climate control SUBARU OUTBACK 2010 5.G User Guide

4-6Climate control
!Air conditioner button
The air conditioner operates only when
the engine is running.
Press the air conditioner button while the
fan is in operation to turn on the air
conditioner. The indicator light will illumi-nate.
Press it again to turn off the air condi-
tioner. !
Air inlet selection buttonON position (recirculation): Interior air is
recirculated inside the vehicle.
Press the air inlet button to the ON
position. The indicator light will illuminate.
Place this button in the ON position when
you wish to cool the cabin quickly or are
driving on a dusty road.
OFF position (outside air): Outside air is
drawn into the passenger compartment.
Press the air inlet button again to the OFF
position. The indicator light will turn off.
Place this button in the OFF position when
you reach a road that is not dusty and
when you wish to achieve a comfortable
temperature in the cabin.
WARNING
Continued operation in the ON posi-
tion may fog up the windows. Switch
to the OFF position as soon as the
outside dusty condition clears.
& Heater operation
NOTE . When the “
”button or “”button
is pressed the air conditioner compres-
sor automatically operates to quickly
defog the windshield. However the
indicator on the air conditioner button
will not illuminate. At the same time,
the air inlet selection is automatically
set to “outside air ”mode.
. Warm air also comes out from the
right and left air outlets. To stop warm
air flow from these outlets, turn the
corresponding wheel to the “
”posi-
tion. ! Defrosting or defogging the wind- shield
To direct warm air to the windshield and
front door windows:
1. Set the air inlet selection button to the
OFF position.
2. Press the “
”button.

3. Turn the temperature control dial all
the way to the right.
4. Set the fan speed control dial to the
highest speed. !Heating and defrosting
To direct warm air toward the floor and the windshield:
1. Set the air inlet selection button to the
OFF position.
2. Press the “
”button.
3. Set the temperature control dial to the
most comfortable level.
4. Set the fan speed control dial to the
desired speed. ! Heating
To direct warm air toward the floor:
1. Set the air inlet selection button to the
OFF position.
2. Press the “
”button.
3. Set the temperature control dial to the
most comfortable level.
4. Set the fan speed control dial to the
desired speed. ! Bi-level heating
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. Press the
“
”button.
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
To force outside air through the instrument
panel outlets:
1. Set the air inlet selection button to the
OFF position.
2. Press the “
”button.
3. Set the temperature control dial all the
way left.
4. Set the fan speed control dial to the
desired speed.
When driving on a dusty road, set the air
inlet control button to the ON position.
WARNING
Continued operation in the ON posi-
tion may fog up the windows. Switch
to the OFF position as soon as the
outside dusty condition clears.
& Air conditioner operation
! Cooling or dehumidifying
For cooling and dehumidification of the
passenger compartment, air flows through
the instrument panel outlets:
1. Set the air inlet selection button to the
OFF position.
2. Press the “
”button.
3. Set the air conditioner button to the “ ON ”position.
4. Set the temperature control dial to the
blue side.
5. Set the fan speed control dial at the
desired speed. ! Defrosting or defogging
To direct warm air to the windshield and
front door windows:
1. Press the “
”button.
2. Set the temperature control dial to the
red side.
3. Set the fan speed control dial at the
highest speed. Climate control
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4-8Climate control
NOTE
When the “
”button or “”button is
pressed the air conditioner compres-
sor automatically operates to quickly
defog the windshield. However the
indicator on the air conditioner button
will not illuminate. At the same time,
the air inlet selection is automatically
set to “outside air ”mode. Automatic climate control
system (if equipped) NOTE .
Operate the automatic climate con-
trol system when the engine is running. . The blower fan rotates at a low
speed when the engine coolant tem-
perature is low.
For efficient defogging or dehumidify-
ing in cold weather, press the “A/C ”
button.. Even when cooling is not necessary,
setting the temperature much lower
than the current outlet air temperature
turns on the air conditioner compres-
sor automatically and the “A/C ”indi-
cator light on the control panel illumi-nates.
The automatic climate control system
automatically controls outlet air tempera-
ture, fan speed, air flow distribution air-
inlet control, and air conditioner compres-
sor operation. It activates when the fan
speed control button or the “AUTO ”button
is pressed, and is used to maintain a
constant, comfortable climate within the
passenger compartment. If you press the
defroster button while the automatic cli-
mate control system is deactivated, only
the defroster function will be activated. The temperature can be set within a range
of 61 to 89
8F (18.5 to 31.5 8C).

