Lexus ES300 1994 Starting And Driving

STARTING AND DRIVING
11 3
(d) Backing up
Brake pedal
”R” (Reverse)
position
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the
selector lever to the “R” position.
NOTICE:
Never shift into reverse while the vehicle is in motion.
(e) Parking
”P” (Park)
position
Parking brake
lever
Brake pedal
1. Bring the vehicle to e complete stop.
2. Pull the parking brake lever up fully to securely apply the
parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the
selector lever to the “P” position.
CAUTION:
While the vehicle is in motion, never attempt to move the
selector lever into “P” under any circumstances. Serious
mechanical damage and loss of vehicle control may
result.

STARTING AND DRIVING
11 4
(f) Good driving practice

If the transmission repeatedly upshifts and downshifts
between the third and overdrive gears when climbing a
gentle slope, turn off the overdrive switch. Be sure to turn the
switch on immediately after climbing the slope.

When towing a trailer, in order to maintain efficient engine
braking and electrical charging performance, do not use
overdrive.
CAUTION:
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal while stopped
with the engine running. This prevents the vehicle from
creeping.
NOTICE:
Do not hold the vehicle on an upgrade with the
accelerator pedal. This can cause the transmission to
overheat. Always use the brake pedal or parking brake.
(g) If you cannot shift the selector lever out
of “P” position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from “P” position even
though the brake pedal is depressed, use the shift lock
override button. For instructions, see “If you cannot shill the
automatic transmission selector lever” on page 143.
(h) If the “O / D OFF” indicator light flashes
If the “O / D OFF” indicator light flashes, contact your Lexus
dealer as soon as possible. There may be trouble in the
transmission system.
CRUISE CONTROL
The cruise control allows you to cruise the vehicle at a
desired speed over 40 km / h (25 mph) with your foot off the
accelerator pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained although a slight speed
change may occur when driving up or down a gradient, within
the limits of engine performance. On steeper hills, a greater
speed change will occur so it is better to drive without the cruise
control.
When the cruise control is on, the driving pattern of the
automatic transmission is fixed in the normal position,
regardless of the position of the selector switch.
CAUTION:

To help maintain maximum control of your vehicle, do
not use the cruise control when driving in heavy or
varying traffic, or on slippery (rainy, icy or
snow-covered) or winding roads.

Avoid vehicle speed increases when driving downhill.
Use engine braking by downshifting the transmission.

STARTING AND DRIVING
11 5
Turning on the system
To operate the cruise control, push the main switch. This turns
the system on. The indicator light in the instrument cluster
shows that you can now set your desired cruising speed.
Another push on the switch will turn the system completely off.
When the ignition key is turned off, the main switch is also
automatically turned off. To use the cruise control again, push
the main switch again to turn it on.
CAUTION:
To avoid accidental cruise control engagement, keep the
main switch off when not using the cruise control.
Setting at a desired speed
Bring the vehicle to the desired speed, press the control lever
downward in the “SET / COAST” direction and release it. This
sets the vehicle at that speed. Now you may take your foot off
the accelerator pedal. If you need acceleration − for example,
when passing − depress the accelerator pedal enough for the
vehicle to exceed the set speed. When you release the
accelerator, the vehicle will return to the speed set prior to the
acceleration.
Cancelling the preset speed
You can cancel the preset speed by any of the following:
a. Pulling the control lever in the “CANCEL” direction.
b. Depressing the brake pedal.

STARTING AND DRIVING
11 6If the vehicle speed falls below 40 km / h (25 mph), the preset
speed will automatically be cancelled.
If the vehicle speed drops 16 km / h (10 mph) below the preset
speed, the preset speed will also automatically be cancelled.
If the preset speed automatically cancels out for other than
these reasons, have your vehicle checked by your Lexus
dealer at the earliest opportunity.
Resetting to a faster speed
Press the control lever upward in the “RES / ACC” direction and
hold it. Release the lever when the desired speed is attained.
While the lever is held upward, the vehicle will gradually gain
speed.
When the difference between the actual vehicle speed and the
set speed is less than 5 km / h (3 mph), the set speed can be
increased 1.6 km / h (1 mph) each time by pressing the control
lever upward in the “RES / ACC” direction quickly.
However, a quicker way to reset is to accelerate the vehicle
and then press the control lever downward in the “SET /
COAST” direction.
Resetting to a slower speed
Press the control lever downward in the “SET / COAST”
direction and hold it. Release the lever when the desired speed
is attained. While the lever is held downward, the vehicle
speed will gradually decrease.
When the difference between the actual vehicle speed and the
set speed is less than 5 km / h (3 mph), the set speed can be
lowered 1.6 km / h (1 mph) each time by pressing the control
lever downward in the “SET / COAST” direction quickly.
However, a quicker way to reset is to depress the brake pedal
and then press the control lever downward in the “SET /
COAST” direction.
Resuming the preset speed
Press the control lever upward in the “RES / ACC” direction.
The vehicle will resume the speed set prior to cancellation
unless the vehicle speed is less than 40 km / h (25 mph) or is
16 km / h (10 mph) below the preset speed.
Cruise control failure warning
If the “CRUISE” indicator light in the instrument cluster flashes
five times and then goes out when using the cruise control, it
means that there is trouble in the cruise control system.
Contact your Lexus dealer.

