engine SUBARU OUTBACK 2006 Owners Manual

Maintenance and service
11 - 1 3
– CONTINUED –SAE viscosity number and applicable
temperature
*: 5W-30 is preferred.
Engine oil viscosity (t hickness) affects fuel
economy. Oils of lower viscosity provide
better fuel economy. However, in hot
weather, oil of higher viscosity is required
to properly lubricate the engine.
„ Recommended grade and
viscosity under severe driv-
ing conditionsIf the vehicle is used in desert areas, in ar-
eas with very high temperatures, or used
for heavy-duty applications such as tow-
ing a trailer, use of oil with the following
grade and viscosities is recommended. API classification SM (or SL):
SAE viscosity No.:
30, 40, 10W-50, 20W-40, 20W-50
Cooling systemB00503
5W-30*
10W-30, 10W-40-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40
-20 06 020 80 10040
Never attempt to remove the radia-
tor cap until the engine has been
shut off and has cooled down com-
pletely. Since the coolant is under
pressure, you may suffer serious
burns from a spray of boiling hot
coolant when the cap is removed.
y The cooling system has been
filled at the factory with a high
quality, corrosion-inhibiting, year-
around coolant which provides
protection against freezing down
to –33 ° F (–36 ° C). For adding, use
genuine SUBARU coolant or an
equivalent: a mixture of 50% soft
water and 50% ethylene-glycol ba-
sis coolant. Use of improper cool-
ants may result in corrosion in the
cooling system. It is important to
maintain protection against freez-
ing and corrosion, even if freezing
temperatures are not expected.
Never mix different kinds of cool-
ant.

11 - 1 4 Maintenance and service
„ Hose and connectionsYour vehicle employs an electric cooling
fan which is thermostatically controlled to
operate when the engine coolant reaches
a specific temperature.
If the radiator coolin g fan does not operate
even when the engine coolant tempera-
ture gauge exceeds the normal operating
range, the cooling fan circuit may be de-
fective. Check the fuse and replace it if
necessary. If the fuse is not blown, have
the cooling system checked by your
SUBARU dealer.
If frequent addition of coolant is neces-
sary, there may be a leak in the engine
cooling system. It is recommended that
the cooling system and connections be
checked for leaks, damage, or looseness. „ Engine coolant T Checking the coolant level
Check the coolant level at each fuel stop.
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, remove the radiator cap and refill
as required. 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.y Do not splash the engine coolant
over painted parts. The alcohol
contained in the engine coolant
may damage the paint surface.
FULL
LOW 600151
y Be careful not to spill engine cool-
ant when adding it. If coolant
touches the exhaust pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or
a fire. If engine co olant gets on the
exhaust pipe, be sure to wipe it
off.
y Do not splash the engine coolant
over painted parts. The alcohol
contained in the engine coolant
may damage the paint surface. B00018

Maintenance and service
11 - 1 5
– CONTINUED –T Changing the coolant
Always add genuine Subaru cooling sys-
tem conditioner whenever the coolant is
replaced.
Change the engine coolant and add gen-
uine Subaru cooling system conditioner
using the following procedures according
to the maintenance schedule in the “War-
ranty and Maintenance Booklet”.
1. Remove the under cover.
2.5-liter models
1) Drain plug 3.0-liter models
1) Drain plug
2. Place a proper container under the
drain plug and loosen the drain plug.
3. Loosen the radiator cap to drain the
coolant from the radiator. Then drain the
coolant from the reserve tank. Tighten the
drain plug securely. 4. Install the under cover.
Non-turbo models
1) Fill up to here
Turbo models
1) Fill up to here1 B00422
Never attempt to remove the radia-
tor cap until the engine has been
shut off and has cooled down com-
pletely. Since the coolant is under
pressure, you may suffer serious
burns from a spray of boiling hot
coolant when the cap is removed. B00423
1
1 B00424
1
B00425

