ignition SUBARU FORESTER 2006 Repair Manual

7-14
Starting and operating
parking your vehicle. Do not hold the vehi-
cle with only the transmission.
yDo not keep the vehicle in a stationary
position on an uphill grade by using the
“D”, “3”, “2”, or “1” position. Use the brake
instead.„ Shift lock releaseIf the selector lever does not move from
the “P” position with the brake pedal de-
pressed and the ignition switch in the “ON”
position, perform the following steps:
To override the shift lock:
1. Set the parking brake and stop the en-
gine.
2. Take out the screwdriver.
3. Remove the cover by prying on the
edge with the screwdriver. 4. Insert the screwdriver into the hole.
5. Push down on the screwdriver and
move the selector lever from the “P” to the
“N” position.
6. Remove the screwdriver from the hole.
Depress the brake pedal and start the en-
gine.
Take your vehicle to the nearest SUBARU
dealer immediately to have the system re-
paired.
Rear viscous limited slip dif-ferential (LSD) (if equipped)The LSD provides optimum distribution of
power according to the difference in revo-
lutions between the right and left rear
wheels that may be caused by certain
driving conditions, thereby improving driv-
ing stability on snow-covered, muddy or
other slippery roads.
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y
Never start the engine while a tire
on one side is jacked up, as the
vehicle may move.
y If one rear tire is spinning in mud,
avoid continued spinning at high
speed as this could adversely af-
fect the LSD.
y If a different size rear tire is tem-
porarily used (as in an emergen-
cy), it will adversely affect the
LSD. Always replace it with a reg-
ular size tire as soon as possible.
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Starting and operating
7-17
„ABS warning light1) U.S.-spec. models
2) Canada-spec. modelsThe ABS warning light comes on when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON” posi-
tion and goes out after approximately two
seconds.
This is an indication that the ABS system
is working properly.
When driving with an insufficient battery
voltage such as when the engine is jump
started, the ABS warning light may come
on. This is due to the low battery voltage
and does not indicate a malfunction.
When the battery becomes fully charged,
the light will go out.
NOTEIf the warning light behavior is as de-
scribed in the following, the ABS sys-
tem may be considered normal.
yThe warning light comes on right af-
ter the engine is started but goes out immediately, remaining off.
y
The warning light remains on after
the engine has been started, but it goes
out when the vehicle speed reaches
approximately 8 mph (12 km/h).
y The warning light comes on during
driving, but it goes out immediately
and remains off.
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2
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If the warning light behaves as fol-
lows, the ABS system may not be
working properly.
When the warning light is on, the
ABS function shuts down; however,
the conventional brake system con-
tinues to operate normally.
yThe warning light does not come
on when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON” position.
y The warning light comes on when
the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position, but it does not go
out even when the vehicle speed
exceeds approximately 8 mph (12
km/h).
y The warning light comes on dur-
ing driving.
If these occur, have the ABS system
repaired at the first available oppor-
tunity by your SUBARU dealer.
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Starting and operating
7-21
– CONTINUED –
yAll four wheels should be fitted with
tires of the same size, type, and brand;
furthermore, the amount of wear
should be the same for all four tires. If
these precautions are not observed
and non-matching tires are used, it is
quite possible that the Vehicle Dynam-
ics Control system will be unable to op-
erate correctly as intended.
y Always turn off the engine before re-
placing a tire as failure to do so may
render the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system unable to operate correctly.„ Vehicle Dynamics Control
system monitorT Vehicle Dynamics Control operation
indicator light The indicator light turns on when the igni-
tion switch is turned to the ON position; it
turns off approximately two seconds later.
This indicator light flashes during activa-
tion of the skid suppression function and is
illuminated steadily during activation of
the traction control function.
