warning SUBARU IMPREZA 2001 2.G Owners Manual

10-8
Changing the oil and oil filter
Chang e the oil and oil filter ac c ord ing to the main tenanc e sc hed ule in
the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Booklet ”.
The eng ine oil and oil filter must b e c hang ed more freq uently than
listed in the maintenanc e sc hed ule when d riving on d usty road s,
when short trip s are freq uently mad e, when towing a trailer or when
d riving in extremely c old whether.
1. Warm up the eng ine b y letting the eng ine id le for ab out 10 minutes
to ease d raining the eng ine oil.
2. Park the vehic le on a level surfac e and stop the eng ine.
3. Remove the oil filler c ap .
OM-H0190Drain plug
4. Drain out the eng ine oil b y removing the d rain p l ug while the en-
g ine is still warm. The used oil should b e d rained into an ap p rop riate
c ontainer and d isp osed of p rop erly.
WARNING
Be careful not to burn yourself with hot engine oil.
5. Wip e the seating surfac e of the d rain p lug with a c lean c loth and
tig hten it sec urely with a new sealing washer after the oil has c om-
p letely d rained out.

10-12Cooling system
WARNING
Never attempt to remove the radiator cap until the engine has
been shut off and has cooled down completely. Since the coolantis under pressure, you may suffer serious burns from a spray ofboiling hot coolant when the cap is removed.
CAUTION
The cooling system has been filled at the factory with a high
quality, corrosion-inhibiting, year-around coolant which providesprotection against freezing down to –33F ( –36 C). For adding,
use genuine SUBARU coolant or an equivalent: a mixture of 50%
soft water and 50% ethylene-glycol basis coolant. Use of improp-er coolants may result in corrosion in the cooling system. It is im-portant to maintain protection against freezing and corrosion,
even if freezing temperatures are not expected. Never mix differ-ent kinds of coolant. Do not splash the engine coolant over painted parts. The alco-
hol contained in the engine coolant may damage the paint sur-face.
Hose and connections
Your vehic le emp loys an elec tric c ooling fan whic h is thermostatic ally
c ontrolled to op erate when the eng ine c oolant reac h es a sp ec ific tem-
p erature.
If the rad iator c ooling fan d oes not op erate even w hen the eng ine
c oolant temp erature g aug e exc eed s the normal op erat ing rang e, the
c ooling fan c irc uit may b e d efec tive. Chec k the fus e and rep lac e it if
nec essary. If the fuse is not b lown, have the c ooli ng system c hec ked
b y your SUBARU d ealer.
If freq uent ad d ition of c oolant is nec essary, there may b e a leak in the
eng ine c ooling system. It is rec ommend ed that the c ooling system
and c onnec tions b e c hec ked for leaks, d amag e, or lo oseness.

10-14
Changing the coolant
WARNING
Never attempt to remove the radiator cap until the engine has
been shut off and has cooled down completely. Since the coolantis under pressure, you may suffer serious burns from a spray ofboiling hot coolant when the cap is removed.
Chang e the eng ine c oolant in the following p roc ed ur es ac c ord ing to
the maintenanc e sc hed ule in the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Book-
let ”.
1. Plac e a p rop er c ontainer und er the d rain p lug and loosen the d rain
p lug .
HGA000BB
2. Loosen the rad iator c ap to d rain the c oolant from the rad iator. Then
d rain the c oolant from the reserve tank. Tig hten th e d rain p lug sec ure-
ly.

10-167. Put the rad iator c ap and reservoir c ap b ac k on an
d tig hten firmly.
Air cleaner 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.
The air c leaner element func tions as a filter sc ree n. When the element is
p erforated or removed , eng ine wear will b e exc essiv e and eng ine life
shortened .
The air c leaner element is a visc ous typ e. It is un nec essary to c lean or
wash the element.
Replacing the air cleaner element
Rep lac e the air c leaner element ac c ord ing to the ma intenanc e sc hed -
ule in the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Booklet ”. Und er extremely
d usty c ond itions, rep lac e it more freq uently. It is rec ommend ed that
you always use g enuine SUBARU p arts.
HBA003BB
HBA002BB
1. Remove the b olt sec uring the rear air c leaner ele ment c ase.
2. Unsnap the three c lamp s hold ing the rear air c lea ner element

