tow TOYOTA RAV4 1997 Owners Manual

Publication No. OM42453U
Part No. 01999-42453
Printed in Japan 01- 9705- 00
Quick index If a service reminder indicator or warning buzzer comes on 71 . . . . .
If your vehicle will not start 131
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If your engine stalls while driving 134 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If your vehicle overheats 135
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If you have a flat tire 136
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If your vehicle needs to be towed 143 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tips for driving during break- in period 108 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How to start the engine 119
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General maintenance 156
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Complete index 203
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Gas station information
Fuel type: UNLEADED gasoline, Octane Rating 87 (Research Octane Number
91) or higher.
For improved vehicle performance, the use of premium unleaded
gasoline with an Octane Rating of 91 (Research Octane Number
96) or higher is recommended.
See page 108 for detailed information.
Fuel tank capacity: 58 L (15.3 gal., 12.8 lmp. gal.)
Engine oil: API SH, ''Energy- Conserving II'' or ILSAC multigrade engine oil
is recommended.
See page 170 for detailed information.
Tire information: See pages 173 through 178.
Tire pressure: See page 198. U
3
I

11
CAUTION!
To avoid serious personal injury, you
must do the following. Always make sure the head, hands
and other parts of the body of all oc-
cupants are kept completely inside
the vehicle before you close the
power windows. If someone's
neck, head or hands gets caught in
a closing window, it could result in
a serious injury. When anyone
closes the power windows, be sure
that they operate the windows safe-
ly.
When small children are in the ve-
hicle, never let them use the power
window switches without supervi-
sion. Use the WINDOW LOCKº
button to prevent them from mak-
ing unexpected use of the switches.
Never leave small children alone in
the vehicle, especially with the igni-
tion key still inserted. They could
use the power window switches
and get trapped in a window. Unat-
tended children can become in-
volved in serious accidents.
To open the quarter window, pull the
latch handle toward you and swing it
fully out.
When closing the window, make sure it is completely closed.
Quarter window
(right side onlyÐ2-door models)

12
LOCKING AND UNLOCKING WITH KEY
Insert the key into the keyhole and turn
it.
To lock: Turn the key counterclockwise.
To unlock: Turn the key clockwise.
When closing the backdoor, make sure it is fully closed. See Luggage stowage precautionsº in
Part 2 for precautions to observe in load- ing luggage.
CAUTION!
Keep the back door closed while
driving. This not only keeps the
luggage from being thrown out but
also prevents exhaust gases from
entering the vehicle.
If the open back door hides the rear
stop and tail lights or rear turn sig-
nal lights while you are parked, oth- er road users must be warned of the
presence of your vehicle by a warn-
ing triangle or other device.
To open the hood, do the following.
1. Pull the hood lock release lever.
The hood will spring up slightly.
Before driving, be sure that the hood
is securely locked. Otherwise, the
hood may open unexpectedly while
driving and an accident may occur.
CAUTION!
Back door
Hood

18
Install the removed sun roof panels on
the back door as follows.
If the rear seats are reclined, return
them to the upright position before
closing the back door. Otherwise,they will interfere with the installed sun roof panels, possibly damagingthem.
NOTICE
1. Remove the holder from the back door by turning the bolts counter- clockwise.
The upper holder is for the front sun roof
panel and the lower one is for the rear panel.2. Set the front edge of the sun roof panel into the holders.
The fore part of holders is for the front sun roof panel and the back part is for the rearpanel.
ÐStowing

24
CAUTION!
Adjustments should not be made while the vehicle is moving.
To reduce the risk of sliding under
the lap belt during a collision,
avoid reclining the seatback any
more than needed. The seat belts
provide maximum protection
when the passengers are sitting up straight and well back in the
seats. If you are reclined, the lap
belt may slide past your hips and
apply restraint forces directly to
the abdomen. Therefore, in the
event of a frontal collision, the risk
of personal injury may increase
with increasing recline of the seat-
back.
After adjusting the seatback, exert
body pressure to make sure it is
locked in position.
1. Remove the head restraint. Unlock
the seatback and fold it down.
Folding up the rear seats will enlarge the
luggage compartment. See Luggagestowage precautionsº in Part 2 for precau-
tions to observe in loading luggage.2. Unlock the seat cushion. Swing the
whole seat up and forward.
ÐFolding up rear seats (2-door models)

26
BEFORE FOLDING REAR SEAT
Stow the rear seat belts as shown in
the illustration.
This prevents the belts from falling out
when you fold the seatbacks.
NOTICE
The seat belts must be stowed before you fold the seatback.
FOLDING REAR SEAT
1. Remove the head restraint. Unlock the seatback and fold it down.
Folding up the rear seats will enlarge the
luggage compartment. See Luggage stowage precautionsº in Part 2 for precau-
tions to observe in loading luggage.2. Unlock the seat cushion. Swing the
whole seat up and forward.
ÐFolding up rear seats (4-door models)

