stop start TOYOTA 4RUNNER 1997 Owners Manual

66
(a) Brake System Warning Light This light has the following functions: Parking brake reminder
If this light is on, make sure the parking
brake is fully released. The light should go
off.
Low brake fluid level warning
If this light comes on and stays on while
you are driving, slow down and pull off the
road. Then stop the vehicle carefully.There may be a problem somewhere in
the brake system. Check the fluid level of
the see-through reservoir.
To make sure the parking brake has not
caused the warning light to come on,
check to see that the parking brake is fully
released.
If the brake fluid level is low...
At a safe place, test your brakes by start-
ing and stopping. If you judge that the brakes still work
adequately, drive cautiously to yournearest dealer or shop for repairs.
If the brakes are not working, have the
vehicle towed in for repairs. (For tow-
ing information, see Part 4.)
It is dangerous to continue driving
normally when the brake fluid level
is low. CAUTION
!
If the brake fluid level is correct...
Have the warning system checked by
your Toyota dealer.
(b) Seat Belt Reminder Light and Buzzer
Once the ignition key is turned to ONº or
STARTº, the reminder light and buzzer
come on if the driver's seat belt is not fas-
tened. Unless the driver fastens the belt,the light stays on and the buzzer sounds for about 4 to 8 seconds.
(c) Discharge Warning Light
This light warns that the battery is being discharged.
If it comes on while you are driving, there
is a problem somewhere in the charging system.
The engine ignition will continue to oper-
ate, however, until the battery is dis-
charged. Turn off the air conditioning,
blower, ra dio, etc., and drive directly to the
nearest Toyota dealer or repair shop.

68If either of the following conditions occurs, this indicates a malfunction somewhere in the parts monitored by the warning light
system. Contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible to service the vehicle.
The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the ACCº or
ONº position or remains on.
The light comes on while driving.
(j) Light Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer will sound if the driver's door is opened while the ignition switch is turned to the LOCKº position with the
headlight switch on. Removing the key will
not stop the buzzer as long as the head-light switch is on.
(k) Key Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer reminds you to remove the
key when you open the driver's door with the ignition key in the ACCº or LOCKº position.
(l) Unengaged Parkº Warning Light
(vehicles with automatic transmis-sion)
This light warns that the transmission
Parkº mechanism is not engaged. If the
front drive control lever is in the Nº posi-
tion while the selector lever is in the Pº
position, the transmission will disengage
and the wheels will not lock.
To restore the park function, shift
the front drive control lever out of
Nº, or the vehicle can move. CAUTION
!
(m) Automatic Transmission Fluid
Temperature Warning Light
This light warns that the automatic trans- mission fluid temperature is too high.
If this light comes on while you are driving,
slow down and pull off the road. Stop the
vehicle at a safe place and put the selector
lever in Pº. With the engine idling, wait
until the light goes off. If the light goes off,
you may start the vehicle again. If the light
does not go off, call a Toyota dealer or
qualified repair shop for assistance.
NOTICE
Continued driving with the warning light on may damage the automatic
transmission.
(n)Low Windshield Washer Fluid Level
Warning Light (Canada)
The light warns that the windshield wash-
er fluid level is too low. Add washer fluid at
your earliest opportunity. (For instruc-
tions, see Adding washer fluidº in Chap-ter 7-3.)
CHECKING SERVICE REMINDER INDI-
CATORS
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Open one of the side doors or the back
door.
The open door warning light should come on.
3. Close the door. The open door warning light should go
off.
4. Turn ignition key to ACCº. The SRS airbag warning light should
come on. It goes off after about 6 sec-onds.
5. Turn the ignition key to ONº, but do not start the engine.
All the service reminder indicators ex-
cept the open door warning light and
SRS airbag warning light should come
on. The ABSº warning light goes off
after about 3 seconds.

