climate control SUBARU OUTBACK 2003 3.G User Guide

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Bi-level heating
HB5014AA
This setting allows you to direct air of different temperatures from the
instrument panel and foot outlets. The air from the foot outlets is
slightly warmer than from the instrument panel outlets.
1. Set the air inlet selection button to the “OFF” position.
2. Set the air flow control dial to the “
” position.
3. Set the temperature control dial to the desired temperature level.
4. Set the fan speed control dial to the desired speed.
Setting the temperature control dial fully turned to the red area or blue
area decreases the temperature difference between the air from the
instrument panel outlets and the air from the foot outlets. Ventilation
WARNING
Continued operation in the “ON” position may fog up the win-
dows. Switch to the “OFF” position as soon as the outside dusty
condition clears.

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1. Set the air inlet selection button to the
“OFF” position.
2. Set the air flow control dial to the “
” position.
3. Set the air conditioner button to the “ON” position.
4. Set the temperature control dial to the blue area.
5. Set the fan speed control dial at the highest speed. Defrosting or defogging
HB5011BB
To direct warm air to the windshield and front door windows:
1. Set the air outlet control dial to the “ ” position.
2. Set the temperature control dial to the red area.
3. Set the fan speed control dial at the highest speed.

4-12Automatic climate control system (if equipped) NOTE
Operate the automatic climate control system when the engine is
running. When the engine coolant is cold, for instance in cold weather, the
air flows through the windshield defroster outlets and the blowerruns at the lowest speed to prevent cold air from blowing directly
against the driver and front passenger. In the “AUTO” mode, if the air temperature in the passenger
compartment is cooled down to the specified temperature, the air
conditioner compressor stops automatically. For efficient defogging
or dehumidifying in cold weather, press the “A/C” switch on.
Even when cooling is not necessary, setting the temperature
much lower than the current outlet air temperature turns on the airconditioner compressor automatically and the “A/C” indicator light
on the control panel comes on.
The automatic climate control system automatically controls outlet air
temperature, fan speed, air flow distribution air-inlet control, and air con-
ditioner compressor operation. It activates when the “AUTO” switch is
pressed, and is used in conjunction with the Temperature control dial to
maintain a constant, comfortable climate within the passenger compart-ment.
The temperature can be set within a range of 65 – 85 F (18 – 32 C).
NOTE
The temperature is shown in units of Fahrenheit for US model and in Centigrade for Canadian model.

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Control panel
HB4031BC
1. AUTO switch
2. OFF switch/BRIGHT
3. Outside air temperature switch
4. Defroster switch
5. Rear window defogger switch (Refer to the “Rear window defog-
ger” in chapter 3.)
6. Fan speed control switch
7. Air conditioner switch
8. Air flow control switch
9. Air inlet selection switch
10. Temperature control dial
11. In-vehicle temperature sensor. n AUTO switch
AUTO mode operation:
The Automatic Climate Control system automatically controls the air
temperature of the passenger compartment in the AUTO mode. Whenthe “AUTO” switch is pressed, the indicator light “AUTO” on the con-
trol panel comes on. In this state, outlet air temperature, fan speed, air
flow distribution, air-inlet control, and air conditioner compressor op-
eration are automatically controlled.

4-14ECON (economy) mode:
When you press the
“AUTO” switch while the system is in the AUTO
mode, it selects the ECON (economy) mode, turning on the“
ECON ” indicator light. In the ECON mode, the compressor runs to
be thrifty with energy consumption. Interior windows tend to fog in this
energy-saving operation. It is therefore recommended that the AUTOmode be used only in high humidity conditions. Manual mode operation:
When the Automatic Climate Control system is operating in the AUTO
mode, pressing the “
”, “”, “MODE”, “A/C” or
“
” switch shifts the operation into the “MANUAL” mode and the
indicator light “AUTO” on the control panel will go out.
When the “
”, “”, “MODE”, “A/C” or “”
switch is pressed, the corresponding function can be controlled inde-
pendently, while automatic control of the other functions are main-tained.
To change the system back to the AUTO mode, press the “AUTO”
switch. n OFF switch
The Automatic Climate Control system turns off (the air conditioner
compressor and fan turn off) when the “OFF” switch is pressed.
When the “OFF” switch is pressed, the outside air introduction mode
(“
” position) is automatically selected.
NOTE Display illumination dimness cancellation (BRIGHT): Setting the light switch to the “p ” or “ a ” position causes the
illuminating icons on the display panel to dim. When travelingwith the lights on in gloomy daylight or in twilight, press the OFFswitch for 1 second or longer if you feel it is too hard to identify
the icons clearly. The brightness comes back to normal.If you wish to dim the icons again, hold down the OFF switchagain or if you can safely do so, turn the light switch OFF andthen place it in the “p ” or “a ” position.

