4-12Climate control
! A/C –Air conditioner button
If the windshield starts to fog when the
climate control system is operated in the
AUTO mode, press the air conditionerbutton “A/C ”to defog and dehumidify.
When this button is pressed, the air
conditioner compressor turns on and the
indicator light “A/C ”on the display illumi-
nates. To turn off the air conditioner
compressor, press the “A/C ”button again.
NOTE
The air conditioner compressor does
not operate when the outside air tem-
perature is below 32 8F(0 8C). !
Air flow mode selection buttonSelect the desired air flow mode by
pressing the air flow mode selection
button. The selected air flow mode is
shown on the display.
(Ventilation): Air flows through the
instrument panel outlets.
(Bi-level): Air flows through the instru-
ment panel outlets and the foot outlets.
(Heat): Air flows through the instrument
panel outlets, the foot outlets, and some
through the windshield defroster outlets.
(Heat-def): Air flows through the instru-
ment panel outlets, the windshield defros-
ter outlets, and the foot outlets. NOTE
When the
“
”mode is selected, the air
conditioner compressor automatically
operates to quickly defog the wind-
shield and the air inlet selection is
automatically set to the “outside air ”
mode. ! Air inlet selection button
Select air flow by pressing the air inlet
selection button “”.
ON position (recirculation): Interior air is
recirculated inside the vehicle. Press the
air inlet selection button to the ON position
for fast cooling with the air conditioner or
when driving on a dusty road. The
indicator light will illuminate.
OFF position (outside Air): Outside air is
drawn into the passenger compartment.
Press the air inlet selection button to the
OFF position when the interior has cooled
to a comfortable temperature and the road
is no longer dusty. The indicator light will
turn off.
WARNING
Continued operation in the ON posi-
tion (recirculation) may fog up the
windows. Switch to the OFF position
(outside air) as soon as the outside
dusty condition clears.
NOTE
When driving on a dusty road or behind
a vehicle that emits unpleasant exhaust
gases, set the air inlet selection button
to the ON position (recirculation).
From time to time, return the air inlet
selection button to the OFF position
(outside air) to draw outside air into the
passenger compartment. &
Temperature sensors
1) Solar sensor
2) Interior air temperature sensor
The automatic climate control system
employs several sensors. These sensors
are delicate. If they are treated incorrectly and become damaged, the system may
not be able to control the interior tempera-
ture correctly. To avoid damaging the
sensors, observe the following precau-tions: –
Do not subject the sensors to impact.
– Keep water away from the sensors.
– Do not cover the sensors.
The sensors are located as follows:– Solar sensor: beside windshield
defroster grille– Interior air temperature sensor: on the
side of the driver-side part of the center panel – Outside temperature sensor: behind
front grille. Climate control
4-13
4-14Climate control
Operating tips for heater and
air conditioner &Cleaning ventilator grille
Always keep the front ventilator inlet grille
free of snow, leaves, or other obstructions
to ensure efficient heating and defrosting.
Since the condenser is located in front of
the radiator, this area should be kept clean
because cooling performance is impaired
by any accumulation of insects and leaves
on the condenser. &Efficient cooling after parking
in direct sunlight
After parking in direct sunlight, drive with
the windows open for a few minutes to
allow outside air to circulate into the heated interior. This results in quicker
cooling by the air conditioner. Keep the
windows closed during the operation of
the air conditioner for maximum cooling
efficiency.
& Lubrication oil circulation in
the refrigerant circuit
Operate the air conditioner compressor at
a low engine speed (at idle or low driving
speeds) a few minutes each month during
the off-season to circulate its oil. & Checking air conditioning
system before summer sea-son
Check the air conditioner unit for refriger-
ant leaks, hose conditions, and proper
operation each spring. Have the air con-
ditioning system checked by your
SUBARU dealer. & Cooling and dehumidifying in
high humidity and low tem-
perature weather condition
Under certain weather conditions (high
relative humidity, low temperatures, etc.) a
small amount of water vapor emission
from the air outlets may be noticed. This
condition is normal and does not indicate
any problem with the air conditioning system.
& Air conditioner compressor
shut-off when engine is
heavily loaded
To improve acceleration and gas mileage,
the air conditioner compressor is designed
to temporarily shut off during air condi-
tioner operation whenever the accelerator
is fully depressed such as during rapid
acceleration or when driving on a steepupgrade. & Refrigerant for your climate
control system
Your air conditioner uses ozone friendly
refrigerant HFC134a. Therefore, the meth-
od of adding, changing or checking the
refrigerant is different from the method for
CFC12 (freon). Consult your SUBARU
dealer for service. Repairs needed as a
result of using the wrong refrigerant are
not covered under warranty.
Air filtration system
Your vehicle’s air conditioning system is
equipped with an air filtration system.
Replace the air filter element according
to the replacement schedule shown in the
following table. This schedule should be
followed to maintain the filter ’s dust
collection ability. Under extremely dusty
conditions, the filter should be replaced
more frequently. Have your filter checked
or replaced by your SUBARU dealer. For
replacement, use only a genuine
SUBARU air filter kit.
