octane SUBARU BAJA 2005 1.G Owners Manual

7-2
Starting and operating
Starting and operatingFuel
Use of a fuel which is low in quality or use of an
inappropriate fuel additive may cause engine
damage.
„ Fuel requirements
T Non-turbo models
The 2.5-liter engine is designed to operate using un-
leaded gasoline with an octane rating of 87 AKI or
higher. T Turbo models
The 2.5-liter turbo engine is designed to operate using
premium unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of
91 AKI or higher. If premium unleaded gasoline is not
available, regular unleaded gasoline with an octane
rating of 87 AKI or higher may be temporarily used.
For optimum engine performance and driveability, it is
required that you use premium grade unleaded gaso-
line. T
Fuel octane rating
This octane rating is the average of the Research Oc-
tane and Motor Octane numbers and is commonly re-
ferred to as the Anti Knock Index (AKI).
Using a gasoline with a lower octane rating 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 filler pipe is designed to accept
only an unleaded gasoline filler nozzle. Under no cir-
cumstances should leaded gasoline be used because
it will damage the emission control system and may
impair driveability and fuel economy. T Gasoline for California-certified LEV
Your vehicle was certified to California’s low emission
vehicle (LEV) standards as indicated on the under-
hood tune-up label. It is designed to optimize engine
and emission control system performance with gaso-
line that meets the clean burning low-sulfur California
gasoline specifications. If you live in any other state
than California, your vehicle will operate on gasoline
meeting Federal specifications. Gasoline sold outside

7-3
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
California 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 recommends that you try a
different brand of unleaded gasoline having lower sul-
fur to determine if the problem is fuel related before re-
turning your vehicle to an authorized dealer for ser-
vice. TMMT
Some gasoline contains an octane-enhancing additive
called MMT (Methylcyclopentadienyl Manganese Tri-
carbonyl). If you use such fuels, your emission control
system performance may deteriorate and the CHECK
ENGINE warning light/Malfunction indicator lamp may
turn on. If this happens, return to your authorized
SUBARU Dealer for service. If it is determined that the
condition is caused by the type of fuel used, repairs
may not be covered by your warranty. T Gasoline for cleaner air
Your use of gasoline with detergent additives will help
prevent deposits from forming 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 continu-
ously 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 materials called
oxygenates. Use of these fuels can also help keep the
air cleaner. Oxygenated blend fuels, such as MTBE
(Methyl Tertiary Butyl ether) or ethanol (ethyl or grain
alcohol) may be used in your vehicle, but should con-
tain no more than 15% MTBE or 10% ethanol for the
proper operation of your SUBARU.
In addition, some gasoline suppliers are now produc-
ing reformulated gasoline, which is designed to reduce
vehicle emissions. SUBARU approves the use of re-
formulated gasoline.
If you are not sure what the fuel contains, you should
ask your service station operators if their gasoline con-
tains detergents and oxygenates and if they have
been reformulated to reduce vehicle emissions.
As additional guidance, only use fuels suited for your
vehicle as explained below. 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 sufficient
quantities of the proper cosolvent and corrosion inhib-

GAS STATION REFERENCE
Fuel: TNon-turbo models
Use only unleaded gasoline with an octane rat-
ing of 87 AKI or higher. T Turbo models
Use premium unleaded gasoline with an oc-
tane rating of 91 AKI or higher. If premium un-
leaded gasoline is not available, regular un-
leaded gasoline with octane rating of 87 AKI or
higher may be temporarily used. For optimum
engine performance and driveability, it is re-
quired that you use premium grade unleaded
gasoline. „ Fuel octane rating
This octane rating is the average of the Re-
search Octane and Motor Octane numbers and
is commonly referred to as the Anti Knock In- dex (AKI). Refer to “Fuel” section in this manu-
al.
Fuel capacity:
16.9 US gal (64 liters, 14.1 Imp gal) Engine oil:
Use only API classification SL with the words
“ENERGY CONSERVING” and the New API
certification mark (starburst mark) displayed on
the container (ILSAC GF-3). Engine oil capacity:
4.2 US qt (4.0 liters, 3.5 Imp qt)
Cold tire pressure:
Front 33 psi (230 kPa, 2.3 kgf/cm 2
)
Rear 33 psi (230 kPa, 2.3 kgf/cm 2
)