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n
OUT.TEMP switch
To check the outside air temperature, push the “OUT.TEMP” switch.
The outside air temperature will be displayed for five seconds, and
then the display automatically changes back to the inside air temper-
ature.
The display changes over from the inside air temperature to the out-
side air temperature as its normal indication if you keep the switch
pressed for more than 2 seconds. NOTE The outside air temperature display shows the outside air tem-
perature in a range from –22F to 131 F ( –30 C to 55 C).
You can check the outside air temperature even when the Au-
tomatic Climate Control is off. (The ignition switch should be in the “ON” position.)
In the following cases, the display can indicate a higher tem-
perature than the actual outside air temperature: – In direct sunlight
– When the vehicle is parked for a long period of time with the
engine kept running.– During stop and go driving
n
— Defroster switch
To defrost or dehumidify the windshield and side window, push the
defroster switch “
”. When the “” switch is pushed, re-
gardless whether the air conditioner is operating or not, outside air is
drawn into the passenger compartment, the air conditioner compres-
sor turns on, air flow is directed towards the windshield and side win-dows, and the indicator light “
” on the control panel comes on.
Even with the defroster switch pushed, you can turn the air condition-
er ON/OFF and select interior air recirculation or outside air introduc-
tion as desired.
After eliminating the fogging from the windshield, set the air condition-er back in the AUTO mode by pushing the “AUTO” switch or turn off
by pushing the “OFF” switch or “
” switch.

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n
MODE — Air flow control switch
(Ventilation) : Air flows through the instrument panel outlets.
(Bi-level) : Air flows through the instrument panel outlets and the foot outlets.
(Heat) : Air flows through the foot outlets and some through the windshield defroster outlets.
(Heat-def) : Air flows through the windshield defroster out- lets and foot outlet.
NOTE When the “
” mode is selected, the air conditioner compres-
sor operates automatically regardless of the position of the air
conditioner button to defog the windshield quickly. At the sametime, the air inlet selection is automatically set to “
” mode.
Even with this mode selected, you can turn the air conditioner
ON/OFF and select interior air recirculation or outside airintroduction as desired. n Air inlet selection switch
WARNING
Continued operation in the “
” position may fog up the win-
dows. Switch to the “
” position as soon as the outside
dusty condition clears.

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NOTE The temperature setting remains even after the ignition switch is turned to the
“OFF”. However, if the battery cables are discon-
nected, the temperature will be set to 77 F (25 C) automatically.
Set desired temperature by turning the temperature control dial; turn
the dial clockwise to raise the temperature setting and turn it counter-clockwise to lower it.
The temperature can be set in increments of 1 F within a range of 65
– 85 F for US models and in increments of 0.5 C within a range of 18
– 32 C for Canadian models.
Even when quick cooling or warming is necessary, you do not have to
change the temperature setting. The Automatic Climate Control sys-
tem operates at maximum performance until the air in the passenger
compartment reaches to the specified temperature. Temperature sensors
This Automatic Climate Control system employs the several sensors.
These are very delicate parts. Therefore, if these sensors are dam-
aged, it is possible that the Automatic Climate Control system will not
properly control the air temperature in the passenger compartment.
To prevent possible damage to the sensors, please observe the fol-lowing: – Do not allow anything to impact the sensors.
– Be careful not to let water contact the sensors.
– Do not cover the sensors.
The sensors are found at the following locations: –Sun-load sensor (beside the windshield defroster grille)
– In-vehicle temperature sensor (beside the temperature control
dial.)– Ambient sensor (at the under side of the bumper)

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closed during the operation of the air conditioner for maximum cool-
ing efficiency.
Lubrication oil circulation in the refrigerant circuit
Operate the air conditioner compressor at a low engine speed (at idle
or low driving speeds) a few minutes each month during the off-sea-
son to circulate its oil. Checking air conditioning system before summer season
Check the air conditioner unit for refrigerant leaks, hose conditions,
and proper operation each spring. This check is best performed by
your SUBARU dealer. Cooling and dehumidifying in high humidity and low tempera- ture weather condition
Under certain weather conditions (high relative humidity, low tempera-
tures, etc.) a small amount of water vapor emission from the air outlets
may be noticed. This condition is normal and does not indicate any
problem with the air conditioning system. Air conditioner compressor shut-off when engine is heavily loaded
To improve acceleration and gas mileage, the air conditioner com-
pressor is designed to temporarily shut off during air conditioner op-
eration whenever the accelerator is fully depressed such as during
rapid accerelation or when driving on a steep upgrade. Refrigerant for your climate control system
Your air conditioner uses ozone friendly refrigerant HFC134a. There-
fore, the method of adding, changing or checking the refrigerant is
different from the method for CFC12 (freon). Consult your SUBARU
dealer for service. Repairs needed as a result of using the wrong
refrigerant are not covered under warranty.

13-2For U.S.A.
The following information has been compiled according to Code of Fed-eral Regulations
“Title 49, Part 575 ”.
Uniform tire quality grading standards
This information indicates the relative performance of passenger car tires
in the area of treadwear, traction, and temperature resistance. This is to
aid the consumer in making an informed choice in the purchase of tires.
Quality grades can be found where applicable on the tire sidewall be-
tween tread shoulder and maximum section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
The quality grades apply to new pneumatic tires for use on passenger
cars. However, they do not apply to deep tread, winter type snow tires,
space-saver or temporary use spare tires, tires with nominal rim diame-
ters of 12 inches or less, or to some limited production tires.
All passenger car tires must confirm to Federal Safety Requirements in
addition to these grades. Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified govern-
ment test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and one-half (1-1/2)
times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100. The rela-
tive performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their
use, however, and may depart significantly from the norm due to varia-
tions in driving habits, service practices and differences in road charac-teristics and climate. Traction AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B and C. Those
grades represent the tire ’s ability to stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on specified government test surfaces of as-