check oil SUBARU LEGACY 2004 4.G User Guide

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2Maintenance and service
the materials in the vehicle may be hazardous if
improperly used or handled, for example, bat-tery acid. y
Your vehicle should only be serviced by per-
sons fully competent to do so. Serious person-
al injury may result to persons not experienced
in servicing vehicles. y Always use the proper tools and make certain
that they are well maintained. y Never get under the vehicle supported only
by a jack. Always use a safety stands to sup-
port the vehicle. y Never keep the engine running in a poorly
ventilated area, such as a garage or other
closed areas. y Do not smoke or allow open flames around
the fuel or battery. This will cause a fire. y Because the fuel system is under pressure,
replacement of the fuel filter should be per-
formed only by your SUBARU dealer.y Wear adequate eye protection to guard
against getting oil or fluids in your eyes. If
something does get in your eyes, thoroughly
wash them out with clean water. y Do not tamper with the wiring of the SRS air-
bag system or seatbelt pretensioner system, or
attempt to take its connectors apart, as that may activate the system or it can render it inop-
erative. The wiring and connectors of these
systems are yellow for easy identification. NEV-
ER use a circuit tester for these wiring.
If your SRS airbag or seatbelt pretensioner
needs service, consult your nearest SUBARU
dealer.
„ Before checking or servicing in the en-
gine compartment
yAlways stop the engine and set the parking
brake firmly to prevent the vehicle from mov-
ing. y Always let the engine cool down. Engine
parts become very hot when the engine is run-
ning and remain hot for some time after the en-
gine is stopped.y Do not spill engine oil, engine coolant, brake
fluid or any other fluid on hot engine compo-
nents. This may cause a fire.y Always remove the key from the ignition
switch. When the ignition switch is in the “ON”
position, the cooling fan may operate suddenly

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2Maintenance and service
– CONTINUED –
Engine oil „Checking the oil level
Check the engine oil level at each fuel stop.
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and stop the en-
gine.
2. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it clean, and insert it
again.
3. Be sure the dipstick is correctly inserted until it
stops with the graphic symbol on its top appear-
ing as shown in the illustration. 1) Notch (except 3.0L)
2) Upper level
3) Lower level
4. Pull out the dipstick again and check the oil level on
it. If it is below the lower level, add oil to bring the level
up to the upper level.
Use only engine oil with the recommended
grade and viscosity.
If you check the oil level just after stopping the engine,
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1 2
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2Maintenance and service
wait a few minutes for the oil to drain back into the oil
pan before checking the level.
To prevent overfilling the engine oil, do not add any
additional oil above the upper level when the engine is cold.
In 2.5-liter-engine models, the dipstick has a notch
above the upper level.
Just after driving or while the engine is warm, the en-
gine oil level reading may be in a range between the
upper level and the notch mark. This is caused by ther-
mal expansion of the engine oil. „
Changing the oil and oil filter
Change the oil and oil filter according to the mainte-
nance schedule in the “Warranty and Maintenance
Booklet”.
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed more fre-
quently than listed in the maintenance schedule when
driving on dusty roads, when short trips are frequently
made, or when driving in extremely cold whether.
1. Warm up the engine by letting the engine idle for
about 10 minutes to ease draining the engine oil.
2. Park the vehicle on a level surface and stop the en-
gine.
3. Remove the oil filler cap. 1) Drain plug
4. Drain out the engine oil by removing the drain plug
while the engine is still warm. The used oil should be
drained into an appropriate container and disposed of
properly.
Be careful not to burn yourself with hot engine
oil.
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2Maintenance and service
7. Slide the cover toward the vehicle front to remove it.
8. Remove the oil filter with an oil filter wrench.
9. Before installing a new oil filter, apply a thin coat of
engine oil to the seal.
10.Clean the rubber seal seating area of the bottom of
engine and install the oil filter by hand turning. Be
careful not to twist or damage the seal.
11.Tighten it approximately two-thirds of a turn after
the seal makes contact with the bottom of engine.
Never over tighten the oil filter because that can
result in an oil leak.
12.Reinstall the cover under the oil filter.
13.Pour engine oil through the filler neck.
Oil capacity (Guideline): 2.5 liter models: 4.2 US qt (4.0 liters, 3.5 Imp qt)
3.0 liter models: 5.6 US qt (5.3 liters, 4.6 Imp qt)
The oil quantity indicated above is only a guideline.
The necessary quantity of oil depends on the quantity
of oil that has been drained. The quantity of drained oil
differs slightly depending on the temperature of the oil
and the time the oil is left flowing out. After refilling the
engine with oil, therefore, you must use the dipstick to
confirm that the level is correct.
14.Start the engine and make sure that no oil leaks ap-
pear around the filter’s rubber seal and drain plug.
15.Run the engine until it reaches the normal operat-
ing temperature. Then stop the engine and wait a few
minutes to allow the oil drain back. Check the oil level
again and if necessary, add more engine oil.
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2Maintenance and service
– CONTINUED –
Manual transmission oil „Checking the oil level
1) Yellow
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and stop the en-
gine.
2. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it clean, and insert it
again. 1) Upper level
2) Lower level
3. Pull out the dipstick again and check the oil level on
it. If it is below the lower level, add oil through the dip-
stick hole to bring the level up to the upper level. „ Recommended grade and viscosity
Each oil manufacturer has its own base oils and addi-
tives. Never use different brands together.
Oil grade:
API classification GL-5
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2Maintenance and service
fluid up to the upper level. Be careful not to overfill. „
Recommended fluid
“Dexron III” Type Automatic Transmission Fluid Front differential gear oil (AT vehi-
cles) „
Checking the oil level
1) Yellow
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and stop the en-
gine.
2. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it clean, and insert it
again.
1
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2Maintenance and service
– CONTINUED –
1) Upper level
2) Lower level
3. Pull out the dipstick again and check the oil level on
it. If it is below the lower level, add oil to bring the level
up to the upper level. „ Recommended grade and viscosity
Each oil manufacturer has its own base oils and addi-
tives. Never use different brands together.
Oil grade:
API classification GL-5 SAE viscosity No. and Applicable Temperature
L
F
1 2
HSB040BB
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40
-20 0 60 20
80W
75W/90 80 100
40
85W 90
HSB036BA

