SUBARU IMPREZA 2000 2.G Owners Manual

Starting and operating7-51
–
CONTINUED –
front and ap p roximately 40 p erc ent in the rear. Als
o, d istrib ute the
load as evenly as p ossib le on b oth the left and rig ht sid es.
To c hec k b oth GVWR and GAWR and to c onfirm that the total weig ht
and weig ht d istrib ution are within safe d riving lim its, you should have
your vehic le and trailer weig hed at a c ommerc ial we ig hing station.
Be sure that all c arg o is firmly sec ured to p revent a c hang e in weig ht
d istrib ution while d riving .
Trailer hitches
WARNING
Never drill the frame or under-body of your vehicle to install a
commercial trailer hitch. If you do, dangerous exhaust gas, wateror mud may enter the passenger compartment through the drilledhole. Exhaust gas contains carbon monoxide, a colorless andodorless gas which is dangerous, or even lethal, if inhaled. Also,drilling the frame or under-body of your vehicle could cause dete-rioration of strength of your vehicle and cause corrosion aroundthe drilled hole.
CAUTION
Do not modify the vehicle exhaust system, brake system, or
other system when installing a hitch or other trailer towing equip-ment. Adequate size trailer brakes are required when the trailer and
its cargo exceed 700 lbs (318 kg) total weight.
Choose a p rop er hitc h for your vehic le and trailer. SUBARU d oes not of-
fer ac c essory trailer hitc hes. Consult with a p rofe ssional hitc h sup p lier to
assist you in c hoosing an ap p rop riate hitc h for you r vehic le. Be sure to
follow all of the hitc h manufac turer ’s instruc tions for installation and use.

7-52
Trailer lights CAUTION
Direct splicing or other improper connection may damage your
vehicle’ s electrical system and cause a malfunction of your ve-
hicle lighting system.
Consult your authorized SUBARU d ealer c onc erning th e c onnec tion
of wires for trailer lig hts. Chec k for c orrec t op er ation of the turn sig -
nals and b rake lig hts and p arking lig hts eac h time you hitc h up .
Side mirrors
After hitc hing a trailer to your vehic le, c hec k tha t the stand ard sid e
mirrors p rovid e a g ood rearward field of view witho ut sig nific ant b lind
sp ots. If sig nific ant b lind sp ots oc c ur with the ve hic le’s stand ard sid e
mirrors, use towing mirrors that c onform with Fed er al, state/p rovinc e
and /or other ap p lic ab le reg ulations. Tires
WARNING
Never tow a trailer when the temporary spare tire is used. The temporary spare tire is not designed to sustain the towing load.
Use of the temporary spare tire when towing can result in failureof the spare tire and/or less stability of the vehicle and may leadto an accident.
Make sure that all the tires on your vehic le are p r op erly inflated to the
p ressure sp ec ified on the tire p lac ard loc ated on t he left c enter p illar
of your vehic le.

Starting and operating7-53
–
CONTINUED –
HG0278
Trailer tire c ond ition, size, load rating and p rop e r inflation p ressure
should b e in ac c ord anc e with the trailer and tire m anufac turer’s sp ec i-
fic ations.
In the event your vehic le g ets a flat tire when tow ing a trailer, ask a
c ommerc ial road servic e to rep air the flat tire.
If you c arry a reg ular size sp are tire in your vehi c le or trailer as a p re-
c aution ag ainst g etting a flat tire, b e sure that t he sp are tire is firmly
sec ured . Trailer towing tips
When towing a trailer, steering , stab ility, stop p in g d istanc e and b rak-
ing p erformanc e will vary from normal op eration. Fo r safety’s sake,
you should emp loy extra c aution when towing a trail er and you should
never sp eed .
You should also keep the following tip s in mind :
Suffic ient time should b e taken to learn the “feel ” of the vehic le/trailer
c omb ination b efore starting out on a trip . In an ar ea free of traffic ,
p rac tic e turning , stop p ing and b ac king up .
You should allow for c onsid erab ly more stop p ing d is tanc e when tow-
ing a trailer. Avoid sud d en b raking b ec ause it may result in skid d ing
or jac kknifing and loss of c ontrol.
Avoid ab rup t starts and sud d en ac c elerations. If yo ur vehic le has a
manual transmission, always start out in 1st g ear a nd release the

