TOYOTA AVALON 2003 XX20 / 2.G Owners Manual

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DOITYOURSELF MAINTENANCE
Electrical components
Checking battery condition288 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Battery recharging precautions289 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Checking and replacing fuses290 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adding washer fluid291 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Replacing light bulbs291 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 7 3

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CAUTION
BATTERY PRECAUTIONS
The battery produces flammable and
explosive hydrogen gas.
Do not cause a spark from the bat-
tery with tools.
Do not smoke or light a match near
the battery.
The electrolyte contains poisonous
and corrosive sulfuric acid.
Avoid contact with eyes, skin or
clothes.
Never ingest electrolyte.
Wear protective safety glasses when
working near the battery.
Keep children away from the bat-
tery.
EMERGENCY MEASURES
If electrolyte gets in your eyes,
flush your eyes with clean water
immediately and get immediate
medical attention. If possible, con-
tinue to apply water with a sponge
or cloth while en route to the medi-
cal office.
If electrolyte gets on your skin,
thoroughly wash the contact area. If
you feel pain or burning, get medi-
cal attention immediately.
If electrolyte gets on your clothes,
there is a possibility of its soaking
through to your skin, so immediate-
ly take off the exposed clothing and
follow the procedure above, if nec-
essary.
If you accidentally swallow electro-
lyte, drink a large quantity of water
or milk. Follow with milk of magne-
sia, beaten raw egg or vegetable
oil. Then go immediately for emer-
gency help.
Warning: Battery posts, terminals
and related accessories contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and reproductive
harm. Wash hands after handling.
TerminalsGround cable
Holddown
clamp
Check the battery for corroded or loose
terminal connections, cracks, or loose
holddown clamp.
a. If the battery is corroded, wash it off
with a solution of warm water and bak-
ing soda. Coat the outside of the termi-
nals with grease to prevent further cor-
rosion.
b. If the terminal connections are loose,
tighten their clamp nuts—but do not
overtighten.
c. Tighten the holddown clamp only
enough to keep the battery firmly in
place. Overtightening may damage the
battery case.
Checking battery condition—
—Precautions—Checking battery exterior

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NOTICE
Be sure the engine and all accesso-
ries are off before performing main-
tenance.
When checking the battery, remove
the ground cable from the negative
terminal (“” mark) first and rein-
stall it last.
Be careful not to cause a short cir-
cuit with tools.
Take care no solution gets into the
battery when washing it.
Ty p e A
Green DarkClear or
light yellow
Ty p e B
Blue White Red
CHECKING BY INDICATOR
Check the battery condition by the indi-
cator color.
Indicator color
ConditionTy p e ATy p e B
GreenBlueGood
DarkWhite
Charging necessary.
Have battery
checked by your
Toyota dealer.
Clear or
light
yellow
Red
Have battery
checked by your
Toyota dealer.
During recharging, the battery is pro-
ducing hydrogen gas.
Therefore, before recharging:
1. If recharging with the battery installed
on the vehicle, be sure to disconnect
the ground cable.
2. Be sure the power switch on the re-
charger is off when connecting the
charger cables to the battery and when
disconnecting them.
CAUTION
Always charge the battery in an un-
confined area. Do not charge the
battery in a garage or closed room
where there is not sufficient ventila-
tion.
Only do a slow charge (5 A or
less). Charging at a quicker rate is
dangerous. The battery may ex-
plode, causing personal injuries.
NOTICE
Never recharge the battery while the
engine is running. Also, be sure all
accessories are turned off.
—Checking battery condition Battery recharging precautions

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Ty p e A
Good Blown
Ty p e B
Good
GoodBlown
Blown Ty p e C
If the headlights or other electrical
components do not work, check the
fuses. If any of the fuses are blown,
they must be replaced.
See “Fuse locations” in Section 71 for
locations of the fuses.
Turn the ignition switch and inoperative
component off. Pull a suspected fuse
straight out and check it.
Determine which fuse may be causing the
problem. The lid of the fuse box shows
the name of the circuit for each fuse. See
Section 8 of this manual for the functions
controlled by each circuit.Type A fuses can be pulled out by the
pullout tool. The location of the pullout
tool is shown in the illustration.
If you are not sure whether the fuse has
blown, try replacing the suspected fuse
with one that you know is good.
If the fuse has blown, push a new fuse
into the clip.
Only install a fuse with the amperage rat-
ing designated on the fuse box lid.
If you do not have a spare fuse, in an
emergency you can pull out the “RADIO”
or “A/C” fuse, which may be dispensable
for normal driving, and use it if its
amperage rating is the same.
If you cannot use one of the same amper-
age, use one that is lower, but as close
as possible to the rating. If the amperage
is lower than that specified, the fuse
might blow out again but this does not
indicate anything wrong. Be sure to get
the correct fuse as soon as possible and
return the substitute to its original clip.
It is a good idea to purchase a set of
spare fuses and keep them in your ve-
hicle for emergencies.
Checking and replacing fuses

