Lexus ES300 2000 Owner's Manuals (in English)

STARTING AND DRIVING
281
HOW TO START THE ENGINE
Before cranking
1. Apply the parking brake firmly.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and accessories.
3. Put the selector lever in ªPº. If you need to restart the
engine while the vehicle is moving, put the selector lever
in ªNº. A starter safety device will prevent the starter
from operating if the selector lever is in any drive
position.
4. Depress the brake pedal and hold it to the floor until
driving off.
Starting the engine
Before starting the engine, be sure to follow the
instructions in ªBefore crankingº.
Normal starting procedure
The multiport fuel injection system/sequential multiport
fuel injection system in your engine automatically
controls the proper air±fuel mixture for starting. You can
start a cold or hot engine as follows:
1. With your foot off the accelerator pedal, crank the
engine by turning the key to ªSTARTº. Release it when
the engine starts.
2. After the engine runs for about 10 seconds, you are
ready to drive. If the weather is below freezing, let the engine warm up
for a few minutes before driving. Do not leave the vehicle
while the engine is warming up.
If the engine stalls ...
Simply restart it , using the correct procedure given in
normal starting.
If the engine will not start
See ªIf your vehicle will not startº on page 337.
NOTICE
Do not crank for more than 30 seconds at a
time. This may overheat the starter and wiringsystems.
Do not race a cold engine.
If the engine becomes difficult to start or stallsfrequently, have the engine checkedimmediately.

With the brake pedal depressed, shift
while holding the lock release button
in. (The ignition switch must be in the
ªONº position.)
Shift while holding the lock release
button in.
Shift normally.
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282
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Your automatic transmission has a shift lock system
to minimize the possibility of incorrect operation.
This means you can only shift out of ªPº position
when the b rake pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in ªONº position and the lock release button
depressed). ( )
31E005a
1
Lock release button

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283
2Overdrive switch
For selecting either a three±speed or four±speed
transmission.
When the cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by turning off the
overdrive switch, engine braking will not be applied
because the cruise control is not cancelled. For the
operation to decrease the vehicle speed, see page
298.
3 Shift position indicator
The shift position is also displayed on the
instrument cluster.
P:Parking, engine starting and key removal
position
R: Reverse position
N: Neutral position
D: Normal driving (with overdrive on) position
2: Position for stronger engine braking
L: Position for maximum engine braking Correct use of the automatic transmission is
explained in the following parts.
(a) Overdrive switch
(b) Normal driving
(c) Using engine braking
(d) Using the ª2º and ªLº positions
(e) Backing up
(f) Parking
(g) Good driving practice
(h) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
(i) If you cannot shift the selector lever out of ªPº
position

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(a)Overdrive switch
31E082

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You can select either a third gear (with overdrive off) or
fourth gear (with overdrive on) by pushing this switch.
To turn the overdrive off, push the switch. The ªO/D
OFFº indicator light should come on. To turn the
overdrive on again, push the switch again. The ªO/D
OFFº indicator light should go off.
Always
drive your vehicle with the overdrive on for better
fuel economy and quieter driving.
If the engine is turned off when the overdrive is off and
restarted, the overdrive will automatically be on.
When the cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by pushing and releasing the
overdrive switch, engine braking will not be applied
because the cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed, see ªCruise
controlº on page 298.
(b) Normal driving
31E006

1ªPº (Park) position 2ªNº (Neutral) position
1. Start the engine as instructed in ªHow to start the
engineº on page 281.
The transmission must be in ªPº or ªNº. The engine will
not start in ªRº, ª2º, ªLº or ªDº position even if \
the ignition
key is turned to ªSTARTº.

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31E008

1Brake pedal 2ªDº (Drive) position
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift
the selector lever to ªDº.
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelerator pedal while
shifting.

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287
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal.
Depress the accelerator pedal slowly for smooth
starting.
The vehicle will start in the first gear and automatically
shift to the most suitable gear for the running conditions,
such as the vehicle speed, hill climbing, hard towing, etc.
However, while the engine coolant temperature is low
and the vehicle is traveling at low speed, the
transmission will not shift into the overdrive gear even
with the overdrive on.
When the lever is in the ªDº position, the automatic
transmission system will select the most suitable gear
for the running conditions such as hill climbing, hard
towing, etc.
If you need to accelerate rapidly while driving, push the
accelerator pedal all the way to the floor. The
transmission will automatically downshift to the third,
second or first gear, according to the vehicle speed.
If engine braking is needed, such as in descending a
long hill, see ª(c) Using engine brakingº.

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(c) Using engine braking
31E009±2

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To use the braking power of the engine, downshift the
transmission in the way described below:
1
Push the overdrive switch. (This is effective only
when you are driving in the ªDº position.) The ªO/D
OFFº indicator light in the instrument cluster will
come on and the transmission will downshift to the
third gear.
When the cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by pushing and
releasing the overdrive switch, engine braking will
not be applied because the cruise control is not
cancelled. If you need to decrease the vehicle
speed, see page 298.
2 Shift into the ª2º position. The transmission will
downshift to the second gear when the vehicle
speed is lower than 120 km/h (75 mph) and
stronger engine braking will be enabled.
3Shift into the ªLº position. The transmission will
downshift to the first gear when the vehicle speed
is lower than 55 km/h (34 mph) and maximum
engine braking will be enabled.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a slippery surface.
The abrupt change in engine speed could cause the
vehicle to spin or skid.

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(d) Using the ª2º and ªLº positions
The ª2º and ªLº positions are used for strong engine
braking as described previously.
With the selector lever in ª2º or ªLº, you can start the
vehicle in motion as with the lever in ªDº.
With the selector lever in ª2º, the vehicle will start in the
first gear and automatically shift to second gear.
With the selector lever in ªLº, the transmission is
engaged in first gear.
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the engine. Watch thetachometer to keep engine rpm from going intothe red zone. The approximate maximumallowable speed for each position is givenabove for your reference.
ª2º 128 km/h (80 mph) . . .
ªLº 71 km/h (44 mph) . . .
Do not continue hill climbing or hard towing for
a long time in the ª2º or ªLº position. This maycause severe automatic transmission damagefrom overheating. To prevent such damage,
ªDº position should be used in hill climbing orhard towing.