Dipstick SUBARU OUTBACK 2006 Owners Manual

Maintenance and service
11 - 9
– CONTINUED –Engine oil „ Checking the oil levelCheck the engine oil level at each fuel
stop.
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
stop the engine.
2. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it clean, and
insert it again.
3. Be sure the dipstick is correctly insert-
ed until it stops with the graphic symbol
“ ” on its top appearing as shown in
the illustration. 2.5-liter models
1) Notch
2) Upper level
3) Lower level 3.0-liter models
1) Upper level
2) Lower level
4. Pull out the dipstick again and check
the oil level on it. If it is below the lower
level, add oil to bring the level up to the up-
per level.B00104 1
2
3 B00418
y Use only engine oil with the rec-
ommended grade and viscosity.
y Be careful not to spill engine oil
when adding it. If oil touches the
exhaust pipe, it may cause a bad
smell, smoke, and/or a fire. If en-
gine oil gets on the exhaust pipe,
be sure to wipe it off. 1
2 B00417

11 - 1 0 Maintenance and service
If you check the oil level just after stopping
the engine, wait a few minutes for the oil to
drain back into the oil pan before checking
the level.
To prevent overfilling the engine oil, do not
add any additional oil above the upper lev-
el when the engine is cold.
In 2.5-liter-engine models, the dipstick has
a notch above the upper level.
Just after driving or while the engine is
warm, the engine oil level reading may be
in a range between the upper level and
the notch mark. This is caused by thermal
expansion of the engine oil.
„ Changing the oil and oil filterChange the oil and oil filter according to
the maintenance schedule in the “Warran-
ty and Maintenance Booklet”.
The engine oil and oil filter must be
changed more frequently than listed in the
maintenance schedule when driving on
dusty roads, when short trips are frequent-
ly made, or when driving in extremely cold
whether.
1. Warm up the engine by letting the en-
gine idle for approximately 10 minutes to
ease draining the engine oil.
2. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
stop the engine. 3. Remove the oil filler cap.
2.5-liter models
3.0-liter models
4. Drain out the engine oil by removing the drain plug while the engine is still
warm. The used oil should be drained into
an appropriate container and disposed of
properly.
5. Wipe the seating surface of the drain
plug with a clean cloth and tighten it se-
curely with a new sealing washer after the
oil has completely drained out.
2.5-liter models B00419
B00305Be careful not to burn yourself with
hot engine oil.
B00420

11 - 1 2 Maintenance and service
Oil capacity (Guideline):
2.5-liter models: 4.2 US qt (4.0 liters, 3.5
Imp qt)
3.0-liter models: 5.8 US qt (5.5 liters, 4.8
Imp qt)
The oil quantity indicated above is only a
guideline. The necessary quantity of oil
depends on the quantity of oil that has
been drained. The quantity of drained oil
differs slightly depen ding on the tempera-
ture of the oil and the time the oil is left
flowing out. After refilling the engine with
oil, therefore, you must use the dipstick to
confirm that the level is correct.
13.Start the engine and make sure that no
oil leaks appear around the filter’s rubber
seal and drain plug.
14.Run the engine until it reaches the nor-
mal operating temperature. Then stop the
engine and wait a few minutes to allow the
oil drain back. Check the oil level again
and if necessary, add more engine oil.
„ Recommended grade and
viscosity Oil grade:
ILSAC GF-4, which can be identified
with the ILSAC certification mark
(Starburst mark)
or API classification SM with the
words “ENERGY CONSERVING”
These recommended oil grades can be
identified by looking for either or both of
the following marks displayed on the oil
container.
ILSAC Certification Mark (Starburst
Mark) API Service label
1) Indicates the oil quality by API designa-
tions
2) Indicates the SAE oil viscosity grade
3) Indicates that the oil has fuel saving ca-
pabilities
In choosing an oil, you want the proper
quality and viscosity, as well as one that
will add to fuel economy. The following ta-
ble lists the recommended viscosities and
applicable temperatures.
When adding oil, different brands may be
used together as long as they are the
same API classifica tion and SAE viscosity
as those recommended by SUBARU.
Use only engine oil with the recom-
mended grade and viscosity. B00014
A P ISERVICESM
E
N
E
R
G
Y
C
O
N
S
E
R
V
I
N
G SAE
5W-30 1
2
3 B00446

