Subaru Forester: Checking the fluid level when the fluid is hot

Subaru Forester / Subaru Forester Owner's Manual / Maintenance and service / Automatic transmission fluid / Checking the fluid level / Checking the fluid level when the fluid is hot

1. Drive the vehicle several miles to raise the temperature of the transmission fluid up to normal operating temperature; 158 to 1768F (70 to 808C) is normal.

2. Park the vehicle on a level surface and set the parking brake.

3. First shift the select lever in each position. Then shift it in the “P” position, and run the engine at idling speed.

1) Yellow handle

1) HOT range

1) HOT range
2) COLD range
3) Upper level
4) Lower level

4. Pull out the level gauge and check the fluid level on the gauge. If it is below the lower level on the “HOT” range, add the recommended automatic transmission fluid up to the upper level.

Checking the fluid level

The automatic transmission fluid expands largely as its temperature rises; the fluid level differs according to fluid temperature. Therefore, there are two different scales for checking the lev ...

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. ...