7-54c lutc h at mod erate eng ine rp m.
Avoid uneven steering , sharp turns and rap id lane c
hang es.
Slow d own b efore turning . Make a long er than normal turning rad ius
b ec ause the trailer wheels will b e c loser than the vehic le wheels to
the insid e of the turn. In a tig ht turn, the traile r c ould hit your vehic le.
Crosswind s will ad versely affec t the hand ling of yo ur vehic le and trail-
er, c ausing sway. Crosswind s c an b e d ue to weather c ond itions or the
p assing of larg e truc ks or b uses. If swaying oc c urs , firmly g rip the
steering wheel and immed iately slow d own g rad ually.
When p assing other vehic les, c onsid erab le d istanc e is req uired b e-
c ause of the ad d ed weig ht and leng th c aused b y atta c hing a trailer to
your vehic le.
Before g oing d own a steep hill, slow d own and shift into low g ear in
ord er to utilize the eng ine b raking effec t and p rev ent overheating of
your vehic le ’s b rakes. Do not make sud d en d ownshifts.
When g oing up hill on hot d ays, turn off your air c o nd itioner to red uc e
the p ossib ility of eng ine overheating c aused b y the ad d ed load of the
trailer.
Pay attention to your water temp erature g aug e.
If your vehic le has an automatic transmission, avoi d using the ac c el-
erator p ed al to stay stationary on an up hill slop e instead of using the
p arking b rake or foot b rake. This may c ause the tra nsmission fluid to
overheat.
Always b loc k the wheels und er b oth vehic le and trai ler when p arking .
Ap p ly the p arking b rake firmly. You should not p ark on a hill or slop e.
But if p arking on a hill or slop e c annot b e avoid ed , you should take
the following step s:
1. Ap p ly the b rakes and hold the p ed al d own.
2. Have someone p lac e wheel b loc ks und er b oth the ve hic le and
trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel b loc ks are in p lac e, release the r eg ular b rakes
slowly until the b loc ks ab sorb the load .

Starting and operating7-55
–
CONTINUED –
4. Ap p ly the reg ular b rakes and then ap p ly the p arki
ng b rake; slowly
release the reg ular b rakes.
5. Shift into 1st or reverse g ear (manual transmissi on) or “P ” (auto-
matic transmission) and shut off the eng ine.
If the ABS warning lig ht illuminates while the vehi c le is in motion, stop
towing the trailer and have rep airs c arried out imm ed iately b y the
nearest SUBARU d ealer.

8
In case of emergency Hazard warning flasher8-2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine overheating 8-2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jump starting 8-4
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Flat tires 8-6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Temporary spare tire 8-11
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tire changing tools 8-13
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Towing 8-14
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Towing eyelets 8-17
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8-2
Hazard warning flasher
HS0053
Day or nig ht, if your vehic le b ec omes a traffic haz
ard , use the hazard
warning flasher. Avoid stop p ing on the road . It is b est to safely p ull off
the road if a p rob lem oc c urs. The hazard warning fl asher c an b e ac ti-
vated reg ard less of the ig nition switc h p osition.
Turn on the hazard warning b y p ushing the hazard wa rning flasher
switc h. Turn it off b y p ushing the switc h ag ain. NOTE When the hazard warning flasher is on, the turn signals do not work.
Engine overheating
WARNING
Never attempt to remove the radiator cap until the engine has been shut off and has fully cooled down. When the engine is hot,the coolant is under pressure. Removing the cap while the engineis still hot could release a spray of boiling hot coolant, which
could burn you very seriously.
If the eng ine overheats, safely p ull off the road a nd stop the vehic le in a
safe p lac e.

