3-94
Instruments and controls/Wiper and washer
. In freezing weather, be sure that
the wiper blades are not frozen to
the windshield or rear window
before switching on the wipers.
Attempting to operate the wiper
with the blades frozen to the
window glass could cause not
only the wiper blades to be
damaged but also the wiper motor to burn out. If the wiper
blades are frozen to the window
glass, be sure to operate the
defroster, windshield wiper deicer (if equipped) or rear window
defogger before turning on the
wiper.
. If the wipers stop during operation because of ice or some other
obstruction on the window, the
wiper motor could burn out even
if the wiper switch is turned off. If
this occurs, promptly stop the
vehicle in a safe place, turn the
ignition switch to the “LOCK”/
“OFF” position and clean the
window glass to allow proper
wiper operation.
. Use clean water if windshield
washer fluid is unavailable. In
areas where water freezes in
winter, use SUBARU Windshield
Washer Fluid or the equivalent.
Refer to “Windshield washer
fluid” F11-30.
Also, when driving the vehicle
when there are freezing temperatures, use non-freezing type wiper blades.
. Do not clean the wiper blades
with gasoline or a solvent, such
as paint thinner or benzine. This
will cause deterioration of the
wiper blades.
NOTE
. The windshield wiper motor is protected against overloads by a circuit
breaker. If the motor operates continuously under an unusually heavy load,
the circuit breaker may trip to stop the
motor temporarily. If this happens, park
your vehicle in a safe place, turn off the
wiper switch, and wait for approximately 10 minutes. The circuit breaker
will reset itself, and the wipers will
again operate normally.
. Clean your wiper blades and window glass periodically with a washer
solution to prevent streaking, and to
remove accumulations of road salt or
road film. Operate the windshield
washer for at least 1 second so that
washer solution will be sprinkled all
over the windshield or rear window.
. Grease, wax, insects or other material on the windshield or the wiper
blade results in jerky wiper operation
and streaking on the glass. If you
cannot remove those streaks after
operating the washer or if the wiper
operation is jerky, clean the outer surface of the windshield or rear window
and the wiper blades using a sponge or
soft cloth with a neutral detergent or
mild-abrasive cleaner. After cleaning,
rinse the window glass and wiper
blades with clean water. The glass is
clean if no beads form on the glass
when you rinse with water.
. If you cannot eliminate the streaking
even after following this procedure,
replace the wiper blades with new
ones. For replacement instructions,
refer to “Replacement of wiper blades”
F11-31.