check engine light SUBARU LEGACY 2001 3.G Owners Manual

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3
Instruments and controls Ignition switch3-3
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Key reminder chime 3-5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Key interlock release (AT vehicles only) 3-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hazard warning flasher 3-6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Meters and gauges 3-7
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Speedometer 3-7
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Odometer/Trip meter 3-7
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tachometer (if equipped) 3-8
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Outside temperature indicator (if equipped) 3-8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fuel gauge 3-9
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Temperature gauge 3-9
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Warning and indicator lights 3-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelt warning light and chime 3-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag system warning light 3-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHECK ENGINE warning light/Malfunction
indicator lamp 3-11
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Charge warning light 3-12
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Oil pressure warning light 3-13
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AT OIL TEMPerature warning light (for AT vehicles) 3-13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ABS warning light 3-13
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control) warning light (if equipped) 3-15
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brake system warning light 3-16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Door open warning lights 3-16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Low fuel warning light 3-16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front-wheel drive warning light (for AT vehicles) 3-17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control) operation indicator
light (if equipped) 3-17
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control) OFF indicator light
(if equipped) 3-17
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Security system status indicator light (if equipped) 3-18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shift position indicator (for AT vehicles) 3-18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Turn signal indicator lights 3-18
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
High beam indicator light 3-18
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Clock 3-19
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Light control switch 3-19
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Daytime running light system 3-21
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Turn signal lever 3-21
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Illumination brightness control 3-22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parking light switch 3-23
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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3-10We rec ommend that you d rive mod erately until the p o
inter of the temp er-
ature g aug e reac hes near the mid d le of the rang e. E ng ine op eration is
op timum with the eng ine c oolant at this temp erature rang e and hig h rev-
ving op eration when eng ine is not warmed up enoug h should b e
avoid ed .
Warning and indicator lights
Several of the warning and ind ic ator lig hts c ome on momentarily and
then g o out when the ig nition switc h is initially t urned to the “ON ” p osi-
tion. This p ermits c hec king the op eration of the b u lb s.
Ap p ly the p arking b rake and turn the ig nition switc h to the “ON ” p osition.
The following lig hts c ome on:
Seatb elt warning lig ht
SRS airb ag system warning lig ht
CHECK ENGINE warning lig ht / Malfunc tion ind ic ator lamp
Charg e warning lig ht
Oil p ressure warning lig ht
AT OIL temp erature warning lig ht (AT vehic les)
ABS warning lig ht
VDC warning lig ht (if eq uip p ed )
VDC op eration ind ic ator lig ht (if eq uip p ed )
VDC OFF ind ic ator lig ht (if eq uip p ed )
Brake system warning lig ht
If any lig hts fail to c ome on, it ind ic ates a b urne d -out b ulb or a malfunc -
tion of the c orresp ond ing system.
Consult your authorized SUBARU d ealer for rep air. Seatbelt warning light and chime
When the ig nition switc h is turned to the “ON ” p osition, the seatb elt
warning lig ht will c ome on and the remind er c hime w ill sound for ab out
six sec ond s to remind the d river to fasten the seat b elt.
The seatb elt warning lig ht remains on for ab out six sec ond s and turns off
automatic ally after six sec ond s.

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Instruments and controls3-11

CONTINUED –
The seatb elt remind er c hime will turn off when the
d river’s sid e seatb elt is
b uc kled or it will turn off automatic ally after six sec ond s.
SRS airbag system warning light AIRBAG
When the ig nition switc h is turned to the “ON ” p osition, the SRS airb ag
system warning lig ht will c ome on for ab out six sec ond s and g o out. This
shows the SRS frontal airb ag and SRS sid e airb ag (i f eq uip p ed ) and
seatb elt p retensioners are in normal op eration.
If this lig ht c omes on while d riving or remains ill uminated even after a
p eriod of ab out 6 sec ond s from when the ig nition ha s b een turned on, it
may ind ic ate that the SRS frontal airb ag system or SRS sid e airb ag sys-
tem (if eq uip p ed ) or seatb elt p retensioner system i s not working p rop er-
ly. Contac t your nearest SUBARU d ealer immed iately. CHECK ENGINE warning light/Malfunction indicator lamp
CAUTION
If the CHECK ENGINE light comes on while you are driving, have
your vehicle checked/repaired by your SUBARU dealer as soonas possible. Continued vehicle operation without having the
emission control system checked and repaired as necessarycould cause serious damage, which may not be covered by your
vehicle’ s warranty.
If this lig ht c omes on stead ily or b links while the eng ine is running , it may
ind ic ate that there is a p rob lem or p otential p rob l em somewhere in the
emission c ontrol system.
If the light comes on steadily:
If the lig ht c omes on stead ily while d riving or d oe s not g o out after the
eng ine starts, an emission c ontrol system malfunc ti on has b een d e-
tec ted .
You should have your vehic le c hec ked b y an authoriz ed SUBARU
d ealer immed iately.