35
To release the belt, press the buckle-
release button.The rear seat belts can be stowed
when not in use.
Seat belts must be stowed before you fold
the seatback. (See Rear seats-Folding
up rear seatsº in this chapter.) If your seat belt cannot be fastened se- curely because it is not long enough, a
personalized seat belt extender is avail-
able from your Toyota dealer free of charge.
Please contact your local Toyota dealer
so that the dealer can order the proper re-
quired length for the extender. Bring the heaviest
coat you expect to wear for prop-
er measurement and selection of length.
Additional ordering information is avail-
able at your Toyota dealer.
ÐStowing the rear seat belts (4-door models)
ÐSeat belt extender

64
High-Low beamsÐFor high beams,
turn the headlights on and push the lever away from you (position 1). Pull the lever
toward you (position 2) for low beams.
The headlight high beam indicator light
(blue light) on the instrument panel will tell
you that the high beams are on.
Flashing the high beam headlights
(position 3) ÐPull the lever all the way
back. The high beam headlights turn off
when you release the lever.
You can flash the high beam headlights with knob turned to OFFº.TURN SIGNAL
To signal a turn, push the headlight/
turn signal lever up or down to posi-
tion 1. The key must be in the ONº position. The lever automatically returns after you make a turn, but you may have to return it by hand after you change lanes.
To signal a lane change, move the lever
up or down to the pressure point (position 2) and hold it.
If the turn signal indicator lights (green
lights) on the instrument panel flash faster
than normal, a front or rear turn signal bulb
is burned out. See Replacing light bulbsº
in chapter 7-3.To turn on the emergency flashers,
push the switch.
All the turn signal lights will flash. To turn
them off, push the switch once again.
Turn on the emergency flashers to warn other drivers if your vehicle must be
stopped where it might be a traf fic hazard.
Always pull as far off the road as possible.
The turn signal light switch will not work
when the emergency flashers are operat- ing. Emergency flashers

70
The gauge indicates the engine cool-
ant temperature when the ignition
switch is on. The engine operating
temperature will vary with changes in weather and engine load.
If the needle moves into the red zone, your engine is too hot. If your vehicle
overheats, stop your vehicle and allow the
engine to cool.
Your vehicle may overheat during severe operating conditions, such as: Driving up a long hill on a hot day.
Reducing speed or stopping after high
speed driving.
Idling for a long period with the air con-
ditioning on in stop-and-go traffic.
Towing a trailer
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in
the engine cooling system as this
may cause the engine to overheat. The thermostat is designed tocontrol the flow of coolant to keep
the temperature of the engine within the specified operatingrange.
Do not continue driving with an
overheated engine. See If yourvehicle overheatsº in Part 4.The tachometer indicates engine
speed in thousands of rpm (revolu-
tions per minute). Use it while driving
to select correct shift points and to
prevent engine lugging and overrev- ving.
Driving with the engine running too fast
causes excessive engine wear and poor
fuel economy. Remember, in most cases
the slower the engine speed, the greater
the fuel economy.
NOTICE
Do not let the indicator needle get into the red zone. This may cause
severe engine damage.
Tachometer
Engine coolant temperature gauge

72
(a) Brake System Warning Light This light has the following functions: Parking brake reminder
If this light is on, make sure the parking
brake is fully released. The light should go
off.
Low brake fluid level warning
If this light comes on and stays on while
you are driving, slowdown and pull off the
road. Then stop the vehicle carefully.There maybe a problem somewhere in
the brake system. check the fluid level of
the see-through reservoir.
To make sure the parking brake has not
caused the warning light to come on,
check to see that the parking brake is fully
released.
If the brake fluid level is low...
At a safe place, test your brakes by start-
ing and stopping. If you judge that the brakes still work
adequately, drive cautiously to yournearest dealer or shop for repairs.
If the brakes are not working, have the
vehicle towed in for repairs. (For tow-
ing information, see Part 4.)
It is dangerous to continue driving
normally when the brake fluid level
is low. CAUTION
!
If the brake fluid level is correct...
Have the warning system checked by
your Toyota dealer. (b) Seat Belt Reminder Light and Buzzer
Once the ignition key is turned to ONº or
STARTº, the reminder light and buzzer
come on if the driver's seat belt is not fas-
tened. Unless the driver fastens the belt,
the light stays on and the buzzer stops af-
ter about 4 to 8 seconds.
(c) Discharge Warning Light
This light warns that the battery is being discharged.
If it comes on while you are driving, there
is a problem somewhere in the charging system.
The engine ignition will continue to oper-
ate, however, until the battery is dis-
charged. Turn off the air conditioning,
blower, ra dio, ect., and drive directly to the
nearest Toyota dealer or repair shop.