&Control panel1) Temperature control button (driver ’s side)
2) Dual mode button
3) Air flow mode selection button
4) Fan speed control button
5) Temperature control button (front pas- senger ’s side)
6) AUTO button
7) OFF button
8) Air inlet selection button
9) Defroster button
10) Rear window defogger button (Refer to “Defogger and deicer ”F 3-34.)
11) Air conditioner button Climate control
4-9
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4-10Climate control
! AUTO button
FULL AUTO mode operation:
When the “AUTO ”button is pressed, the
indicator light “FULL AUTO ”on the display
illuminates. In this state, fan speed, air
flow distribution, air-inlet control, and air
conditioner compressor operation are
automatically controlled.
AUTO mode operation:
If you operate any of the buttons on the
control panel other than the “OFF ”button,
rear window defogger button and tem-
perature control buttons during FULL
AUTO mode operation, the indicator light“ FULL ”on the control panel will turn off
and the indicator light “AUTO ”will remain
illuminated. You can then manually control
the system as desired using the button you operated. To change the system back
to the FULL AUTO mode, press the“
AUTO ”button.
! OFF button
The automatic climate control system
turns off (the air conditioner compressor
and fan turn off) when the “OFF ”button is
pressed.
When the “OFF ”button is pressed, the
outside air circulation mode (air inlet
selection OFF) is automatically selected. !
Temperature control button
Driver ’s side
Passenger ’s side
To increase the temperature setting, press the “
”side of the temperature control

button. To decrease the temperature
setting, press the“”side of the tempera-
ture control button.
Each temperature setting is shown on the
display. When the “LO ”is shown, the
system provides maximum cooling perfor-
mance. When the “HI ” is shown, the
system provides maximum heating perfor-mance. ! DUAL mode
It is possible to make separate tempera-
ture settings for the driver ’s side and
passenger ’s side (DUAL mode).
To activate the DUAL mode:
Press the “DUAL ”button. When the DUAL
mode is activated, the indicator light on the “DUAL ”button illuminates. To deactivate the DUAL mode:
Press the
“DUAL ”button again. When the
DUAL mode is deactivated, the indicator
light on the “DUAL ”button turns off and
the temperature setting for the frontpassenger ’s side becomes the same as
the setting for the driver ’s side.
!
– Defroster button
To defrost or dehumidify the windshield
and front door windows, press the defros-
ter button “
”. When the “”button is
pressed, the air conditioner compressor
automatically operates to quickly defog
the windshield, outside air is drawn into
the passenger compartment, air flow is
directed towards the windshield and front
door windows, and the indicator light on
the button illuminates. After eliminating the fogging from the
windshield, return the climate control
systemtotheFULLAUTOmodeby
pressing the
“AUTO ”button or turn off by
pressing the “OFF ”button.
Alternatively, press the “
”button again
to return the system to the setting that was
selected before you activated the defros-
ter. ! Fan speed control button
The fan speed control button has 6
different fan speed positions.
The fan speed is shown by the display. Climate control
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4-12Climate control
! A/C –Air conditioner button
If the windshield starts to fog when the
climate control system is operated in the
AUTO mode, press the air conditionerbutton “A/C ”to defog and dehumidify.
When this button is pressed, the air
conditioner compressor turns on and the
indicator light “A/C ”on the display illumi-
nates. To turn off the air conditioner
compressor, press the “A/C ”button again.
NOTE
The air conditioner compressor does
not operate when the outside air tem-
perature is below 32 8F(0 8C). !
Air flow mode selection buttonSelect the desired air flow mode by
pressing the air flow mode selection
button. The selected air flow mode is
shown on the display.
(Ventilation): Air flows through the
instrument panel outlets.
(Bi-level): Air flows through the instru-
ment panel outlets and the foot outlets.
(Heat): Air flows through the instrument
panel outlets, the foot outlets, and some
through the windshield defroster outlets.
(Heat-def): Air flows through the instru-
ment panel outlets, the windshield defros-
ter outlets, and the foot outlets. NOTE
When the
“
”mode is selected, the air
conditioner compressor automatically
operates to quickly defog the wind-
shield and the air inlet selection is
automatically set to the “outside air ”
mode. ! Air inlet selection button
Select air flow by pressing the air inlet
selection button “”.
ON position (recirculation): Interior air is
recirculated inside the vehicle. Press the
air inlet selection button to the ON position
for fast cooling with the air conditioner or
when driving on a dusty road. The
indicator light will illuminate.
OFF position (outside Air): Outside air is
drawn into the passenger compartment.