Replacement schedule: Every 15 months or 15,000 miles (24,000
km) whichever comes first
CAUTION
Contact your SUBARU dealer if the
following occurs, even if it is not yet
time to change the filter. . Reduction of the air flow through
the vents.
. Windshield gets easily fogged or
misted. NOTE
The filter can influence the air condi-
tioning, heating and defroster perfor-
mance if not properly maintained. &
Replacing an air filter
1. Remove the glove box. (1) Open the glove box.
(2) Remove the damper shaft from the
glove box.
(3) Pull out the glove box.
2. Remove the cover of the air filter. Climate control
4-15
– CONTINUED –
7-2Starting and operating
Fuel
CAUTION
Use of a fuel which is low in quality
or use of an inappropriate fuel
additive may cause engine damage.
& Fuel requirements
! Non-turbo models
The non-turbo engine is designed to
operate using unleadedgasoline with an
octane rating of 87 AKI or higher .
! Turbo models
The engine is designed to operate at
maximum performance using unleaded
gasoline with an octane rating of 93 AKI
or higher . If 93 AKI fuel is not readily
available in your area, unleaded gasoline
with an octane rating of 91 AKI may be
used with no detriment to engine durability
or driveability. However, you may notice a
slight decrease in maximum engine per-
formance while using 91 AKI fuel. Use of
91 AKI fuel will not affect your warranty
coverage. If premium unleaded gasoline is
not available, regular unleaded gasoline
with an octane rating of 87 AKI or higher
may be temporarily used. For optimum engine performance and driveability, it is
required that you use premium grade
unleaded gasoline.
NOTE
Be sure to use premium unleaded
gasoline of 91 AKI or higher for a turbo
engine model. If other gasoline (lower
than 91 AKI) is used, knocking, re-
duced output and poor accelerator
response will result. ! Fuel octane rating
This octane rating is the average of the
Research Octane and Motor Octane
numbers and is commonly referred to as
the Anti Knock Index (AKI).
Using a gasoline with a lower octane
rating can cause persistent and heavy
knocking, which can damage the engine.
Do not be concerned if your vehicle
sometimes knocks lightly when you drive
up a hill or when you accelerate. See your
dealer or a qualified service technician if
you use a fuel with the specified octane
rating and your vehicle knocks heavily or
persistently. ! Unleaded gasoline
The neck of the fuel filler pipe is designed
to accept only an unleaded gasoline filler
nozzle. Under no circumstances should
leaded gasoline be used because it will damage the emission control system and
may impair driveability and fuel economy. !
California fuel
If your vehicle was certified to California
Emission Standards as indicated on the
underhood tune-up label, it is designed to
optimize engine and emission control
system performance with gasoline that
meets the clean burning low-sulfur Cali-
fornia gasoline specifications. If you live in
any other state than California, your
vehicle will operate on gasoline meeting
Federal specifications. Gasoline sold out-
side California is permitted to have higher
sulfur levels, which may affect the perfor-
mance of your vehicle ’s catalytic converter
and may produce a sulfur exhaust odor or
smell. SUBARU recommends that you try
a different brand of unleaded gasoline
having lower sulfur to determine if the
problem is fuel related before returning
your vehicle to an authorized dealer for
service. The CHECK ENGINE warning
light/malfunction indicator lamp may also
turn on. If this occurs, return to your
authorized SUBARU dealer for diagnosis.
If it is determined that the condition is
caused by the type of fuel used, repairs
may not be covered by your warranty.
!MMT
Some gasoline contains an octane-en-
hancing additive called MMT (Methylcy-
clopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl). If
you use such fuels, your emission control
system performance may deteriorate and
the CHECK ENGINE warning light/mal-
function indicator lamp may turn on. If this
happens, return to your authorized
SUBARU Dealer for service. If it is
determined that the condition is caused
by the type of fuel used, repairs may not
be covered by your warranty. ! Gasoline for cleaner air
CAUTION
Do not let fuel spill on the exterior
surfaces of the vehicle. Fuels con-
taining alcohol may cause paint
damage, which is not covered under
the SUBARU Limited Warranty.
Your use of gasoline with detergent
additives will help prevent deposits from
forming in your engine and fuel system.
This helps keep your engine in tune and
your emission control system working
properly, and is a way of doing your part
for cleaner air. If you continuously use a
high quality fuel with the proper detergent
and other additives, you should never need to add any fuel system cleaning
agents to your fuel tank.
Many gasolines are now blended with
materials called oxygenates. Use of these
fuels can also help keep the air cleaner.
Oxygenated blend fuels, such as MTBE
(Methyl Tertiary Butyl ether) or ethanol
(ethyl or grain alcohol) may be used in
your vehicle, but should contain no more
than 15% MTBE or 10% ethanol for the
proper operation of your SUBARU.
In addition, some gasoline suppliers are
now producing reformulated gasolines,
which are designed to reduce vehicle
emissions. SUBARU approves the use of
reformulated gasoline.
If you are not sure what the fuel contains,
you should ask your service station
operators if their gasolines contain deter-
gents and oxygenates and if they have
been reformulated to reduce vehicle emis-sions.
As additional guidance, only use fuels
suited for your vehicle as explained in thefollowing. .
