TOYOTA TACOMA 1997 Owners Manual

140If the engine will not start, your engine
may be flooded because of repeated cranking.
If this happens, turn the key to STARTº with the accelerator pedal held down.
Keep
the key and accelerator pedal so for
15 seconds and release them. Then try
starting the engine with your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If the engine does not start after 15 sec-
onds of cranking, release the key, wait a few minutes and try again.
If the engine still will not start, it needs ad-
justment or repair. Call a Toyota dealer or
qualified repair shop for assistance.
NOTICE
Do not crank for more than 30 sec- onds at a time. This may overheat
the starter and wiring systems.
To avoid serious personal injury and
damage to your vehicle which might
result from battery explosion, acid
burns, electrical burns, or damaged
electronic components, these instruc-
tions must be followed precisely.
If you are unsure about how to follow this procedure, we strongly recommend that you seek the help of a competent me-
chanic or towing service.
Batteries contain sulfuric acid
which is poisonous and corrosive.
Wear protective safety glasses
when jump starting, and avoid
spilling acid on your skin, cloth-
ing, or vehicle.
If you should accidentally get acid
on yourself or in you eyes, remove
any contaminated clothing and
flush the affected area with water
immediately. Then get immediate
medical attention. If possible, con-
tinue to apply water with a sponge
or cloth while en route to the medi- cal office. CAUTION
!

The gas normally produced by a battery will explode if a flame or
spark is brought near. Use only
standardized jumper cables and
do not smoke or light a match
while jump starting.
NOTICE
The battery used for boosting must be 12 V. Do not jump start unless
you are sure that the booster batteryis correct.
JUMP STARTING PROCEDURE
1. If the booster battery is installed in another vehicle, make sure the ve-
hicles are not touching. T urn off all un-
necessary lights and accessories.
2. If required, remove all the vent plugs from the booster and discharged bat-
teries. Lay a cloth over the open vents
on the batteries. (This helps reduce
the explosion hazard, personal injuries
and burns.)
(b) Starting a flooded engine (c) Jump starting

141
3. If the engine in the vehicle with the
booster battery is not running, start it
and let it run for a few minutes. During
jump starting, run the engine at about
2000 rpm with the accelerator pedal
lightly depressed.
4. Make the cable connection in the ordera, b, c, d.
a. Connect the clamp of the positive (red)
jumper cable to the positive (+) termi-
nal on the discharged battery.
b. Connect the clamp at the other end of the positive (red) jumper cable to the
positive (+) terminal on the booster
battery.c. Connect the clamp of the negative(black) cable to the negative (-) termi-
nal on the booster battery.
d. Connect the clamp at the other end of the negative (black) jumper cable to a
solid, stationary, unpainted, metallic
point of the ve hicle with the discharged
battery.
The recommended connecting points are
shown in the following illustration:

142
Connecting point for 2RZ-FE and
3RZ-FE engines
Connecting point for 5VZ-FE engineDo not connect the cable to or near any
part that moves when the engine is cranked.
When making the connections, to
avoid serious injury, do not lean over the battery or accidentally let
the jumper cables or clamps touchanything except the correct battery
terminals or the ground.
CAUTION
!
5. Start your engine in the normal way. After starting, run it at about 2000 rpm
for several minutes with the accelera- tor pedal lightly depressed.
6. Carefully disconnect the cables in the exact reverse order: the negative
cable and then the positive cable.
7. Carefully dispose of the battery cover clothsÐthey may now contain sulfuricacid.
8. If removed, replace all the battery vent plugs.
If the cause of your battery discharging is
not apparent (for example, lights left on), you should have it checked. If your engine stalls while driving
0
1. Reduce your speed gradually, keeping
a straight line. Move cautiously off the
road to a safe place.
2. Turn on your emergency flashers.
3. Try starting the engine again.
If the engine will not start, see If your ve-
hicle will not startº.
If the engine is not running, the
power assist for the brakes and
steering will not work so steering
and braking will be much harder
than usual. CAUTION
!
If your engine stalls while driving

