gas type SUBARU OUTBACK 2006 Owners Manual

1-40 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
NOTE When you sell your vehicle, we urge
you to explain to the buyer that it is
equipped with SRS airbags by alerting
him or her to the applicable section in
this owner’s manual.y Put children aged 12 and under in
the rear seat properly restrained
at all times. The SRS airbag de-
ploys with considerable speed
and force and can injure or even
kill children, especially if they are
12 years of age and under and are
not restrained or improperly re-
strained. Because children are
lighter and weaker than adults,
their risk of being injured from de-
ployment is greater. 100082
Consequently, we strongly rec-
ommend that ALL children (in-
cluding those in child seats and
those that have ou tgrown child re-
straint devices) sit in the REAR
seat properly restrained at all
times in a child restraint device or
in a seatbelt, whichever is appro-
priate for the child’s age, height
and weight.
Secure ALL types of child re-
straint devices (i ncluding forward
facing child seats) in the REAR
seats at all times.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating posi-
tions than in the front seating po-
sitions.
For instructions and precautions
concerning the child restraint sys-
tem, see the “Child restraint sys-
tems” section in this chapter.
y NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD
FACING CHILD SEAT IN THE
FRONT SEAT. DOING SO RISKS
SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO
THE CHILD BY PLACING THE
CHILD’S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO
THE SRS AIRBAG. y Never allow a child to stand up, or
to kneel on the front passenger’s
seat, or never hold a child on your
lap or in your arms. The SRS air-
bag deploys with considerable
force and can injure or even kill
the child.
y When the SRS ai rbag deploys,
some smoke will be released. This
smoke could cause breathing
problems for people with a history
of asthma or other breathing trou-
ble. If you or your passengers
have breathing problems after
SRS airbag deploys, get fresh air
promptly.
y A deploying SRS airbag releases
hot gas. Occupants could get
burned if they come into direct
contact with the hot gas.

Instruments and controls
3-35
– CONTINUED –NOTE y The front wiper mo tor is protected
against overloads by a circuit breaker.
If the motor operates continuously un-
der an unusually heavy load, the circuit
breaker may trip to stop the motor tem-
porarily. If this happens, park your ve-
hicle in a safe place, turn off the wiper
switch, and wait for approximately 10
minutes. The circuit breaker will reset
itself, and the wipers will again operate
normally.
y Clean your wiper blades and window
glass periodically with a washer solu-
tion to prevent streaking, and to re- move accumulations of road salt or
road film. Keep th e washer button de-
pressed at least for 1 second so that
washer solution will be sprinkled all
over the windshield or rear window.
y Grease, wax, insects or other materi-
al on the windshield or the wiper
blades results in jerky wiper operation
and streaking on the glass. If you can-
not remove those streaks after operat-
ing the washer or if the wiper operation
is jerky, clean the outer surface of the
windshield or rear window and the wip-
er blades using a sponge or soft cloth
with a neutral dete rgent or mild-abra-
sive cleaner. After cleaning, rinse the
window glass and wiper blades with
clean water. The glass is clean if no
beads form on the glass when you
rinse with water.
y If you cannot eliminate the streaking
even after following this procedure, re-
place the wiper blades with new ones.
Refer to the “Replacement of wiper
blades” section (chapter 11) for re-
placement instructions.
„ Windshield wiper and washer
switches The wiper operates only when the ignition
switch is in the “ON” or “ACC” position.y In freezing weather, be sure that
the wiper blades are not frozen to
the windshield or rear window be-
fore switching on the wipers. At-
tempting to oper ate the wiper with
the blades frozen to the window
glass could cause not only the
wiper blades to be damaged but
also the wiper moto r to burn out. If
the wiper blades ar e frozen to the
window glass, be sure to operate
the defroster, wip er deicer (if
equipped) or rear window defog-
ger before turning on the wiper.
y If the wipers stop during opera-
tion because of ice or some other
obstruction on the window, the
wiper motor could burn out even if
the wiper switch is turned off. If
this occurs, promptly stop the ve-
hicle in a safe place, turn the igni-
tion switch to the “LOCK” posi-
tion and clean the window glass
to allow proper wiper operation. y Use clean water if windshield
washer fluid is unavailable. In ar-
eas where water freezes in winter,
use SUBARU Windshield Washer
Fluid or the equivalent. (See
“Windshield washer fluid” section
in chapter 11.)
Also, when driving the vehicle
when there are freezing tempera-
tures, use non-freezing type wiper
blades.
y Do not clean the wiper blades with
gasoline or a solvent, such as
paint thinner or benzene. This will
cause deterioration of the wiper
blades.

