engine SUBARU FORESTER 2013 SH / 3.G Owners Manual

WARNING
Never attempt to remove the radia-
tor cap/coolant filler tank cap until
the engine has been shut off and
has cooled down completely. Since
the coolant is under pressure, you
may suffer serious burns from a
spray of boiling hot coolant when
the cap is removed.
CAUTION
. Be careful not to spill engine
coolant when adding it. If coolant
touches the exhaust pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or
a fire. If engine coolant gets on
the exhaust pipe, be sure to wipe
it off.
. Do not splash the engine coolant
over painted parts. The alcohol
contained in the engine coolant
may damage the paint surface. Air cleaner element
The air cleaner element functions as a
filter screen. When the element is perfo-
rated or removed, engine wear will be
excessive and engine life shortened.
It is not necessary to clean or wash the element.
WARNING
Do not operate the engine with the
air cleaner element removed. The air
cleaner element not only filters
intake air but also stops flames if
the engine backfires. If the air
cleaner element is not installed
when the engine backfires, you
could be burned.
CAUTION
When replacing the air cleaner ele-
ment, use a genuine SUBARU air
cleaner element. If it is not used,
there is the possibility of causing a
negative effect to the engine. &
Replacing the air cleaner element
Replace the air cleaner element according
to the maintenance schedule in the“ Warranty and Maintenance Booklet ”. Un-
der extremely dusty conditions, replace it
more frequently. It is recommended that
you always use genuine SUBARU parts. ! Non-turbo models
1) Connector
2) Clip
3) Clamp
4) Air intake boot
5) Clip
1. Unplug the connector that is attached
to the top of the air cleaner case.
2. Detach the clip on the connector cable
from the right side of the air cleaner case. Maintenance and service
11-15
– CONTINUED –

11-18Maintenance and service
Drive belts &Turbo models
1) Power steering oil pump pulley
2) Front side belt
3) Alternator pulley
4) Air conditioner compressor pulley
5) Rear side belt
6) Crank pulley
A) 22 lbf (98 N, 10 kgf)
CAUTION
The front side belt, which runs in
conjunction with the following com-
ponents, must be used within the
specified deflection. . Power steering oil pump pulley
. Alternator pulley .
Crank pulley
Check the deflection of the front
side belt and if there is any loosen-
ess, cracks, wear or unusual noise
on the front side belt, contact your
SUBARU dealer.
Continuing to use the vehicle with
the belt outside of the specification
may cause the engine to malfunc-
tion and the above components tomalfunction.
To check the deflection of the front side
belt, place a straightedge (ruler) across
two adjacent pulleys (alternator pulley and
crank pulley) and apply a force of 22 lbf
(98 N, 10 kgf) midway between the pulleys
by using a spring scale. The belt deflec-
tion should be the amount specified. If the
front side belt is loose, cracked or worn,
contact your SUBARU dealer. in (mm)
Deflection
New belt Used belt
A 0.28
–0.35
(7.0 –9.0) 0.35
–0.43
(9.0 –11.0)
The rear side belt is a stretch-type belt,
therefore the deflection does not need to
be checked. If there are cracks or wear
confirmed on the belts and a squeaking
sound is heard from them, contact your SUBARU dealer. &
Non-turbo models
It is unnecessary to check the deflection of
the drive belt periodically because your
engine is equipped with an automatic belt
tension adjuster. However, replacement of
the belt should be done according to the
maintenance schedule in the “Warranty
and Maintenance Booklet ”. Consult your
SUBARU dealer for replacement.
If the belt is loose, cracked or worn,
contact your SUBARU dealer.

Manual transmission oil &Checking the oil level
1) Yellow handle
Check the oil level monthly.
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
stop the engine.
2. Pull out the level gauge, wipe it clean,
and insert it again.
1) Full level
2) Low level
3. Pull out the level gauge again and
check the oil level on it. If it is below the
low level, add oil through the level gauge
hole to bring the level up to the full level.
CAUTION
Be careful not to spill manual trans-
mission 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. &
Recommended grade and viscosity
Each oil manufacturer has its own base
oils and additives. Never use different
brands together. For details, refer to“ Manual transmission, front differential
and rear differential gear oil ”F 12-8.
Maintenance and service
11-19

