2007 SUBARU FORESTER tow

11 - 8 Maintenance and service
Engine oil „Checking the oil level
Check 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 level
4. 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 filter
Change 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 weather.
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
y Use 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

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 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
„ Synthetic oil
You 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.
B00549
5W-30*
10W-30, 10W-40
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40
-20 0 60 20 80 10040
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 qF
(–36 qC). For adding, use genuine
SUBARU coolant or an equivalent: a
mixture of 50% soft water (or clear
and drinkable water) and 50% phos-
phate or non-amine type 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.

11 - 3 2 Maintenance and service
yAbnormally 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.
„ Wheel balance
Each wheel was correctly balanced when
your vehicle was new, but the wheels will
become unbalanced as the tires become
worn during use. Wheel imbalance caus-
es the steering wheel to vibrate slightly at
certain vehicle speeds and detracts from
the vehicle’s straight-line stability. It can
also cause steering and suspension sys-
tem problems and abnormal tire wear. If
you suspect that the wheels are not cor-
rectly balanced, have them checked and
adjusted by your SUBARU dealer. Also
have them adjusted after tire repairs and
after tire rotation.
NOTE
Loss of correct wheel alignment* caus-
es the tires to wear on one side and re-
duces the vehicle’s running stability.
B00051B00052
Driving at high speeds with exces-
sively low tire pressures can cause
the tires to deform severely and to
rapidly become hot. A sharp in-
crease in temperature could cause
tread separation, and destruction of
the tires. The resulting loss of vehi-
cle control could lead to an acci-
dent.

Specifications 12-5
„Tires
NOTE
For the Canada specification non-turbo models, there is a conventional tire installed under the floor of the cargo area. „Wheel alignment
Tire sizeP215/60R16 94HP215/55R17 93H
Wheel size16 u 6 1
/2 JJ or 16
u 6 1
/2 J17
u 7 JJ
PressureFrontLight load29 psi (200 kPa, 2.0 kgf/cm 2
)32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm 2
)
Full load29 psi (200 kPa, 2.0 kgf/cm 2
)32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm 2
)
RearLight load28 psi (190 kPa, 1.9 kgf/cm 2
)30 psi (210 kPa, 2.1 kgf/cm 2
)
Full load36 psi (250 kPa, 2.5 kgf/cm 2
)32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm 2
)
Trailer towing41 psi (280 kPa, 2.8 kgf/cm 2
)36 psi (250 kPa, 2.5 kgf/cm 2
)
Temporary spare tireSizeT135/80D16
Pressure60 psi (420 kPa, 4.2 kgf/cm 2
)
Item2.5-liter non-turbo models2.5-liter turbo models
Drive systemAWD
ToeFront0 r 0.12 in (0 r 3 mm)
Rear0.079 r 0.12 in (2 r 3 mm)
CamberFront–0 q25’ r 45’
Rear–0 q50’ r 45’–0 q55’ r 45’

Consumer information and Reporting safety defects 13-5
–
CONTINUED –
„ Recommended tire inflation pressure
T Recommended cold tire inflation pressure
Recommended cold tire inflation pressure for your vehicle’s tires is as follows,
Tire sizeP215/60R16 94HP215/55R17 93H
Wheel size16 u 6 1
/2 JJ or 16
u 6 1
/2 J17
u 7 JJ
PressureFrontLight load29 psi (200 kPa, 2.0 kgf/cm 2
)32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm 2
)
Full load29 psi (200 kPa, 2.0 kgf/cm 2
)32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm 2
)
RearLight load28 psi (190 kPa, 1.9 kgf/cm 2
)30 psi (210 kPa, 2.1 kgf/cm 2
)
Full load36 psi (250 kPa, 2.5 kgf/cm 2
)32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm 2
)
Trailer towing41 psi (280 kPa, 2.8 kgf/cm 2
)36 psi (250 kPa, 2.5 kgf/cm 2
)
Temporary spare tireSizeT135/80D16
Pressure60 psi (420 kPa, 4.2 kgf/cm 2
)

13-8 Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
„Vehicle load limit – how to de-
termine
The 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)