Press the air inlet selection button to the
OFF position when the interior has cooled
to a comfortable temperature and the road
is no longer dusty. The indicator light will
turn off.
WARNING
Continued operation in the ON posi-
tion (recirculation) may fog up the
windows. Switch to the OFF position
(outside air) as soon as the outside
dusty condition clears.
NOTE
When driving on a dusty road or behind
a vehicle that emits unpleasant exhaust
gases, set the air inlet selection button
to the ON position (recirculation).
From time to time, return the air inlet
selection button to the OFF position
(outside air) to draw outside air into the
passenger compartment. &
Temperature sensors
1) Solar sensor
2) Interior air temperature sensor
The automatic climate control system
employs several sensors. These sensors
are delicate. If they are treated incorrectly and become damaged, the system may
not be able to control the interior tempera-
ture correctly. To avoid damaging the
sensors, observe the following precau-tions: –
Do not subject the sensors to impact.
– Keep water away from the sensors.
– Do not cover the sensors.
The sensors are located as follows:– Solar sensor: beside windshield
defroster grille– Interior air temperature sensor: on the
side of the driver-side part of the center panel – Outside temperature sensor: behind
front grille. Climate control
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4-14Climate control
Operating tips for heater and
air conditioner &Cleaning ventilator grille
Always keep the front ventilator inlet grille
free of snow, leaves, or other obstructions
to ensure efficient heating and defrosting.
Since the condenser is located in front of
the radiator, this area should be kept clean
because cooling performance is impaired
by any accumulation of insects and leaves
on the condenser. &Efficient cooling after parking
in direct sunlight
After parking in direct sunlight, drive with
the windows open for a few minutes to
allow outside air to circulate into the heated interior. This results in quicker
cooling by the air conditioner. Keep the
windows closed during the operation of
the air conditioner for maximum cooling
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-season to circulate its oil. & Checking air conditioning
system before summer sea-son
Check the air conditioner unit for refriger-
ant leaks, hose conditions, and proper
operation each spring. Have the air con-
ditioning system checked by your
SUBARU dealer. & Cooling and dehumidifying in
high humidity and low tem-
perature weather condition
Under certain weather conditions (high
relative humidity, low temperatures, 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 compressor is designed
to temporarily shut off during air condi-
tioner operation whenever the accelerator
is fully depressed such as during rapid
acceleration or when driving on a steepupgrade. & Refrigerant for your climate
control system
Your air conditioner uses ozone friendly
refrigerant HFC134a. Therefore, the meth-
od 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.

Air filtration system
Your vehicle’s air conditioning system is
equipped with an air filtration system.
Replace the air filter element according
to the replacement schedule shown in the
following table. This schedule should be
followed to maintain the filter ’s dust
collection ability. Under extremely dusty
conditions, the filter should be replaced
more frequently. Have your filter checked
or replaced by your SUBARU dealer. For
replacement, use only a genuine
SUBARU air filter kit.
Replacement schedule: Every 15 months or 15,000 miles (24,000
km) whichever comes first
CAUTION
Contact your SUBARU dealer if the
following occurs, even if it is not yet
time to change the filter. . Reduction of the air flow through
the vents.
. Windshield gets easily fogged or
misted. NOTE
The filter can influence the air condi-
tioning, heating and defroster perfor-
mance if not properly maintained. &
Replacing an air filter
1. Remove the glove box. (1) Open the glove box.
(2) Remove the damper shaft from the
glove box.
(3) Pull out the glove box.
2. Remove the cover of the air filter. Climate control
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