11-20Maintenance and service
Automatic transmission fluid &Checking the fluid level
The automatic transmission fluid expands
largely as its temperature rises; the fluid
level differs according to fluid temperature.
Therefore, there are two different scales
for checking the level of hot fluid and cold
fluid on the level gauge.
Though the fluid level can be checked
without warming up the fluid on the“ COLD ”range, it is recommended to
check the fluid level when the fluid is at
operating temperature. ! Checking the fluid level when the
fluid is hot
1. Drive the vehicle several miles to raise
the temperature of the transmission fluid
up to normal operating temperature; 158
to 176 8F (70 to 80 8C) is normal.
2. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
set the parking brake.
3. First shift the select lever in each
position. Then shift it in the “P ” position,
and run the engine at idling speed.
1) Yellow handle
1) HOT range
2) COLD range
3) Full level
4) Low level
4. Pull out the level gauge and check the fluid level on the gauge. If it is below the
low level on the
“HOT ”range, add the
recommended automatic transmission
fluid up to the full level.
NOTE
Do not fill the automatic transmission
fluid over the full level. ! 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 that the fluid level is
between the low level and full level on the“ COLD ”range. If it is below that range,
add fluid up to the full level. Be careful not
to overfill.
CAUTION
Be careful not to spill automatic
transmission fluid when adding it.
If automatic transmission fluid
touches the exhaust pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or a
fire. If automatic transmission fluid
gets on the exhaust pipe, be sure to
wipe it off.

&Recommended fluid
Refer to “Fluids ”F 12-9.
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 specified type. Front differential gear oil (AT models) &
Checking the oil level
1) Yellow handle
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
stop the engine.
2. Pull out the level gauge, wipe it clean,
and insert it again.
1) Full level
2) Low level
3. Pull out the level gauge again and
check the oil level on it. If it is below the
low level, add oil to bring the level up to
the full level.
CAUTION
Be careful not to spill front differ-
ential 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. Maintenance and service
11-21
– CONTINUED –

11-22Maintenance and service
&Recommended grade and viscosity
Each oil manufacturer has its own base
oils and additives. Never use different
brands together. For details, refer to“ Manual transmission, front differential
and rear differential gear oil ”F 12-8. Rear differential gear oil
There is no rear differential gear oil level
gauge. To check the rear differential gear
oil level, consult your SUBARU dealer forinspection. &
Recommended grade and viscosity
Each oil manufacturer has its own base
oils and additives. Never use different
brands together. For details, refer to“ Manual transmission, front differential
and rear differential gear oil ”F 12-8. Power steering fluid &
Checking the fluid level
The power steering fluid expands greatly
as its temperature rises; the fluid level
differs according to fluid temperature.
Therefore, the reservoir has two different
checking ranges for hot and cold fluids.
Check the power steering fluid level
monthly.
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface,
and stop the engine.

WARNING
Never let clutch fluid contact your
eyes because clutch fluid can be
harmful to your eyes. If clutch fluid
gets in your eyes, immediately flush
them thoroughly with clean water.
For safety, wearing eye protection isadvisable.
CAUTION
. Clutch fluid absorbs moisture
from the air. Any absorbed moist-
ure can cause improper clutchoperation.
. If the vehicle requires frequent
refilling, there may be a leak. If
you suspect a problem, have the
vehicle checked at your SUBARU
dealer.
. When clutch fluid is added, be
careful not to allow any dirt into
the tank.
. Never splash the clutch fluid over
painted surfaces or rubber parts.
Alcohol contained in the clutch
fluid may damage them.
. Be careful not to spill clutch fluid
when adding it. If clutch fluid
touches the exhaust pipe, it may cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or
a fire. If clutch fluid gets on the
exhaust pipe, be sure to wipe itoff.
& Recommended clutch fluid
Refer to “Fluids ”F 12-9.
CAUTION
Never use different brands of clutch
fluid together. Also, avoid mixing
DOT 3 and DOT 4 brake fluids even if
they are the same brand. Brake booster
If the brake booster does not operate as
described in the following, have it checked
by your SUBARU dealer.
1. With the engine off, depress the brake
pedal several times, applying the same
pedal force each time. The distance the
pedal travels should not vary.
2. With the brake pedal depressed, start
the engine. The pedal should move
slightly down to the floor.
3. With the brake pedal depressed, stop
the engine and keep the pedal depressed
for 30 seconds. The pedal height should
not change.
4. Start the engine again and run for
approximately 1 minute then turn it off.
Depress the brake pedal several times to
check the brake booster. The brake
booster operates properly if the pedal
stroke decreases with each depression. NOTE
For models equipped with the brake
assist system, when you depress the
brake pedal strongly or suddenly while
the engine is running, the following
phenomena occur. They do not indicate
any malfunctions, and the brake assist
system is operating properly.Maintenance and service
11-25
– CONTINUED –

