steering SUBARU BAJA 2006 1.G Owner's Manual

7-33
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)
Always use the utmost care in driving – over-
confidence because you are driving with an
ABS equipped vehicle could easily lead to a se-
rious accident.
yThe ABS system does not always decrease
stopping distance. You should always maintain
a safe following distance from other vehicles. y When driving on badly surfaced roads, gravel
roads, icy road, or over deep newly fallen snow,
stopping distances may be longer for a vehicle
with the ABS system than one without. When
driving under these conditions, therefore, re-
duce your speed and leave ample distance from
other vehicles. y When you feel the ABS system operating,
you should maintain constant brake pedal pres-
sure. Do not pump the brake pedal since doing
so may defeat the operation of the ABS system. The ABS system prevents the lock-up of wheels which
may occur during sudden braking or braking on slip-
pery road surfaces. This helps prevent the loss of
steering control and directional stability caused by
wheel lock-up.
When the ABS system is operating, you may hear a
chattering noise or feel a slight vibration in the brake
pedal. This is normal when the ABS operates. The ABS system will not ope
rate when the vehicle
speed is below approximately 6 mph (10 km/h). „ ABS system self-check
You may feel a slight shock in the brake pedal and hear the opera ting sound of ABS from the engine com-
partment just after the vehi cle is started. This is
caused by an automatic functional test of the ABS sys-
tem being carried out and does not indicate any abnor-
mal condition.

7-36
Starting and operating
make sure that the parking brake has been fully
released.
To set the parking brake, press the brake pedal firmly
and hold it down while fully pulling up the parking
brake lever.
To release the parking brake, pull the lever up slightly,
press the release button, then lower the lever while
keeping the button pressed.
When the parking brake is set while the engine is run-
ning, the parking brake warning light comes on. After
starting the vehicle, be sure that the warning light has
gone out before the vehicle is driven. Refer to the “Warning and indicator lights” section (chapter 3).
When parking your vehicl
e, always set the parking
brake firmly and put the shift lever in the “1” (1st) for an
upgrade or “R” (Reverse) for a downgrade for manual
transmission vehicles, or in the “P” (Park) position for
automatic transmission vehicles. Always set the park-
ing brake firmly when parking your vehicle. Never rely
on the transmission alone to hold the vehicle.
When parking on a hill, always turn the steering wheel.
When the vehicle is headed up the hill, the front
wheels should be turned away from the curb.
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8-9
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
Off road driving
yAlways maintain a safe driving speed accord-
ing to the road and weather conditions in order
to avoid having an accident on a sharp turn,
during sudden braking or under other similar
conditions.y Always use the utmost care in driving – over-
confidence because you are driving an All-
Wheel Drive vehicle could easily lead to a seri-
ous accident.
Because of the AWD feature and higher ground clear-
ance, your SUBARU can be driven on ordinary roads
or off-road. But please keep in mind that an AWD
SUBARU is neither a conventional off-road vehicle nor
an all-terrain vehicle. If you do take your SUBARU off-
road, certain common sense precautions such as the
following should be taken: y Make certain that you and all of your passengers
are wearing seatbelts. y Carry some emergency equipment, such as a tow-
ing rope or chain, a shovel, wheel blocks, first aid kit
and cell phone or citizens band radio. y
Drive carefully. Do not take unnecessary risks by
driving in dangerous areas or over rough terrain.y Slow down and employ extra caution at all times.
When driving off-road, you will not have the benefit of
marked traffic lanes, banked curves, traffic signs and
the like. y Do not drive across steep slopes. Instead, drive ei-
ther straight up or straight down the slopes. A vehicle
can much more easily tip over sideways than it can
end over end. Avoid driving straight up or down slopes
that are too steep.y Avoid sharp turning maneuvers, especially at higher
speeds. y Do not grip the inside or spokes of the steering
wheel. A bad bump could jerk the wheel and injure
your hands. Instead dr ive with your fingers and
thumbs on the outside of the rim. y If driving through water, such as when crossing
shallow streams, first check the depth of the water and
the bottom of the stream bed for firmness and ensure
that the bed of the stream is flat. Drive slowly and com-
pletely through the stream. The water should be shal-
low enough that it does not reach the vehicle’s under-
carriage. Water entering the engine air intake or the
exhaust pipe or water splashing onto electrical parts
may damage your vehicle and may cause it to stall.
Never attempt to drive through rushing water; regard-

