warning SUBARU TRIBECA 2008 Owners Manual

Cooling system
WARNING
Never attempt to remove the radia-
tor cap until the engine has been
shut off and has cooled down
completely. Since the coolant is
under pressure, you may suffer
serious burns from a spray of boil-
ing hot coolant when the cap is
removed.
CAUTION
.The cooling system has been
filled at the factory with a high
quality, corrosion-inhibiting,
year-around coolant which pro-
vides protection against freezing
down to −33 8F( −36 8C).
Subaru engines use aluminum
components that require the
anti-corrosive and anti-freeze
properties of Subaru Genuine
Coolant, which is specifically
formulated for the Subaru cool-
ing system. Failure to use Subaru
Genuine Coolant along with
Subaru Cooling System Condi-
tioner at the recommended main- tenance intervals may result in
problems, including, but not lim-
ited to shortened life of engine
components and cooling system
clogging, coolant leaks and en-
gine damage from overheating.
Problems caused by the failure to
use Subaru Genuine Coolant and
Subaru Cooling System Condi-
tioner at recommended intervals
are not covered under the
Subaru Limited Warranty.
While there may be other generic
products that may provide the
required protection, they have
not been tested for compatibility
with Subaru engines and cooling
system components, and there-
fore not recommended.
. Do not splash the engine coolant
over painted parts. The alcohol
contained in the engine coolant
may damage the paint surface.
& 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 cooling fan does not operate even when the engine coolant tempera-
ture gauge exceeds the normal operating
range, the cooling fan circuit may be
defective. 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! Checking the coolant levelCheck the coolant level at each fuel stop.
1. Check the coolant level on the outside
of the reservoir while the engine is cool.
Maintenance and service
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11-12
Maintenance and service
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.
CAUTION
. Be careful not to spill engine
coolant when adding it. If coolant
touches the exhaust pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or
a fire. If engine coolant gets on
the exhaust pipe, be sure to wipe
it off. .
Do not splash the engine coolant
over painted parts. The alcohol
contained in the engine coolant
may damage the paint surface.
! Changing the coolant
Always add genuine Subaru cooling sys-
tem conditioner whenever the coolant is
replaced.
Change the engine coolant and add
genuine Subaru cooling system condi-
tioner 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 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.
WARNING
Never attempt to remove the radia-
tor cap until the engine has been
shut off and has cooled down
completely. Since the coolant is
under pressure, you may suffer
serious burns from a spray of boil-
ing hot coolant when the cap is
removed.
4. Install the under cover.1) Fill up to here5. Slowly pour the coolant and fill up to
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11-14
Maintenance and service
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.
CAUTION
When replacing the air cleaner ele-
ment, use a genuine SUBARU air
cleaner element. If it is not used,
there is the possibility of causing a
negative effect to the engine.
The air cleaner element functions as a
filter screen. When the element is perfo-
rated or removed, engine wear will be
excessive 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
elementReplace the air cleaner element according
to the maintenance schedule in the
“Warranty and Maintenance Booklet ”. Un-
der extremely dusty conditions, replace it
more frequently. It is recommended that
you always use genuine SUBARU parts.1. Unsnap the two clamps holding the air
cleaner case cover.
2. Open the air cleaner case cover and
remove the air cleaner element.
3. Install a new air cleaner element.
4. To install the air cleaner case cover,
snap the two clamps on the air cleaner
case cover.
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SAE viscosity No. and applicable tempera-
ture
Power steering fluid&Checking the fluid level
WARNING
Be careful not to burn yourself
because the fluid may be hot.
CAUTION
. When power steering fluid is
being added, use only clean fluid,
and be careful not to allow any
dirt into the tank. And never use
different brands together.
. Avoid spilling fluid when adding
it in the tank. .
Be careful not to spill power
steering 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.
The power steering fluid expands greatly
as its temperature rises; the fluid level
differs according to fluid temperature.