The following two situations could indicate
a malfunction of the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system; if either should occur,
have an authorized SUBARU dealer carry
out an inspection of that system at the first
available opportunity.
y
The indicator light does not turn on
when the ignition switch is turned to the
ON position.
y The indicator light does not turn off ap-
proximately two seconds after the ignition
switch has been turned to the ON position. T
Vehicle Dynamics Control warning
light/Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF
indicator light
This single light has the function of indicat-
ing malfunctions in the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system and the function of indicat-
ing that the Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem is not operating. It comes on in the
event of a malfunction in the system and is
illuminated whenever the system is not
operating.
V Vehicle Dynamics Control warning
The warning light comes on when the igni-
tion switch is turned to the “ON” position
and goes off several seconds after engine
startup.This lighting pattern indicates that
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system is
operating normally.
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7-22
Starting and operating
The following situations could indicate a
malfunction of the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system; if any should occur, have an
authorized SUBARU dealer carry out an
inspection of the system at the first avail-
able opportunity.
yThe warning light does not turn on when
the ignition switch is turned to the ON po-
sition.
y The warning light turns on while the ve-
hicle is being driven.
y When a malfunction has occurred in the
Vehicle Dynamics Control electrical sys-
tem, only the warning light will turn on. In
such an event, the ABS will still be operat-
ing normally.
y The warning light will also turn on when
a problem occurs with the ABS or Vehicle
Dynamics Control electronic control sys-
tems.
Because the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system controls each brake through the
ABS, whenever the ABS stops operating
due to a malfunction in that electrical sys-
tem, the Vehicle Dynamics Control will
also become unable to control all four
brakes. Thus Vehicle Dynamics Control
system operation halts and the warning
light turns on. Although both the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system and the ABS
will be inoperable in this situation, it will
still be possible to stop the vehicle using normal braking. The Vehicle Dynamics
Control system and the ABS do not ad-
versely affect operation of the vehicle in
any way when they are inoperable; how-
ever should such a situation occur, drive
with care and have an authorized
SUBARU dealer carry out an inspection of
those systems at the first available oppor-
tunity.
NOTEWhen the warning light turns on and
off in the following way, it indicates
that the Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem is operating normally.
y
Although turning on after the engine
has been started, the warning light
quickly turns off and stays off.
y The warning light turns on when the
vehicle is being driven; it then turns off
and stays off.
V Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF indi-
cator light
This light comes on to indicate that the Ve-
hicle Dynamics Control system is in non-
operation mode. This does not constitute
failure of the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system.NOTEy The indicator light may stay on for a
while after the engine has been started, especially in cold weather. This occurs
because the engine has not yet
warmed up and is completely normal.
The light will turn off when the engine
has reached a suitable operating tem-
perature.
y
When an engine problem occurs and
the malfunction indicator lamp turns
on, the indicator light will also come
on.
The following two situations could indicate
malfunction of the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system; if either should occur, have an
authorized SUBARU dealer carry out an
inspection of that system at the first avail-
able opportunity.
y The indicator light does not turn on
when the ignition switch is turned to the
ON position.
y The indicator light fails to turn off after
the engine is started, even when several
minutes have passed to allow the engine
to heat up sufficiently.
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Starting and operating
7-23
„Vehicle Dynamics Control
OFF switchPressing the switch to deactivate the Ve-
hicle Dynamics Control system can facili-
tate the following operations:
ya standing start on a steeply sloping
road with a snowy, gravel-covered, or oth-
erwise slippery surface
y extrication of the vehicle when its
wheels are stuck in mud or deep snow
When the switch is pressed during engine
operation, the “ ” indicator light illumi-
nates. The Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem will be deactivated and the vehicle will
behave like a model not equipped with the
Vehicle Dynamics Control system. When
the switch is pressed again to reactivate
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system, the indicator light goes off.
With the Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem deactivated, traction and stability en-
hancement offered by Vehicle Dynamics
Control system is unavailable. Therefore
you should not deactivate the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control system except under
above-mentioned situations.
