2008 SUBARU OUTBACK engine

7-12Starting and operating
& Entering the vehicle while it
is running via remote start
1. Unlock the vehicle doors using the
keyless entry system. If the vehicle ’s
doors are unlocked manually using the
key, the vehicle ’s alarm system will trigger
and the remote engine start system will
turn off. Inserting the key into the ignition
switch and turning it to the “ON ”position or
pressing the unlock button “
”on the
remote keyless entry transmitter will dis-
arm the alarm system. Refer to the “Alarm
system ”section in chapter 2.
2. Enter the vehicle. Do not press the
brake pedal.
3. Insert the key into the ignition switch
and turn to the “ON ”position. If the ignition
switch is accidentally turned to the“ START ”position, the system ’s “starter
anti-grind ”feature will prevent the starter
from re-cranking.
4. Press the brake pedal. The remote
starter disengages, the vehicle ’s power
window features are re-enabled and the
vehicle will operate normally.
& Entering the vehicle follow-
ing remote engine start shut-down
An alarm trigger may occur if the vehicle is
opened by the remote keyless entry transmitter within a few seconds immedi-
ately following remote engine start shut-down.
& Pre-heating or pre-cooling
the interior of the vehicle
Before exiting the vehicle, set the tem-
perature controls to the desired setting
and operation. After the system starts the
vehicle, the heater or air-conditioning will
activate and heat or cool the interior to
your setting. & Service mode
In service mode, the remote start function
is temporarily disabled to prevent the
system from unexpectedly starting the
engine while being serviced. ! To engage the service mode
Turn the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position, depress and hold the brake pedal
then, press and release the “
”button on
the remote control transmitter three times.
The system will pause for 1 second and
then flash the parking lights and honk the
horn three times indicating that the system
is in service mode. When attempting to
activate the remote start system while in
service mode, the parking lights will flash
and the horn will honk two times and will
not start. !
To disengage the service mode
Turntheignitionswitchtothe “ON ”
position, depress and hold the brake
pedal, then press and release the “
”
button on the remote control transmitter
three times. The system will pause for 1
second and flash the parking lights 1 time
indicating that the system has exited
service mode.
NOTE
When taking your vehicle in for service,
it is recommended that you inform the
service personnel that your vehicle is
equipped with a remote control startsystem. & Remote transmitter program-
ming and programmable fea-
ture option
New transmitters can be programmed to
the engine starter system in the event that
remote transmitters are lost, stolen or
damaged. The remote engine start system
also has one programmable feature that
can be adjusted for user preference.
The remote engine starter system can be
programmed to either make an audible
horn chirp upon remote start activation or
not. Remote transmitter programming and
feature programming can be adjusted
using the following procedure.

7-14Starting and operating
2. Remove the circuit board from the
bottom half of the case and slide the white
plastic battery holder out from under the
battery tab releasing the batteries. Re-
move the old batteries and replace with
new ones. Be sure to observe the (+) sign on the old batteries before removing them
to ensure that the new batteries are
inserted properly (battery
“+ ” should be
pointed away from the transmitter circuit
board on both batteries).
3. Carefully snap the case halves back
together, then test the remote control.
NOTE
This device complies with Part 15 of
the FCC Rules and with RSS-210 of
Industry Canada. Operation is subject
to the following two conditions: (1) This
device may not cause harmful inter-
ference, and (2) this device must
accept any interference received, in-
cluding interference that may cause
undesired operation.
Changes or modifications not ex-
pressly approved by the party respon-
sible for compliance could void theuser ’s authority to operate the equip-
ment. Manual transmission
–5
speeds
WARNING
Do not drive the vehicle with the
clutch disengaged (i.e., when the
clutch pedal is depressed) or with
the shift lever in the neutral position.
Engine braking has no effect in
either of these conditions and the
risk of an accident is consequentlyincreased.
CAUTION
Shift into reverse ONLY when the
vehicle has completely stopped. It
may cause damage to the transmis-
sion to try shifting into reverse when
the vehicle is moving.
The manual transmission is a fully syn-
chromeshed, 5-forward-speed and 1-re-
verse-speed transmission.