Therefore, 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
between “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
surface of the reservoir tank.
3. If the fluid level is lower than the
applicable “MIN ”line, add the recom-
Maintenance and service
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11-20
Maintenance and service
mended fluid as necessary to bring the
level between the“MIN”and “MAX ”line.
If the fluid level is extreme low, it may
indicate possible leakage. Consult your
SUBARU dealer for inspection.& Recommended fluidUse one of the following types of auto-
matic transmission fluid.
Genuine Subaru Automatic Transmis-
sion Fluid Type-HP
“Dexron III ”Type Automatic Transmis-
sion Fluid
Brake fluid& Checking the fluid level
WARNING
. Never let brake fluid contact your
eyes because brake fluid can be
harmful to your eyes. If brake
fluid gets in your eyes, immedi-
ately flush them thoroughly with
clean water. For safety, when
performing this work, wearing
eye protection is advisable.
. Brake fluid absorbs moisture
from the air. Any absorbed moist-
ure can cause a dangerous loss
of braking performance.
. If the vehicle requires frequent
refilling, there may be a leak. If
you suspect a problem, have the
vehicle checked at your SUBARU
dealer.
CAUTION
. Never use different brands of
brake fluid together. Also, avoid
mixing DOT 3 and DOT 4 brake
fluids even if they are of the same
brand. .
When adding brake fluid, be care-
ful not to allow any dirt into the
reservoir.
. Never splash the brake fluid over
painted surfaces or rubber parts.
Alcohol contained in the brake
fluid may damage them.
. Be careful not to spill brake fluid
when adding it. If brake fluid
touches the exhaust pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or
a fire. If brake fluid gets on the
exhaust pipe, be sure to wipe it
off.
Check the fluid level monthly.
Check the fluid level on the outside of the
reservoir. If the level is below “MIN”, add
the recommended brake fluid to “MAX”.
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11-22
Maintenance and service
&Checking the brake pedal
reserve distance1) More than 2.16 in (55 mm)Depress the pedal with a force of approxi-
mately 66 lbs (294 N, 30 kg) and measure
the distance between the upper surface of
the pedal pad and the floor.
When the measurement is smaller than
the specification, or when the pedal does
not operate smoothly, contact with your
SUBARU dealer.
Replacement of brake pad
and lining
CAUTION
If you continue to drive despite the
scraping noise from the audible
brake pad wear indicator, it will
result in the need for costly brake
rotor repair or replacement.The front disc brake and the right rear disc
brake have audible wear indicators on the
brake pads. If the brake pads wear close
to their service limit, the wear indicator
makes a very audible scraping noise
when the brake pedal is applied.
If you hear this scraping noise each time you apply the brake pedal, have the brake
pads serviced by your SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible.
&
Breaking-in of new brake
pads and liningsWhen replacing the brake pad or lining,
use only genuine SUBARU parts. After
replacement, the new parts must be
broken in as follows:
! Brake pad and lining
While maintaining a speed of 30 to 40
mph (50 to 65 km/h), step on the brake
pedal lightly. Repeat this five or more
times.
! Parking brake lining
WARNING
A safe location and situation should
be selected for break-in driving.
CAUTION
Pressing the parking brake pedal
too forcefully may cause the rear
wheels to lock. To avoid this, be
certain to press the pedal slowly
and gently.
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11-24
Maintenance and service
replace all four tires.
!Winter (snow) tires
Winter tires are best suited for driving on
snow-covered and icy roads. However
winter tires do not perform as well as
summer tires and all season tires on roads
other than snow-covered and icy roads.& Tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS)The tire pressure monitoring system pro-
vides the driver with a warning message
by sending a signal from a sensor that is
installed in each wheel when tire pressure
is severely low. The tire pressure monitor-
ing system will activate only when the
vehicle is driven. Also, this system may
not react immediately to a sudden drop in
tire pressure (for example, a blow-out
caused by running over a sharp object).
