SUBARU IMPREZA WRX 2003 2.G Owners Manual

Driving tips
8-38
If your vehicle has an automatic transmission,
avoid using the accelerator pedal to stay stationary on an uphill slope instead of using the parking brakeor foot brake. That may cause the transmission fluid
to overheat. Also, if your vehicle is equipped with an
automatic transmission, avoid driving with the gear selector lever in “D” when towing a heavy trailer to
prevent fluid overheating. A lower gear should be used.
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 shouldtake the following steps:
1. Apply the brakes and hold the pedal down.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks under boththe vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release the
regular brakes slowly until the blocks absorb theload.
4. Apply the regular brakes and then apply the
parking brake; slowly release the regular brakes.
5. Shift into 1st or reverse gear (manual transmis- sion) or “P” (automatic transmission) and shut off the
engine.

9
9-1
– CONTINUED –
If you park your vehicle in case of
an emergency 9-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Temporary spare tire (if equipped) 9-3 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Flat tires 9-5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Changing a flat tire 9-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jump starting 9-14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How to jump start 9-15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine overheating 9-17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If steam is coming from the engine compartment 9-17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If no steam is coming from the engine compartment 9-17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Towing 9-18
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Towing and tie-down hooks 9-19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using a flat-bed truck 9-21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Towing with all wheels on the ground 9-22 . . . . . . . . .
Maintenance tools 9-23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jack and jack handle 9-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
In case of emergency

In case of emergency
9-2
If you park your vehicle in case of an emergency
The hazard warning flasher should be used in day
or night to warn other drivers when you have to parkyour 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 activated
regardless of the ignition switch position.
Turn on the hazard warning by pushing the hazard
warning flasher switch. Turn it off by pushing theswitch again.NOTE When the hazard warning flasher is on, the turn
signals do not work.

In case of emergency
9-3
– CONTINUED –
Temporary spare tire (if equipped)
The temporary spare tire is smaller and lighter than
a conventional tire and is designed 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 temporary spare
tire periodically to keep the tire ready for use. The
correct pressure is 60 psi (4.2 kg/cm2
, 420 kPa) .
When using the temporary spare tire, note the fol-lowing: Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h).
Do not put a tire chain on the temporary spare tire.
Because of the smaller tire size, a tire chain will not
fit properly. Do not use two or more temporary spare tires at
the same time. Do not drive over obstacles. This tire has a smaller
diameter, so road clearance is reduced.
1) Tread wear indicator bar
2) Indicator location mark
When the wear indicator appears on the tread, re-
place the tire.

In case of emergency
9-4
1) Spare fuse
2) FWD connector
NOTE
(If your vehicle is AWD with automatic transmis-
sion, except Turbo models) Before driving your
vehicle with the temporary spare tire, put a spare fuse inside the FWD connector in the main fuse box located in the engine compartment and con-firm that the Front-wheel drive warning light
“FWD” in the combination meter comes on. The
all wheel drive capability of the vehicle has now
deactivated. After re-installing the conventional tire, remove the spare fuse from the FWD con- nector in order to reactivate all wheel drive.
WARNING
Never tow a trailer when the temporary spare tire is used. The temporary spare tire is not
designed to sustain the towing load. Use ofthe temporary spare tire when towing can result in failure of the spare tire and/or less
stability of the vehicle and may lead to anaccident.
CAUTION
Never use any temporary spare tire other than the original. Using other sizes may result in
severe mechanical damage to the drive trainof your vehicle.

In case of emergency
9-5
– CONTINUED –
Flat tires
If you have a flat tire while driving, never brake sud- denly; keep driving straight ahead while gradually
reducing speed. Then slowly pull off the road to asafe place. Changing a flat tire
WARNING
Do not jack up the vehicle on an incline or a
loose road surface. The jack can come out of
the jacking point or sink into the ground and this can result in a severe accident. Use only the jack provided with your ve-
hicle. The jack supplied with the vehicle is de-signed only for changing a tire. Never get un-der the vehicle while supporting the vehicle with this jack. Always turn the engine off before raising the
flat tire off the ground using the jack. Neverswing or push the vehicle supported with the
jack. The jack can come out of the jackingpoint due to a jolt and this can result in a
severe accident. 1. Park on a hard, level surface, whenever possible,
then stop the engine.
2. Set the parking brake securely and shift a manual
transmission vehicle in reverse or an automatictransmission vehicle in the
“P” (Park) position.
3. Turn on the hazard warning flasher and have ev-
eryone get out of the vehicle.
4. Put wheel blocks at the front and rear of the tire
diagonally opposite the flat tire.

In case of emergency
9-6
Sedan
1) Jack
2) Jack handle3) Spare tireWagon
1) Jack
2) Jack handle3) Spare tire
5. Take out the spare tire, jack, and wheel nut
wrench.
The spare tire is stored under the floor of the trunk or
cargo area.
To remove the spare tire, proceed as follows:

In case of emergency
9-7
– CONTINUED –
Sedan: Remove the floor cover from the trunk. Re-
move the storage compartment (if so equipped).
Turn the attaching bolt counterclockwise, then take
the spare tire out.
Wagon: Open the lid and hang the hook provided
on the under side of the lid on the rear edge of the
roof to keep the lid open.

In case of emergency
9-8
Remove the storage compartment. (if so equipped)
Turn the attaching bolt counterclockwise, then take
spare tire out.
If the spare tire provided in your vehicle is a tempo-
rary spare tire, carefully read the section “Temporary
spare tire ” in this chapter and strictly follow the
instructions.
The jack is stored on the left side of the trunk or
cargo area.
To take out the jack:
Remove the cover, turn the jackscrew counterclock-

In case of emergency
9-9
– CONTINUED –
wise to loosen it, then remove the jack.
If the jackscrew is too tight to be loosened by hand,
loosen it using a screwdriver or the jack handle.
The jack handle is stored under the spare tire cover. NOTE
Make sure the jack is well lubricated before us- ing it.
6. (If your vehicle has wheel covers) Insert the
wheel cover remover into the notch provided in the
wheel cover, and pry it off.