tires SUBARU OUTBACK 2001 3.G Owner's Manual

8-28Trailer towing
Your c ar is d esig ned and intend ed to b e used p rimar
ily as a p asseng er-
c arrying vehic le. Towing a trailer p uts ad d itional load s on your c ar’s en-
g ine, d rivetrain, b rakes, tires and susp ension and has an ad verse effec t
on fuel ec onomy.
If you d o d ec id e to tow a trailer, your safety and satisfac tion d ep end
up on p rop er use of c orrec t eq uip ment and c autious o p eration of your ve-
hic le. Seek the ad vic e of your SUBARU d ealer to ass ist you in p urc has-
ing a hitc h and other nec essary towing eq uip ment ap p rop riate for your
vehic le. In ad d ition, b e sure to follow the instruc tions on c orrec t installa-
tion and use p rovid ed b y the trailer and other towi ng eq uip ment
manufac turers.
SUBARU assumes no resp onsib ility for injuries or ve hic le d amag e that
result from trailer towing eq uip ment, or from any e rrors or omissions in
the instruc tions ac c omp anying suc h eq uip ment or for your failure to fol-
low the p rop er instruc tions.
Warranties and maintenance
SUBARU warranties d o not ap p ly to vehic le d amag e or malfunc tion
c aused b y trailer towing . If you use your vehic le t o tow a trailer, more
freq uent maintenanc e will b e req uired d ue to the ad d itional load .
(Refer to “Maintenanc e sc hed ule und er severe d riving c ond ition s” in
the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Booklet ”.)
Und er no c irc umstanc es should a trailer b e towed wi th a new vehic le
or a vehic le with any new p owertrain c omp onent (eng ine, transmis-
sion, d ifferential, wheel b earing s, etc .) for the f irst 1,000 miles (1,600
km) of d riving . Maximum load limits
WARNING
Never exceed the maximum load limits explained below. Exceed- ing the maximum load limits could cause personal injury and/or
vehicle damage.

Driving tips8-33
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CONTINUED –

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 systems when installing a hitch or other trailer towingequipment. Do not use axle-mounted hitches as they can cause damage to
the axle housing, wheel bearings, wheels or tires.
Choose a p rop er hitc h for your vehic le and trailer. OUTBACK wagon
The use of a g enuine SUBARU trailer hitc h is rec omm end ed . A g enu-
ine SUBARU hitc h is availab le from your SUBARU d eal er.
If use of a non-g enuine hitc h is unavoid ab le, b e su re the hitc h is
suited to your vehic le and trailer. Consult with a p rofessional hitc h
sup p lier to assist you in c hoosing an ap p rop riate h itc h for your
vehic le. Be sure to follow all of the hitc h manufac turer’s instruc tions for
installation and use.
Never use a hitc h that mounts only to the rear b ump er. The b ump er is
not d esig ned to hand le that typ e of load .
For all typ es of hitc hes, reg ularly c hec k that the hitc h mounting b olts
and nuts are tig ht.

8-36Connec tion of trailer lig hts to your vehic le
’s elec tric al system req uires
mod ific ations to the vehic le ’s lig hting c irc uit to inc rease its c ap ac ity
and ac c ommod ate wiring c hang es. To ensure the trail er lig hts are
c onnec ted p rop erly, p lease c onsult your SUBARU d eal er. Chec k for
p rop er op eration of the turn sig nals, the b rake lig hts and p arking
lig hts eac h time you hitc h up . n 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.
Make sure that all the tires on your vehic le are p r op erly inflated .
OUTBACK: The rec ommend ed c old tire p ressure und er trailer
towing c ond itions is ind ic ated on the tire p lac ard loc ated und er the
d oor striker on the d river ’s sid e. Ad just the rear tire p ressure to the
rec ommend ed p ressure shown on the tire p lac ard when the tires
are c old . Normal p ressure should b e maintained in t he front tires.
Other models: It is rec ommend ed to inflate the rear tires to 3 p si
(20 kPa, 0.2 kg /c m 2
) ab ove their normal op erating p ressure when
the tires are c old . Normal p ressure should b e maint ained in the
front tires.
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 manufac tur er’s sp ec ific 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 .

