SUBARU OUTBACK 2001 3.G Owners Manual

7-18
Maximum speeds
WARNING
When shifting down a gear, ensure that the vehicle is not travel- ling at a speed exceeding the Maximum Allowable Speed for thegear which is about to be selected. Failure to observe this pre-caution can lead to engine over-revving and this in turn canresult in engine damage.In addition, sudden application of engine brakes when the vehicleis travelling on a slippery surface can lead to wheel locking; as a
consequence, control of the vehicle may be lost and the risk ofan accident increased.
The following tab les show the maximum sp eed s that a re p ossib le with
eac h d ifferent g ear. The tac hometer ’s (if so eq uip p ed ) need le will
enter the red area if these sp eed s are exc eed ed .
When shifting d own a g ear, it is imp ortant to c onfi rm that the c urrent
vehic le sp eed is not in exc ess of the Maximum Allow ab le Sp eed of
the g ear whic h is ab out to b e selec ted .
Exc eed ing the Maximum Allowab le Sp eed s will result in over-revving
of the eng ine. In ad d ition a p owerful eng ine b rake will eng ag e and
c ontrol of the vehic le may b e lost.
mph (km/h)
Vehicle
typeBrighton LGTOUTBACK
PositiontypeBrighton, LGT2.5 liter3.0 liter
135 (56)29 (47)31 (50)35 (57)
264 (103)58 (93)62 (100)69 (111)
3100 (161)96 (154)102 (164)111 (178)
NOTE In order to prevent over-revving during acceleration of the
vehicle, the transmission will automatically shift to the next high- est gear if the Maximum Allowable Speed for the current gear isexceeded.

Starting and operating7-19
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Similarly, in order to prevent over-revving during deceleration
of the vehicle, the transmission will remain in the current gear if the speed of the vehicle is in excess of the Maximum AllowableSpeed for the gear to which the selector lever has been moved. Driving tips
Always ap p ly the foot or p arking b rake when the veh ic le is
stop p ed in the “D ”, “3 ”, “2 ”, “1 ” or “R ” p osition.
Always set the p arking b rake when p arking your vehi c le. Do not
hold the vehic le with only the transmission. Do not keep the vehic le in a stationary p osition on an up hill g rad e
b y using the “D ”, “3 ”, “2 ”, or “1 ” p osition. Use the b rake instead .
Shift lock release
If the selec tor lever d oes not move from the “P ” p osition with the b rake
p ed al d ep ressed and the ig nition switc h in the “ON ” p osition, p erform
the following step s:
To overrid e the shift loc k:
1. Set the p arking b rake and stop the eng ine.
2. Take out the sc rewd river from the tool b ag .
3. Remove the c over b y p rying on the ed g e with the r eg ular sc rewd river.
HB7020BA
HB7010CA
4. Insert the sc rewd river into the hole.
5. Push d own on the sc rewd river and move the selec to r lever from the
“ P ” to the “N ” p osition.

7-206. Remove the sc rewd river from the hole. Dep ress the
b rake p ed al and
start the eng ine.
Take your vehic le to the nearest SUBARU d ealer imme d iately to have the
system rep aired . Rear viscous limited slip differential (LSD) (if equipped)
CAUTION
Never start the engine while a tire on one side is jacked up, as
the vehicle may move. If one rear tire is spinning in mud, avoid continued spinning at
high speed as this could adversely affect the LSD. If a different size rear tire is temporarily used (as in an emer-
gency), it will adversely affect the LSD. Always replace it with aregular size tire as soon as possible.
The LSD p rovid es op timum d istrib ution of p ower ac c o rd ing to the d iffer-
enc e in revolutions b etween the rig ht and left rear wheels that may b e
c aused b y c ertain d riving c ond itions, thereb y imp ro ving d riving stab ility
on snow-c overed , mud d y or other slip p ery road s. Power steering
CAUTION
Do not hold the steering wheel at the fully locked position left or right for more than five seconds. This may damage the powersteering pump.
The p ower steering system op erates only when the en g ine is running .
If you lose p ower steering assist b ec ause the eng in e stop s or the system
fails to func tion, you c an steer b ut it will take m uc h more effort.

