maintenance SUBARU OUTBACK 2002 3.G Owner's Manual

Maintenance and service11-7
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Engine compartment overview
2.5 liter models
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1 Manual transmission oil level
gauge (MT) (page 11-23) or
Differential gear oil level gauge
(AT) (page 11-26)
2 Air cleaner element (page 11-18)
3 Clutch fluid reservoir (page 11-32)
4 Automatic transmission fluidlevel gauge (page 11-24)
5 Brake fluid reservoir (page 11-30)
6 Fuel filter 7
Windshield washer tank (page 11-47)
8 Fuse box (page 11-52)
9 Battery (page 11-51)
Q Engine oil filler cap (page 11-9)
W Engine coolant reservoir (page 11-15)
E Radiator cap (page 11-15)
R Engine oil level gauge (page 11-9)
T Power steering fluid reservoir (page 11-29)

Maintenance and service11-9
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Engine oil
Checking the oil level
Check the engine oil level at each fuel stop.
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1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and stop the engine.
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 appearing as shown in the illustra-
tion.
4. Pull out the dipstick again and check the oil level on it. If it is belowthe lower level, add oil to bring the level up to the upper level.
CAUTION
Use only engine oil with the recommended grade and viscosity.
If you check the oil level just after stopping the engine, wait a few min-
utes 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 oilabove 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 engine oil level
reading may be in a range between the upper level and the notch
mark. This is caused by thermal expansion of the engine oil.

11-10
Changing the oil and oil filter
Change the oil and oil filter according to the maintenance schedule in the “Warranty and Maintenance Booklet ”.
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed more frequently 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 engine.
3. Remove the oil filler cap.
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4. Drain out the engine oil by removing the drain plug while the en-
gine is still warm. The used oil should be drained into an appropriate
container and disposed of properly.
WARNING
Be careful not to burn yourself with hot engine oil.
5. Wipe the seating surface of the drain plug with a clean cloth and
tighten it securely with a new sealing washer after the oil has com-pletely drained out.

Maintenance and service11-11
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6. Remove three clips at the front of the cover under the oil filter.
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 theseal.
10. Clean the rubber seal seating area of the lower crank case and
install the oil filter by hand turning. Be careful not to twist or damagethe seal.
11. Tighten it approximately two-thirds of a turn after the seal makes
contact with the lower crank case.
CAUTION
Never over tighten the oil filter because that can result in an oilleak.

Maintenance and service11-13
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In choosing an oil, you want the proper quality and viscosity, as well
as one that will add to fuel economy. The following table lists the rec-
ommended viscosities and applicable temperatures.
When adding oil, different brands may be used together as long as
they are the same API classification and SAE viscosity as those rec-
ommended by SUBARU.
Engine oil viscosity (thickness) affects fuel economy. Oils of lower vis-
cosity provide better fuel economy. However, in hot weather, oil of
higher viscosity is required to properly lubricate the engine.
OM-H2756
SAE viscosity numbr and applicable temperature
Recommended grade and viscosity under severe driving conditions
If the vehicle is used in desert areas, in areas with very high tempera-
tures, or used for heavy-duty applications such as a towing a trailer,
use of oil with the following grade and viscosities is recommended.
API classification SL or SJ: SAE viscosity No.: 30, 40, 10W-50,
20W-40, 20W-50

Maintenance and service11-15
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Engine coolant Checking the coolant level
Check the coolant level at each fuel stop.
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1. Check the coolant level on the outside of the reservoir while the
engine is cool.
2. If the level is close to or lower than the “LOW” level mark, add
coolant up to the “FULL” level mark. If the reserve tank is empty, re-
move the radiator cap and refill as required.
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Rubber gaskets
3. After refilling the reserve tank and the radiator, reinstall the caps
and check that the rubber gaskets inside the radiator cap are in the
proper position.

11-16
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.
Change the engine coolant using the following procedures according
to the maintenance schedule in the “Warranty and Maintenance Book-
let”. 1. Remove the under cover.
2. Place a proper container under the drain plug and loosen the drainplug.
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3. Loosen the radiator cap to drain the coolant from the radiator. Then
drain the coolant from the reserve tank. Tighten the drain plug secure-
ly.

Maintenance and service11-17
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4. Slowly pour the coolant and fill to the radiator filler neck and to the
reserve tank ’s “FULL” level mark. Do not pour the coolant too quickly,
as this may lead to insufficient air bleeding and trapped air in the sys-tem.
Coolant capacity: 2.5 liter models MT. 7.2 US qt (6.8 liters, 6.0 Imp qt) AT. 7.1 US qt (6.7 liters, 5.9 Imp qt)
3.0 liter models 8.4 US qt (7.9 liters, 7.0 Imp qt)
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Rubber gaskets
5. Put the radiator cap back on and tighten firmly. At this time, make
sure that the rubber gasket in the radiator cap is correctly in place.
6. Start and run the engine for more than five minutes at 2,000 to
3,000 rpm.

11-18
7. Stop the engine and wait until the coolant cools down (122 to 140°F [50 to 60 °C]). If there is any loss of coolant, add coolant to the
radiator’ s filler neck and to the reserve tank ’s “FULL” level.
8. Put the radiator cap and reservoir cap back on and tighten 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 cleaner element functions as a filter screen. When the element is
perforated or removed, engine wear will be excessive and engine life
shortened.
The air cleaner element is a viscous type. It is unnecessary to clean or wash the element. Replacing the air cleaner element
Replace the air cleaner element according to the maintenance sched-ule in the “Warranty and Maintenance Booklet ”. Under extremely
dusty conditions, replace it more frequently. It is recommended that
you always use genuine SUBARU parts.

Maintenance and service11-19
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n2.5 liter models
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1. Remove the bolt securing the rear air cleaner element case.
2. Unsnap the three clamps holding the rear air cleaner elementcase.
3. Separate the rear air cleaner element case from the front air clean-
er element case and remove the air cleaner element.
4. Clean the inside of the front and rear air cleaner element caseswith a damp cloth and install a new air cleaner element.
5. Insert the four projections on the rear air cleaner element case into
the slits on the front air cleaner element case and snap the three
clamps on the rear air cleaner element case and then tighten the bolt. n 3.0 liter models
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1. Unsnap the two clamps holding the air cleaner case cover.