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2Maintenance and service
Rear differential gear oil „
Checking the gear oil level
If the vehicle requires frequent refilling, there
may be an oil leak. If you suspect a problem,
have the vehicle checked at your SUBARU deal-
er.
Your vehicle may be equipped with a rear differential
protector. The differential protector provides protec-
tion to the rear differential assembly during off-road
use. Removal of the rear differential protector is not re-
quired when checking the oil level. L (AT) and L-S (AT)
1) Filler plug
2) Drain plug
1
2
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2Maintenance and service
1) Filler hole
2) Drain hole
3) Oil level
Remove the plug from the filler hole and check the oil
level. The oil level should be kept even with the bottom
of the filler hole. If the oil level is below the bottom
edge of the hole, add oil through the filler hole to raise
the level. „ Recommended grade and viscosity
Each oil manufacturer has its own base oils and addi-
tives. Never use different brands together.
Oil grade:
API classification GL-5
SAE viscosity No. and Applicable Temperature
3 1
2
HSB043BB
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40-20 0 60 20
80W
75W/90 80 100
40
85W 90
HSB036BA

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2Maintenance and service
2. Check the fluid level of the reservoir tank.
When the fluid is hot after the vehicle has been run:
Check that the oil level is between “HOT MIN” and
“HOT MAX” on the surface of the reservoir tank.
When the fluid is cool before the vehicle is run: Check
that the oil level is between “COLD MIN” and “COLD
MAX” on the surface of the reservoir tank.
3. If the fluid level is lower than the applicable “MIN”
line, add the recommended fluid as necessary to bring
the level between the “MIN” and “MAX” line.
If the fluid level is extreme low, it may indicate possible
leakage. Consult your SUBARU dealer for inspection. „
Recommended fluid
“Dexron III” Type Automatic Transmission Fluid
Brake fluid „Checking the fluid level
yNever let brake fluid contact your eyes be-
cause brake fluid can be harmful to your eyes.
If brake fluid gets in your eyes, immediately
flush them thoroughly with clean water. For
safety, when performing this work, wearing eye
protection is advisable. y Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air.
Any absorbed moisture can cause a dangerous
loss of braking performance. y If the vehicle requires frequent refilling, there
may be a leak. If you suspect a problem, have
the vehicle checked at your SUBARU dealer.
y Never use different brands of brake fluid to-
gether. y When adding brake fluid, be careful not to al-
low any dirt into the reservoir.y Never splash the brake fluid over painted sur-