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3-12NOTE This light also comes on when the fuel filler cap is not tightened until it clicks.
If you have rec ently refueled your vehic le, the c au
se of the CHECK
ENGINE warning lig ht/malfunc tion ind ic ator lamp c om ing on c ould b e a
loose or missing fuel filler c ap . Remove the c ap an d retig hten it until it
c lic ks. Make sure nothing is interfering with the s ealing of the c ap .
Tig htening the c ap will not make the CHECK ENGINE w arning lig ht
turn off immed iately. It may take several d riving t rip s. If the lig ht d oes
not g o out, take your vehic le to your authorized SU BARU d ealer
immed iately. If the light is blinking:
If the lig ht is b linking while d riving , an eng ine m isfire c ond ition has
b een d etec ted whic h may d amag e the emission c ontrol system.
To p revent serious d amag e to the emission c ontrol s ystem, you
should d o the following : Red uc e vehic le sp eed .
Avoid hard ac c eleration.
Avoid steep up hill g rad es.
Red uc e the amount of c arg o, if p ossib le.
Stop towing a trailer as soon as p ossib le.
The CHECK ENGINE warning lig ht may stop b linking an d c ome on
stead ily after several d riving trip s. You should ha ve your vehic le
c hec ked b y an authorized SUBARU d ealer immed iately.
Charge warning light
If this lig ht c omes on when the eng ine is running , it may ind ic ate that the
c harg ing system is not working p rop erly.
If the lig ht c omes on while d riving or d oes not g o out after the eng ine
starts, stop the eng ine at the first safe op p ortuni ty and c hec k the alterna-
tor b elt. If the b elt is loose, b roken or if the b e lt is in g ood c ond ition b ut
the lig ht remains on, c ontac t your nearest SUBARU d ealer immed iately.

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3-18
The “VDC OFF ” indicator light comes on when the engine has de-
veloped a problem and the CHECK ENGINE warning light is on. Depending on the type of gasoline used, the “VDC OFF ” indicator
light may not go out soon after the engine has been started.
The VDC system is p rob ab ly faulty und er any of the following c ond itions.
Have your vehic le c hec ked at a SUBARU d ealer as soo n as p ossib le.
The VDC OFF ind ic ator lig ht d oes not c ome on when t he ig nition
switc h is turned to the “ON ” p osition.
The lig ht d oes not g o out even after several minute s have p assed (the
eng ine has warmed up ) after the eng ine has b een sta rted .
Security system status indicator light (if equipped)
This lig ht is found at the b ottom c enter of the c om b ination meter p anel.
On vehic les eq uip p ed with a sec urity system, it b li nks to show the d river
the op erational status of the sec urity system. For d etailed information, re-
fer to the “Sec urity system ” in Chap ter 2.
Shift position indicator (for AT vehicles)
This ind ic ator shows the p osition of the shift leve r.
Turn signal indicator lights
These lig hts show the op eration of the turn sig nal or lane c hang e sig nal.
If the ind ic ator lig hts d o not b link or b link rap id ly, the turn sig nal b ulb
may b e b urned out. Rep lac e the b ulb as soon as p oss ib le. Refer to the
“ Rep lac ing b ulb s ” sec tion in c hap ter 11.
High beam indicator light
This lig ht shows that the head lig hts are in the hig h b eam mod e.
This ind ic ator lig ht also c omes on when op erating h ead lig ht flasher.