If you adjust the tire pressures in a warm
garage and will then drive the vehicle in
cold outside air, the resulting drop in tire
pressures may cause the low tire pressure
warning light to come on. To avoid this
problem when adjusting the tire pressures
in a warm garage, inflate the tires to
pressures higher than those shown on the
tire placard. Specifically, inflate them by an
extra 1 psi (6.9 kPa, 0.07 kgf/cm
2) for
every difference of 10 8F (5.6 8C) between the temperature in the garage and the
temperature outside. By way of example,
the following table shows the required tire
pressures that correspond to various out-
side temperatures when the temperature
in the garage is 60
8F (15.6 8C).
Standard tire pressures:
Front: 33 psi (230 kPa, 2.3 kgf/cm
2)
Rear: 32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm2)
Garage temperature: 60 8F (15.6 8C)
Outside
temperature Adjusted pressure
[psi (kPa, kgf/cm
2)]
front rear
30 8F( −18C) 36 (250, 2.5) 35 (240, 2.4)
10 8F( −12 8C) 38
(265, 2.65) 37
(255, 2.55)
−10 8F
( −23 8C) 40 (280, 2.8) 39 (270, 2.7)
If the low tire pressure warning light
comes on when you drive the vehicle in
cold outside air after adjusting the tire
pressures in a warm garage, re-adjust the
tire pressures using the method described
above. Then, increase the vehicle speed
to at least 20 mph (32 km/h) and check to
see that the low tire pressure warning light
goes off a few minutes later. If the low tire
pressure warning light does not go off, the
tire pressure monitoring system may not be functioning normally. In this event, go
to a SUBARU dealer to have the system
inspected as soon as possible.
While the vehicle is driven, friction be-
tween tires and the road surface causes
the tires to warm up. After illumination of
the low tire pressure warning light, any
increase in the tire pressures caused by
an increase in the outside air temperature
or by an increase in the temperature in the
tires can cause the low tire pressure
warning light to go off.
System resetting is necessary when the
wheels are changed (for example, a
switch to snow tires) and new TPMS
valves are installed on the newly fitted
wheels. Have this work performed by a
SUBARU dealer following wheel replace-
ment.
It may not be possible to install TPMS
valves on certain wheels that are on the
market. Therefore, if you change the
wheels (for example, a switch to snow
tires), use wheels that have the same part
number as the standard-equipment
wheels. Without four operational TPMS
valve/sensors on the wheels, the TPMS
will not fully function and the warning light
in the instrument panel will illuminate
steadily after blinking for approximately
one minute.
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When a tire is replaced, adjustments are
necessary to ensure continued normal
operation of the tire pressure monitoring
system. As with wheel replacement, there-
fore, you should have the work performed
by a SUBARU dealer.
WARNING
If the low tire pressure warning light
does not come on briefly after the
ignition switch is turned ON or the
light illuminates steadily after blink-
ing for approximately one minute,
you should have your Tire Pressure
Monitoring System checked at a
SUBARU dealer as soon as possi-
ble.
If this light comes on while driving,
never brake suddenly and keep
driving straight ahead while gradu-
ally reducing speed. Then slowly
pull off the road to a safe place.
Otherwise an accident involving
serious vehicle damage and serious
personal injury could occur.
If this light still comes on while
driving after adjusting the tire pres-
sure, a tire may have significant
damage and a fast leak that causes
the tire to lose air rapidly. If you have
a flat tire, replace it with a spare tireas soon as possible.
When a spare tire is mounted or a
wheel rim is replaced without the
original pressure sensor/transmitter
being transferred, the low tire pres-
sure warning light will illuminate
steadily after blinking for approxi-
mately one minute. This indicates
the TPMS is unable to monitor all
four road wheels. Contact your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible
for tire and sensor replacement and/
or system resetting. If the light
illuminates steadily after blinking
for approximately one minute,
promptly contact a SUBARU dealer
to have the system inspected.
