ignition SUBARU OUTBACK 2004 4.G Workshop Manual

7-12
Starting and operating
Stopping the engine
Do not stop the engine when the vehicle is mov-
ing. This will cause loss of power to the power
steering and the brake booster, making steer-
ing and braking more difficult. It could also re-
sult in accidental activation of the “LOCK” po-
sition on the ignition switch, causing the steer-
ing wheel to lock.
The ignition switch should be turned off only when the
engine is idling.
Manual transmission
Do not drive the vehicle with the clutch disen-
gaged (i.e., when the clutch pedal is depressed)
or with the shift lever in the neutral position.
Engine braking has no effect in either of these
conditions and the risk of an accident is conse-
quently increased.
Shift into reverse ONLY when the vehicle has
completely stopped. It may cause damage to the transmission to try shifting into reverse
when the vehicle is moving.
The manual transmission is a fully synchromeshed 5-
forward and 1-reverse speed transmission.

7-17
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
A shift interlock function is employed in the automatic
transmission system to ensure safe starting of the ve-
hicle.
To shift the selector lever from the “P” to the any other
position, you have to depress the brake pedal fully
when the ignition switch is in the “ON” position. This
prevents the vehicle from lurching when it is started.
If the shift lever does not move from the “P” position
with the brake pedal depressed, refer to the “Shift lock
release” section in this chapter. TR (Reverse)
This position is for backing the vehicle.
To shift from “N” to “R” position, first stop the vehicle
completely then move the lever to the “R” position. T N (Neutral)
Do not drive the vehicle with the selector lever
in the “N” (neutral) position. Engine braking
has no effect in this condition and the risk of an
accident is consequently increased.
This position is for restarting a stalled engine. In this position the wheels and transmission are not
locked. In this position, the transmission is neutral; the
vehicle will roll freely, even on the slightest incline un-
less the parking brake or foot brake is on.
Avoid coasting with the transmission neutral.
During coasting, the engine braking does not act. T
D (Drive)
This position is for normal driving.
The transmission automatically shifts into a suitable
gear from 1st to 4th according to the vehicle speed
and the acceleration you require.
When more acceleration is required in this position,
press the accelerator pedal fully to the floor and hold
that position. The transmission will automatically
downshift to 3rd, 2nd or 1st gear. When you release
the pedal, the transmission will return to the original
gear position. V While climbing a grade
When driving up a hill, undesired upshift to 4th gear is
prevented from taking place when the accelerator is
released. This minimizes the chance of subsequent
downshifting to a lower gear when accelerating again.
This prevents repeated upshifting and downshifting re-
sulting in a smoother operation of the vehicle.

7-20
Starting and operating
fault. „
Shift lock release
If the selector lever does not move from the “P” posi-
tion with the brake pedal depressed 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 engine.
2. Take out the screwdriver from the tool bag.
3. Remove the cover by prying on the edge with the
regular screwdriver. 4. Insert the screwdriver into the hole.
5. Push down on the screwdriver and move the selec-
tor lever from the “P” to the “N” position.
6. Remove the screwdriver from the hole. Depress
the brake pedal and start the engine.
Take your vehicle to the nearest SUBARU dealer im- mediately to have the system repaired.
P
RND321
HS7009BA
HS7011BA

7-23
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
locked to prevent the vehicle from rolling freely.
When you park the vehicle, first set the parking brake
fully, then shift into the “P” position. Do not hold the ve-
hicle with only the transmission.
A shift interlock function is employed in the automatic
transmission system to ensure safe starting of the ve-
hicle.
To shift the selector lever from the “P” to any other po-
sition, you have to depress the brake pedal fully then
push the release button on the selector lever when the
ignition switch is in the “ON” position. This prevents
the vehicle from lurching when it is started.
If the shift lever does not move from the “P” position
with the brake pedal depressed, the release button
pushed in, and the ignition switch in the ON position,
refer to the “Shift lock release” section in this chapter. TR (Reverse)
This position is for backing the vehicle.
To shift from the “N” to “R” position, first stop the vehi-
cle completely then move the lever to the “R” position
while pushing the release button. T
N (Neutral)
Do not drive the vehicle with the selector lever
in the “N” (neutral) position. Engine braking
has no effect in this condition and the risk of an
accident is consequently increased.
This position is for restarting a stalled engine.
In this position the wheels and transmission are not
locked. In this position, the transmission is neutral; the
vehicle will roll freely, even on the slightest incline un-
less the parking brake or foot brake is on.
Avoid coasting with the transmission neutral.
During coasting, there is no engine braking effect. T D (Drive)
This position is for normal driving.
The transmission automatically shifts into a suitable
gear from 1st to 4th according to the vehicle speed
and the acceleration you require.
When more acceleration is required in this position,
press the accelerator pedal fully to the floor and hold
that position. The transmission will automatically
downshift to 3rd, 2nd or 1st gear. When you release