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If the new fuse immediately blows out,
there is a problem with the electrical sys-
tem. Have your Toyota dealer correct it as
soon as possible.
CAUTION
Never use a fuse with a higher am-
perage rating, or any other object, in
place of a fuse. This may cause ex-
tensive damage and possibly a fire.
If any washer does not work or low
windshield washer fluid level warning
light comes on, the washer tank may be
empty. Add washer fluid.
You may use plain water as washer fluid.
However, in cold areas where tempera-
tures range below freezing point, use
washer fluid containing antifreeze. This
product is available at your Toyota dealer
and most auto parts stores. Follow the
manufacturer ’s directions for how much to
mix with water.
NOTICE
Do not use engine antifreeze or any
other substitute because it may dam-
age your vehicle’s paint.
The following illustrations show how to
gain access to the bulbs. When replacing
a bulb, make sure the ignition switch and
light switch are off. Use bulbs with the
wattage ratings given in the table.
CAUTION
To prevent yourself from burning,
do not replace the light bulbs while
they are hot.
Halogen bulbs have pressurized gas
inside and require special handling.
They can burst or shatter if
scratched or dropped. Hold a bulb
only by its plastic or metal case.
Do not touch the glass part of a
bulb with bare hands.
NOTICE
Only use a bulb of the listed type.
Adding washer fluid Replacing light bulbs—

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The inside of the lens of exterior lights
such as headlights may temporarily fog up
when the lens becomes wet in the rain or
in a car wash. This is not a problem
because the fogging is caused by the
temperature difference between the outside
and inside of the lens, just like the
windshield fogged up in the rain. However,
if there is a large drop of water on the
inside of the lens, or if there is water
pooled inside the light, contact your
Toyota dealer.Light bulbsBulb
No.WTy p e
Headlights
(low beam)900651A
Headlights
(high beam)900560B
Front fog lights900651A
Front turn
signal/parking
lights
1157NA27/8C
Rear turn signal
lights—21D
Stop/tail lights744321/5E
Rear side
marker lights1943.8E
Backup lights92118E
Tail lights1685E
License plate
lights1685E
High mounted
stoplight92118E
Interior light—7F
Front personal
lights—7F
Light bulbsBulb
No.WTy p e
Rear personal
lights—5F
Vanity lights—2F
Glove box light—1.2E
Door courtesy
lights—6F
Trunk light—3F
A: HB4 halogen bulbs
B: HB3 halogen bulbs
C: Single end bulbs
D: Wedge base bulbs (amber)
E: Wedge base bulbs (clear)
F: Double end bulbs

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1. Unplug the connector while depress-
ing the lock release.
If the connector is tight, wiggle it.2. Turn the bulb and remove it.3. Install a new bulb and the connector
into the mounting hole.
Aiming is not necessary after replacing
the bulb. When aiming adjustment is nec-
essary, contact your Toyota dealer.
—Headlights

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If either the left or right front fog or
front turn signal/parking lights burns
out, contact your Toyota dealer.
NOTICE
Do not try to replace the front fog or
front turn signal/parking light bulbs
by yourself. You may damage the ve-
hicle.
Use a flatbladed screwdriver which is
wrapped with a cloth.a: Rear turn signal light
b: Stop/tail light
c: Rear side marker light
d: Backup light
—Front fog and front turn
signal/parking lights—Rear turn signal, stop/tail,
rear side marker and backup
lights

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Remove and install the cover clips as
shown in the following illustrations.Removing cover clips
Installing cover clips
—Tail lights

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Remove and install the cover clips as
shown in the following illustrations.Removing cover clips
Installing cover clips
—License plate lights