Starting and operating7-21
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NOTE Right after the engine has been started and before it has warmed up, you may hear a noise coming from areas adjacent to the powersteering pump which is located at the right-front area of the enginecompartment. This noise is normal. It does not indicate power steer-ing system trouble. Braking
Braking tips
WARNING
Never rest your foot on the brake pedal while driving. This can
cause dangerous overheating of the brakes and needless wearon the brake pads and linings.
When the brakes get wet
When d riving in rain or after washing the vehic le, the b rakes may g et
wet. As a result, b rake stop p ing d istanc e will b e l ong er. To d ry the
b rakes, d rive the vehic le at a safe sp eed while lig htly d ep ressing the
b rake p ed al to heat up the b rakes. Use of engine braking
Rememb er to make use of eng ine b raking in ad d ition to foot b raking .
When d esc end ing a g rad e, if only the foot b rake is used , the b rakes
may start working imp rop erly b ec ause of b rake fluid overheating ,
c aused b y overheated b rake p ad s. To help p revent th is, shift into a
lower g ear to g et strong er eng ine b raking . Braking when a tire is punctured
Do not d ep ress the b rake p ed al sud d enly when a tire is p unc tured .
This c ould c ause a loss of c ontrol of the vehic le. Keep d riving straig ht
ahead while g rad ually red uc ing sp eed . Then slowly p ull off the road
to a safe p lac e.

7-22
Brake system Two separate circuits
Your vehic le has two sep arate c irc uit b rake systems . Eac h c irc uit
works d iag onally ac ross the vehic le. If one c irc uit of the b rake system
should fail, the other half of the system still wor ks. If one c irc uit fails,
the b rake p ed al will g o d own muc h c loser to the flo or than usual and
you will need to p ress it d own muc h hard er. And a m uc h long er d is-
tanc e will b e need ed to stop the vehic le. Brake booster
The b rake b ooster uses eng ine manifold vac uum to as sist b raking
forc e. Do not turn off the eng ine while d riving b ec ause that will turn off
the b rake b ooster, resulting in p oor b raking p ower.
The b rakes will c ontinue to work even when the b rak e b ooster c om-
p letely stop s func tioning . If this hap p ens, however , you will have to
p ush the p ed al muc h hard er than normal and the b rak ing d istanc e
will inc rease.
Disc brake pad wear warning indicators
OM-H0163
The d isc b rake p ad wear warning ind ic ators on the d isc b rakes g ive a
warning noise when the b rake p ad s are worn.
If a sq ueaking or sc rap ing noise is heard from the d isc b rakes while
b raking , immed iately have your vehic le c hec ked b y y our SUBARU d eal-
er.

Starting and operating7-23
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ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)
WARNING
Always use the utmost care in driving – overconfidence because
you are driving with an ABS equipped vehicle could easily lead to a serious accident.
CAUTION
The ABS system does not always decrease stopping distance.
You should always maintain a safe following distance from othervehicles. When driving on badly surfaced roads, gravel roads, icy road,
or over deep newly fallen snow, stopping distances may be long-er for a vehicle with the ABS system than one without. When driv-ing under these conditions, therefore, reduce your speed and
leave ample distance from other vehicles. When you feel the ABS system operating, you should maintain
constant brake pedal pressure. Do not pump the brake pedal
since doing so may defeat the operation of the ABS system.
The ABS system p revents the loc k-up of wheels whic h may oc c ur d uring
sud d en b raking or b raking on slip p ery road surfac es . This help s p revent
the loss of steering c ontrol and d irec tional stab il ity c aused b y wheel
loc k-up .
When the ABS system is op erating , you may hear a c h attering noise or
feel a slig ht vib ration in the b rake p ed al. This is normal when the ABS
op erates.
The ABS system will not op erate when the vehic le sp eed is b elow
ap p roximately 6 mp h (10 km/h).
ABS system self-check
You may feel a slig ht shoc k in the b rake p ed al and hear the op erating
sound of ABS from the eng ine c omp artment just after the vehic le is

