air condition Lexus GX470 2006 Basic Functions In Frequent Use / LEXUS 2006 GX470 (OM60B99U) Service Manual

STARTING AND DRIVING
392For vehicles sold in Canada
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) this device may not cause interference, and (2) this de-
vice must accept any interference, including interference
that may cause undesired operation of the device.
Replacing tires and wheels
When replacing the wheels, be sure to install air pressure
sensors on the wheels.
There are 3 ways to set up the air pressure sensors:
(a) Remove the sensor
from the old wheel and install it to the
new wheel.
(b) Keep the same wheel with air pressure sensor and replace
only the tire.
(c) Use a new wheel and sensor.
You have to register an ID code for a new sensor. Up to 2 sets
of codes can be registered. As one ID for the originally installed
sensor is registered at “MAIN” of the selector switch, use the
“2nd” position to register an ID for the new sensor.
You do not need to re −register the ID code for any other
replacements. For the use of the originally installed tires, put
the selector switch at “MAIN” and for the use of tires set
purchased later, put the switch at “2nd”. For the sensor
selector switch, see page 393.

DRIVING TIPS
4145. Wait for about 20 seconds until the rear vehicle height is
lowered by the automatic leveling function.
6. Make sure the hitch is disconnected. If not, raise the hitch
higher and repeat steps 2 through 5.
7. Move the vehicle
forward in the “LO” (low) mode where the
hitch does not touch anything in the “N” (normal) mode.
8. Put the rear height control air suspension in the “N” (normal)
mode.
Pretowing safety check
 Check that your vehicle remains level when a loaded or
unloaded trailer is hitched. Do not drive if the vehicle has an
abnormal nose −up or nose− down condition, and check for
improper tongue load, overload, worn suspension or other
possible causes.
 Make sure the trailer cargo is securely loaded so that it
cannot shift.
 Check that your rear view mirrors conform to any federal,
state/provincial or local regulations. If they do not, install
required rear view mirrors appropriate for towing purposes.
Trailer towing tips
When towing a trailer, your vehicle will handle differently
than when not towing. The three main causes of
vehicletrailer accidents are driver error, excessive speed
and improper trailer loading. Keep these in mind when
towing:
 Before starting out, check the operation of the lights and all
vehicle −trailer connections. After driving a short distance,
stop and recheck the lights and connections. Practice
turning, stopping and backing with a trailer in an area away
from traffic until you learn the feel.
 Backing with a trailer is difficult and requires practice. Grip
the bottom of the steering whe el and move your hand to the
left to move the trailer to the left. Move your hand to the right
to move the trailer to the right. (This procedure is generally
opposite to that when backing without a trailer.) Also, just
turn the steering wheel a little at a time, avoiding sharp or
prolonged turning. Have someone guide you when backing
to reduce the risk of an accident.
 Because stopping distance may be increased,
vehicle −to−vehicle distance should be increased when
towing a trailer. For each 16 km/h (10 mph) of speed, allow
at least one vehicle and trailer length between you and the
vehicle ahead. Avoid sudden braking as you may skid,
resulting in jackknifing and loss of control. This is especially
true on wet or slippery surfaces.

DRIVING TIPS
415

Avoid jerky starts or sudden acceleration.
 Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns. The trailer could hit
your vehicle in a tight turn. Slow down before making a turn
to avoid the need of sudden braking.
 Remember that when making a turn, the trailer wheels will
be closer than the vehicle wheels to the inside of the turn.
Therefore, compensate for this by making a larger than
normal turning radius with your vehicle.
 Crosswinds and rough roads will adversely affect handling
of your vehicle and trailer, causing sway. Pay attention to
the rear from time to time to prepare yourself for being
passed by large trucks or buses, which may cause your
vehicle and trailer to sway. If swaying happens, firmly grip
the steering wheel and reduce speed immediately but
gradually. Never increase speed. If it is necessary to
reduce speed, brake slowly. Steer straight ahead. If you
make no extreme correction with the steering or brakes,
your vehicle and trailer will stabilize.
 Be careful when passing other vehicles. Passing requires
considerable distance. After passing a vehicle, do not forget
the length of your trailer and be sure you have plenty of room
before changing lanes.
 In order to maintain efficient engine braking and electrical
charging performance, do not use overdrive. Transmission
must be “4” position. 
Because of the added load of the trailer, your vehicle’s
engine may overheat on hot days (at temperatures over
30C [85 F]) when going up a long or steep grade with a
trailer. If the engine coolant temperature gauge indicates
overheating, immediately turn off the air conditioning (if in
use), pull your vehicle off the road and stop in a safe spot.
See “If your vehicle overheats” on page 431.
 Always pl ace wheel blocks under both the vehicle and trailer
wheels when parking. Apply the parking brake firmly. Put
the transmission in “P”. Avoid parking on a slope with a
trailer, but if it cannot be avoided, do so only after performing
the following:
1. Apply the brakes and keep them applied.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks under both the vehicle
and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release your brakes
slowly until the blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the parking brake firmly.
5. Shift into “P” and turn off the engine.