Maintenance and service10-25
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CONTINUED –
Power steering fluid
The p ower steering fluid exp and s g reatly as its tem
p erature rises; the
fluid level d iffers ac c ord ing to fluid temp erature. Therefore, the d ip stic k
has two d ifferent c hec king rang es for hot and c old fluid s.
Checking the fluid level when the fluid is hot
WARNING
Be careful not to burn yourself because the fluid may be hot.
CAUTION
When power steering fluid is being added, use only clean fluid,
and be careful not to allow any dirt into the tank. And never use
different brands together. Avoid spilling fluid when adding it in the tank.
Chec k the p ower steering fluid level monthly.
1. Drive the vehic le several miles to raise the temp erature of the p ow-
er steering fluid up to normal op erating temp eratur e, ab out 140F
(60 C).
2. Park the vehic le on a level surfac e, and stop the eng ine.
3. Turn the reservoir c ap c ounterc loc kwise to remove the fluid level
d ip stic k, wip e the d ip stic k c lean, and reinsert it.
OM-H2531
HG0120 Specified range
Specifiedrange

10-264. Remove the d ip stic k ag ain and c hec k the fluid lev
el on it. If it is
b elow the lower level of the “HOT ” rang e, ad d the rec ommend ed
steering fluid up to the sp ec ified rang e of the d ip stic k.
If the fluid level is extreme low, it may ind ic ate p ossib le leakag e. Con-
sult your SUBARU d ealer for insp ec tion. Checking the fluid level when the fluid is cold
When the fluid level has to b e c hec ked without warm ing up the p ower
steering system (ap p roximately 70 F [ 21 C] ), read the fluid level on
the “COLD ” rang e.
Recommended fluid
“ Dexron II, Dexron II E or Dexron III ” Type Automatic Transmis-
sion Fluid
Brake fluid
Checking the fluid level
WARNING
Never let brake fluid contact your eyes because brake fluid can
be harmful to your eyes. If brake fluid gets in your eyes, immedi-
ately flush them thoroughly with clean water. For safety, whenperforming this work, wearing eye protection is advisable. Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. Any absorbed mois-
ture can cause a dangerous loss of braking performance. If the vehicle requires frequent refilling, there may be a leak. If
you suspect a problem, have the vehicle checked at your
SUBARU dealer.

10-28Clutch fluid (2.5 liter MT models)
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.
HG0355
“MAX”
level mark
“MIN”
level mark

Maintenance and service10-29
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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
p ressed for 30 sec ond s. The p ed al heig ht should not 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

10-38n
Parking brake lining
WARNING
A safe location and situation should be selected for break-in driv- ing.
CAUTION
Pulling the parking brake lever too forcefully may cause the rear
wheels to lock. To avoid this, be certain to pull the lever up slowly
and gently.
1. Drive the vehic le at a sp eed of ab out 22 mp h (35 km/h).
2. With the p arking b rake release b utton p ushed in, p ull the p arking
b rake lever SLOWLY and GENTLY. (Pulling with a forc e of ap p roxi-
mately 147 N [ 15 Kg , 33 lb ] .)
3. Drive the vehic le for ab out 220 yard s (200 meters ) in this c ond ition.
4. Wait 5 to 10 minutes for the p arking b rake to c oo l d own. Rep eat
this p roc ed ure.
5. Chec k the p arking b rake stroke. If the p arking b r ake stroke is out
of the sp ec ified rang e, ad just it b y turning the ad justing nut loc ated
on the p arking b rake lever.
Parking brake stroke: 7 — 8 notches / 196 N (20 kg, 44 lb.)
Parking brake stroke
Chec k the p arking b rake stroke ac c ord ing to the mai ntenanc e sc hed ule
in the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Booklet ”. When the p arking b rake is
p rop erly ad justed , b raking p ower is fully ap p lied b y p ulling the lever up
seven to eig ht notc hes g ently b ut firmly (ab out 196 N, 44 lb ., 20 kg ). If
the p arking b rake lever stroke is not within the sp ec ified rang e, have the
b rake system c hec ked and ad justed at your SUBARU d e aler.

Maintenance and service10-39
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CONTINUED –
HG0360
7 to 8 notches
Tires and wheels WARNING
When replacing a tire, make sure you use only the same size,
circumference, construction brand, and load range as the original tires listed on the tire placard. Using other sizes, circumferencesor construction may result in severe mechanical damage to the
drive train of your vehicle and may affect ride, handling, braking,
speedometer/odometer calibration, and clearance between thebody and tires. It also may be dangerous and lead to loss of ve-hicle control. Do not use a combination of radial, belted bias or bias tires
since it may cause dangerous handling characteristics and leadto an accident. Do not let air out of warm tires to adjust pressure. Doing so
will result in low tire pressure.
The tires should b e c hec ked freq uently for p rop er t ire p ressure, wear,
and c uts. Tire pressure
For the b est b alanc e b etween fuel ec onomy, tire lif e, rid e c omfort, and
hand ling , tire p ressure should b e maintained in ac c ord anc e with sp ec ifi-