power lexus LS400 1994 Theft Deterrent / 1994 LS400: STARTING AND DRIVING

STARTING AND DRIVING
With the brake pedal depressed, shift
while pressing the lock release button in
(The ignition switch must be in the “ON” position.)
Shift while pressing the lock
release button in
Shift without pressing
the button
Lock release button
To prevent misshifting
Parking, engine starting
and key removal position
Reverse position
Neutral position
Normal driving position
Position for engine braking
Position for stronger engine braking
than that in “2” position
Overdrive switch
For selecting either a three-speed
or four-speed transmission
ON position
(Shifting into overdrive possible)
OFF position
(Shifting into overdrive not possible)
Shift position indicator
Shows the selector lever position
Shift position is also displayed
on the instrument cluster
Driving pattern selector switch
For selecting a driving pattern suitable
to existing driving conditions
NORMAL position
for general driving
conditions
POWER position
for powerful acceleration
123
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

STARTING AND DRIVING
124Your automatic transmission has a shift lock system to
minimize the possibility of incorrect operation. This means you
can only shift out of “P” position when the brake pedal is
depressed (with the ignition switch in “ON” position and the
lock release button pressed in).
Correct use of the automatic transmission is explained in the
following parts.
(a) Normal driving
(b) Using engine braking
(c) Using the “2” and “L” positions
(d) Backing up
(e) Parking
(f) Good driving practice
(g) If you cannot shift the selector lever out of “P” position
(h) If the “O / D OFF” indicator light flashes
(a) Normal driving
“P” (Park)
position
“N” (Neutral)
position
1. Start the engine as instructed in “How to start the
engine” on page 121.
The transmission must be in “P” or “N”. The engine will not start
in “R”, “2”, “L” or “D” position even if the key is turned to
“START”.
Driving pattern
selector switchIndicator light
Power position
Normal position
2. Set the driving pattern selector switch to the NORMAL
position.
Your transmission has a driving pattern selector switch which
allows you to select either “NORM” or “PWR” to suit your
driving condition. For ordinary driving, Lexus recommends that
you use the NORMAL position to improve fuel economy.
3. For more powerful acceleration and sporty driving, use
the POWER position.
In the POWER position, the “ECT PWR” light in the instrument
cluster is on and the transmission is shifted up at higher vehicle
speeds and shifted down more responsively than in the
NORMAL position.

STARTING AND DRIVING
126If you need to accelerate rapidly while driving, depress the
accelerator pedal to the full throttle position. This provides
more acceleration by automatically downshifting the
transmission to the next lower gear or beyond, depending on
the vehicle speed.
If engine braking is needed, such as in descending a long hill,
see “(b) Using engine braking”.
7. If you need to accelerate still more, exert more force to
depress the accelerator pedal beyond the full throttle
position to turn on the “kick-down” switch.
The transmission will then downshift to the next lower gear for
still more acceleration, depending on the vehicle speed.
(b) Using engine braking
Overdrive switch
: Shifting
“D” (Drive) position
“2” (Second) position
“L” (Low) position
To use the braking power of the engine, downshift the
transmission in the way described below:
Turn off the overdrive switch. (This is effective only when
you are driving in the “D” position.) The “O / D OFF” indicator
light in the instrument cluster will come on and the
transmission will downshift to the third gear.

Shift into the “2” position. The transmission will downshift to
the second gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes
lower than 121 km / h (75 mph) and more powerful engine
braking will be obtained.

Shift into the “L” position. The transmission will downshift to
the first gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes lower
than 67 km / h (42 mph) and maximum engine braking will be
applied.
CAUTION:
Be careful when downshifting on a slippery surface. The
abrupt change in engine speed could cause the vehicle to
spin or skid.
(c) Using the “2” and “L” positions
The “2” and “L” positions are used for strong engine braking as
described previously.
With the selector lever in “2” or “L”, you can start the vehicle in
motion as with the lever in “D”.
With the selector lever in “2”, the vehicle will start in the first
gear and automatically shift to the second gear.
With the selector lever in “L”, the transmission is engaged in
the first gear.

STARTING AND DRIVING
134If the “HI” display is blinking and you suspect a malfunction,
first check that the height control ON / OFF switch is actually
turned on.
If you then confirm that the switch is blinking in the malfunction
mode, have the system checked by your Lexus dealer at the
first opportunity.
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM
The traction control system automatically controls
spinning of the rear wheels which may occur when
accelerating on slippery road surfaces, thus maintaining
vehicle stability and driving power to the rear wheels.
When you turn the ignition switch on, this system always
turns on. Leave the system on during ordinary driving so
that it can operate when needed. When traction control is
applied, the “TRAC” indicator / warning light blinks.
Vehicles without headlight cleaner
Vehicles with headlight cleaner
You can turn off the traction control system by pushing
the “TRAC-OFF-” switch. The “TRAC OFF”
indicator / warning light will then come on. Pushing the
“TRAC-OFF-” switch a second time turns the system back
on and extinguishes the “TRAC OFF” indicator / warning
light.
You may hear a slight clicking noise in the engine compartment
when the engine is started. This means that the traction control
system is in the self-check mode, and does not indicate
malfunction. When the traction control system is operating,
you may feel vibration of your vehicle, caused by operation of
the brakes. This indicates the system is functioning properly.
When getting the vehicle out of mud or new snow, etc. the
traction control system will operate to prevent the wheels from
spinning. Even though the accelerator pedal is fully depressed,
the engine speed will be restrained to a certain level.

STARTING AND DRIVING
135 CAUTION:
Under certain slippery road conditions, full stability of the
vehicle and power to the rear wheels cannot be
maintained, even though the traction control system is in
operation. In situations where the road surface is covered
with ice or snow, your vehicle should be fitted with snow
tires or tire chains and driven at a more cautious pace.
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
occur, 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 malfunction.
Even though the anti-lock brake system is operating, 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.