11-26Maintenance and service
.You might feel that the brake pedal
is applied by lighter force and gener-
ates a greater braking force.. You might hear the sound of ABS
operating from the engine compart-ment. Brake pedal
Check the brake pedal free play and
reserve distance according to the main-
tenance schedule in the
“Warranty and
Maintenance Booklet ”.
& Checking the brake pedal
free play
1) 0.02 –0.08 in (0.5 –2.0 mm)
Stop the engine and firmly depress the
brake pedal several times. Then, check
the free play by pulling up the brake pedal
with a force of less than 2 lbf (10 N, 1 kgf).
If the free play is not within proper
specification, contact your SUBARU deal-
er. &
Checking the brake pedal
reserve distance
1) More than 2.56 in (65 mm)
Depress the pedal with a force of approxi-
mately 66 lbf (294 N, 30 kgf) and measure
the distance between the upper surface of
the pedal pad and the floor.
When the measurement is smaller than
the specification, or when the pedal does
not operate smoothly, contact your
SUBARU dealer.

Clutch pedal (MT models)
Check the clutch pedal free play according
to the maintenance schedule in the“Warranty and Maintenance Booklet ”.
& Checking the clutch function
Check the clutch engagement and disen-gagement.
1. With the engine idling, check that there
are no abnormal noises when the clutch
pedal is depressed, and that shifting into
1st or reverse feels smooth.
2. Start the vehicle by releasing the pedal
slowly to check that the engine and
transmission smoothly couple without
any sign of slippage. &
Checking the clutch pedal
free play
1) 0.16 –0.43 in (4.0 –11.0 mm)
Lightly press the clutch pedal down with
your finger until you feel resistance, and
check the free play.
If the free play is not within proper
specification, contact your SUBARU deal-
er. Hill start assist system (MT
models)
Ensure that the Hill start assist system
operates properly under the followingcircumstances:
1. Stop the vehicle on an uphill grade by
depressing the brake pedal and clutch
pedal, with the engine running.
2. Make sure that the vehicle does not
move backward even after the brake
pedal is released.
3. Then make sure the vehicle can start
climbing the grade by following the normal
starting procedures.
If the Hill start assist system does not
operate as described above, contact your
SUBARU dealer.
Maintenance and service
11-27

11-38Maintenance and service
Washer fluid level gauge
Remove the washer tank filler cap, then
check the fluid level indicated by the level
gauge (attached to the inside of the cap).
If the level is near the “Low ”mark, add
fluid until it reaches the “Hi ”level on the level gauge or the
“FULL ”mark on the
tank.
Use windshield washer fluid. If windshield
washer fluid is unavailable, use clean
water.
In areas where water freezes in winter,
use an anti-freeze type windshield washer
fluid. SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluid
contains 58.5% methyl alcohol and 41.5%
surfactant, by volume. Its freezing tem-
perature varies according to how much it
is diluted, as indicated in the followingtable.
Washer Fluid
Concentration Freezing
Temperature
30% 10.48F( 12 8C)
50% 48F( 20 8C)
100% 49 8F( 45 8C)
In order to prevent freezing of washer
fluid, check the freezing temperatures in
the table above when adjusting the fluid
concentration to the outside temperature.
If you fill the washer tank with a fluid with a
different concentration from the one used
previously, purge the old fluid from the
piping between the washer tank and
washer nozzles by operating the washer
for a certain period of time. Otherwise, if
the concentration of the fluid remaining in the piping is too low for the outside
temperature, it may freeze and block thenozzles.
CAUTION
. Adjust the washer fluid concen-
tration appropriately for the out-
side 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 washer tank.
. State or local regulations on
volatile organic compounds may
restrict the use of methanol, a
common windshield washer anti-
freeze additive. Washer fluids
containing non-methanol anti-
freeze agents should be used
only if they provide cold weather
protection without damaging
your vehicle ’s paint, wiper blades
or washer system.
. Never use engine coolant as
washer fluid because it could
cause paint damage.