2007 SUBARU TRIBECA windshield wipers

Instruments and controls 3-29
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The indicator light located on the combi-
nation meter will illuminate when the fog
lights are on.
Wiper and washer
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In freezing weather, do not use the
windshield washer until the wind-
shield is sufficiently warmed by the
defroster.
Otherwise the washer fluid can
freeze on the windshield, blocking
your view. y
Do not operate the washer contin-
uously for more than ten seconds,
or when the washer fluid tank is
empty. This may cause overheat-
ing of the washer motor. Check
the washer fluid level frequently,
such as at fuel stops.
y Do not operate the wipers when
the windshield or rear window is
dry. This may scratch the glass,
damage the wiper blades and
cause the wiper motor to burn out.
Before operating the wiper on a
dry windshield or rear window, al-
ways use the windshield washer.
yIn freezing weather, be sure that
the wiper blades are not frozen to
the windshield or rear window be-
fore switching on the wipers. At-
tempting to operate the wiper with the blades frozen to the window
glass could cause not only the
wiper blades to be damaged but
also the wiper motor to burn out. If
the wiper blades are frozen to the
window glass, be sure to operate
the defroster, wiper deicer (if
equipped) or rear window defog-
ger before turning on the wiper.
y If the wipers stop during opera-
tion because of ice or some other
obstruction on the window, the
wiper motor could burn out even if
the wiper switch is turned off. If
this occurs, promptly stop the ve-
hicle in a safe place, turn the igni-
tion switch to the “LOCK” posi-
tion and clean the window glass
to allow proper wiper operation.

3-30 Instruments and controls
NOTE yThe front wiper motor is protected
against overloads by a circuit breaker.
If the motor operates continuously un-
der an unusually heavy load, the circuit
breaker may trip to stop the motor tem-
porarily. If this happens, park your ve-
hicle in a safe place, turn off the wiper
switch, and wait for approximately 10
minutes. The circuit breaker will reset
itself, and the wipers will again operate
normally. y Clean your wiper blades and window
glass periodically with a washer solu-
tion to prevent streaking, and to re- move accumulations of road salt or
road film. Keep the washer button de-
pressed at least for 1 second so that
washer solution will be sprinkled all
over the windshield or rear window. y
Grease, wax, insects or other materi-
al on the windshield or the wiper
blades results in jerky wiper operation
and streaking on the glass. If you can-
not remove those streaks after operat-
ing the washer or if the wiper operation
is jerky, clean the outer surface of the
windshield or rear window and the wip-
er blades using a sponge or soft cloth
with a neutral detergent or mild-abra-
sive cleaner. After cleaning, rinse the
window glass and wiper blades with
clean water. The glass is clean if no
beads form on the glass when you
rinse with water. y If you cannot eliminate the streaking
even after following this procedure, re-
place the wiper blades with new ones.
Refer to the “Replacement of wiper
blades” section (chapter 11) for re-
placement instructions. „ Windshield wiper and washer
switches
The wiper operates only when the ignition
switch is in the “ON” or “ACC” position. T
Windshield wipers
OFF: Park : Intermittent
LO: Low speed HI: High speed
To turn the wipers on, push the wiper con-
trol lever down.
To turn the wipers off, return the lever to
the “OFF” position.
y
Use clean water if windshield
washer fluid is unavailable. In ar-
eas where water freezes in winter,
use SUBARU Windshield Washer
Fluid or the equivalent. (See
“Windshield washer fluid” section
in chapter 11.)
Also, when driving the vehicle
when there are freezing tempera-
tures, use non-freezing type wiper
blades.
y Do not clean the wiper blades with
gasoline or a solvent, such as
paint thinner or benzene. This will
cause deterioration of the wiper
blades.
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T
Mist (for a single wipe)
For a single wipe of the wipers, pull the le-
ver toward you. The wipers operate until
you release the lever. T Wiper intermittent time control When the wiper switch is in the “ ” po-
sition, turn the dial to adjust the operating
interval of the wiper.
The operating interval can be adjusted in
nine steps.
The intermittent operation interval varies
depending on the vehicle speed in any of
the adjustment steps (longer when the ve-
hicle speed is low; shorter when the vehi-
cle speed is high). T
Washer
To wash the windshield, push the washer
button at the end of the wiper control le-
ver. The washer fluid sprays until you re-
lease the washer button. The wipers oper-
ate while you push the button.
NOTE
The windshield washer fluid warning
light comes on when the washer fluid
level in the tank has dropped to the
lower limit. If the warning light illumi-
nates, refill the tank with fluid. For the
tank refilling method, refer to the
“Windshield washer fluid” section in
chapter 11.
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