7-28
Starting and operating
mph (km/h)
*: SPORTSHIFT mode
Never exceed posted speed limits.
T Driving tips
y Always apply the foot or parking brake when the ve-
hicle is stopped in the “D”, “3”, “2”, “1”, or “R” position. y Always set the parking brake when parking your ve-
hicle. Do not hold the vehicle with only the transmis- sion. y Do 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. y The engine may, on rare occasions, knock when the
vehicle rapidly accelerates or rapidly pulls away from
a standstill. This phenomenon does not indicate a fault. „
Shift lock release
If the selector lever does not move from the “P” posi-
tion with the brake pedal depressed and the ignition
switch in the “ON” position, perform the followingsteps:
To override the shift lock:
1. Set the parking brake and stop the engine.
2. Take out the screwdriver from the tool bag.
3. Remove the cover by prying on the edge with the
regular screwdriver.
Position 2.5GT, 2.5GTLO
1 23 (38), 30 (48)*
2 51 (83), 55 (88)*
3 85 (136), 93 (150)*
UB7029BA

7-33
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
„ABS warning light
The ABS warning light comes on when the ignition
switch is turned to the “ON” position and goes out after
about two seconds.
This is an indication that the ABS system is working
properly.
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; however, the conventional brake
system continues to operate normally. y
The 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 during driving.
If these occur, have the ABS system repaired at
the first available opportunity by your SUBARU
dealer.
NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as described be-
low, the ABS system may be considered normal. y The warning light comes on right after the en-
gine is started but goes out immediately, remain-
ing off. y The warning light remains on after the engine
has been started, but it goes out when the vehicle
speed reaches about 8 mph (12 km/h). y The warning light comes on during driving, but
it goes out immediately and remains off.
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 volt-UB4010LA

7-36
Starting and operating
driving off where the brake pedal seems to exhibit
a jolting motion. This too is a consequence of the
VDC operational check and is normal. y
In the circumstances listed below, the vehicle
may be more unstable than it feels to the driver.
The Vehicle Dynamics Control System may there-
fore operate. Such operation does not indicate a
system fault.
yon gravel-covered or rutted roads
y on unfinished roads
y when the vehicle is towing a trailer
y when the vehicle is fitted with snow tires or
winter tires
y Activation of the VDC system will cause opera-
tion of the steering wheel to feel slightly different
compared to that for normal conditions. y Even if the vehicle is equipped with a VDC sys-
tem, it is important that winter tires be used when
driving on snow-covered or icy roads. (All four
wheels should be fitted with tires of the same size
and brand). y It is always important to reduce speed when ap-
proaching a corner, even if the vehicle is equipped with VDC. y 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-matching tires are used, it is quite possible
that the VDC system will be unable to operate cor-
rectly as intended. y
Always turn off the engine before replacing a
tire as failure to do so may render the VDC system
unable to operate correctly. „ VDC system monitor
T V D C O F F i n d i c a t o r l i g h t
y The VDC OFF indicator light turns on initially when
the ignition key is turned to the ON position; it subse-
quently turns off 6 seconds after the engine is started.
UB4010FA