78Vehicles with cruise control-When the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by turning offthe overdrive switch, engine braking will
not be applied because the cruise control is not cancelled. For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see Cruise controlº in this chapter.
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or skid.
CAUTION
!
(c) Using 2º and Lº positions The 2º and Lº positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously. With the selector lever in 2º or Lº, you
can start the vehicle in motion as with the
lever in Dº. With the selector lever in 2º, the vehicle
will start in the first gear and automatically
shift to the second gear.
With the selector lever in Lº, the trans-
mission is engaged in the first gear.
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the en- gine. Watch the tachometer to
keep engine rpm from going intothe red zone. The approximate
maximum allowable speed foreach position is given below for
your reference:
Front drive control lever in H2º or
H4º
3RZ-FE engine
2º 111 km/h (88 mph) . . . . . .
Lº 60 km/h (37 mph) . . . . .
5VZ-FE engine2º 118 km/h (73 mph). . . . . .
Lº 64 km/h (40 mph)
. . . . .
Front drive control lever in L4º 3RZ-FE engine
2º 43 km/h (26 mph) . . . . . .
Lº 23 km/h (14 mph) . . . . .
5VZ-FE engine
2º 46 km/h (28 mph). . . . . .
Lº 25 km/h (15 mph) . . . . .
Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the 2º
or Lº position. This may cause se- vere automatic transmission dam- age from overheating. To preventsuch damage, use Dº position for hill climbing or hard towing.
(d) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the selector lever to the
Rº position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the vehicle is moving.
(e) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Pull the pa rking brake lever fully to se-
curely apply the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down, shift the selector lever to the P posi- tion.

87
The anti-lock brake system does not op-
erate when the rear differential is locked.
It is normal operation for the ABSº warn-
ing light to be on at this time.

Do not lock the differential until
the wheels have stopped spin-
ning. Otherwise, the vehicle may
move in an unexpected direction
when the differential lock is en-
gaged, resulting in an accident.
This may also lead to possible
damage to differential lock com-
ponent parts.
Do not drive over 8 km/h (5 mph)
when the differential is locked. CAUTION
!
To unlock the differential, push the
switch once again.
Unlock the differential as soon as the ve- hicle moves out.
For easy unlocking, slightly turn the steer-
ing wheel in either direction while the ve- hicle is in motion.
When the differential lock is disengaged, the indicator light will go out. The differential will also unlock if you shift
the front drive control lever out of L4º. Never f
orget to turn off the switch after us-
ing this feature.
To check the indicator bulb, turn the igni-
tion key to the ONº position, but do not
start the engine.
Do not keep driving with the
differential lock switch on. CAUTION
!
When parking, firmly apply the park-
ing brake to avoid inadvertent creep- ing.
To set: Pull up the lever. For better holding
power, first depress the brake pedal and
hold it while setting the parking brake.
To release: Pull up the lever slightly, press
the thumb button, and lower.
To remind you that the parking brake is
set,
the parking brake reminder light in the
instrument panel remains on until you re- lease the parking brake.
Parking brake