NOTEy
When the switch has been pressed
to deactivate the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system, the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system automatically reacti-
vates itself the next time the ignition
switch is turned to the OFF position
and the engine is restarted.
y If the switch is held down for 10 sec-
onds or longer, the indicator light goes
off, the Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem is activated, and the system ig-
nores any further pressing of the
switch. To make the switch usable
again, turn the ignition switch to the
OFF position and restart the engine.
y When the switch is pressed to deac-
tivate the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system, the vehicle’s running perfor-
mance is comparable with that of a ve-
hicle that does not have a Vehicle Dy-
namics Control system. Do not deacti-
vate the Vehicle Dynamics Control sys- tem except when absolutely neces-
sary.
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7-26
Starting and operating
Cruise controlCruise control enables you to maintain a
constant vehicle speed without holding
your foot on the accelerator pedal and it is
operative when the vehicle speed is 25
mph (40 km/h) or more. Make sure the
main switch is turned “OFF” when the
cruise control is not in use to avoid unin-
tentionally setting the cruise control.NOTEIf you move the cruise control lever or
press the main switch button while
turning the ignition switch “ON”, the
cruise control function is deactivated
and the “CRUISE” indicator light flash-
es. To reactivate the cruise control
function, turn the ignition switch back
to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position, and
then turn it again to the “ON” position.
„To set cruise control
0
1. Push the main switch button.
The “ ” indicator light on the com-
bination meter will come on.
2. Depress the accelerator pedal until the
The Hill Holder is a device only for
helping the driver to START the ve-
hicle on an uphill grade. To prevent
accidents when the vehicle is
parked on a slope, be sure to firmly
set the parking brake. When setting
the parking brake, make sure that
the vehicle remains stationary when
the clutch pedal is released.
Do not use the cruise control under
any of the following conditions. This
may cause loss of vehicle control:y
driving up or down a steep gradeydriving on slippery or winding
roadsydriving in heavy traffic
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Starting and operating
7-27
– CONTINUED –
vehicle reaches the desired speed.
3. Push the control lever downward in the
“SET/COAST” direction and release it.
Then release the accelerator pedal.
At this time, the “ ” indicator light is il-
luminated in the combination meter. The vehicle will maintain the desired
speed.
Vehicle speed can be temporarily in-
creased while driving with the cruise con-
trol activated. Simply depress the acceler-
ator pedal to accelerate the vehicle. When
the accelerator pedal is released, the ve-
hicle will return to and maintain the previ-
ous cruising speed.
„
To temporarily cancel the
cruise controlThere are five ways to cancel the cruise
control temporarily:
yPull the control lever in the “CANCEL”
direction (if so equipped).
y Depress the brake pedal. y
Depress the clutch pedal (manual trans-
mission vehicles only).
y Shift the selector lever into the “N” posi-
tion (automatic transmission vehicles
only).
y Shift the shift lever into neutral (manual
transmission vehicles only).
The “ ” indicator light in the combina-
tion meter goes off when the cruise control
is cancelled.
To resume the cruise control after it has
been temporarily canceled and with vehi-
cle speed of approximately 20 mph (32
km/h) or more, push the control lever up-
ward in the “RES/ACC” direction to return
to the original cruising speed automatical-
ly.
The “ ” indicator light in the combina-
tion meter will automatically come on at
this time.
„ To turn off the cruise controlThere are two ways to turn off the cruise
control:
yPush the main switch again.
y Turn the ignition switch to the “ACC” or
“LOCK” position (but only when the vehi-
cle is completely stopped).
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Driving tips
8-3
– CONTINUED –
NOTEDue to the expansion and contraction
of the metals used in the manufacture
of the exhaust system, you may hear a
crackling sound coming from the ex-
haust system for a short time after the
engine has been shut off. This sound is
normal.
Catalytic converterTurbo model
Non-turbo model
The catalytic converter is installed in the
exhaust system. It serves as catalyst to
reduce HC, CO and NOx in exhaust gas-
es, thus providing cleaner exhaust.
