
4-10Climate 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 conditions
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.  

11-8Maintenance and service
.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
engine oil gets on the exhaust
pipe, be sure to wipe it off.
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. 
To prevent overfilling the engine oil, do not 
add any additional oil above the full level
when the engine is cold. & Changing the oil and oil filter
Change the oil and oil filter according to
the maintenance schedule in the “War-
ranty 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
frequently made, or when driving in
extremely cold weather.
NOTE 
Changing the engine oil and oil filter 
should be performed by a properly-
trained expert. It is recommended that
you have this service performed by
your SUBARU dealer. 1. Warm up the engine by letting the
engine 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.
4. Drain out the engine oil by removing 
the drain plug while the engine is still
warm. The used oil should be drained into
an appropriate container and disposed of
properly.
WARNING
Be careful not to burn yourself with 
hot engine oil.
5. Wipe the seating surface of the drain
plug with a clean cloth and tighten it securely with a new sealing washer after
the oil has completely drained out.
6. Open the access cover by removing 
the five clips and turning the access cover
counterclockwise. The oil filter will beexposed.    

3. After refilling the reserve tank and the 
radiator, reinstall the caps and check that
the rubber gaskets inside the radiator cap
are in the proper position.
CAUTION
. Be careful not to spill engine
coolant when adding it. If coolant 
touches the exhaust pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or
a fire. If engine coolant gets on
the exhaust pipe, be sure to wipe
it off. .
Do not splash the engine coolant
over painted parts. The alcohol
contained in the engine coolant
may damage the paint surface.
! Changing the coolant
Always add genuine SUBARU cooling
system conditioner whenever the coolant
is replaced. 
Change the engine coolant and add 
genuine SUBARU cooling system condi-
tioner using the following procedures
according to the maintenance schedule
in the “Warranty and Maintenance Book-
let ”.
1. Remove the under cover.
2. Place a proper container under the 
drain plug and loosen the drain plug. 3. Loosen the radiator cap to drain the
coolant from the radiator. Then drain the
coolant from the reserve tank. Tighten the
drain plug securely.
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.
4. Install the under cover.
CAUTION
. Be careful not to spill engine
coolant when adding it. If coolant 
touches the exhaust pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or
a fire. If engine coolant gets on
the exhaust pipe, be sure to wipe
it off.
. Do not splash the engine coolant
over painted parts. The alcohol
contained in the engine coolant
may damage the paint surface. Maintenance and service
11-11
– CONTINUED –   

11-16Maintenance and service
&Recommended fluid
Refer to “Fluids ”F 12-7.
NOTE 
Using any non-specified type of auto- 
matic transmission fluid could result in
damage inside the transmission. When
replacing the automatic transmission
fluid, be sure to use the specified type. Front differential gear oil &
Checking the oil level
1) Yellow handle
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and 
stop the engine. 
2. Pull out the level gauge, wipe it clean, 
and insert it again.
1) Upper level 
2) Lower level
3. Pull out the level gauge again and 
check the oil level on it. If it is below the
lower level, add oil to bring the level up to
the upper level.
CAUTION
Be careful not to spill front differ- 
ential gear oil when adding it. If oil
touches the exhaust pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or a
fire. If oil gets on the exhaust pipe,
be sure to wipe it off.   

&Recommended grade and viscosity
Each oil manufacturer has its own base 
oils and additives. Never use different
brands together. For details, refer to “Front
differential and rear differential gear oil ”
F 12-6. Rear differential gear oil 
There is no oil level gauge. To check the 
rear differential gear oil level, consult your
SUBARU dealer for inspection. &
Recommended grade and viscosity
Each oil manufacturer has its own base 
oils and additives. Never use different
brands together. For details, refer to “Front
differential and rear differential gear oil ”
F 12-6. Power steering fluid &
Checking the fluid level
WARNING
Be careful not to burn yourself 
because the fluid may be hot.
CAUTION
. When power steering fluid is
being added, use only clean fluid, 
and be careful not to allow any
dirt into the tank. And never use
different brands together.
. Be careful not to spill power
steering fluid when adding it. If Maintenance and service
11-17
– CONTINUED –  

11-18Maintenance and service
power steering fluid touches the 
exhaust pipe, it may cause a bad
smell, smoke, and/or a fire. If
power steering fluid gets on the
exhaust pipe, be sure to wipe itoff.
The power steering fluid expands greatly
as its temperature rises; the fluid level
differs according to fluid temperature.
Therefore, the reservoir tank has two
different checking ranges for hot and coldfluids. 
Check the power steering fluid level 
monthly. 
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface, 
and stop the engine. 
2. Check the fluid level of the reservoir tank. 
When the fluid is hot after the vehicle has 
been run: Check that the oil level isbetween “HOT MIN ”and “HOT MAX ”on
the surface of the reservoir tank. 
When the fluid is cool before the vehicle is 
run: Check that the oil level is between“ COLD MIN ”and “COLD MAX ”on the
surface of the reservoir tank. 
3. If the fluid level is lower than the 
applicable “MIN ”line, add the recom-
mended fluid as necessary to bring the
level between the “MIN ”and “MAX ”line. If the fluid level is extreme low, it may
indicate possible leakage. Consult your
SUBARU dealer for inspection.
& Recommended fluid
Refer to “Fluids ”F 12-7. Brake fluid &
Checking the fluid level
WARNING
. Never let brake fluid contact your
eyes because brake fluid can be 
harmful to your eyes. If brake 
fluid gets in your eyes, immedi-
ately flush them thoroughly with
clean water. For safety, when
performing this work, wearing
eye protection is advisable.
. Brake fluid absorbs moisture
from the air. Any absorbed moist-
ure can cause a dangerous loss
of braking performance.
. If the vehicle requires frequent
refilling, there may be a leak. If
you suspect a problem, have the
vehicle checked at your SUBARU
dealer.
CAUTION
. When adding brake fluid, be care-
ful not to allow any dirt into the 
reservoir.
. Never splash the brake fluid over
painted surfaces or rubber parts. 

12-4Specifications
& Lubricants
! Engine oil
For the checking, adding and replacing procedure or other details, refer to “Engine oil ”F 11-7.
NOTE 
The procedure for changing the engine oil and oil filter should be performed by a properly-trained expert. It is recommended 
that you have this service performed by your SUBARU dealer. ! Approved engine oil
Always use the SUBARU approved engine oil. For further details, please contact your SUBARU dealer. 
If the approved engine oil is unavailable, use the alternative engine oil described on the next page.