7-2 Starting and operating Starting and operating
Fuel
„ Fuel requirementsT 2.5-liter non-turbo models
The 2.5-liter non-turbo engine is designed
to operate using unleaded gasoline with
an octane rating of 87 AKI or higher.
T 2.5-liter turbo models and 3.0-liter
models
The 2.5-liter turbo engine and 3.0-liter en-
gine are designed to operate using premi-
um unleaded gasoline with an octane rat-
ing of 91 AKI or higher. If premium unlead-
ed gasoline is not available, regular un-
leaded gasoline with an octane rating of
87 AKI or higher may be temporarily used.
For optimum engine performance and
driveability, it is required (for 2.5-liter turbo
models), and recommended (for 3.0-liter
models) that you use premium grade un-
leaded gasoline.
NOTE
Be sure to use premium unleaded gas- oline of 91 AKI or higher for a 2.5-liter
turbo engine model. If other gasoline
(lower than 91 AKI) is used, knocking,
reduced output and poor accelerator
response will result.
T Fuel octane rating
This octane rating is the average of the
Research Octane and Motor Octane num-
bers and is commonly referred to as the
Anti Knock Index (AKI).
Using a gasoline with a lower octane rat-
ing can cause persistent and heavy
knocking, which can damage the engine.
Do not be concerned if your vehicle some-
times knocks lightly when you drive up a
hill or when you accelerate. See your
dealer or a qualified service technician if
you use a fuel with the specified octane
rating and your vehicle knocks heavily or
persistently.
T Unleaded gasoline
The neck of the fuel f iller pipe is designed
to accept only an unleaded gasoline filler
nozzle. Under no circumstances should
leaded gasoline be used because it will
damage the emission control system and
may impair driveability and fuel economy.
T California fuel
If your vehicle was certified to California
Emission Standards as indicated on the underhood tune-up label, it is designed to
optimize engine and emission control sys-
tem performance with gasoline that meets
the clean burning low-sulfur California
gasoline specifications. If you live in any
other state than Calif ornia, your vehicle
will operate on gasoline meeting Federal
specifications. Gasoline sold outside Cali-
fornia is permitted to have higher sulfur
levels, which may affect the performance
of your vehicle’s catalytic converter and
may produce a sulfur exhaust odor or
smell. SUBARU recomm ends that you try
a different brand of unleaded gasoline
having lower sulfur to determine if the
problem is fuel related before returning
your vehicle to an authorized dealer for
service. The CHECK ENGINE warning
light/Malfunction indicator lamp may also
turn on. If this occurs, return to your autho-
rized SUBARU dealer for diagnosis. If it is
determined that the condition is caused by
the type of fuel us ed, repairs may not be
covered by your warranty.
T MMT
Some gasoline contains an octane-en-
hancing additive called MMT (Methylcy-
clopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl). If
you use such fuels, your emission control
system performance may deteriorate and
the CHECK ENGINE warning light/Mal-Use of a fuel which is low in quality
or use of an inappropriate fuel addi-
tive may cause engine damage.

Starting and operating
7-3
– CONTINUED –function indicator lamp may turn on. If this
happens, return to your authorized
SUBARU Dealer for service. If it is deter-
mined that the condition is caused by the
type of fuel used, repairs may not be cov-
ered by your warranty.
T Gasoline for cleaner air
Your use of gasoline with detergent addi-
tives will help prevent deposits from form-
ing in your engine and fuel system. This
helps keep your engine in tune and your
emission control system working properly,
and is a way of doing your part for cleaner
air. If you continuously use a high quality
fuel with the proper detergent and other
additives, you should never need to add
any fuel system cleaning agents to your
fuel tank.
Many gasolines are now blended with ma-
terials called oxygenates. Use of these fu-
els can also help keep the air cleaner. Ox-
ygenated blend fuels, such as MTBE (Me- thyl Tertiary Butyl ether) or ethanol (ethyl
or grain alcohol) may be used in your ve-
hicle, but should contain no more than
15% MTBE or 10% ethanol for the proper
operation of your SUBARU.
In addition, some gasoline suppliers are
now producing reformulated gasolines,
which are designed to reduce vehicle
emissions. SUBARU approves the use of
reformulated gasoline.
If you are not sure what the fuel contains,
you should ask your service station oper-
ators if their gasolines contain detergents
and oxygenates and if they have been re-
formulated to reduce vehicle emissions.
As additional guidance, only use fuels
suited for your vehicle as explained in the
following.
y Fuel should be unleaded and have an
octane rating no lower than that specified
in this manual.
y Methanol (methyl or wood alcohol) is
sometimes mixed with unleaded gasoline.
Methanol can be used in your vehicle
ONLY if it does not exceed 5% of the fuel
mixture AND if it is accompanied by suffi-
cient quantities of the proper cosolvents
and corrosion inhibitors required to pre-
vent damage to the fuel system. Do not
use fuel containing methanol EXCEPT un- der these conditions.
y If undesirable driveability problems are
experienced and you suspect they may be
fuel related, try a di fferent brand of gaso-
line before seeking service at your
SUBARU dealer.
y Fuel system damage or driveability
problems which result from the use of im-
proper fuel are not covered under the
SUBARU Limited Warranty.
Do not let fuel spill on the exterior
surfaces of the vehicle. Fuels con-
taining alcohol may cause paint
damage, which is not covered under
the SUBARU Limited Warranty.

