2006 SUBARU TRIBECA coolant temperature

3-8 Instruments and controls
„Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge shows the approximate
amount of fuel remaining in the tank.
The gauge may move slightly during brak-
ing, turning or acceleration due to fuel lev- el movement in the tank.
If you press the trip knob while the ignition
switch is in the “LOCK” or “ACC” position,
the fuel gauge will light up and indicate the
amount of fuel remaining in the tank.
If, while the fuel gauge is indicating the
amount of fuel remaining in the tank, you
(a) do not press the trip knob for 10 sec-
onds or (b) open and close the driver’s
door, the fuel gauge indication will go off. T
Low fuel warning light
The low fuel warning light comes on when
the tank is nearly empty [Approximately
2.6 US gal (10 liters, 2.2 Imp gal)].
It only operates when the ignition switch is
in the “ON” position.
NOTE
This light does not go out unless the
tank is replenished up to an internal
fuel quantity of approximately 4.0 US
gal (15 liters, 3.3 Imp gal). „ Temperature gauge
1) Normal operating range
The temperature gauge shows engine
coolant temperature when the ignition switch is in the “ON” position.
The coolant temperature will vary in ac-
cordance with the outside temperature
and driving conditions.
We recommend that you drive moderately
until the pointer of the temperature gauge
Do not operate the engine with the
pointer of the tachometer in the red
zone. In this range, fuel injection will
be cut by the engine control module
to protect the engine from overrev-
ving. The engine will resume run-
ning normally after the engine
speed is reduced below the red
zone.
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Instruments and controls 3-9
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reaches near the middle of the range. En-
gine operation is optimum with the engine
coolant at this temperature range and high
revving operation when the engine is not
warmed up enough should be avoided.
Warning and indicator lights
Several of the warning and indicator lights
come on momentarily and then go out
when the ignition switch is initially turned
to the “ON” position. This permits check-
ing the operation of the bulbs.
Apply the parking brake and turn the igni-
tion switch to the “ON” position. The fol-
lowing lights come on:
: Driver’s seatbelt warning light
(The seatbelt warning light goes out only
when the driver fastens the seatbelt.)
: Front passenger’s seatbelt warn-
ing light (The seatbelt warning light goes
out only when the front seat passenger
fastens the seatbelt.)
: SRS airbag system warning light: CHECK ENGINE warning light/
Malfunction indicator lamp
: Charge warning light: Oil pressure warning light
: AT OIL temperature warning light / : ABS warning light
: Vehicle Dynamics Control operation
indicator light
: Vehicle Dynamics Control warning
light/Traction Control system OFF indica-
tor light
/ : Brake system warning light: AWD warning light
: Low tire pressure warning light : SPORT mode indicator light
: Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON
indicator light
: Front passenger’s frontal airbag OFF
indicator light
: Low fuel warning light: Cruise control indicator light
: Cruise control set indicator light
If the pointer exceeds the normal
operating range, safely stop the ve-
hicle as soon as possible.
See the “In case of emergency” in
chapter 9.

Climate control 4-5
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Automatic climate control
system
NOTE y
Operate the automatic climate con-
trol system when the engine is run-
ning. y The blower fan rotates at a low speed
when the engine coolant temperature
is low.
For efficient defogging or dehumidify-
ing in cold weather, press the “A/C”button. y Even when cooling is not necessary,
setting the temperature much lower
than the current outlet air temperature
turns on the air conditioner compres-
sor automatically and the “A/C” indica-
tor light on the control panel comes on.y Seven-seater models each have a
rear air conditioner. The fan speed of
the rear air conditioner can be adjust-
ed, but other adjustments (outlet air
temperature, air distribution, etc.) are
not possible for the rear air condition-
er. For details, refer to “Rear air condi-
tioner (if equipped)” in this section.
The automatic climate control system au-
tomatically controls outlet air temperature,
fan speed, air flow distribution air-inlet
control, and air conditioner compressor operation. It activates when the “AUTO”
button is pressed, and is used to maintain
a constant, comfortable climate within the
passenger compartment.
The temperature can be set within a range
of 65 to 85
°F (18 to 32 °C).
„ Control panel
1) Temperature control dial (driver’s side)
2) Defroster button
3) Fan speed control dial
4) Rear window defogger button (Refer to the “Rear window defogger button” in
chapter 3.)
5) Temperature control dial (passenger’s side)
6) Air conditioner button
7) Air flow mode selection button
8) Air inlet selection button 9) OFF button
10) AUTO button
T AUTO button
AUTO mode operation:
When the “AUTO” button is pressed, the
indicator light on the button comes on. In
this state, fan speed, air flow distribution,
air-inlet control, and air conditioner com-
pressor operation are automatically con-
trolled.
Manual mode operation:
If you operate any of the buttons on the
control panel other than the “OFF” button
and temperature control dial during auto-
matic mode operation, the indicator light
will go out. You can then manually control
the system as desired using the button
you operated.
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7-8 Starting and operating
Stopping the engine
The ignition switch should be turned off
only when the vehicle is stopped and the
engine is idling.
Automatic transmission
The automatic transmission is electroni-
cally controlled and provides 5 forward
speeds and 1 reverse speed. Also, it has
a manual mode and a SPORT mode.
NOTE yWhen 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
which the on-board computer has col-
lected and stored in memory to allow
Do not stop the engine when the ve-
hicle is moving. This will cause loss
of power to the power steering and
the brake booster, making steering
and braking more difficult. It could
also result in accidental activation
of the “LOCK” position on the igni-
tion switch, causing the steering
wheel to lock.
Do not shift from the “P” or “N” po-
sition into the “D” or “R” position
while depressing 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 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.
yAvoid 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.
y When parking the vehicle, first se-
curely apply the parking brake
and then place the selector lever
in the “P” position. Avoid parking
for a long time with the selector le-
ver in any other position as doing
so could result in a dead battery.

