SUBARU FORESTER 2001 SF / 1.G Owners Manual

11-30Clutch fluid
WARNING
Never let clutch fluid contact your eyes because clutch fluid can
be harmful to your eyes. If clutch fluid gets in your eyes, immedi-
ately flush them thoroughly with clean water. For safety, whenperforming this work, wearing eye protection is advisable.
CAUTION
Clutch fluid absorbs moisture from the air. Any absorbed
moisture can cause improper clutch operation. If the vehicle requires frequent refilling, there may be a leak. If
you suspect a problem, have the vehicle checked at your
SUBARU dealer. Never use different brands of clutch fluid together.
When clutch fluid is added, be careful not to allow any dirt into
the tank.
Chec k the fluid level on the outsid e of the reservo ir. If the level is b elow
“ MIN ” level mark, ad d the rec ommend ed c lutc h fluid to “MAX ” level mark.
Use only c lutc h fluid from a sealed c ontainer.
HSA002FB

Maintenance and service11-31
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CONTINUED –

Recommended clutch fluid
FMVSS No. 116, fresh DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid
Brake booster
If the b rake b ooster d oes not op erate as d esc rib ed b elow, have it
c hec ked b y your SUBARU d ealer.
1. With the eng ine off, d ep ress the b rake p ed al seve ral times, ap p lying
the same p ed al forc e eac h time. The d istanc e the p e d al travels should
not vary.
2. With the b rake p ed al d ep ressed , start the eng ine. The p ed al should
move slig htly d own to the floor.
3. With the b rake p ed al d ep ressed , stop the eng ine a nd keep the p ed al
d ep ressed for 30 sec ond s. The p ed al heig ht should n ot c hang e.
4. Start the eng ine ag ain and run for ab out one minu te then turn it off.
Dep ress the b rake p ed al several times to c hec k the b rake b ooster.
Brake b ooster op erates p rop erly if the p ed al stroke d ec reases with eac h
d ep ression. Battery
WARNING
Before beginning work on or near any battery, be sure to extin-
guish all cigarettes, matches, and lighters. Never expose a bat- tery to an open flame or electric sparks. Batteries give off a gaswhich is highly flammable and explosive. For safety, in case an explosion does occur, wear eye protec-
tion or shield your eyes when working near any battery. Never
lean over a battery. Do not let battery fluid contact eyes, skin, fabrics, or paint be-
cause battery fluid is a corrosive acid. If battery fluid gets on yourskin or in your eyes, immediately flush the area with water thor-
oughly. Seek medical help immediately if acid has entered the

11-32eyes.
To lessen the risk of sparks, remove rings, metal watchbands,
and other metal jewelry. Never allow metal tools to contact the
positive battery terminal and anything connected to it WHILE youare at the same time in contact with any other metallic portion ofthe vehicle because a short circuit will result. Keep everyone including children away from the battery.
Charge the battery in a well-ventilated area.
Battery posts, terminals and related accessories contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals known to the State of Californiato cause cancer and reproductive harm. Wash hands after han-
dling.
CAUTION
Never use more than 10 amperes when charging the battery be-
cause it will shorten battery life.
Checking the fluid level
OM-H1048
Upper level
Lower level Cap
It is unnec essary to p eriod ic ally c hec k the b attery fluid level or p eri-
od ic ally refill with d istilled water.
However, if the b attery fluid level is b elow the lo wer level, remove the
c ap . Fill to the up p er level with d istilled water.

Maintenance and service11-33
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CONTINUED –
Windshield washer fluid
CAUTION
Never use engine coolant as washer fluid because it could cause paint damage.
Chec k the level of the washer fluid at eac h fuel st op . If the level is low, fill
the fluid up to the nec k of the reservoir.
Use wind shield washer fluid . If wind shield washer f luid is unavailab le use
c lean water.
In areas where water freezes in winter, use an anti -freeze typ e wind shield
washer fluid . SUBARU Wind shield Washer Fluid c ontai ns 58.5% methyl
alc ohol and 41.5% surfac tant, b y volume. Its freezi ng temp erature varies
ac c ord ing to how muc h it is d iluted , as ind ic ated b elow.
Washer Fluid Concentration
Freezing Temperature
30% 50%
100%10.4 °F ( –12 °C)
–4 °F ( –20 °C)
–49 °F ( –45 °C)
HS0189