8-12
Driving tips
starting.
Keep the door locks from freezing by squirting them
with deicer or glycerin.
Forcing a frozen door open
may damage or separate
the rubber weather strips around the door. If the door
is frozen, use hot water to melt the ice, and afterwards
thoroughly wipe the water away.
Use a windshield washer fluid that contains an anti-
freeze solution. Do not us e engine antifreeze or other
substitutes because they may damage the paint of the
vehicle.
SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluid contains 58.5%
methyl alcohol and 41.5% surfactant, by volume. Its
freezing temperature varies according to how much it
is diluted, as indicated in the following table.
In order to prevent freezing of washer fluid, check the
freezing temperatures in the table above when adjust-
ing the fluid concentration to the outside temperature.
If you fill the reservoir tank with a fluid with a different concentration from the one us
ed previously, purge the
old fluid from the piping between the reservoir tank
and washer nozzles by operating the washer for a cer-
tain period of time. Otherwise, if the concentration of
the fluid remaining in the piping is too low for the out-
side temperature, it may freeze and block the nozzles.
Adjust the washer fluid concentration appropri-
ately for the outside temperature. If the concen-
tration is inappropriate, sprayed washer fluid
may freeze on the windshield and obstruct your
view, and the fluid may freeze in the reservoir
tank.
T Before driving your vehicle
Before entering the vehicle, remove any snow or ice
from your shoes because that could make the pedals
slippery and dangerous.
While warming up the vehicle before driving, check
that the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, and all other
controls operate smoothly.
Clear away ice and snow that has accumulated under
the fenders to avoid making steering difficult. During
Washer Fluid Concentration Freezing Temperature
30% 10.4 °F (–12 °C)
50% –4 °F (–20 °C)
100% –49 °F (–45 °C)

8-33
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
tire is used. The temporary spare tire is not de-
signed to sustain the towing load. Use of the
temporary spare tire when towing can result in
failure of the spare tire and/or less stability of
the vehicle.
Make sure that all the tire s on your vehicle are properly
inflated.
The recommended cold tire pressure is shown on the
vehicle placard attached to the driver’s side door jamb.
Trailer tire condition, size, load rating and proper infla-
tion pressure should be in accordance with the trailer
manufacturer’s specifications.
In the event your vehicle gets a flat tire when towing a
trailer, ask a commercial road service to repair the flat tire.
If you carry a regular size spare tire in your vehicle or
trailer as a precaution against getting a flat tire, be
sure that the spare ti re is firmly secured. „
Trailer towing tipsyNever exceed 45 mph (72 km/h) when towing
a trailer in hilly country on hot days. y When towing a trailer, steering, stability,
stopping distance and braking performance
will be different from normal operation. For
safety’s sake, you should employ extra caution
when towing a trailer and you should never
speed. You should also keep the following tips
in mind:
T Before starting out on a trip
y Check that the vehicle and vehicle-to-hitch mount-
ing are in good condition. If any problems are appar-
ent, do not tow the trailer. y Check that the vehicle sits horizontally with the trail-
er attached. If t he vehicle is tipped sharply up at the
front and down at the rear, check the total trailer
weight, GVW, GAWs and t ongue load again, then con-
firm that the load and its distribution are acceptable. y Check that the tire pressures are correct.
y Check that the vehicle and trailer are connected
properly. Confirm that.