The shift pattern is shown on the shift
lever knob. When shifting from 5th gear to
reverse gear, first return the shift lever to
the neutral position then shift into reverse
gear.
To change gears, fully depress the clutch
pedal, move the shift lever, and gradually
let up on the clutch pedal.
If it is difficult to shift into gear, put the
transmission in neutral, release the clutch
pedal momentarily, and then try again. &Shifting speeds
! Recommended shifting speeds
The best compromise between fuel econ-
omy and vehicle performance during
normal driving is ensured by shifting up
at the speeds listed in the following table. Shift up mph (km/h)
1st to 2nd 15 (24)
2nd to 3rd 25 (40) 3rd to 4th 35 (56)4th to 5th 45 (73)
! Maximum allowable speeds
WARNING
When shifting down a gear, ensure
that the vehicle is not travelling at a
speed exceeding the Maximum Al-
lowable Speed for the gear which is
about to be selected. Failure to
observe this precaution can lead to
engine 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 accidentincreased.
The following table shows the maximum
speeds that are possible with each differ-
ent gear.
Never exceed the speed limit below for each gear position except for brief accel-
eration in an emergency. The tach-ometer
’s needle will enter the red area if
these speeds are exceeded. Failure to
observe this precaution can lead to
excessive engine wear and poor fuel
economy.
Non-turbo models mph (km/h)
Gear Except
OUTBACK OUTBACK
1st 30 (48) 30 (48)
2nd 50 (81) 52 (82) 3rd 71 (116) 71 (116)
Turbo models mph (km/h)
Gear Except
OUTBACK OUTBACK
1st 32 (52) 32 (52)
2nd 54 (88) 54 (88) 3rd 80 (129) 78 (127)
NOTE
Never exceed posted speed limits. & Driving tips
Do 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
upgrade. Either of those actions may Starting and operating
7-15
– CONTINUED –

7-16Starting and operating
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
labor. .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. . 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 amalfunction. . A slight reduction in output torque may
occur in the models with a 2.5-liter turbo
engine before the engine warms up. Manual transmission
–6
speeds (2.5GT spec.B)
WARNING
Do not drive the vehicle with the
clutch disengaged (i.e., when the
clutch pedal is depressed) or with
the shift lever in the neutral position.
Engine braking has no effect in
either of these conditions and the
risk of an accident is consequentlyincreased.
The manual transmission is a fully syn-
chromeshed, 6-forward-speed and 1-re-
verse-speed transmission.
The shift pattern is shown on the shift lever knob. &
Selecting reverse gear
CAUTION
Shift into reverse ONLY when the
vehicle has completely stopped. It
may cause damage to the transmis-
sion to try shifting into reverse when
the vehicle is moving.
1) Slider
You must raise the slider and hold it in that
position before you can move the shift
lever to the “R ”position.
To change gears, fully depress the clutch
pedal, move the shift lever, and gradually

let up on the clutch pedal.
If it is difficult to shift into gear, put the
transmission in neutral, release the clutch
pedal momentarily, and then try again. &Shifting speeds
! Recommended shifting speeds
The best compromise between fuel econ-
omy and vehicle performance during
normal driving is ensured by shifting up
at the speeds listed in the following table.
Shift up mph (km/h)
1st to 2nd 15 (24)
2nd to 3rd 25 (40) 3rd to 4th 40 (64)
4th to 5th 45 (72)
5th to 6th 50 (80)
! Maximum allowable speeds
WARNING
When shifting down a gear, ensure
that the vehicle is not travelling at a
speed exceeding the Maximum Al-
lowable Speed for the gear which is
about to be selected. Failure to
observe this precaution can lead to
engine 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 accidentincreased.
The following tables show the maximum
speeds that are possible with each differ-
ent gear. The tachometer ’s needle will
enter the red area if these speeds areexceeded.
With the exception of cases where sudden
acceleration is required, the vehicle
should not be driven with the tachometer ’s
needle inside the red area. Failure to
observe this precaution can lead to
excessive engine wear and poor fuel
economy.
Gear mph (km/h)1st 33 (54)
2nd 51 (83)
3rd 69 (112)4th 90 (147)
5th 125 (204) 6th Top speed NOTE
Never exceed posted speed limits. &
Driving tips
Do 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
upgrade. 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
labor.
On steep downgrades, downshift the
transmission to 5th, 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.
The engine may, on rare occasions, knock
when the vehicle rapidly accelerates or
rapidly pulls away from a standstill. This
phenomenon does not indicate a problem. Starting and operating
7-17

7-18Starting and operating
Automatic transmission –4-
speed
The automatic transmission is electroni-
cally controlled and provides 4 forward
speeds and 1 reverse speed. Also, it has a
manual mode and a SPORT mode.
WARNING
Do not shift from the “P ” or “N ”
position into the “D ” or “R ” position
while depressing the accelerator
pedal. This may cause the vehicle
to jump forward or backward.
CAUTION
. Shift into the “P ” or “R ” position
only after the vehicle is comple-
tely stopped. Shifting while the
vehicle is moving may cause
damage to the transmission.
. Do not race the engine for more
than 5 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.
. Avoid shifting from one of the forward driving positions into the“
R ” position or vice versa until
the vehicle has completely
stopped. Such shifting may
cause damage to the transmis-sion.
. When parking the vehicle, first
securely apply the parking brake
and then place the selector lever
in the “P ” position. Avoid parking
for a long time with the selector
lever in any other position as
doing so could result in a dead
battery.
NOTE . When the engine coolant tempera-
ture is still low, your vehicle ’s auto-
matic transmission will up-shift at high-
er engine speeds than when the cool-
ant temperature is sufficiently high in
order 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 warmedup.. 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
collected and stored in memory to
allow the transmission to shift at the
most appropriate times for the current
condition of your vehicle. Optimized
shifting will be restored as the vehicle
continues to be driven for a while. &
Selector lever
: Shift possible with brake pedal de-
pressed
: Shift possible with brake pedal not
depressed
The selector lever has four positions, “P ”,
“ R ”, “N ”, “D ”and also has manual gate for
using “SPORT ”mode or manual mode.

