2011 SUBARU FORESTER coolant temperature

4-8Climate control
Automatic climate control
system (if equipped) NOTE
Operate the automatic climate control
system when the engine is running. &Type A
NOTE
The blower fan rotates at a low speed
when the engine coolant temperature is
low. For efficient defogging or dehumi-
difying in cold weather, press the “A/C ”
button.
The automatic climate control system
automatically controls outlet air tempera-
ture, fan speed, airflow distribution air-inlet
control, and air conditioner compressor
operation. It activates when the fan speed
control button or the “AUTO ”button is
pressed, and is used to maintain a
constant, comfortable climate within the
passenger compartment. If you press the
defroster button while the automatic cli-
mate control system is deactivated, only
the defroster function will be activated.

!Air inlet selection button
Select airflow by pressing the air inlet
selection button.
The selected air inlet setting is shown on
the control panel.
(Recirculation) : Interior air recircu-
lates inside the passenger compartment.
Use this position when quickly cooling
down the passenger compartment or to
prevent outside air from entering the
passenger compartment. When the recir-
culation mode is selected, a “
”indica-
tor light appears on the display.
(Outside air) : Outside air is drawn
into the passenger compartment. When
the climate control system is operated inthe “AUTO ”mode, this position is selected
automatically. (There is one exception:
When the temperature control dial is turned fully counterclockwise, the recircu-
lation mode is automatically selected.)
When the outside air mode is selected, a“
”
indicator light appears on the dis-
play.
WARNING
Continued operation in the “
”
position may fog up the windows.
Switch to the “
”position 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 “
”position. From time to
time, return the air inlet selection
button to the “
”position to draw
outside air into the passenger compart- ment. &
Type B
Although this climate control system can
be used as a full-automatic climate control
system, it can also, if desired, be used as
a semi-automatic climate control system.
When it is used as a full-automatic climate
control system, the outlet air temperature,
fan speed, airflow distribution, air inlet
control, and air conditioner compressor
operation are all automatically controlled
to maintain a constant, comfortable tem-
perature inside the vehicle. NOTE . When the engine coolant is cold, the
blower does not run. . In the “AUTO ”mode, when the air
temperature in the passenger compart-
ment is sufficiently cool, the air condi-
tioner compressor does not operate.
For efficient defogging or dehumidify-
ing in cold weather, press the “A/C ”
button to operate the air conditioner
compressor. Climate control
4-13
– CONTINUED –

4-14Climate control
! Control panel
1) Temperature control dial
2) Fan speed control dial
3) Airflow control dial
4) Control switch of the defogger and deicer
system (Refer to “Defogger and deicer ”
F 3-45.)
5) Air inlet selection button
6) Air conditioner button
! To use as full-automatic climate
control system
1. Place the temperature control dial in
the position for the preferred temperature.
2. Set the airflow control dial and fan
speed control dial in the “AUTO ”position.
The system ’s functions will then switch to
AUTO mode and be controlled automati-
cally. .
Airflow control dial: AUTO position
. Fan speed control dial: AUTO position
! To use as semi-automatic climate
control system
Each function can be individually set to
AUTO mode independently of the others.
Any function set to AUTO mode is con-
trolled automatically. Any function not set
to AUTO mode can be manually adjusted
as desired.
The temperature can be set within a range
of 65 to 85 8F (20 to 30 8C).
! Fan speed control dial
The fan operates only with the ignition
switch in the ON position. The fan speed
control dial is used to select the AUTO
(automatic control) mode or to select the
desired fan speed. The dial ’s positions and their functions are as follows. OFF:
The fan does not operate.
AUTO: The fan speed is adjusted auto-
matically in accordance with the air
temperature inside and outside the pas-
senger compartment, the intensity of sun-
light, and other factors. SUBARU recom-
mends using the AUTO position.
Other positions: The fan speed can be
adjusted in 7 steps.
NOTE
With the fan speed control dial in the
AUTO position and the airflow control
dial in the “
”, “”,or “”position,
the fan does not operate during engine
warm-up until the engine coolant tem-
perature exceeds approximately 122 8F
(50 8C).