11 - 1 6 Maintenance and service
5. Slowly pour the coolant and fill up to
just below the filler neck, allowing enough
room to add genuine Subaru cooling sys-
tem conditioner in the radiator. Add genu-
ine Subaru cooling system conditioner un-
til the coolant level reaches the filler neck.
Do not pour the coolant too quickly, as this
may lead to insufficient air bleeding and
trapped air in the system. Coolant capacity (Guideline):
2.5-liter non-turbo models:
MT. 6.8 US qt (6.4 liters, 5.6 Imp qt)
AT. 6.7 US qt (6.3 liters, 5.5 Imp qt)
2.5-liter turbo models:
MT. 7.7 US qt (7.3 liters, 6.4 Imp qt)
AT. 7.6 US qt (7.2 liters, 6.3 Imp qt)
3.0-liter models:
7.6 US qt (7.2 liters, 6.3 Imp qt)
6. Pour the coolant and fill to the reservoir
tank’s “FULL” level mark. 7. Put the radiator cap back on and tight-
en firmly. At this time , make sure that the
rubber gasket in the radiator cap is cor-
rectly in place.
8. Start and run the engine for more than
five minutes at 2,000 to 3,000 rpm.
9. Stop the engine and wait until the cool-
ant 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.
10.Put the radiator cap and reservoir cap
back on and tighten firmly.y Be careful not to spill engine cool-
ant when adding it. If coolant
touches the exhaust pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or
a fire. If engine co olant gets on the
exhaust pipe, be sure to wipe it
off. y Do not splash the engine coolant
over painted parts. The alcohol
contained in the engine coolant
may damage the paint surface.
FULL
LOW 600151 B00018

Maintenance and service
11 - 1 7
– CONTINUED –Air cleaner element
The air cleaner element functions as a fil-
ter screen. When the element is perforat-
ed or removed, engine wear will be exces-
sive and engine life shortened.
The air cleaner element is a dry type. It is
unnecessary to clean or wash the ele-
ment.
„ Replacing the air cleaner ele-
mentReplace the air cleaner element according
to the maintenance schedule in the “War-
ranty and Maintenance Booklet”. Under
extremely dusty conditions, replace it
more frequently. It is recommended that
you always use genuine SUBARU parts. T Non-turbo models 0
1) Connector
2) Duct
3) Clamp
1. Unplug the connector that is attached
to the top of the air cleaner case.
2. Remove the hose that is located at the
bottom of the side surface of the air clean-
er case.
3. Undo the screw and pull the air duct
out of the air cleaner case.
4. Unsnap the two clamps holding the air
cleaner case cover. 5. Open the air cleaner case cover and
remove the air cleaner element.
6. Clean the inside of the air cleaner cov-
er and case with a damp cloth and install
a new air cleaner element.Do not operate the engine with the
air cleaner element removed. The air
cleaner element not only filters in-
take air but also stops flames if the
engine backfires. If the air cleaner
element is not installed when the en-
gine backfires, you could be burned. 13
2 B00426 B00114
B00115

11 - 2 0 Maintenance and service
Drive belts The alternator, power steering pump, and
air conditioner compressor depend on
drive belts. Satisfactory performance re-
quires that belt tension be correct.
„ 2.5-liter models
1) Power steering pump pulley
2) Air conditioner compressor pulley
3) Crank pulley in (mm)
To check belt tensi on, place a straight-
edge (ruler) across two adjacent pulleys
and apply a force of 22 lbs (98 N, 10 kg)
midway between the pulleys by using a
spring scale. Belt deflection should be the
amount specified.
„ 3.0-liter models It is unnecessary to check belt tension pe-
riodically because your engine is
equipped with an autom atic belt tension
adjuster. However, replacement of the
belt should be done according to the
maintenance schedule in the “Warranty
and Maintenance Booklet”. Consult your
SUBARU dealer for replacement.
If a belt is loose, cr acked, or worn, contact
your SUBARU dealer. Manual transmission oil „ Checking the oil level
Non-turbo models
1) Yellow handleAB 2
31
B00365 Deflection
New belt Used belt
A 0.28 – 0.35
(7.0 – 9.0) 0.35 – 0.43
(9.0 – 11.0)
B 0.30 – 0.33
(7.5 – 8.5) 0.35 – 0.40
(9.0 – 10.0) 1
B00427

Maintenance and service
11 - 2 1
Turbo models
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
stop the engine.
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 dipstick hole to
bring the level up to the upper level. „ Recommended grade and
viscosity Each oil manufacturer has its own base
oils and additives. Never use different
brands together. Oil grade:
API classification GL-5
SAE viscosity No. and applicable tem-
peratureB00196
Be careful not to spill manual trans-
mission oil when adding it. If oil
touches the exhaus t pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or a
fire. If oil gets on the exhaust pipe,
be sure to wipe it off.
L
F
FL1
2 1
2 B00368 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40
-20 0 60 20
80W
75W/90 80 10040
85W 90
B00032