7-24started . This is c aused b y an automatic func tional
test of the ABS sys-
tem b eing c arried out and d oes not ind ic ate any ab n ormal c ond ition.
ABS warning light
HB4010GA
The ABS warning lig ht c omes on when the ig nition sw itc h is turned to
the “ON ” p osition and g oes out after ab out two sec ond s.
This is an ind ic ation that the ABS system is workin g p rop erly.
CAUTION
If the warning light behaves as follows, the ABS system may not
be working properly.When the warning light is on, the ABS function shuts down; how-
ever, the conventional brake system continues to operate normal-
ly. The warning light does not come on when the ignition switch
is turned to the “ON” position.
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). The warning light comes on during driving.
If these occur, have the ABS system repaired at the first available
opportunity by your SUBARU dealer.

Starting and operating7-25
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NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as described below, the ABS sys- tem may be considered normal.
The warning light comes on right after the engine is started
but goes out immediately, remaining off. The warning light remains on after the engine has been
started, but it goes out when the vehicle speed reaches about 8mph (12 km/h). The warning light comes on during driving, but it goes out
immediately and remains off.
When d riving with an insuffic ient b attery voltag e s uc h as when the en-
g ine is jump started , the ABS warning lig ht may c om e on. This is d ue
to the low b attery voltag e and d oes not ind ic ate a malfunc tion. When
the b attery b ec omes fully c harg ed , the lig ht will g o out.
VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control) system (if equipped)
WARNING
Always use the utmost care in driving — overconfidence because
you are driving with a VDC system equipped vehicle could easily lead to a serious accident.
CAUTION
Even if your vehicle is equipped with VDC, winter tires or snow
chains should be used when driving on snow-covered or icyroads; in addition, vehicle speed should be reduced consider-
ably. Simply having a VDC system does not guarantee that the
vehicle will be able to avoid accidents in any situation. Activation of the VDC system is an indication that the road
being travelled on has a slippery surface; since having VDC is no
guarantee that full vehicle control will be maintained at all timesand under all conditions, its activation should be seen as a sign
that the speed of the vehicle should be reduced considerably.

7-26
Whenever suspension components, steering components, or
an axle are removed from a vehicle equipped with VDC, have an authorized SUBARU dealer perform an inspection of that system. The following precautions should be observed in order to
ensure that the VDC system is operating properly:
–All four wheels should be fitted with tires of the same size,
type, and brand. Furthermore, the amount of wear should bethe same for all four tires.– Keep the tire pressure at the proper level as shown on the
label attached to the vehicle ’s door pillar.
– Use only the special temporary spare tire to replace a flat
tire.
When d riving on slip p ery road s or making sud d en tur ns to avoid
ob stac les in the vehic le ’s p ath, c ertain situations may oc c ur where the
vehic le may slip sid eways or where the rear of the vehic le may swing
outward . When the VDC system d etermines either of t hese c irc um-
stanc es is ab out to oc c ur, it c ontrols — and op erates in c onjunc tion with
— the Anti-loc k Brake System and the Trac tion Contro l System to sup -
p ress sud d en c hang es in vehic le attitud e and motion , thus imp roving
d irec tional stab ility d uring d riving .
Anti-loc k Brake System (ABS) func tion:
The ABS c ontrols the b rake system elec tronic ally. I t p revents loc king
of the wheels so that d irec tional stab ility and ste ering wheel resp on-
siveness c an b e maintained even when b raking on sli p p ery surfac es.
In the unlikely event that a malfunc tion should oc c ur in the ABS, it will
still b e p ossib le to stop the vehic le using normal b raking .
Trac tion Control System (TCS) func tion:
The TCS limits sp inning of the d rive wheels on slip p ery surfac es; in
this, it help s ensure that an ap p rop riate d eg ree of trac tion and steer-
ing are maintained . The VDC op eration ind ic ator lig ht will turn on
when the TCS ac tivates. Vehic le Dynamic s Control
To assist in maintaining d irec tional stab ility, the VDC help s sup p ress
sid eways slip p ing of the vehic le when the steering wheel is turned
sud d enly or when c ornering on a slip p ery surfac e. T he VDC op eration

Starting and operating7-27
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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.