To avoid damage to the catalytic convert-
er:
yUse only unleaded fuel. Even a small
amount of leaded fuel will damage the cat-
alytic converter.
y Never start the engine by pushing or
pulling the vehicle.
y Avoid racing the engine.
y Never turn off the ignition switch while
the vehicle is moving.
y Keep your engine tuned-up. If you feel
the engine running rough (misfiring, back-
firing or incomplete combustion), have
your vehicle checked and repaired by an
authorized SUBARU dealer.
y Do not apply undercoating or rust pre-
vention treatment to the heat shield of cat-
alytic converter and the exhaust system.
y If at any time you suspect that ex-
haust fumes are entering the vehi-
cle, have the problem checked
and corrected as soon as possi-
ble. If you must drive under these
conditions, drive only with all win-
dows fully open.yKeep the rear gate closed while
driving to prevent exhaust gas
from entering the vehicle.
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yAvoid fire hazards. Do not drive or
park the vehicle anywhere near
flammable materials (e.g. grass,
paper, rags or leaves), because
the catalytic converter operates at
very high temperatures.
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9-2
In case of emergency
In case of emergency
If you park your vehicle in case of an emergencyThe hazard warning flasher should be
used in day or night to warn other drivers
when you have to park your vehicle under
emergency conditions.
Avoid stopping on the road. It is best to
safely pull off the road if a problem occurs.
The hazard warning flasher can be acti-
vated regardless of the ignition switch po-
sition.
Turn on the hazard warning by pushing
the hazard warning flasher switch. Turn it
off by pushing the switch again.NOTEWhen the hazard warning flasher is on,the turn signals do not work.
Temporary spare tire (if equipped)The temporary spare tire is smaller and
lighter than a conventional tire and is de-
signed for emergency use only. Remove
the temporary spare tire and re-install the
conventional tire as soon as possible be-
cause the spare tire is designed only for
temporary use.
Check the inflation pressure of the tempo-
rary spare tire periodically to keep the tire
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Never tow a trailer when the tempo-
rary spare tire is used. The tempo-
rary spare tire is not designed to
sustain the towing load. Use of the
temporary spare tire when towing
can result in failure of the spare tire
and/or less stability of the vehicle
and may lead to an accident.
Never use any temporary spare tire
other than the original. Using other
sizes may result in severe mechani-
cal damage to the drive train of your
vehicle.
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9-12
In case of emergency
„Using a flat-bed truckThis is the best way to transport your vehi-
cle. Use the following procedures to en-
sure safe transportation.
1. Shift the selector lever into the “P” po- sition for automatic transmission vehicles
or “1st” for manual transmission vehicles.
2. Pull up the parking brake lever firmly.
3. Secure the vehicle onto the carrier
properly with safety chains. Each safety
chain should be equally tightened and
care must be taken not to pull the chains
so tightly that the suspension bottoms out.
„
Towing with all wheels on the
ground1. Check the transmission and differential
oil levels and add oil to bring it to the upper
level if necessary.
2. Release the parking brake and put the
transmission in neutral.
3. The ignition switch should be in the
“ACC” position while the vehicle is being towed.
4. Take up slack in the towline slowly to
prevent damage to the vehicle.
y
Use only the specified towing
hooks and tie-down hooks. Never
use suspension parts or other
parts of the body for towing or tie-
down purposes.
y Never use the tie-down hook on
the underside of the vehicle clos-
est to the muffler for towing pur-
poses.
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yNever turn the ignition switch to
the “LOCK” position while the ve-
hicle is being towed because the
steering wheel and the direction
of the wheels will be locked.yRemember that the brake booster
and power steering do not func-
tion when the engine is not run-
ning. Because the engine is
turned off, it will take greater ef-
fort to operate the brake pedal and
steering wheel.
y If transmission failure occurs,
transport your vehicle on a flat-
bed truck.
y Do not run the engine while being
towed using this method. Trans-
mission damage could result if
the vehicle is towed with the en-
gine running.
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