11 - 2 2 Maintenance and service
Automatic transmission fluid „ Checking the fluid levelThe automatic transmission fluid expands
largely as its temperature rises; the fluid
level differs according to fluid tempera-
ture. Therefore, there are two different
scales for checking the level of hot fluid
and cold fluid on the dipstick.
Though the fluid level can be checked
without warming up the fluid on the
“COLD” range, we recommend checking
the fluid level when the fluid is at operating
temperature.
T Checking the fluid level when the
fluid is hot
Check the fluid level monthly.
1. Drive the vehicle se veral miles to raise
the temperature of the transmission fluid
up to normal operating temperature; 158
to 176 ° F (70 to 80 ° C) is normal.
2. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
set the parking brake.
3. First shift the selector lever in each po-
sition. Then shift it in the “P” position, and
run the engine at idling speed. 4-speed automatic transmission
1) Yellow handle
5-speed automatic transmission
1) Yellow handle 1) HOT range
2) COLD range
3) Upper level
4) Lower level
4. Pull out the dipstick and check the fluid
level on the gauge. If it is below the lower
level on the “HOT” range, add the recom-
mended automatic transmission fluid up to
the upper level.
T Checking the fluid level when the
fluid is cold
When the fluid level has to be checked
without time to warm up the automatic
transmission, check to see that the fluid
level is between the lower level and upper
level on the “COLD” range. If it is below
that range, add fluid up to the upper level.
Be careful not to overfill.1
B00428
1
B00429 3
43
4
2 1 B00370

Maintenance and service
11 - 2 3
– CONTINUED –„ Recommended fluid Use one of the following types of automat-
ic transmission fluid.
Genuine Subaru Automatic Transmis-
sion Fluid Type-HP
IDEMITSU ATF HP
Castrol Transmax J
Pennzoil ATF-J*
* Available only in the USA (except
Alaska and Hawaii)
NOTE Using any non-specified type of auto-
matic transmission fluid could result in
damage inside the transmission. When
replacing the automatic transmission
fluid, be sure to use the kind specified
above. Front differential gear oil (AT
vehicles) „ Checking the oil level
1) Yellow handle
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
stop the engine.
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 to bring the level up to the up-
per level.Be careful not to spill automatic
transmission fluid when adding it. If
automatic transmission fluid touch-
es the exhaust pipe, it may cause a
bad smell, smoke, and/or a fire. If au-
tomatic transmissi on fluid gets on
the exhaust pipe, be sure to wipe it
off. 1
B00430
Be careful not to spill front differen-
tial gear oil when adding it. If oil
touches the exhaust pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or a
fire. If oil gets on the exhaust pipe,
be sure to wipe it off. 1
2 B00372

Maintenance and service
11 - 2 7
Power steering fluid „ Checking the fluid level The power steering fluid expands greatly
as its temperature rises; the fluid level dif-
fers according to fluid temperature. There-
fore, the reservoir tank has two different
checking ranges for hot and cold fluids.
Check the power steering fluid level
monthly.
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface, and
stop the engine.
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 be-
tween “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 sur-
face of the reservoir tank.
3. If the fluid level is lower than the appli-
cable “MIN” line, add the recommended
fluid as necessary to bring the level be-
tween the “MIN” and “MAX” line. If the fluid level is extreme low, it may indi-
cate possible leakage. Consult your
SUBARU dealer for inspection.
„ Recommended fluid “Dexron III” Type Automatic Transmis-
sion Fluid
Be careful not to burn yourself be-
cause the fluid may be hot.
y When power steering fluid is be-
ing added, use only clean fluid,
and be careful not to allow any dirt
into the tank. And never use dif-
ferent brands together.
y Avoid spilling fluid when adding it
in the tank. HOT MAX
COLD MAX
HOT MIN
COLD MIN B00124y Be careful not to spill power steer-
ing fluid when adding it. If power
steering fluid touches the exhaust
pipe, it may cause a bad smell,
smoke, and/or a fire. If power
steering fluid gets on the exhaust
pipe, be sure to wipe it off.