11-34Replacement of windshield wiper blades
Grease, wax, insec ts, or other materials on the win
d shield or the wip er
b lad e results in jerky wip er op eration and streakin g on the g lass. If you
c annot remove the streaks after op erating the wind s hield washer or if the
wip er op eration is jerky, c lean the outer surfac e o f the wind shield (or rear
wind ow) and the wip er b lad es using a sp ong e or soft c loth with a neutral
d eterg ent or mild -ab rasive c leaner. After c leaning , rinse the wind shield
and wip er b lad es with c lean water. The wind shield i s c lean if b ead s d o
not form when you rinse the wind shield with water.
CAUTION
Do not clean the wiper blades with gasoline or a solvent, such as
paint thinner or benzene. This will cause deterioration of thewiper blades.
If you c annot eliminate the streaking even after fo llowing this method ,
rep lac e the wip er b lad es using the following p roc ed ures:
1. Raise the wip er arm off the wind shield .
2. Remove the wip er b lad e assemb ly b y hold ing its p i vot area and p ush-
ing it in the d irec tion shown b y the arrow while d e p ressing the wip er
b lad e stop p er.
HS0190
Stopper
3. Grasp the loc ked end of the b lad e rub b er assemb ly and p ull it firmly
until the stop p ers on the rub b er are free of the me tal sup p ort.

Maintenance and service11-35
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CONTINUED –
HS0191
Metal support
4. If the new b lad e rub b er is not p rovid ed with two metal sp ines, remove
the metal sp ines from the old b lad e rub b er and inst all them in the new
b lad e rub b er.
HS0192
Metal spines
5. Alig n the c laws of the metal sup p ort with the g ro oves in the rub b er
and slid e the b lad e rub b er assemb ly into the metal sup p ort until it loc ks.
Be sure to p osition the c laws at the end of the met al sup p ort b etween the
stop p ers on the rub b er as shown. If the rub b er is n ot retained p rop erly,
the wip er b lad e may sc ratc h the wind shield .

11-36
HS0194
HS0193
Stopper
6. Install the wip er b lad e assemb ly to the wip er arm . Make sure that it
loc ks in p lac e.
7. Lower the wip er arm.

Maintenance and service11-37
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CONTINUED –
Brake pedal
Chec k the b rake p ed al free p lay and reserve d istanc
e ac c ord ing to the
maintenanc e sc hed ule in the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Booklet ”.
Checking the brake pedal free play
OM-H0224
0.04 — 0.12 in
(1.0 — 3.0 mm)
Stop the eng ine and firmly d ep ress the b rake p ed al several times.
Lig htly p ress the b rake p ed al d own with one fing er to c hec k the free
p lay with a forc e of less than 10 N (2 lb , 1 kg ).
If the free p lay is not within p rop er sp ec ific ation , c ontac t your
SUBARU d ealer. Checking the brake pedal reserve distance
OM-H0225
More than 2.56 in (65 mm)
Dep ress the p ed al with a forc e of ap p roximately 294
N (66 lb , 30 kg )

11-38and measure the d istanc e b etween the up p er surfac e
of the p ed al
p ad and the floor.
When the measurement is smaller than the sp ec ific at ion, or when the
p ed al d oes not op erate smoothly, c ontac t with your SUBARU d ealer.
Clutch pedal (Manual transmission vehicles)
Chec k the c lutc h p ed al free p lay and reserve d istan c e ac c ord ing to the
maintenanc e sc hed ule in the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Booklet ”.
Checking the clutch function
Chec k the c lutc h eng ag ement and d iseng ag ement.
1. With the eng ine id ling , c hec k that there are no a b normal noises
when the c lutc h p ed al is d ep ressed , and that shifti ng into 1st or re-
verse feels smooth.
2. Start the vehic le b y releasing the p ed al slowly t o c hec k that the en-
g ine and transmission smoothly c oup le without any s ig n of slip p ag e.
Checking the clutch pedal free play
OM-H0224
0.16 — 0.51 in
(4.0 — 13.0 mm)
Lig htly p ress the c lutc h p ed al d own with your fing e r until you feel re-
sistanc e, and c hec k the free p lay.
If the free p lay is not within p rop er sp ec ific ation , c ontac t your
SUBARU d ealer.

Maintenance and service11-39
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CONTINUED –
Replacement of brake pad and lining
CAUTION
If you continue to drive despite the scraping noise from the audi-
ble brake pad wear indicator, it will result in the need for costlybrake rotor repair or replacement.
OM-H0163
The front d isc b rakes and the rig ht sid e rear d isc b rake have aud ib le
wear ind ic ators on the b rake p ad s. If the b rake p ad s wear c lose to their
servic e limit, the wear ind ic ator makes a very aud i b le sc rap ing noise
when the b rake p ed al is ap p lied .
If you hear this sc rap ing noise eac h time you ap p ly the b rake p ed al,
have the b rake p ad s servic ed b y your SUBARU d ealer as soon as p os-
sib le.
Breaking-in of new brake pads and linings
When rep lac ing the b rake p ad or lining , use only g e nuine SUBARU
p arts. After rep lac ement, the new p arts must b e b ro ken in as follows:
n Brake pad and lining
While maintaining a sp eed of 30 to 40 mp h (50 to 65 km/h), step on
the b rake p ed al lig htly. Rep eat this five or more t imes.