8-34
Driving tips
– the trailer tongue is connected properly to the
hitch ball.
– the trailer lights connector is connected properly
and trailer’s brake lights illuminate when the vehi-
cle’s brake pedal is pressed, and that the trailer’s
turn signal lights flash when the vehicle’s turn signal
lever is operated.
– the safety chains are connected properly.
– all cargo in the trailer is secured safety in position.
– the side mirrors provide a good rearward field of
view without a significant blind spot.
y Sufficient time should be taken to learn the “feel” of
the vehicle/trailer combination before starting out on a
trip. In an area free of traffic, practice turning, stopping
and backing up. T Driving with a trailer
y You should allow for considerably more stopping
distance when towing a trailer. Avoid sudden braking
because it may result in skidding or jackknifing and
loss of control. y Avoid abrupt starts and sudden accelerations. If
your vehicle has a manual transmission, always start
out in first gear and release the clutch at moderate en-
gine revolution.y Avoid uneven steering, sharp turns and rapid lane
changes.y Slow down before turning. Make a longer than nor- mal turning radius because the trailer wheels will be
closer than the vehicle wheels to the inside of the turn.
In a tight turn, the trailer could hit your vehicle. y
Crosswinds will adversely affect the handling of
your vehicle and trailer, causing sway. Crosswinds
can be due to weather conditions or the passing of large trucks or buses. If sway ing occurs, firmly grip the
steering wheel and slow down immediately but gradu-
ally. y When passing other vehicles, considerable dis-
tance is required because of the added weight and
length caused by attaching the trailer to your vehicle.
1) Left turn
2) Right turn
1 2
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8-35
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
yBacking up with a trailer is difficult and takes prac-
tice. When backing up with a trailer, never accelerate
or steer rapidly. When turning back, grip the bottom of
the steering wheel with one hand and turn it to the left
for a left turn, and turn it to the right for a right turn.
y If the ABS warning li ght illuminates while the vehicle
is in motion, stop towing the trailer and have repairs
performed immediately by the nearest SUBARU deal-er. T Driving on grades
y Before going down a steep hill, slow down and shift
into lower gear (if necessary, use 1st gear) in order to
utilize the engine braking ef fect and prevent overheat-
ing of your vehicle’s brakes. Do not make sudden
downshifts.y When driving uphill in hot weather, the air condition-
er may turn off automatically to protect the engine from
overheating.y When driving uphill in hot weather, pay attention to
the water temperature gauge pointer (for all vehicles)
and AT OIL TEMP warning light (for AT vehicles) since
the engine and transmission are relatively prone to
overheating under these conditions. If the water tem-
perature gauge pointer approaches the OVERHEAT
zone or the AT OIL TEMP warning light illuminates,
immediately switch off the ai r conditioner and stop the
vehicle at the nearest safe place. Refer to the “Engine overheating” section in chapter 9, and “Warning and indicator lights” se
ction in chapter 3.
NOTE (Turbo models only)
In a vehicle that has an automatic transmission,
the engine is less likely to overheat with the “D”
range selected than it is with the manual mode se-
lected. y If your vehicle has an autom atic transmission, avoid
using the accelerator pedal to stay stationary on an
uphill slope instead of using the parking brake or foot
brake. That may cause the transmission fluid to over-
heat. y Non-turbo models only: If your vehicle has an auto-
matic transmission, place the selector lever as follows:
Uphill slopes: “D” position
Downhill slopes: A low-speed gear position to use en-
gine braking T Parking on a grade
Always block the wheels under both vehicle and trailer
when parking. Apply the parking brake firmly. You
should not park on a hill or slope. But if parking on a
hill or slope cannot be avoided, you should take the
following steps:
1. Apply the brakes and hold the pedal down.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks under both the