9
In case of emergency
If you park your vehicle in an emergency 9-2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Temporary spare tire 9-3
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Flat tires 9-4
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Jump starting 9-11
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Engine overheating 9-14
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Towing 9-15
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Moonroof — if the moonroof cannot be closed 9-25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Maintenance tools 9-26
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jack and jack handle 9-27
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In case of emergency9-3
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CONTINUED –
Temporary spare tire
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.
CAUTION
Never use any temporary spare tire other than the original. Usingother sizes may result in severe mechanical damage to the drivetrain of your vehicle.
The temp orary sp are tire is smaller and lig hter tha n a c onventional tire
and is d esig ned for emerg enc y use only. Remove the temp orary sp are
tire and re-install the c onventional tire as soon a s p ossib le b ec ause the
sp are tire is d esig ned only for temp orary use.
Chec k the inflation p ressure of the temp orary sp are tire p eriod ic ally to
keep the tire read y for use. The c orrec t p ressure i s 60 psi (420 kPa, 4.2
kg/cm 2
).
When using the temp orary sp are tire, note the follo wing :
Do not exc eed 50 mp h (80 km/h).
Do not p ut a tire c hain on the temp orary sp are tire . Bec ause of the
smaller tire size, a tire c hain will not fit p rop er ly.
Do not use two or more temp orary sp are tires at the same time.
Do not d rive over ob stac les. This tire has a smalle r d iameter, so
road c learanc e is red uc ed . When the wear ind ic ator ap p ears on the tread , rep la c e the tire.

9-4
HB8003BB
HG0106
Indicator location mark
Tread wear indicator bar
NOTE
[Automatic transmission vehicle not equipped with VDC (Vehicle Dy-
namics Control)] Before driving your vehicle with the temporaryspare tire, put a spare fuse inside the FWD connector located in theengine compartment and confirm that the Front-wheel drive warninglight comes on. The all wheel drive capability of the vehicle has now
been deactivated. After re-installing the conventional tire, removethe spare fuse from the FWD connector in order to reactivate allwheel drive.
Flat tires
WARNING
Do not jack up the vehicle on an incline or a loose road sur-
face. The jack can come out of the jacking point or sink into the ground and this can result in a severe accident. Use only the jack provided with your vehicle. The jack sup-
plied with the vehicle is designed only for changing a tire. Neverget under the vehicle while supporting the vehicle with this jack. Always turn the engine off before raising the flat tire off the
ground using the jack. Never swing or push the vehicle sup-ported with the jack. The jack can come out of the jacking pointdue to a jolt and this can result in a severe accident.

In case of emergency9-27
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CONTINUED –
Sc rewd river
Wheel nut wrenc h
Hex-head ed wrenc h (for vehic les with moonroof)
Jack and jack handle
HB9001BA
HBF015CB
Jack handle
Jack
Spare tire
HB7008CA
HB8004BD
The jac k is stored on the left sid e of the trunk or c arg o area.
To take out the jac k, turn the jac ksc rew c ounterc lo c kwise to loosen it,
then remove the jac k.
The jac k hand le is stored und er the sp are tire c ove r.
For how to use the jac k, refer to “Flat tires ”.

11
Maintenance and service
Maintenance schedule11-3
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Maintenance precautions 11-3
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Engine hood 11-5
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Engine compartment overview 11-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine oil 11-9
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Cooling system 11-14
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Engine coolant 11-15
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Air cleaner element 11-18
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Spark plugs 11-20
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Drive belts 11-22
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Manual transmission oil 11-23
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Automatic transmission fluid 11-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front differential gear oil (AT vehicles) 11-26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear differential gear oil 11-27
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Power steering fluid 11-29
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Brake fluid 11-30
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Clutch fluid (MT vehicles) 11-32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brake booster 11-33
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Brake pedal 11-34
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Clutch pedal (Manual transmission vehicles) 11-35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Replacement of brake pad and lining 11-36 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parking brake stroke 11-37
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tires and wheels 11-38
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Tire pressure 11-39
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Tire rotation 11-39
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Wheel covers 11-40
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Aluminum wheels (If equipped) 11-41 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Windshield washer fluid 11-42
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Replacement of windshield wiper blades 11-43 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Battery 11-45
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Fuses 11-46
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Main fuse and fusible link 11-48 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Installation of accessories 11-48 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Replacing bulbs 11-49
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11-38
HB4001CB
Tires and wheelsWARNING
When replacing a tire, make sure you use only the same size,
circumferences, construction, brand, speed symbol and load in- dex as the original tires listed on the tire placard. Using othersizes, circumferences or construction may result in severe me-
chanical damage to the drivetrain of your vehicle and may affectride, handling, braking, speedometer/odometer calibration, and
clearance between the body and tires. It also may be dangerousand lead to loss of vehicle 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.

Maintenance and service11-39
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CONTINUED –

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-
c ations. Chec k the tire p ressure when the tires are c old . Cold means that
the vehic le has b een p arked for three hours or has b een d riven less than
1 mile (1.6 km).
HB0382
The rec ommend ed tire p ressure and sizes are p rovid e d on the tire p lac -
ard , whic h is loc ated und er the d oor latc h on the d river’s sid e.
Tire rotation
Tire wear will vary with eac h wheel. To inc rease th e life of tires and keep
wear uniform, it is b est to rotate them every 7,500 mile (12,500 km).
When rotating tires, rep lac e any unevenly worn or d amag ed tire. After
rotating the tires, ad just tire p ressure and b e sur e to c hec k wheel nut
tig htness.