8-24Driving tips
nificant blind spot.
. Sufficient time should be taken to learn
the “feel ”of the vehicle/trailer combination
before starting out on a trip. In an area free
of traffic, practice turning, stopping and
backing up. ! Driving with a trailer
. You should allow for considerably more
stopping distance when towing a trailer.
Avoid sudden braking because it may
result in skidding or jackknifing and loss ofcontrol. . Avoid abrupt starts and sudden accel-
erations. If your vehicle has a manual
transmission, always start out in first gear
and release the clutch at moderate enginerevolution. . Avoid uneven steering, sharp turns and
rapid lane changes.. Slow down before turning. Make a
longer than normal turning radius because
the trailer wheels will be closer than the
vehicle wheels to the inside of the turn. In
a tight turn, the trailer could hit yourvehicle. . Crosswinds will adversely affect the
handling of your vehicle and trailer, caus-
ing sway. Crosswinds can be due to
weather conditions or the passing of large
trucks or buses. If swaying occurs, firmly
grip the steering wheel and slow down immediately but gradually. .
When passing other vehicles, consid-
erable distance is required because of the
added weight and length caused by
attaching the trailer to your vehicle.
1) Left turn
2) Right turn
. Backing up with a trailer is difficult and
takes practice. When backing up with a
trailer, never accelerate or steer rapidly.
When turning back, grip the bottom of the
steering wheel with one hand and turn it to
the left for a left turn, and turn it to the right
for a right turn. . If the ABS warning light illuminates
while the vehicle is in motion, stop towing
the trailer and have repairs performed
immediately by the nearest SUBARU
dealer. !
Driving on grades
. Before going down a steep hill, slow
down and shift into lower gear (if neces-
sary, use 1st gear) in order to utilize the
engine braking effect and prevent over-
heating of your vehicle ’s brakes. Do not
make sudden downshifts. . When driving uphill in hot weather, the
air conditioner may turn off automatically
to protect the engine from overheating. . When driving uphill in hot weather, pay
attention to the following indicators be-
cause the engine and transmission are
relatively prone to overheating.
–Temperature gauge (if equipped)
– Coolant temperature high warning
light (if equipped) – AT OIL TEMP warning light (AT
models)
. If any of the following conditions occur,
immediately turn off the air conditioner and
stop the vehicle in the nearest safe
location. Refer to “If you park your vehicle
in case of an emergency ”F9-2 and
“ Engine overheating ”F 9-13.
– Temperature gauge needle ap-
proaches the OVERHEAT zone (if
equipped). Refer to “Temperature
gauge (models with type A combina-
tion meter) ”F 3-11.
– Coolant temperature high warning
light illuminates (if equipped). Refer to

“Coolant temperature low indicator
light/Coolant temperature high warn-
ing light ”F 3-16.
– AT OIL TEMP warning light illumi-
nates (AT models). Refer to “AT OIL
TEMP warning light (AT models) ”F 3-
18.
. If your vehicle has an automatic trans-
mission, 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. . If your vehicle has an automatic trans-
mission, place the select lever as follows.
Uphill slopes: “D ”position
Downhill slopes: A low-speed gear posi-
tion to use engine braking ! Parking on a grade
Always block the wheels under both
vehicle 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
under both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place,
release the regular brakes slowly until the blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the regular brakes and then
apply the parking brake; slowly release
the regular brakes.
5. Shift into 1st or reverse gear (manual
transmission models) or the
“P ” position
(automatic transmission models) and shut
off the engine. Driving tips
8-25

Engine overheating
WARNING
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.
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
NOTE
For details about how to check the
coolant level or how to add coolant,
refer to “Engine coolant ”F 11-14.
1. Keep the engine running at idlingspeed. 2. Open the hood to ventilate the engine
compartment. Refer to
“Engine hood ”
F 11-5.
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 any of the following conditions occur,
turn off the engine. .The temperature gauge stays in the
overheated zone (if equipped). Referto “Temperature gauge (models with
type A combination meter) ”F 3-11.
. The coolant temperature high warn-
ing light remains illuminated (if
equipped). Refer to “Coolant tempera-
ture low indicator light/Coolant tem-
perature high warning light ”F 3-16.
4. After the engine has fully cooled down,
check the coolant level in the reservetank.
If the coolant level is below the “LOW ”
mark, add coolant up to the “FULL ”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.
In case of emergency
9-13