Fuel should be unleaded and have an
octane rating no lower than that specified
in this manual. . Methanol (methyl or wood alcohol) is
sometimes mixed with unleaded gasoline. Methanol can be used in your vehicle
ONLY
if it does not exceed 5% of the fuel
mixture ANDif it is accompanied by
sufficient quantities of the proper cosol-
vents and corrosion inhibitors required to
prevent damage to the fuel system. Do not
use fuel containing methanol EXCEPT
under these conditions. . If undesirable driveability problems are
experienced and you suspect they may be
fuel related, try a different brand of gaso-
line before seeking service at your
SUBARU dealer. . Fuel system damage or driveability
problems which result from the use of
improper fuel are not covered under the
SUBARU Limited Warranty.
& Fuel filler lid and cap
! Refueling
Only one person should be involved in
refueling. Do not allow others to approach
the area of the vehicle near the fuel filler
pipe while refueling is in progress.
Be sure to observe any other precautions
that are posted at the service station. Starting and operating
7-3
– CONTINUED –
7-6Starting and operating
mage to the fuel system.
. After refueling, turn the cap to the
right until it clicks to ensure that
it is fully tightened. If the cap is
not securely tightened, fuel may
leak out while the vehicle is being
driven or fuel spillage could
occur in the event of an accident,
creating a fire hazard.
. Do not let fuel spill on the exterior
surfaces of the vehicle. Because
fuel may damage the paint, be
sure to wipe off any spilled fuel
quickly. Paint damage caused by
spilled fuel is not covered under
the SUBARU Limited Warranty.
. Always use a genuine SUBARU
fuel filler cap. If you use the
wrong cap, it may not fit, and
your fuel tank and emission con-
trol system may be damaged. It
could also lead to fuel spillage
and a fire.
. Immediately put fuel in the tank
whenever the low fuel warning
light illuminates. Engine misfires
as a result of an empty tank
could cause damage to the en-gine. State emission testing (U.S. only)
WARNING
Testing of an All-Wheel Drive vehicle
must NEVER be performed on a
single two-wheel dynamometer. At-
tempting to do so will result in
uncontrolled vehicle movement and
may cause an accident or injuries to
persons nearby.
CAUTION
Resultant vehicle damage due to
improper testing is not covered
under the SUBARU Limited War-
ranty and is the responsibility of
the state inspection program or its
contractors or licensees.
At state inspection time, remember to
tell your inspection or service station in
advance not to place your SUBARU
AWD vehicle on a two-wheel dynam-
ometer. Otherwise, serious transmis-
sion damage will result.
Some states have started using dynam-
ometers in their state inspection programs in order to meet their obligation under
federal law to implement stricter vehicle
emission standards to reduce air pollution
from vehicles. A dynamometer is a tread-
mill or roller-like testing device that allows
your vehicle
’s wheels to turn while the
vehicle remains in one place. Depending
on the severity of a state ’s air pollution
problems, the states must adopt either a“ basic ”or “enhanced ”vehicle emission
inspection test. Normally, a portion of the
basic emission test consists of an emis-
sion inspector inserting an analyzer probe
into the exhaust pipe of an idling vehicle
for a short period of time. States with more
severe air pollution problems are required
to adopt an enhanced vehicle emission
test. This test simulates actual driving
conditions on a dynamometer and permits
more accurate measurement of tailpipe
emitted pollution than the basic emissiontest.
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and states using two-wheel
dynamometers in their emission testing
programs have EXEMPTEDSUBARU
AWD vehicles from the portion of the
testing program that involves a two-wheel
dynamometer.
There are some states that use four-wheel
dynamometers in their testing programs.
When properly used, that equipment will
Transmitter flash sequence Feature description
Flashes when button is pressed Indicates that the system is transmitting an RF signal.
Two long flashes following re-
mote start activation (transmit-
ter button is pressed two times
within 3 seconds) Indicates that the transmitter did not receive the remote start
activation confirmation from the vehicle system. The transmitter
will automatically send one additional remote start activation
attempt. This usually occurs when the operational range is at its
limit or has been exceeded.
One flash following remote
start activation (transmitter
button is pressed two times
within 3 seconds) Indicates that the engine is running via remote start. If the
transmitter is moved outside of the operating range of the
system, this sequence will timeout after the normal 15-minute
vehicle run cycle.
2 flashes every 5 seconds Indicates that the engine is running via remote start. If the
transmitter is removed outside of the operating range of the
system, this sequence will timeout after the normal 15-minute
vehicle run cycle.
3 flashes Indicates that the engine has turned off due to a remote start
system 15-minute timeout, vehicle safety parameter or normal shutdown. &
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
Models with automatic climate control system:
After the system starts the engine, the
automatic climate control system will
activate the “FULL AUTO ”mode and heat
or cool the interior to the predetermined
median (room) temperature. No pre-
setting of controls is necessary.
Models with manual climate control system:
Before exiting the vehicle, set the tem-
perature controls to the desired setting
and operation. After the system starts the
engine, the heater or air conditioning will
activate and heat or cool the interior to
your setting. Starting and operating
7-13
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