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.

9-14 In case of emergency
5. Start the engine of the vehicle with the
booster battery and run it at moderate
speed. Then start the engine of the vehi-
cle that has the discharged battery.
6. When finished, carefully disconnect the
cables in exactly the reverse order.Engine overheating
If the engine overheats, safely pull off the
road and stop the vehicle in a safe place. „If steam is coming from the
engine compartment
Turn off the engine and get everyone
away from the vehicle until it cools down. „ If no steam is coming from
the engine compartment
1. Keep the engine running at idling
speed.
2. Open the hood to ventilate the engine compartment.
Confirm that the cooling fan is turning. If
the fan is not turning, immediately turn off the engine and contact your authorized
dealer for repair.
3. After the engine coolant temperature
has dropped, turn off the engine.
If the temperature gauge stays at the
overheated zone, turn off the engine.
4. After the engine has fully cooled down,
check the coolant level in the reserve
tank.
If the coolant level is below the “MIN”
mark, add coolant up to the “MAX” mark.
5. If there is no coolant in the reserve
tank, add coolant to the reserve tank.
Then remove the radiator cap and fill the
radiator with coolant.
If you remove the radiator cap from a hot
radiator, first wrap a thick cloth around the
radiator cap, then turn the cap counter-
clockwise slowly without pressing down
until it stops. Release the pressure from
the radiator. After the pressure has been
fully released, remove the cap by pressing
down and turning it.
Never attempt to remove the radia-
tor cap until the engine has been
shut off and has fully cooled down.
When the engine is hot, the coolant
is under pressure. Removing the
cap while the engine is still hot
could release a spray of boiling hot
coolant, which could burn you very
seriously.

11 - 1 0 Maintenance and service
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 conditions
If 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
Cooling system
5W-30*
10W-30, 10W-40
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40
-20 0 60 20 80 10040
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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. yThe 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 ba-
sis coolant. Use of improper cool-
ants may result in corrosion in the
cooling system. It is important tomaintain protection against freez-
ing and corrosion, even if freezing
temperatures are not expected.
Never mix different kinds of cool-
ant.

Maintenance and service 11 - 11
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„
Hose and connections
Your vehicle employs an electric cooling
fan which is thermostatically controlled to
operate when the engine coolant reaches
a specific temperature.
If the radiator cooling fan does not operate
even when the engine coolant tempera-
ture gauge exceeds the normal operating
range, the cooling fan circuit may be de-
fective. Check the fuse and replace it if
necessary. If the fuse is not blown, have
the cooling system checked by your
SUBARU dealer.
If frequent addition of coolant is neces-
sary, there may be a leak in the engine
cooling system. It is recommended that
the cooling system and connections be
checked for leaks, damage, or looseness. „
Engine coolant
T Checking the coolant level
Check the coolant level at each fuel stop.
1. Check the coolant level on the outside
of the reservoir while the engine is cool.
2. If the level is close to or lower than the
“LOW” level mark, add coolant up to the
“FULL” level mark. If the reserve tank is
empty, remove the radiator cap and refill
as required. 3. After refilling the reserve tank and the
radiator, reinstall the caps and check that
the rubber gaskets inside the radiator cap
are in the proper position.
y
Do not splash the engine coolant
over painted parts. The alcohol
contained in the engine coolant
may damage the paint surface.
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yBe careful not to spill engine cool-
ant when adding it. If coolant
touches the exhaust pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or
a fire. If engine coolant gets on the
exhaust pipe, be sure to wipe itoff.
y Do not splash the engine coolant
over painted parts. The alcohol
contained in the engine coolant
may damage the paint surface.
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