&
Tire inspectionCheck on a daily basis that the tires are
free from serious damage, nails, and
stones. At the same time, check the tires
for abnormal wear.
Contact your SUBARU dealer immedi-
ately if you find any problem.NOTE. When the wheels and tires strike
curbs or are subjected to harsh treat-
ment as when the vehicle is driven on a
rough surface, they can suffer damage that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
This type of damage does not become
evident until time has passed. Try not
to drive over curbs, potholes or on
other rough surfaces. If doing so is
unavoidable, keep the vehicle
’s speed
down to a walking pace or less, and
approach the curbs as squarely as
possible. Also, make sure the tires are
not pressed against the curb when you
park the vehicle.
. If you feel unusual vibration while
driving or find it difficult to steer the
vehicle in a straight line, one of the
tires and/or wheels may be damaged.
Drive slowly to the nearest authorized
SUBARU dealer and have the vehicle
inspected.
& Tire pressures and wearMaintaining the correct tire pressures
helps to maximize the tires ’service lives
and is essential for good running perfor-
mance. Check and, if necessary, adjust
the pressure of each tire (including the
spare) at least once a month (for example,
during a fuel stop) and before any long
journey.
Maintenance and service
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11-26
Maintenance and service
Check the tire pressures when the tires
are cold. Use a pressure gauge to adjust
the tire pressures to the values shown on
the tire placard. The tire placard is located
on the door pillar on the driver’s side.
Driving even a short distance warms up
the tires and increases the tire pressures.
Also, the tire pressures are affected by the
outside temperature. It is best to check tire
pressure outdoors before driving the
vehicle.
When a tire becomes warm, the air inside
it expands, causing the tire pressure to
increase. Be careful not to mistakenly
release air from a warm tire to reduce its
pressure.
NOTE. The air pressure in a tire increases
by approximately 4.3 psi (30 kPa, 0.3
kgf/cm
2) when the tire becomes warm.
. The tires are considered cold when
the vehicle has been parked for at least
three hours or has been driven less
than one mile (1.6 km).
WARNING
Do not let air out of warm tires to
adjust pressure. Doing so will result
in low tire pressure.
Incorrect tire pressures detract from con-
trollability and ride comfort, and they
cause the tires to wear abnormally. .
Correct tire pressure (tread worn
evenly)
Roadholding is good, and steering is
responsive. Rolling resistance is low, so
fuel consumption is also lower.
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.Abnormally low tire pressure (tread
worn at shoulders)Rolling resistance is high, so fuel con-
sumption is also higher. .
Abnormally high tire pressure (tread
worn in center)
Ride comfort is poor. Also, the tire
magnifies the effects of road-surface
bumps and dips, possibly resulting in
vehicle damage.
WARNING
Driving at high speeds with exces-
sively low tire pressures can cause
the tires to deform severely and to
rapidly become hot. A sharp in-
crease in temperature could cause
tread separation, and destruction of
the tires. The resulting loss of
vehicle control could lead to an
accident.
& Wheel balanceEach wheel was correctly balanced when
your vehicle was new, but the wheels will
become unbalanced as the tires become
worn during use. Wheel imbalance causes
the steering wheel to vibrate slightly at
certain vehicle speeds and detracts from
the vehicle ’s straight-line stability. It can
also cause steering and suspension sys-
tem problems and abnormal tire wear. If
you suspect that the wheels are not
correctly balanced, have them checked
and adjusted by your SUBARU dealer.
Also have them adjusted after tire repairs
and after tire rotation.NOTELoss of correct wheel alignment*
causes the tires to wear on one side
and reduces the vehicle ’s running
stability. Contact your SUBARU dealer
if you notice abnormal tire wear.*: The suspension system is designed to hold
each wheel at a certain alignment (relative to
the other wheels and to the road) for optimum
straight-line stability and cornering perfor-
mance. Maintenance and service
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