Appearance care
10-5
Cleaning the interior Use a soft, damp cloth to clean the climate
control panel, audio equipment, instru-
ment panel, center console, combination
meter panel, and switches. (Do not use or-
ganic solvents.)
„ Seat fabricRemove loose dirt, dust or debris with a
vacuum cleaner. If the dirt is caked on the
fabric or hard to remove with a vacuum
cleaner, use a soft blush then vacuum it.
Wipe the fabric surface with a tightly
wrung cloth and dry the seat fabric thor-
oughly. If the fabric is still dirty, wipe using
a solution of mild soap and lukewarm wa-
ter then dry thoroughly.
If the stain does not come out, try a com-
mercially-available fabric cleaner. Use the
cleaner on a hidden place and make sure
it does not affect the fabric adversely. Use
the cleaner according to its instructions.
NOTE When cleaning the seat, do not use
benzine, paint thinner, or any similar
materials.
„ Leather seat materials
The leather used by SUBARU is a high quality natural product which will retain its
distinctive appearance and feel for many
years with proper care.
Allowing dust or road dirt to build up on the
surface can cause the material to become
brittle and to wear prematurely. Regular
cleaning with a soft, moist, natural fiber
cloth should be performed monthly, taking
care not to soak the leather or allow water
to penetrate the stitched seams.
A mild detergent suitable for cleaning
woolen fabrics may be used to remove dif-
ficult dirt spots, ru bbing with a soft, dry
cloth afterwards to restore the luster. If
your SUBARU is to be parked for a long
time in bright sunlight, it is recommended
that the seats and headrests be covered,
or the windows shaded, to prevent fading
or shrinkage.
Minor surface blemishes or bald patches
may be treated with a commercial leather
spray lacquer. You will discover that each
leather seat section will develop soft folds
or wrinkles, which is characteristic of gen-
uine leather.
„ Synthetic leather upholstery The synthetic leather material used on the
SUBARU may be cleaned using mild soap
or detergent and water, after first vacuum-
ing or brushing away loose dirt. Allow the
soap to soak in for a few minutes and wipe off with a clean, damp cloth. Commercial
foam-type cleaners suitable for synthetic
leather materials may be used when nec-
essary.
NOTE Strong cleaning agents such as sol-
vents, paint thinners, window cleaner
or gasoline must never be used on
leather or synthetic interior materials.
„ Climate control panel, audio
panel, instrument panel, con-
sole panel, switches, combi-
nation meter, and other plas-
tic surface Use a soft, damp cloth to clean the climate
control panel, audio equipment, instru-
ment panel, center console, combination
meter panel, and switches.
NOTE Do not use organic solvents such as
paint thinners or gasoline, or strong
cleaning agents that contain those sol-
vents.

Specifications
12-3
– CONTINUED –„ Engine
„ Electrical system Engine model EJ253
(2.5-liter, SOHC, non-turbo) EJ255
(2.5-liter, DOHC, turbo) EZ30D
(3.0-liter, DOHC, non-turbo)
Engine type Horizontally opposed, liquid cooled 4 cylinder,
4 stroke gasoline engine Horizontally opposed, liquid cooled 6 cylinder,
4 stroke gasoline engine
Displacement cu-in (cc) 150 (2,457) 183 (3,000)
Bore × Stroke in (mm) 3.92 × 3.11 (99.5 × 79.0) 3.51 × 3.15 (89.2 × 80.0)
Compression ratio 10.0 : 1 8.2 : 1 10.7 : 1
Firing order 1 – 3 – 2 – 4 1 – 6 – 3 – 2 – 5 – 4
Battery type and capacity (5HR) 2.5-liter models MT 55D23L (12V-48AH)
AT 75D23L (12V-52AH)
3.0-liter models 75D23L (12V-52AH)
Alternator 12V-110A
Spark plugs 2.5-liter non-turbo models FR5AP-11 (NGK)
2.5-liter turbo and 3.0-liter models ILFR6B (NGK)