143
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.
You should follow this procedure 0
1. Pull safely off the road, stop the ve- hicle and turn on your emergency
flashers. Put the transmission in Pº
(automatic) or neutral (manual) and
apply the parking brake. Turn off the
air conditioning if it is being used.
2. If coolant or steam is boiling out of the radiator or reservoir, stop the engine.
Wait until the steam subsides before
opening the hood. If there is no coolant
boiling over or steam, leave the engine running.
To help avoid personal injury, keep
the hood closed until there is no steam. Escaping steam or coolant is
a sign of very high pressure. CAUTION
! 3. Visually check to see if the engine
drive belt (fan belt) is broken or loose.
Look for obvious coolant leaks from
the radiator, hoses, and under the ve-
hicle. However, note that water drain-ing from the air conditioning is normal if it has been used.
When the engine is running, keep
hands and clothing away from the
moving fan and engine drive belts. CAUTION
!
4. If the engine drive belt is broken of the coolant is leaking, stop the engine im-
mediately. Call a Toyota dealer for as- sistance.
5. If The engine drive belt is O.K. and there are no obvious leaks, you may
help the engine cool down more quick-
ly by running it at about 1500 rpm for
a few minutes with the accelerator
pedal lightly depressed.
6. Check the coolant reservoir. If it is dry, add coolant to the reservoir while the
engine is running. Fill it about half full.
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 underpressure. CAUTION
!
7. After the engine coolant temperature has cooled to normal, again check the
coolant level in the reservoir. If neces-
sary, bring it up to half full again. Seri-
ous coolant loss indicates a leak in the
system. You should have it checked as
soon as possible at your Toyota deal-
er.
If your vehicle overheats

1441. Reduce
your speed gradually, keeping
a straight line. Move cautiously off the
road to a safe place well away from the
traf fic. Avoid stopping on the center di-
vider of a highway. Park on a level spotwith firm ground.
2. Stop the engine and turn on your emergency flashers.
3. Firmly set the parking brake and put the transmission in Pº (automatic) or reverse (manual).
4. Have everyone get out of the vehicle on the side away from traffic.
5. Read the following instructions thor- oughly.
When jacking, be sure to observe
the following to reduce the poss- ibility of personal injury: Follow jacking instructions.
Do not start or run the engine
while your vehicle is supported by a jack. CAUTION
!

Stop the vehicle at a level place
and chock the wheel diagnonally
opposite to the one being
changed. Otherwise, the vehicle
will move and possibly cause un-
expected accident.
Make sure to set the jack properly
in the jack point. Raising the ve-
hicle with jack improperly posi-
tioned will damage the vehicle or
may allow the vehicle to fall off the jack and cause injury to the per-son.
Never get under the vehicle when
the vehicle is supported by the jack alone.
Use the jack only for lifting your
vehicle during wheel changing.
Do not raise the vehicle with some-
one in the vehicle.
When raising the vehicle, do not
put an object on or under the jack.
NOTICE
Do not continue driving with a deflated tire. Driving even a short
distance can damage a tire beyondrepair.
1. Get the required tools and spare tire.
1 Wheel nut wrench
2 Jack handle
3 Jack
4 Wheel ornament replacer (with free-wheeling hubs)
To prepare yourself for an emergency, you should familiarize yourself with the
use of the jack, each of the tools and theirstorage locations.
If you have a flat tireÐ
ÐRequired tools and spare tire
(normal cab models)

145
Turn the jack joint by hand.
To remove: turn the joint in direction 1 until the jack is free.
To store: turn the joint in direction 2 until the jack is firmly secured to prevent it fly-
ing forward during a collision or suddenbraking.To remove the spare tire:
1. Insert the end of the jack handle intothe lowering screw and turn it counter- clockwise.
2. After the tire is lowered completely to the ground, remove the holding brack-et.
When storing the spare tire, put it in placewith the outer side of the wheel facing up.Then secure the tire taking care that the
tire goes straight up without catching on
any other part, to prevent it from flying for-ward during a collision or sudden braking.1. Get the required tools and spare tire.
1 Tool bag
2 Jack
To prepare yourself for an emergency, you should familiarize yourself with the
use of the jack, each of the tools and theirstorage locations.
ÐRequired tools and spare tire (Xtra-cab models)