7-37
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
yThis light turns on to indicate that the VDC system
is in non-operation mode. This does not constitute fail- ure of the VDC system.
NOTE y The VDC OFF 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 temperature. y When an engine problem occurs and the CHECK
ENGINE warning light turns on, the VDC OFF indi-
cator light will also turn on.
The following two situations could indicate malfunction
of the VDC system; if either should occur, have an au-
thorized SUBARU dealer carry out an inspection of
that system at the first available opportunity. y The VDC OFF indicator light does not turn on when
the ignition key is turned to the ON position. y The VDC OFF 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. T VDC operation indicator light
The VDC operation indicator light turns on when the
ignition key is turned to the ON position; it turns off ap- proximately two seconds later. This indicator light
flashes during activation of the skid suppression func-
tion and is illuminated steadily during activation of the
traction control function.
The following two situations could indicate a malfunc-
tion of the VDC system; if either should occur, have an
authorized SUBARU dealer carry out an inspection of
that system at the first available opportunity.y
The VDC operation indicator light does not turn on
when the ignition key is turned to the ON position.y The VDC operation indicator light does not turn off
approximately two seconds after the ignition key has
been turned to the ON position. T V D C w a r n i n g l i g h t
The VDC warning light turns on when the ignition key
is turned to the ON position and off when the engine is
started. This lighting pattern indicates that the VDC
system is operating normally.
The following situations could indicate a malfunction of
the VDC system; if any should occur, have an autho-
rized SUBARU dealer carry out an inspection of the
system at the first available opportunity. y The VDC warning light does not turn on when the ig-
nition key is turned to the ON position. y The VDC warning light does not turn off either when
the engine is started or when the vehicle reaches a

7-39
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
With OnStar® System
Note: Even when the lighting switch is turned to the
“ ” or “ ” position, the “OFF” portion of the
symbol stamped on the switch will not illuminate in the
dark. Only “VDC” portion will illuminate.
Pressing the VDC OFF switch to deactivate the VDC
system can facilitate the following operations: y a standing start on a steeply sloping road with a
snowy, gravel-covered, or otherwise slippery surface y extrication of the vehicle when its wheels are stuck
in mud or deep snow
When the VDC OFF switch is pressed during engine operation, the VDC OFF indicator light illuminates.
The VDC system will be deactivated and the vehicle
will behave like a model not equipped with the VDC system.
When the VDC OFF switch is pressed again to reacti-
vate the VDC system, the VDC OFF indicator light
goes off.
If the vehicle reaches a speed of approximately 37
mph (60 km/h) after the VDC OFF switch is pressed to
deactivate the VDC system, the VDC system automat-
ically reactivates itself and the VDC OFF indicator light
goes off. While the vehicle is moving at a speed of ap-
proximately 37 mph (60 km/h) or higher, it is not pos-
sible to deactivate the VDC system by pressing theVDC OFF switch.
With the VDC system deactivated, traction and stabil-
ity enhancement offered by VDC system is unavail-
able. Therefore you should not deactivate the VDC
system except under above-mentioned situations.
NOTE y
When the VDC switch has been pressed to deac-
tivate the VDC system, the VDC system automati-
cally reactivates itself the next time the ignition
key is turned to the OFF position and the engine is
restarted. y If the VDC OFF switch is held down for 10 sec-
onds or longer, the VDC OFF indicator light goes
UB7028AA

7-40
Starting and operating
off, the VDC system is activated, and the system
ignores any further pressing of the VDC OFF
switch. To make the VDC OFF switch usable again,
turn the ignition key to the OFF position and re-
start the engine.Parking your vehicle
y
Never leave unattended children or pets in
the vehicle. They could accidentally injure
themselves or others through inadvertent oper-
ation of the vehicle. Also, on hot or sunny days,
the temperature in a closed vehicle could
quickly become high enough to cause severe
or possibly fatal injuries to them. y Do not park the vehicle over flammable mate-
rials such as dry grass, waste paper or rags, as
they may burn easily if they come near hot en-
gine or exhaust system parts.y Be sure to stop the engine if you take a nap in
the vehicle. If engine exhaust gas enters the
passenger compartment, occupants in the ve-
hicle could die from carbon monoxide (CO)
contained in the exhaust gas.
Never drive while the parking brake is set be-
cause this will cause unnecessary wear on the
brake linings. Before starting to drive, always