Maintenance and service
11 - 2 1
Turbo models
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
stop the engine.
2. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it clean, and
insert it again. 1) Upper level
2) Lower level
3. Pull out the dipstick again and check
the oil level on it. If it is below the lower
level, add oil through the dipstick hole to
bring the level up to the upper level. „ Recommended grade and
viscosity Each oil manufacturer has its own base
oils and additives. Never use different
brands together. Oil grade:
API classification GL-5
SAE viscosity No. and applicable tem-
peratureB00196
Be careful not to spill manual trans-
mission oil when adding it. If oil
touches the exhaus t pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or a
fire. If oil gets on the exhaust pipe,
be sure to wipe it off.
L
F
FL1
2 1
2 B00368 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40
-20 0 60 20
80W
75W/90 80 10040
85W 90
B00032

11 - 2 2 Maintenance and service
Automatic transmission fluid „ Checking the fluid levelThe automatic transmission fluid expands
largely as its temperature rises; the fluid
level differs according to fluid tempera-
ture. Therefore, there are two different
scales for checking the level of hot fluid
and cold fluid on the dipstick.
Though the fluid level can be checked
without warming up the fluid on the
“COLD” range, we recommend checking
the fluid level when the fluid is at operating
temperature.
T Checking the fluid level when the
fluid is hot
Check the fluid level monthly.
1. Drive the vehicle se veral miles to raise
the temperature of the transmission fluid
up to normal operating temperature; 158
to 176 ° F (70 to 80 ° C) is normal.
2. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
set the parking brake.
3. First shift the selector lever in each po-
sition. Then shift it in the “P” position, and
run the engine at idling speed. 4-speed automatic transmission
1) Yellow handle
5-speed automatic transmission
1) Yellow handle 1) HOT range
2) COLD range
3) Upper level
4) Lower level
4. Pull out the dipstick and check the fluid
level on the gauge. If it is below the lower
level on the “HOT” range, add the recom-
mended automatic transmission fluid up to
the upper level.
T Checking the fluid level when the
fluid is cold
When the fluid level has to be checked
without time to warm up the automatic
transmission, check to see that the fluid
level is between the lower level and upper
level on the “COLD” range. If it is below
that range, add fluid up to the upper level.
Be careful not to overfill.1
B00428
1
B00429 3
43
4
2 1 B00370

Maintenance and service
11 - 2 3
– CONTINUED –„ Recommended fluid Use one of the following types of automat-
ic transmission fluid.
Genuine Subaru Automatic Transmis-
sion Fluid Type-HP
IDEMITSU ATF HP
Castrol Transmax J
Pennzoil ATF-J*
* Available only in the USA (except
Alaska and Hawaii)
NOTE Using any non-specified type of auto-
matic transmission fluid could result in
damage inside the transmission. When
replacing the automatic transmission
fluid, be sure to use the kind specified
above. Front differential gear oil (AT
vehicles) „ Checking the oil level
1) Yellow handle
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
stop the engine.
2. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it clean, and
insert it again. 1) Upper level
2) Lower level
3. Pull out the dipstick again and check
the oil level on it. If it is below the lower
level, add oil to bring the level up to the up-
per level.Be careful not to spill automatic
transmission fluid when adding it. If
automatic transmission fluid touch-
es the exhaust pipe, it may cause a
bad smell, smoke, and/or a fire. If au-
tomatic transmissi on fluid gets on
the exhaust pipe, be sure to wipe it
off. 1
B00430
Be careful not to spill front differen-
tial gear oil when adding it. If oil
touches the exhaust pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or a
fire. If oil gets on the exhaust pipe,
be sure to wipe it off. 1
2 B00372