engine overheat LEXUS LS430 2006 Owners Manual

89
2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
CAUTION
■When driving the vehicle
●Do not drive if you are unfaniliar with the location of the brake and accelerator
pedals to avoid depressing the wrong pedal. 
Accidentally depressing the accelerator pedal instead of the brake pedal will
r
esult in sudden acceleration that may lead to an accident that could result in
death or serious injury.
●Do not drive the vehicle over or stop the vehicle near flammable materials.
●Do not let the vehicle roll backwards while the selector lever is in a driving posi -
tion, or roll forward while the selector lever is in R. 
Doing so may cause the engine to stall or lea
d to poor brake and steering perfor-
mance, resulting in an accident or damage to the vehicle.
●If you smell exhaust fumes in the vehicle, open the windows and close the trunk lid
to ensure plenty of fresh air enters the vehicle.
If you can smell exhaust fumes even through there are no other vehicle in sur -
rounding area, have your vehicle checke d b
y you Lexus dealer. Continued inhala-
tion of exhaust fumes can lead to death by gas poisoning.
●Do not shift the selector lever to P, R or N while the vehicle is moving under any
circumstances. 
Doing so can cause significant damage to the tr
ansmission system and may result
in a loss of vehicle control.
●Do not turn the engine off while driving. 
The power steering and brake booster systems will not operate properly if the
eng
ine is not running.
●Use the engine braking (downshift) to maintain a safe speed when driving down a
steep hill. 
Using the brakes continuously may cause the brakes to overheat and lose effec -
tiveness. ( P.98 )
●Do not shift the selector lever to N. 
Doing so may cause the engine brake to not operate properly and lead to an
acc
ident.
●When stopped on an inclined surface, use the brake pedal and parking brake to
prevent the vehicle from rolling backward or forward and causing an accident.

91
2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
CAUTION
■When the vehicle is parked
●Do not leave glasses, cigarette lighters, spray cans, or soft drink cans in the vehi-
cle in hot areas.
• Gas may leak from a cigarette lighter or spr
ay can, and may lead to a fire.
• The temperature inside the vehicle may cause the plastic lenses and plastic
m
aterial of glasses to deform or crack.
• Soft drink cans may fracture, causing the co ntents
to spray over the interior of
the vehicle, and may also cause a short circuit in the vehicle’s electrical com -
ponents.
●Always set the parking brake, shift the se lector lever to P, stop the engine and
lock the vehicle. 
Do not leave the vehicle unattend ed
while the engine is running.
●Do not leave the engine running in an area with snow build up, or where snow is
expected to fall. 
Exhaust gases may enter the interior of the vehicle and cause gas poisoning.
■When taking a nap in the vehicle
Always turn the engine off. Otherwise, you may accidentally move the selector
le

ver or press the accelerator pedal, which could cause an accident or fire due to
abnormal engine overheating. Additionally, if the vehicle is parked in a poorly venti-
lated area, exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle and cause gas poisoning.

97
2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
NOTICE
■To prevent battery discharge
Do not leave the ignition switch in the ON
position if the engine is not running.
■When starting the engine
●Do not crank for more than 30 seconds at a time. This may overheat the starter
and wiring systems.
●Do not race a cold engine.
●If the engine becomes difficult to start or stalls frequently, have the engine
checked immediately.

104
2-2. Instrument cluster
Instrument panel light control
The brightness of the instrument panel lights can be adjusted by turning
the instrument panel light control knob.
Darker
Brighter
Odometer
Displays the total distance the vehicle has been driven.
Multi-information display ( P.107 )
8
9
1
2
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the engine and its components
●Do not let the indicator needle of the tachometer enter the red zone, which indi -
cates the maximum range of engine revolutions.
●The engine may be overheating if the temperature gauge is in the red zone (H).
Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place and check the engine. ( P.359 )