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4-14NOTE
You can check the outside air temperature even when the Au-
tomatic Climate Control is off. (The ignition switch should be in the “ON” position.)
In the following cases, the display can indicate a higher tem-
perature than the actual outside air temperature: – In direct sunlight
– When the vehicle is parked for a long period of time with the
engine kept running.– During stop and go driving
n
— Defroster switch
To d efrost or d ehumid ify the wind shield and sid e wi nd ow, p ush the
d efroster switc h “
”. When the “” switc h is p ushed , re-
g ard less whether the air c ond itioner is op erating o r not, outsid e air is
d rawn into the p asseng er c omp artment, the air c ond i tioner c omp res-
sor turns on, air flow is d irec ted toward s the wind shield and sid e win-
d ows, and the ind ic ator lig ht “
” on the c ontrol p anel c omes on.
After eliminating the fog g ing from the wind shield , set the air c ond ition-
er b ac k in the AUTO mod e b y p ushing the “AUTO ” switc h or turn off
b y p ushing the “OFF ” switc h or “
” switc h.
n
— Fan speed control switch
HB5021BB
The fan sp eed c ontrol switc h has the 5 p ositions: A UTO p osition and
4 d ifferent fan sp eed p ositions.

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7-6
HB3008BB
2. Remove the fuel filler c ap b y turning it slowly counterc loc kwise.
3. Stop filling the tank after the fuel filler p ump automatic ally c lic ks off.
Do not ad d any more fuel.
4. Put the c ap b ac k on, turn it c loc kwise until you hear a c lic king
noise. Be c ertain not to c atc h the tether und er the c ap while tig hten-
ing .
5. Close the fuel filler lid c omp letely.
If you sp ill any fuel on the p ainted surfac e, rinse it off immed iately.
Otherwise, the p ainted surfac e c ould b e d amag ed . NOTE If the fuel filler cap is not tightened until it clicks or if the tether is caught under the cap, the CHECK ENGINE warning light maycome on. Refer to the “Warning and indicator lights ” section lo-
cated in chapter 3.
State emission testing (U.S. only)
WARNING
Testing of an All-Wheel Drive vehicle must NEVER be performed
on a single two-wheel dynamometer. Attempting to do so willresult in uncontrolled vehicle movement and may cause an acci-
dent or injuries to persons nearby.

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Starting and operating7-27

CONTINUED –
ind ic ator lig ht will flash on and off when this sys
tem ac tivates.
NOTE Slight twitching of the brake pedal may be felt when the VDC-sys-
tem operates; a small degree of vehicle or steering wheel shaking may also be noticed in this situation. These are normal effects of
VDC operation and are no cause for alarm. When driving off immediately after starting the engine, a short-
lived operation noise may be noticed coming from the enginecompartment. This noise is generated as a result of a check beingperformed on the VDC system and is normal. Depending on the timing of activation of the brakes, certain situa-
tions may occur just after driving off where the brake pedal seemsto exhibit a jolting motion. This too is a consequence of the VDCoperational check and is normal. Activation of the VDC system will cause operation of the steering
wheel to feel slightly different compared to that for normal condi-tions. Even if the vehicle is equipped with a VDC system, it is important
that winter tires be used when driving on snow-covered or icyroads. (All four wheels should be fitted with tires of the same sizeand brand). Furthermore, if snow chains are to be used, they shouldbe fitted on the front wheels. When a vehicle is fitted with snow
chains, however, the effectiveness of the VDC system is reduced
and this should be taken into account when driving the vehicle insuch a condition. It is always important to reduce speed when approaching a cor-
ner, even if the vehicle is equipped with VDC. All 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-match-ing tires are used, it is quite possible that the VDC system will beunable to operate correctly as intended. Always turn off the engine before replacing a tire as failure to do
so may render the VDC system unable to operate correctly.

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7-28
VDC system monitor
HB4010FB
nVDC OFF indicator light
The VDC OFF ind ic ator lig ht turns on initially when the ig nition key
is turned to the ON p osition; it sub seq uently turns off 6 sec ond s after
the eng ine is started . This lig ht turns on to ind ic ate that the VDC and TC S systems are in
non-op eration (read y) mod e. This d oes not c onstitut e failure of the
VDC system. NOTE When the engine is started on cold mornings and in other sim-
ilar circumstances, a certain amount of time may pass before the
VDC OFF indicator light turns off. 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 operat-ing temperature. When an engine problem occurs and the CHECK ENGINE
warning light turns on, the VDC OFF indicator light will also turnon. Depending on the type of gasoline used, it may take sometime
before the light goes out after the engine has been started.
The following two situations c ould ind ic ate malfunc tion of the VDC
system; if either should oc c ur, have an authorized SUBARU d ealer
c arry out an insp ec tion of that system at the first availab le op p ortunity.