&Synthetic oil
You should use synthetic engine oil that
meets the same requirements given for
conventional engine oil. When using
synthetic oil, you must use oil of the same
classification, viscosity and grade shown
in this Owner ’s Manual. Refer to “Engine
oil ”F 12-5. Also, you must follow the oil
and filter changing intervals shown in the
Warranty and Maintenance booklet. NOTE
Synthetic oil of the grade and viscosity
noted in chapter 12 is the required
engine oil for optimum engine perfor-
mance. Conventional oil may be used if
synthetic oil is unavailable. Cooling system
WARNING
Never attempt to remove the radia-
tor cap until the engine has been
shut off and has cooled down
completely. Since the coolant is
under pressure, you may suffer
serious burns from a spray of boil-
ing hot coolant when the cap isremoved.
CAUTION
. Vehicles are filled at the factory
with SUBARU Super Coolant that
does not require the first change
for 11 years/137,500 miles (11
years/220,000 km). This coolant
should not be mixed with any
other brand or type of coolant
during this period. Mixing with a
different coolant will reduce the
life of the coolant. Should it be
necessary to top up the coolant
for any reason, use only
SUBARU Super Coolant.
If the SUBARU Super Coolant is
diluted with another brand or
type, the maintenance interval is shortened to that of the mixingcoolant.
. Do not splash the engine coolant
over painted parts. The alcohol
contained in the engine coolant
may damage the paint surface.
& Cooling fan, hose and con- nections
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 following conditions occur,
the cooling fan circuit may be defective. . The engine coolant temperature gauge
exceeds the normal operating range (if
equipped). Refer to “Temperature gauge
(models with type A combination meter) ”
F 3-11.
. The coolant temperature high warning
light blinks or illuminates in RED(if
equipped). Refer to “Coolant temperature
low indicator light/Coolant temperature
high warning light ”F 3-16.
Check the fuse and replace it if necessary.
If the fuse is not blown, have the cooling
system checked by your SUBARU dealer. Maintenance and service
11-13
– CONTINUED –

Washer fluid level gauge
Remove the washer tank filler cap, then
check the fluid level indicated by the level
gauge (attached to the inside of the cap).
If the level is near the“Low ”mark, add
fluid until it reaches the “Hi ”level on the level gauge or the
“FULL ”mark on the
tank.
Use windshield washer fluid. If windshield
washer fluid is unavailable use clean
water.
In areas where water freezes in winter,
use an anti-freeze type windshield washer
fluid. SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluid
contains 58.5% methyl alcohol and 41.5%
surfactant, by volume. Its freezing tem-
perature varies according to how much it
is diluted, as indicated in the followingtable.
Washer Fluid
Concentration Freezing
Temperature
30% 10.48F( 12 8C)
50% 48F( 20 8C)
100% 49 8F( 45 8C)
CAUTION
Never use engine coolant as washer
fluid because it could cause paintdamage.
In order to prevent freezing of washer
fluid, check the freezing temperatures in
the table above when adjusting the fluid
concentration to the outside temperature.
If you fill the reservoir tank with a fluid with a different concentration from the one
used previously, purge the old fluid from
the piping between the reservoir tank and
washer nozzles by operating the washer
for a certain period of time. Otherwise, if
the concentration of the fluid remaining in
the piping is too low for the outside
temperature, it may freeze and block thenozzles.
CAUTION
Adjust the washer fluid concentra-
tion appropriately for the outside
temperature. If the concentration is
inappropriate, sprayed washer fluid
may freeze on the windshield and
obstruct your view, and the fluid
may freeze in the reservoir tank. Maintenance and service
11-39