Consumer information and Reporting safety defects 13-11
suspension, axles and other parts of
the body.
Therefore, this means that the vehicle
cannot necessarily be loaded up to
the tire’s maximum load rating on the
tire sidewall. „Adverse safety consequenc-
es of overloading on handling
and stopping and on tires
Overloading could affect vehicle han-
dling, stopping distance, vehicle and
tire as shown in the following. This
could lead to an accident and possibly
result in severe personal injury. y Vehicle stability will deteriorate.
y Heavy and/or high-mounted loads
could increase the risk of rollover. y Stopping distance will increase.
y Brakes could overheat and fail.
y Suspension, bearings, axles and
other parts of the body could break or
experience accelerated wear that will
shorten vehicle life. y Tires could fail.
y Tread separation could occur.
y Tire could separate from its rim. „
Steps for Determining Cor-
rect Load Limit
1. Locate the statement “The com-
bined weight of occupants and cargo
should never exceed XXX pounds” on
your vehicle’s placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of
the driver and passengers that will be
riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of
the driver and passengers from XXX
kilograms or XXX pounds.
4. The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and lug-
gage load capacity. For example, if
the “XXX” amount equals 1,400 lbs
(635kg). and there will be five- 150 lbs
(68 kg) passengers in your vehicle,
the amount of available cargo and
luggage load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1,400 – 750 (5 u 150) = 650 lbs)
5. Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on
the vehicle. That weight may not safe-
ly exceed the available cargo and lug-
gage load capacity calculated in Step4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trail-
er, load from your trailer will be trans- ferred to your vehicle. Consult this
manual to determine how this reduc-
es the available cargo and luggage
load capacity of your vehicle.

14-6 Index
ReplacingAir cleaner element .................................................... 11-15
Battery (remote keyless entry) ....................................... 2-8
Bulbs ......................................................................... 11-44
Transmitters ................................................................... 2-9
Rocking the vehicle .......................................................... 8-11
Roof rail and crossbar ...................................................... 8-13 S
Safety
Precautions when driving .................................................. 4
Symbol .............................................................................. 2
Warnings ........................................................................... 2
Seat height adjustment (drivers seat) ................................. 1-4
Seatbelt .................................................................................. 4
Extender ...................................................................... 1-20
Maintenance ................................................................ 1-19
Pretensioners .............................................................. 1-21
Safety tips .................................................................... 1-10
Warning light and chime ....................................... 1-12, 3-9
Seatbelts .......................................................................... 1-10
Seats Fabric .......................................................................... 10-4
Heater ............................................................................ 1-7
Selector lever (AT vehicles) ............................................. 7-11
Self-leveling rear suspension ........................................... 7-25
Shift lock release .............................................................. 7-14
Shift position indicator ...................................................... 3-15
Shopping bag hook .......................................................... 6-14
Snow tires ........................................................................ 8-10
Snowy and icy roads .......................................................... 8-9
Spark plugs .................................................................... 11-17 Specifications ................................................................... 12-2
Speedometer ...................................................................... 3-6 SRS
Airbag system warning light ......................................... 3-10
Frontal airbag ............................................................... 1-40
Side airbag ................................................................... 1-52
SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag) ... 4, 1-36
Steering wheel Power ........................................................................... 7-15
Tilt wheel ...................................................................... 3-28
Storage compartments ....................................................... 6-4
Sun visors ........................................................................... 6-3
Supplemental Restraint System airbag ............................ 1-36
Synthetic leather upholstery ............................................. 10-5 T
Tachometer ........................................................................ 3-7
Temperature gauge ............................................................ 3-8
Temperature warning (AT OIL TEMP) .............................. 3-12
Tie-down hooks ................................................................ 9-11
Tilt steering wheel ............................................................. 3-28
Tire Chains .......................................................................... 8-10
Inspection .................................................................. 11-30
Pressures and wear ................................................... 11-31
Replacement .............................................................. 11-34
Rotation ..................................................................... 11-34
Types ......................................................................... 11-30
Top tether anchorages ..................................................... 1-34
Towing .............................................................................. 9-10
All wheels on the ground ............................................. 9-12
Flat-bed truck ............................................................... 9-12