack of clearance between the tires
and vehicle body.
All model: P255/55R 18 winter (snow) tires
Never allow passengers to ride on a
folded rear seatback or in the cargo
area. Doing so may result in serious
injury.
y Never stack luggage or other car-
go higher than the top of the seat-
back because it could tumble for-
ward and injure passengers in the
event of a sudden stop or acci-
dent. Keep luggage or cargo low,
as close to the floor as possible.
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Driving tips 8-25
heating of your vehicle’s brakes. Do not
make sudden downshifts. yWhen 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 and AT OIL TEMP warning light
since the engine and transmission are rel-
atively prone to overheating under these
conditions. 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.
NOTE
The temperature of engine coolant is
less likely to rise to the OVERHEAT
zone in the “D” position than in the
manual mode position. y Avoid using the accelerator pedal to
stay stationary on an uphill slope instead
of using the parking brake or foot brake.
That may cause the transmission fluid to
overheat. 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 “P” and shut off the engine.

11
Maintenance and service
Maintenance schedule ....................................... 11-3
Maintenance precautions .................................. 11-3 Before checking or servicing in the engine compartment ........................................................ 11-4
When you do checking or servicing in the
engine compartment while the engine is
running .................................................................. 11-4
Engine hood ....................................................... 11-4
Engine compartment overview ......................... 11-6
Engine oil ............................................................ 11-7 Checking the oil level ............................................. 11-7
Changing the oil and oil filter ................................ 11-7
Recommended grade and viscosity ..................... 11-9
Recommended grade and viscosity under severe driving conditions .................................... 11-10
Cooling system .................................................. 11-10 Hose and connections ........................................... 11-11
Engine coolant ........................................................ 11-11
Air cleaner element ............................................ 11-13 Replacing the air cleaner element ......................... 11-13
Spark plugs ......................................................... 11-14 Recommended spark plugs ................................... 11-14
Drive belts ........................................................... 11-15
Automatic transmission fluid ............................ 11-15 Checking the fluid level ......................................... 11-15
Recommended fluid ............................................... 11-16
Front differential gear oil ................................... 11-16 Checking the oil level ............................................. 11-16 Recommended grade and viscosity ..................... 11-17
Rear differential gear oil .................................... 11-17 Checking the gear oil level .................................... 11-17
Recommended grade and viscosity ..................... 11-18
Power steering fluid ........................................... 11-19 Checking the fluid level .......................................... 11-19
Recommended fluid ............................................... 11-19
Brake fluid ........................................................... 11-20 Checking the fluid level .......................................... 11-20
Recommended brake fluid ..................................... 11-20
Brake booster ..................................................... 11-21
Brake pedal ......................................................... 11-21 Checking the brake pedal free play ...................... 11-21
Checking the brake pedal reserve distance ......... 11-21
Replacement of brake pad and lining ............... 11-22 Breaking-in of new brake pads and linings .......... 11-22
Parking brake stroke .......................................... 11-23
Tires and wheels ................................................ 11-23 Types of tires .......................................................... 11-23
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) ............ 11-23
Tire inspection ........................................................ 11-25
Tire pressures and wear ........................................ 11-25
Wheel balance ......................................................... 11-27
Wear indicators ....................................................... 11-27
Tire rotation ............................................................. 11-28
Tire replacement ..................................................... 11-28
Wheel replacement ................................................. 11-29
Aluminum wheels ............................................... 11-29

11 - 6 Maintenance and service
Engine compartment overview
123 4 5
11
12 10 9 8 67
B00302
1) Air cleaner element (page 11-13)
2) Power steering fluid reservoir (page
11-19)
3) Differential gear oil level gauge (page 11-16)
4) Automatic transmission fluid level
gauge (page 11-15)
5) Brake fluid reservoir (page 11-20)
6) Fuse box (page 11-36)
7) Battery (page 11-35)
8) Windshield washer tank (page 11-30)
9) Radiator cap (page 11-11)
10) Engine oil filler cap (page 11-7)
11) Engine coolant reservoir (page 11-
11)
12) Engine oil level gauge (page 11-7)

Maintenance and service 11 - 1 5
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Drive belts
The alternator, power steering pump, and
air conditioner compressor depend on
drive belts. Satisfactory performance re-
quires that belt tension be correct.
It is unnecessary to check belt tension pe-
riodically because your engine is
equipped with an automatic belt tension
adjuster. However, replacement of the
belt should be done according to the
maintenance schedule in the “Warranty
and Maintenance Booklet”. Consult your
SUBARU dealer for replacement.
If a belt is loose, cracked, or worn, contact
your SUBARU dealer.Automatic transmission fluid „Checking the fluid level
The automatic transmission fluid expands
largely as its temperature rises; the fluid
level differs according to fluid tempera-
ture. Therefore, there are two different scales for checking the level of hot fluid
and cold fluid on the dipstick.
Though the fluid level can be checked
without warming up the fluid on the
“COLD” range, we recommend checking
the fluid level when the fluid is at operating
temperature. T Checking the fluid level when the
fluid is hot
Check the fluid level monthly.
1. Drive the vehicle several miles to raise
the temperature of the transmission fluid
up to normal operating temperature; 158 to 176 °F (70 to 80 °C) is normal.
2. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
set the parking brake.
3. First shift the selector lever in each po-
sition. Then shift it in the “P” position, and
run the engine at idling speed. 1) Yellow handle
1) HOT range
2) COLD range
3) Upper level
4) Lower level
1
B00315
LF
LF
3 4
34 2
1
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11 - 1 6 Maintenance and service
4. Pull out the dipstick and check the fluid
level on the gauge. If it is below the lower
level on the “HOT” range, add the recom-
mended automatic transmission fluid up to
the upper level. TChecking the fluid level when the
fluid is cold
When the fluid level has to be checked
without time to warm up the automatic
transmission, check to see that the fluid
level is between the lower level and upper
level on the “COLD” range. If it is below
that range, add fluid up to the upper level.
Be careful not to overfill.
„ Recommended fluid
Use one of the following types of automat-
ic transmission fluid. Genuine Subaru Automatic Transmis-
sion Fluid Type-HP
IDEMITSU ATF HP
Castrol Transmax J
Pennzoil ATF-J*
* Available only in the USA (except
Alaska and Hawaii)
NOTE
Using any non-specified type of auto-
matic transmission fluid could result in
damage inside the transmission. When
replacing the automatic transmission
fluid, be sure to use a fluid of the types
specified above.
Front differential gear oil „
Checking the oil level
1) Yellow handle
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
stop the engine.
2. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it clean, and
insert it again.
Be careful not to spill automatic
transmission fluid when adding it. If
automatic transmission fluid touch-
es the exhaust pipe, it may cause a
bad smell, smoke, and/or a fire. If au-
tomatic transmission fluid gets on
the exhaust pipe, be sure to wipe itoff.
1
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Specifications 12-5
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Fuses and circuits „Fuse panel located in the passenger compart- ment
27 28 29 30 31 32 33
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
6789101112 12345
C00004
Fuse panelFuse ratingCircuit
120Ay
Trailer hitch connector
2Empty
315AyDoor locking
47.5AyFront wiper deicer relay
y Moonroof
57.5AyCombination meter
67.5AyRemote control rear view mirrors
y Seat heater relay
715AyCombination meter
y Integrated unit
820AyStop light
920AyMirror heater
y Front wiper deicer
107.5AyPower supply (Battery)
117.5AyTurn signal unit
1215AyAutomatic transmission unit
y SRS airbag system (Sub)
y Engine control unit
y Integrated unit
1320AyCargo socket