DRIVING TIPS
417

Avoid engine overrevving. Use a gear position suitable
for the road on which you are traveling.
 Avoid continuous speeding up and slowing down.
Stop−and−go driving wastes fuel.
 Avoid unnecessary stopping and braking. Maintain a
steady pace. Try to time the traf fic signals so you only need
to stop as little as possible or take advantage of through
streets to avoid traffic lights. Keep a proper distance from
other vehicles to avoid sudden braking. This will also
reduce wear on your brakes.
 Avoid heavy traffic or traffic jams whenever possible.
 Do not rest your foot on the brake pedal. This causes
premature wear, overheating and poor fuel economy.
 Maintain a moderate speed on highways. The faster you
drive, the greater the fuel consumption. By reducing your
speed, you will cut down on fuel consumption.
 Keep the front wheels in proper alignment. Avoid hitting
the curb and slow down on rough roads. Improper
alignment not only causes faster tire wear but also puts an
extra load on the engine, which, in turn, wastes fuel.
 Keep the bottom of your vehicle free from mud, etc. This
not only lessens weight but also helps prevent corrosion. 
Keep your vehicle tunedup and in top shape. A dirty air
cleaner, improper valve clearance, dirty plugs, dirty oil and
grease, brakes not adjusted, etc. all lower engine
performance and contribute to poor fuel economy. For
longer life of all parts and lower operating costs, keep all
maintenance work on schedule, and if you often drive under
severe conditions, see that your vehicle receives more
frequent maintenance. (For scheduled maintenance
information, please refer to the “Owner’s Manual
Supplement/Scheduled Maintenance”.)
CAUTION
Never turn off the engine to coast down hills. Your
power steering and brake booster will not function
without the engine running. Also, the emission control
system operates properly only when the engine is
running.

IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
431
IF YOUR VEHICLE OVERHEATS
If your engine coolant temperature gauge indicates
overheating, if you experience a loss of power, or if you
hear a loud knocking or pinging noise, the engine has
probably overheated.
When the engine overheats
Pull safely off the road, stop the vehicle and turn on your
emergency flashers. Put the transmission in “P” and apply the
parking brake.
A: If steam is coming from your engine:
Turn off the engine. Leave the hood closed until there is no sign
of steam or coolant. Your engine could have been seriously
damaged already. Call your Lexus dealer for assistance.
CAUTION
To help avoid personal injury, keep the hood closed until
there is no steam. Escaping steam or coolant is sign of
very high pressure.
B: If no steam is coming from your engine:
Leave the engine running and turn off the air conditioning.
Check the following.
 Is the cooling fan operating?
 Is the coolant in the acceptable range?
 Is the engine drive belt O.K.?
CAUTION
When the engine is running, keep hands and clothing
away from the moving fan and engine drive belt.
 Do not attempt to remove the radiator cap when the
engine and radiator are hot. Serious injury could
result from scalding hot fluid and steam blown out
under pressure.
If the cooling fan is not operating or the coolant is not in the
acceptable range, turn off the engine and call your Lexus
dealer.
If both conditions are O.K., after the engine coolant
temperature has cooled to normal, continue driving your
vehicle.
If the engine coolant temperature does not cool down, or your
vehicle overheats again, have it checked as soon as possible
by your Lexus dealer.

IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
448TOWING PRECAUTIONS:
Use a safety chain system for all towing, and abide by the
state/provincial and local laws. The wheels and axle on the
ground must be in good condition. If they are damaged, use
a towing dolly.
CAUTION
When
your vehicle is towed, put the vehicle height in the
“N” (normal) mode and push the “HEIGHT CONTROL
OFF” switch to turn off the rear height control air
suspension. Otherwise, the vehicle height may be
changed in the automatic leveling function, resulting in
accident. For details, see “Rear height control air
suspension” on page 366.
(a) Towing with a wheel lift type truck
 From front
Use a towing dolly under the rear wheels.
NOTICE
Never tow a vehicle with an automatic transmission
from the front with rear wheels on the ground, as this
may cause serious damage to the transmission.

IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
4706. Say “Dial”.
Lexus
Link sends tone. The system will respond to the number
1.
INFORMATION
 To differentiate pound and star from other numbers
and commands, you must use the commands
“Pound key” and “Star key”.
 The Lexus Link voiceactivated keypad understands
only numbers, star key and pound key. It does not
understand stored nametags.
 You can erase the last number entered by saying
“Clear”.
STORING/DELETING NUMBERS IN MEMORY
(NAMETAGS)
Your Lexus Link System can store up to 20 phone
numbers. These numbers can be dialed by sim ply saying
“Call”, then saying the nametag.
Tips for creating nametags:
 Short nametags that are similar may be easily confused by
the system. You may get better recognition of your
nametags if you make them longer, for example “George
Washington” (no pause), instead of “George” only.
 The best way to store a nametag is when it is quiet inside the
vehicle. The vehicle should be stationary and the air
conditioning fan turned off.
 When you have finished speaking your phone number, you
do not need to say “Store number” or “Dial” to indicate that\
you are done. If you pause and say nothing, the system will
ask you if you want to store or dial. Say “Yes”.

IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
475
General tips for better speech recognition:
<Noise>
Noise may confuse the speech recognition system. You
usually get better performance from the system in quieter
conditions:

The air conditioning/heater fan creates noise. Turn it down
or off for better speech system performance.
 Driving at high speeds creates louder engine noise and wind
noise. You may get better results at lower speeds.
 An open window or an open moon roof results in more noise
in the vehicle. Close all windows for better results.
 Noisy rainstorms can also reduce performance.
 If passengers are talking while you use the speech system,
it may be confused by their speech. You will get better
results if all occupants of the vehicle are quiet while the
system is listening for commands.
<When to speak>
Personal calling — the system is only listening for about 5
seconds after it prompts you to speak. If the system does not
hear a response, it will prompt you again, or cancel the
transaction. If you begin to speak too soon, it will tell you
“Slower, please”. Try pausing for a half second before
speaking. <How to speak>

Speak forcefully and clearly. The noisier the environment,
the louder you need to speak. If you are in the driver’s seat,
speak facing the front of the vehicle. If you are a passenger,
speak facing the inside rear view mirror.
 Speak calmly and naturally. The system may sometimes fail
to hear your repeated attempts to give a command. If your
speech is distorted by shouting or frustration, this may
cause more errors.
 People with high− pitched voices may have better results by
speaking in a deeper, lower−pitched voice. However, do not
lower the volume of the voice.
 Avoid speaking with a rising intonation, like asking a
question. Use a flat or falling intonation, like giving an
answer.

MAINTENANCE
488
DOES YOUR VEHICLE NEEDREPAIRING?
Be on the alert for changes in performance and sounds, and
visual tip −offs that indicate service is needed. Some important
clues are:
 Engine missing, stumbling, or pinging
 Appreciable loss of power
 Strange engine noises
 A fluid leak under the vehicle (However, water dripping from
the air conditioning after use is normal.)
 Change in exhaust sound (This may indicate a dangerous
carbon monoxide leak. Drive with the windows open and
have the exhaust system checked immediately.)
 Flat−looking tires, excessive tire squeal when cornering,
uneven tire wear
 Vehicle pulls to one side when driving straight on a level
road
 Strange noises related to suspension movement
 Loss of brake effectiveness, spongy feeling brake pedal,
pedal almost touches floors, vehicle pulls to one side when
braking
 Engine coolant temperature continually higher than normal If you notice any of these clues, take your vehicle to your Lexus
dealer as soon as possible. It probably needs adjustment or
repair.
CAUTION
Do not continue driving with the vehicle unchecked. It
could result in serious vehicle damage and possibly
personal injury.

INTRODUCTION
496
DOITYOURSELF SERVICEPRECAUTIONS
If you perform maintenance yourself, be sure to follow the
correct procedure given in this Section.
You should be aware that improper or incomplete servicing
may result in operating problems.
Performing do −it−yourself maintenance during the warranty
period may affect your warranty coverage. Read the separate
Lexus Warranty statement for details and suggestions.
This Section gives instructions only for those items that are
relatively easy for an owner to perform. As explained in
Section 5, there are still a number of items that must be
performed by a qualified technician with special tools.
For information on tools and parts for do−it−yourself
maintenance, see “Parts and tools” on page 498.
Utmost care should be taken when working on your vehicle to
prevent accidental injury. Here are a few precautions that you
should be especially careful to observe:
CAUTION
 When the engine is running, keep hands, clothing,
and tools away from the moving fan and engine drive
belt. (Removing rings, watches, and ties is
advisable.)
 Right after driving, the engine compartment — the
engine, radiator, exhaust manifold and power
steering fluid reservoir, etc. — will be hot. So be
careful not to touch them. Oil, other fluids and spark
plugs may also be hot.
 If the engine is hot, do not remove the radiator cap or
loosen the drain plugs to prevent burning yourself.
 Do not leave anything that may burn easily, such as
paper or rags, in the engine compartment.
 Do not smoke, cause sparks or allow open flames
around fuel or the battery. Their fumes are
flammable.
 Do not get under your vehicle with just the body jack
supporting it. Always use automotive jack stands or
other solid supports.
 Be sure that the ignition is off if you work near the
electric cooling fan or radiator grille. With the
ignition on, the electric cooling fan will automatically
start to run if the air conditioning is on.