STARTING AND DRIVING
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BRAKE SYSTEM
The tandem master cylinder brake system is a hydraulic
system with two separate sub-systems. If either sub-system
should fail, the other will still work. However, the pedal will be
harder to press, and your stopping distance will be longer.
Also, the brake system warning light may come on.
CAUTION:
Do not rely on a single brake system. Have your brakes
fixed immediately.
Brake booster
The brake booster uses engine vacuum to power-assist the
brakes. If the engine should quit while you are driving, you can
bring the vehicle to a stop with normal pedal pressure. There
is enough reserve vacuum for one or two stops but no more!
CAUTION:

Do not pump the brake pedal if the engine stalls. Each
push on the pedal uses up your vacuum reserve.

Even if the power assist is completely lost, the brakes
will still work. But you will have to push the pedal
hard-much harder than normal. And your braking
distance will be longer.
Anti-lock brake system
The anti-lock brake system is designed to prevent lock-up
of the wheels during sudden braking or braking on
slippery surfaces. This helps the vehicle remain steerable
and stable under these circumstances.
The system functions with normal pedal operation. When the
anti-lock function is in action, pulsation of the brake pedal may
result, together with a characteristic noise. This indicates that
the system is functioning properly.
The anti-lock brake system comes into operation when the
vehicle is accelerating and the vehicle speed reaches
approximately 10 km / h (6 mph). It stops operating when the
vehicle is decelerating and the vehicle speed falls below
approximately 5 km / h (3 mph).
You may hear a sound in the engine compartment for a few
seconds just after the vehicle is started. This means that the
anti-lock brake system is in the self-check mode, and does not
indicate a malfunction.
Even though the anti-lock brake system is in operation, full
stability of the vehicle cannot be maintained for certain slippery
road conditions or high speed driving when cornering. Even
with the anti-lock brake system installed, it is still important to
drive with all due care.

STARTING AND DRIVING
11 8Always maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of
you. Compared with vehicles not fitted with an anti-lock brake
system, your vehicle requires a longer stopping distance in the
following cases:

Driving on rough, gravel or snow-covered roads.

Driving with tire chains installed.

Driving on roads where the road surface is pitted or has
other differences in surface height.
Avoid high speeds on wet roads. The anti-lock brake system
cannot eliminate the risk of aquaplaning.
Anti-lock brake system warning light
This light comes on when the ignition key is turned to the
“ON” position. After a few seconds, the light will go off.If either of the following conditions occurs, this indicates a
malfunction somewhere in the parts monitored by the warning
light system. Contact your Lexus dealer as soon as possible
to service the vehicle.

The light does not come on as described above, or remains
on.

The light comes on while driving.
Even if the anti-lock brake system should fail, the brake system
will still operate conventionally. Have your vehicle checked by
your Lexus dealer as soon as possible.
Drum-in-disc type parking brake system
Your vehicle has a drum-in-disc type parking brake system.
This type of brake system needs bedding-down of the brake
shoes periodically or whenever the parking brake shoes and /
or drums are replaced.
Have your Lexus dealer perform the bedding-down.

STARTING AND DRIVING
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BRAKE PAD WEAR LIMIT
INDICATORS
The brake pad wear limit indicators on your disc brakes
give a warning noise when the brake pads are worn to the
extent that replacement is required.
If you hear a squealing or scraping noise while driving, have
the brake pads checked and replaced by your Lexus dealer as
soon as possible. Expensive rotor damage can result if the
pads are not replaced when necessary.
TYPES OF TIRES
Make sure what kind of tires your vehicle is originally equipped
with.
1. Summer Tires
Summer tires are high-speed capability tires best suited to
highway driving under dry conditions.
Summer tires are, however, inadequate for driving on
snow-covered or icy roads. For driving on snow-covered or icy
roads, we recommend using snow tires. If installing snow tires,
be sure to replace all four tires.
2. All Season Tires
All Season tires are designed to provide better traction in snow
and to be adequate for driving in most winter conditions, as well
as for use all year round.
All Season tires, however, fall short in acceleration and
handling performance compared with Summer tires in highway
driving. Snow tires have better snow traction than All Season
tires.
CAUTION:
Do not mix Summer and All Season tires on your vehicle
as this can cause dangerous handling characteristics,
resulting in loss of control.