In case of emergency8-3
–
CONTINUED –

If steam is coming from the engine compartment
Turn the eng ine off and g et everyone away from the vehic le until it
c ools d own. If no steam is coming from the engine compartment
1. Keep the eng ine running at id ling sp eed .
2. Op en the hood to ventilate the eng ine c omp artment .
Confirm that the c ooling fan is turning . If the fan is not turning , im-
med iately turn the eng ine off and c ontac t your auth orized SUBARU
d ealer for rep air.
3. After the eng ine c oolant temp erature has d rop p ed , turn off the en-
g ine.
If the temp erature g aug e stays at the overheated zo ne, turn the en-
g ine off.
4. After the eng ine has fully c ooled d own, c hec k the c oolant level in
the reserve tank.
If the c oolant level is b elow the “MIN ” mark, ad d c oolant up to the
“ MAX ” mark.
5. If there is no c oolant in the reserve tank, ad d c oolant to the reserve
tank. Then remove the rad iator c ap and fill the rad iator with c oolant.
If you remove the rad iator c ap from a hot rad iator, first wrap a thic k
c loth around the rad iator c ap , then turn the c ap c o unterc loc kwise
slowly without p ressing d own until it stop s. Releas e the p ressure from
the rad iator. After the p ressure has b een fully rel eased , remove the
c ap b y p ressing d own and turning it.

8-4
Jump starting
WARNING
Battery fluid is SULFURIC ACID. Do not let it come in contact
with the eyes, skin, clothing or the vehicle. If battery fluid gets on you, thoroughly flush the exposed area
with water immediately. Get medical help if the fluid has enteredyour eyes.If battery fluid is accidentally swallowed, immediately drink a
large amount of milk or water, and obtain immediate medicalhelp.
Keep everyone including children away from the battery. The gas generated by a battery explodes if a flame or spark is
brought near it. Do not smoke or light a match while jump start-ing. Never attempt jump starting if the discharged battery is frozen.
It could cause the battery to burst or explode. Whenever working on or around a battery, always wear suit-
able eye protectors, and remove metal objects such as rings,
bands or other metal jewelry. Be sure the jumper cables and clamps on them do not have
loose or missing insulation.Do not jump start unless cables in suitable condition are avail-able. A running engine can be dangerous. Keep your fingers, hands,
clothing, hair and tools away from the cooling fan, belts and anyother moving engine parts. Removing rings, watches and ties isadvisable.
CAUTION
The battery used for boosting must be 12V. Do not jump start un-
less you are sure that the booster battery is correct.

In case of emergency8-5
–
CONTINUED –
When your vehic le d oes not start d ue to a run d own
(d isc harg ed ) b at-
tery, the vehic le may b e jump started b y c onnec ting your b attery to
another b attery (c alled the b ooster b attery) with j ump er c ab les.
Jump starting is d ang erous if it d one inc orrec tly. If you are unsure ab out
the p rop er p roc ed ure for jump starting , c onsult a c omp etent mec hanic .
How to jump start
1. Make sure the b ooster b attery is 12 volts and the neg ative terminal
is g round ed .
2. If the b ooster b attery is in another vehic le, d o not let the two ve-
hic les touc h.
3. Turn off all unnec essary lig hts and ac c essories.
4. Connec t the jump er c ab les exac tly in the seq uenc e illustrated .
HG0103
Engine lifting bracket
1 Connec t one jump er c ab le to the p ositive (+ ) termin al on the
d isc harg ed b attery. 2 Connec t the other end of the jump er c ab le to the p o sitive (+ )
terminal of the b ooster b attery.3 Connec t one end of the other c ab le to the neg ative (– ) terminal
of the b ooster b attery.4 Connec t the other end of the c ab le to the eng ine li fting b rac ket.
Make sure that the c ab les are not near any moving p arts and that
the c ab le c lamp s are not in c ontac t with any other metal.
5. Start the eng ine of the vehic le with the b ooster b attery and run it at