157
2-5. Driving information
2
When driving
• As stopping distance is increased when towing a trailer, vehicle-to-
vehicle distance should be increas ed. For each 10 mph (16 km/h) of
speed, allow at least one vehicle and trailer length.
• Avoid sudden braking as you may sk id, r
esulting in jackknifing and loss
of control. This is especially true on wet or slippery surfaces.
• Avoid jerky starts or sudden acceleration.
• Avoid jerky steering and sharp turn s, and slo
w down before making a
turn.
• Note that when making a turn, the tr ailer wheels will be closer than the
v
ehicle wheels to the inside of th e turn. Compensate by making a
larger than normal turning radius.
• Crosswinds and rough roads will ad v
ersely affect handling of your
vehicle and trailer, causing sway. Peri odically check the rear to prepare
for being passed by large trucks or buses, which may cause your vehi-
cle and trailer to sway. If s
waying occurs, firmly grip the steering wheel,
reduce speed immediately but gradually, and steer straight ahead.
Never increase speed. If you make no extreme correction with the
steering or brakes, your vehi cle and trailer will stabilize.
• Take care when passing other vehicl es. P
assing requires considerable
distance. After passing a vehicle, do not forget the length of your
trailer, and be sure you have plenty of room before changing lanes.
• In order to maintain efficient engine br
aking and electrical charging
performance, do not use overdrive. Transmission shift range position
must be in “4”, in the “S” mode.
• Due to the added load of the traile r
, your vehicle’s engine may overheat
on hot days (at temperatures over 85°F [30°C]) when driving up a
long or steep grade. If the engine coolant temperature gauge indicates
overheating, immediately turn off the air conditioning (if in use), pull
your vehicle off the road and stop in a safe spot. See “If your vehicle
overheats” ( P.359 ).

219
3-5. Other interior features
3
Interior features
CAUTION
■Burns
●Use caution when seating the following persons in a heated seat to avoid the pos-
sibility of burns:
• Babies, small children, elderly persons, sick per
sons or handicapped persons
• Persons who have delicate skin
• Persons who are exhausted
●Do not cover the seat with anything when using the seat heater. 
The seat heaters may overheat if the seat is covered.
NOTICE
■To prevent seat heater damage
Do not put unevenly weighted objects on the
seat and do not stick sharp objects
(needles, nails, etc.) into the seat.
■To prevent battery discharged
Turn the switches off when the engine is not running.

221
3-5. Other interior features
3
Interior features
CAUTION
■Burns/ excessive cooling
●The following passengers should take extra care to avoid burns:
• Babies, small children, elderly persons, si
ck or physically disabled persons.
• Persons who have sensitive skin.
• Exhausted persons.
• Persons who have taken alcohol or drug s whi
ch induce sleep (sleeping drugs,
cold remedies, etc.)
●Do not use a blanket or cushion on the seat. Using the climate control seat with
a blanket or cushion increases the temperature of the seat and may lead to over -
heating.
●Take care not to overuse the cooling function, as it may cool the above men -
tioned passengers excessively minor burns and overheating/ excessive cooling
NOTICE
■To prevent seat heater damage
Do not put unevenly weighted objects on the
seat and do not stick sharp objects
(needles, nails, etc.) into the seat.
■To prevent battery discharged
Turn the switches off when the engine is not running.

5When trouble arises
319
5-1. Essential information............ 320If your vehicle needs to be 
towed .......................................... 320
If you think something is 
wrong.......................................... 324
Fuel pump shut off system ..... 325
Event data recorder................. 326 5-2. Steps to take in an

emergency ........................... 328
If a warning light turns on... ... 328
If a warning message 
appears... ................................... 334
If you have a flat tire .................. 347
If the engine will not star
t....... 353
If the transmission selector 
lever cannot be shifted 
from P ......................................... 354
If you lose your keys................. 355
If the vehicle has a 
discharged battery................ 356
If your vehicle overheats........ 359
If the vehicle becomes 
stuck .............................................. 361

5
When trouble arises
341
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
*1:Warning buzzer
A buzzer will sound and the master warnin g
light flashes if the vehicle is driven
at a speed of approximately 3 mph (5 km/h).
Warning message and lightDetailsCorrection procedures
Pre-collision system
warning
• The millimeter
radar sensor or the
grill cover is dirty.Clean the sensor cover
with a soft cloth.
• System turned off
for overheat pro -
tection because
pr
e-collision seat
belts have acti -
vated repeatedly
within a short time.
Wait for a while for the
system to reactivate.
Engine oil mainte -
nance information
(U.S.A. only)
The engine oil should
be replaced soon.
The engine oil needs
to be replaced.Replace the engine oil as
soon as possible.

5
When trouble arises
359
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
If your vehicle overheats
If your engine overheats
Stop the vehicle in a safe place and turn off the automatic climate
control.
Check to see if steam is coming out from under the hood.
If you see steam: 
Stop the engine.
If you do not see steam: 
Leave the engine running and carefully lift the hood.
Check to see if the cooling fan is operating.
If the fan is operating: 
Wait until the temperature of the engine (shown in the instrument clus -
ter) begins to fall and then stop the engine.
If the fan is not operating: 
Stop the engine and call your local Lexus dealer.
After the engine has cooled down
sufficiently, check the level of
engine coolant and inspect the
radiator core (radiator) for any
leaks.