146
Turn the jack joint by hand.
To remove: Turn the joint in direction 1 un- til the jack is free.
To store: Turn the joint in direction 2 until
the jack is firmly secured to prevent it fly-
ing forward during a collision or suddenbraking.To remove the spare tire:
1. Insert the end of the jack handle exten-
sion into the lowering screw and turn it
counterclockwise with the handle,
making sure the handle remains firmly
fitted onto the jack handle extension.
2. After the fire is lowered completely to the ground, remove the holding brack- et.
When storing the spare tire, put it in place with the outer side of the wheel facing up.
Then secure the tire, taking care that thetire goes straight up without catching on
any other part, to prevent it from flying for- ward during a collision or sudden braking.2. Block the wheel diagnoally oppo- site the flat tire to keep the vehicle from rolling when it is jacked up.
When blocking the wheel, place a wheel
block from the front for the front wheels or
from the rear for the rear wheels.
ÐBlocking the wheel

147
Steel wheels
Aluminum wheels
3. Remove the wheel ornament.
Pry off the wheel ornament, using the bev-
eled end of the wheel nut wrench asshown.
Do not try to pull the ornament by
hand. Take due care in handling the
ornament to avoid unexpected
personal injury.CAUTION
!
4. Loosen all the wheel nuts. Always l
oosen the wheel nuts before rais-
ing the vehicle.
The nuts turn counterclockwise to loosen.
To get maximum leverage, fit the wrench
to the nut so that the handle is on the right
side, as shown above. Grab the wrench
near the end of the handle and pull up on
the handle. Be careful that the wrench
does not slip off the nut.
Do not remove the nuts yetÐjust unscrew
them about one-half turn.
ÐRemoving wheel ornament
ÐLoosening wheel nuts

148
Two-wheel drive models
Four-wheel drive models5. Position the
jack at the correct jack
points as shown.
Make sure the j ack is positioned on a l evel
and solid place. JACK POINTS:
Two-wheel drive models
FrontÐUnder the frame side rail RearÐUnder the rear axle housing
Four-wheel drive models
FrontÐUnder the front suspension cross member
RearÐUnder the rear axle housing
6. After making sure that no one is in the vehicle, raise it high enough so
that the spare tire can be installed.
Remember you will need more ground
clearance when putting in the spare tire than when removing the flat tire.
Normal cab modelsÐTo raise the vehicle,
insert the jack handle into the jack (it is a
loose fit) and turn it clockwise. As the jack
touches the vehicle and begins to lift,
double-check that it is properly posi- tioned.
ÐPositioning the jack
ÐRaising your vehicle

149
Xtra-cab modelsÐTo raise the vehicle,
insert the jack handle extension into the jack (it is a loose fit) and turn it clockwisewith the handle, making sure the handle remains firmly fitted into the jack handle
extension. As the j
ack touches the vehicle
and begins to lift, double-check that it is
properly positioned.
Never get under the vehicle when
the vehicle is supported by the jack alone. CAUTION
!
7. Remove the wheel nuts and change
tires.
Lift the flat tire straight off and put it aside.
Roll the spare wheel into position and
align the holes in the wheel with the bolts.
Then lift up the wheel and get at least thetop bolt started through its hole. Wigglethe tire and press it back over the other bolts.Before putting on wheels, remove any
corrosion on the mounting surfaces with a
wire brush or such. Installation of wheels
without good metal-to-metal contact at
the mounting surface can cause wheel
nuts to loosen and eventually cause a
wheel to come off while driving. Therefore
after the first 1600 km (1000 miles), check
to see that the wheel nuts are tight.
ÐChanging wheels