9-27
In case of emergency
– CONTINUED –
„Using a flat-bed truck
This is the best way to transport your vehicle. Use the
following procedures to ensure safe transportation.
1. Shift the selector lever into the “P” position for au-
tomatic transmission vehi cles or “1st” for manual
transmission vehicles.
2. Pull up the parking brake lever firmly.
3. Secure the vehicle onto the carrier properly with
safety chains. Each safety chain should be equally
tightened and care must be taken not to pull the chains
so tightly that the suspension bottoms out. „
Towing with all wheels on the ground
yNever turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK”
position while the vehicle is being towed be-
cause the steering wheel and the direction of
the wheels will be locked.y Remember that the brake booster and power
steering do not function when the engine is not
running. Because the engine is turned off, it will
take greater effort to operate the brake pedal
and steering wheel.
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10-2
Appearance care
Appearance careExterior care „
Washing
yWhen washing the vehicle, the brakes may
get wet. As a result, the brake stopping dis-
tance will be longer. To dry the brakes, drive the
vehicle at a safe speed while lightly pressing
the brake pedal to heat up the brakes. y Do not wash the engine compartment and ar-
eas adjacent to it. If water enters the engine air
intake, electrical parts or the power steering flu-
id reservoir, it will cause engine trouble or
faulty power steering respectively.
NOTE y Before having your vehicle washed in an auto-
matic car wash, retract the pillar mounted antenna
or remove the roof mounted antenna to prevent it
from being damaged.y When having your vehicle washed in an auto-
matic car wash, make sure beforehand that the car
wash is of suitable type.
The best way to preserve your vehicle’s beauty is fre- quent washing. Wash the vehicle at least once a
month to avoid contamination by road grime.
Wash dirt off with a wet sponge and plenty of luke-
warm or cold water. Do not wash the vehicle with hot
water and in direct sunlight.
Salt, chemicals, insects, tar, soot, tree sap, and bird
droppings should be washed of
f by using a light deter-
gent, as required. If you use a light detergent, make
certain that it is a neutra l detergent. Do not use strong
soap or chemical detergents. All cleaning agents
should be promptly flushed from the surface and not
allowed to dry there. Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with
plenty of lukewarm water. Wipe the remaining water
off with a chamois or soft cloth. T Washing the underbody
Chemicals, salts and gravel used for deicing road sur-
faces are extremely corrosive , accelerating the corro-
sion of underbody components, such as the exhaust
system, fuel and br ake lines, brake cables, floor pan
and fenders, and suspension.
Thoroughly flush the underbody and inside of the
fenders with lukewarm or cold water at frequent inter-
vals to reduce the harmful effects of such agents.
Mud and sand adhering to the underbody components may accelerate their corrosion.

11 - 1
11
Maintenance and service
Maintenance schedule ................................. 11-3
Maintenance precautions ............................ 11-3 Before checking or servicing in the engine compartment .................................................. 11-4
When you do checking or servicing in the engine compartment while the engine is
running ............................................................ 11-5
Engine hood .................................................. 11-5
Engine compartment overview ................... 11-8 Non-turbo models ............................................. 11-8
Turbo models .................................................... 11-9
Engine oil ...................................................... 11-10 Checking the oil level ....................................... 11-10
Changing the oil and oil filter .......................... 11-12
Recommended grade and viscosity ................ 11-15
Recommended grade and viscosity under severe driving conditions .............................. 11-16
Cooling system .... ....................................... .. 11-17
Hose and connections ...................................... 11-18
Engine coolant .................................................. 11-18
Air cleaner element ...................................... 11-23 Replacing the air cleaner element ................... 11-23
Spark plugs ................................................... 11-25 Recommended spark plugs ............................. 11-26
Drive belts ..................................................... 11-26
Manual transmission oil ............................... 11-27 Checking the oil level ....................................... 11-27
Recommended grade and viscosity ................ 11-29
Automatic transmission fluid ...................... 11-29 Checking the fluid level .................................... 11-29
Recommended fluid ......................................... 11-31
Front differential gear oil (AT vehicles) ...... 11-32
Checking the oil level ....................................... 11-32
Recommended grade and viscosity ............... 11-33
Rear differential gear oil . .............................. 11-33
Checking the gear oil level .............................. 11-33
Recommended grade and viscosity ............... 11-35
Power steering fluid ...................................... 11-36 Checking the fluid level .................................... 11-36
Recommended fluid ......................................... 11-38
Brake fluid ..................................................... 11-38 Checking the fluid level .................................... 11-38
Recommended brake fluid ............................... 11-39
Clutch fluid (MT vehicles) ............................ 11-40 Checking the fluid level .................................... 11-40
Recommended clutch fluid .............................. 11-41
Brake booster ................................................ 11-42
Brake pedal .................................................... 11-42 Checking the brake pedal free play ................ 11-42
Checking the brake pedal reserve distance ... 11-43
Clutch pedal (Manual transmission vehicles) ..................................................... 11-43Checking the clutch function .......................... 11-43
Checking the clutch pedal free play ............... 11-44
Replacement of brake pad and lining ......... 11-44 Breaking-in of new brake pads and linings .... 11-45
Parking brake stroke ......... ........................... 11-46
Tires and wheels ............. .............................. 11-46