!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.
To shift the selector lever from the “P ” to
any other position, you should depress the
brake pedal fully then move the selector
lever. This prevents the vehicle from
lurching when it is started. ! R (Reverse)
This position is for backing the vehicle.
To shift from the “N ” to “R ”position, stop
the vehicle completely then move the
lever to the “R ”position.
! N (Neutral)
This position is for restarting a stalledengine.
In this position the wheels and transmis-
sion are not locked. In this position, the
transmission is neutral; the vehicle will roll
freely, even on the slightest incline unless
the parking brake or foot brake is on.
Avoid coasting with the transmission neutral.
During coasting, there is no engine brak-
ing effect.
NOTE
If the selector lever is in the “N ”
position when you stop the engine for
parking, you may not subsequently be
able to move it to the “R ” and “P ”
positions. If this happens, turn the
ignition switch to the “ON ”position.
You will then be able to move the
selector lever to the “P ” position.
WARNING
Do not drive the vehicle with the
selector lever in the “N ” (neutral)
position. Engine braking has no
effect in this condition and the risk
of an accident is consequently in-creased.
! D (Drive)
This position is for normal driving.
The transmission automatically shifts into
a suitable gear from 1st to 4th according to
the vehicle speed and the acceleration
you require.
When more acceleration is required in this
position, press the accelerator pedal fully to the floor and hold that position. The
transmission will automatically downshift
to 3rd, 2nd or 1st gear. When you release
the pedal, the transmission will return to
the original gear position.
To use the
“SPORT ”mode, move the lever
from this position into the manual gate. To
use the manual mode, move the lever
from this position into the manual gate
then move it toward the “+ ” and “ ” ends.
Starting and operating
7-19
– CONTINUED –

7-20Starting and operating
! While climbing a grade
When driving up a hill, undesired upshift to
4th gear is prevented from taking place
when the accelerator is released. This
minimizes the chance of subsequent
downshifting to a lower gear when accel-
erating again. This prevents repeated
upshifting and downshifting resulting in a
smoother operation of the vehicle. NOTE
The transmission may downshift to 2nd
or 1st gear, depending on the way the
accelerator pedal is pressed to accel-
erate the vehicle again. ! While going down a hill
When you are descending a hill or any
other slope while braking with the“ SPORT ”mode selected, the transmission
may downshift to 3rd or 2nd gear depend-
ing on how hard you depress the brake
pedal, causing engine braking to work.
Reacceleration for a short time will cause
the transmission to upshift normally.
NOTE . A 4th-to-3rd automatic downshift
will not occur at speeds above 50
mph (80 km/h) and a 3rd-to-2nd auto-
matic downshift will not occur at
speeds above 24 mph (38 km/h). .
Automatic downshifts to 3rd or 2nd
may occur even when driving on a level
road depending on conditions, such as
how hard you depress the brake pedal.
& Selector lever reverse inhi-
biting function
This function prevents accidental move-
ment of the selector lever to the “R ”
position while the vehicle is moving.
The function becomes operational when
the vehicle reaches a speed of approxi-
mately 6 mph (10 km/h). Once opera-
tional, it prevents the selector lever from
being moved from the “N ” position to the
“ R ” position. When the vehicle speed
drops below 6 mph (10 km/h), the function
is canceled. The selector lever can then
be moved to the “R ”and “P ”positions.
When the ignition switch has been turned
to the “LOCK ”position, movement of the
selector lever from the “N ”position to the
“ R ” position is possible for a limited time
period by depressing the brake pedal and
then becomes impossible. Also, the se-
lector lever cannot be moved to the “R ”
position after it has been placed in the “P ”
position and then placed again in the “N ”
position.
When the movement of the selector lever
from the “N ” position to the “R ” position has become impossible, turn the ignition
switch back to the
“ON ”position then
move the selector lever to the “P ”position.
Pressing the selector lever release button
alsomakesitpossibletomovethe
selector lever to the “P ” position at this
time. ! Selector lever release button
If you inadvertently have turned the igni-
tion switch to the “LOCK ”position with the
selector lever in the “N ”position, proceed
as follows. By referring to the “Shift lock
release ”section in this chapter, remove
the shift lock release cover. Then, with the
screwdriver inserted into the hole, move
the selector lever to the “P ”position. If the
selector lever reverse inhibiting function
fails, have the vehicle inspected by the
nearest SUBARU dealer.