107
If you have pushed the track button more than
you wanted to, push the other side of
the button. The track number will be re- duced.
The track number you select is not valid if it is higher than the number of tracks re-
maining on the current cassette side. After the beginning of the tape is reached, the player will automatically
start playing the same side.
After the end of the tape is reached,
the player will automatically revers
sides and start playing the other side.
There must be at least 3 seconds of blank
space between tracks for the track button
to work correctly. In addition, the feature
may not work well with some spokenword, live, or classical recordings. Compact Disc Player Push either side of the track button until
the number of the track you want to listen
to appears on the display. If you want to return the beginning of the current track,
push the down side of the button one time,
quickly.
/ (Reverse/Fast forward but-
tons)
Cassette Player Push the fast forward button to fast for-
ward a cassette tape. FFº will appear on
the display. Push the revers button to re-
wind a tape. REWº will appear on the dis-
play.
To stop the tape while it is fast forwarding,
push on the up side of the track down/up
button or TAPEº; to stop the tape while it
is rewinding, push on the down side of the
track down/up button or TAPEº.
If a tape side rewinds completely, the ca-
sette player will stop and then play that
same side. If a tape fast forwards com-
pletely, the cassette player will play the
other side of the tape, using the auto-re- verse feature. Compact Disc Player
If you want to fast forward or reverse
through a compact disc track, push and
hold in the fast forward or reverse button.
When you release the button, the com-
pact disc player will resume playing. AM
VFM
Push AM VFMº to switch between the AM
and FM bands. AMº, FM1º or FM2º will
appear on the display. These systems al- low you to set twelve FM stations, two for
each button.
If the audio system is off, you can turn on
the radio by pushing AM VFMº. Also, push
the AM VFMº button to switch from cas-
sette operation to radio operation. BAL (Balance)
This knob lets you adjust the balance be- tween the right and left speakers. Push MID/BALº so that it pops out of its
retracted position. Pull out the knob. Turn
the knob to adjust the balance. Push theknob back into its retracted position. BASS This knob lets you adjust the bass level.
Push BASSº so that it pops out of its re-
tracted position. Turn the knob to adjust
the bass. Push the knob back into its re-tracted position.

136
CAUTION!
When driving off-road or in rugged
terrain, do not drive at excessive
speeds, jump the vehicle, or strike
objects, etc. This may cause loss of
control or vehicle rollover. You are
also risking expensive damage to
your vehicle's suspension and chassis. Drive gently and avoid high speeds.
Your vehicle does not need an elaborate
break-in. But following a few simple tips
for the first 1600 km (1000 miles) can add
to the future economy and long life of your vehicle:
Do not drive over 88 km/h (55 mph).
Run the engine at moderate speed be- tween 2000 and 4000 rpm.
Avoid full-throttle starts.
Try to avoid hard stops during the first
300 km (200 miles).
Do not drive slowly with the manual
transmission in a high gear.
Do not drive for a long time at any
single speed, either fast or slow.
Do not tow a trailer during the first 800
km (500 miles) FUEL TYPE
Your new vehicle must use only un-
leaded gasoline.
To help prevent gas station mixups, your
Toyota has a new smaller fuel tank opening.
The special nozzle on pumps with unleaded
fuel will fit it, but the larger standard nozzle
on pumps with leaded gas will not.
Do not use leaded gasoline. Use of
leaded gasoline will cause the
three-way catalytic converter tolose its effectiveness and the emis- sion control system to function im-properly. Also, this can increase maintenance costs.
NOTICE
OCTANE NUMBER
Select Research Octane Number 91 (Oc-
tane Rating 87) or higer.
Use of unleaded fuel with an octane num- ber or rating lower than stated above will
cause persistant heavy knocking. If se-
vere, this will lead to engine damage.
Break-in period Fuel

141
Your engine is fitted with twin ground electrode spark plugs.
NOTICE
Use only twin ground electrode spark plugs for your engine perfor-
mance.
TANDEM MASTER CYLINDER BRAKE SYSTEM
The tandem master cylinder brake sys-
tem is a hydraulic system with two sepa-
rate sub-systems. If either sub-system
should fa il, the other will still work. Howev-
er, 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 drive your vehicle with only 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 nomore!
CAUTION!
Do not pump the brake pedal if the
engine stalls. Each push on the
pedal uses up your vacuum re- serve.
Even if the power assist is com-
pletely lost, the brakes will still
work. But you will have to push
the pedal hard-much harder than
normal. And your braking dis- tance will be longer
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (with ABSº warning light)
The anti- lock brake system is designed to
automatically help prevent lock- up of the
wheels during sudden braking or braking on
slippery road surfaces. This assists in pro-
viding directional stability and steering per -
formance of the vehicle under these cir -
cumstances.
The anti- lock brake system becomes op-
erative after the vehicle has accelerated to
a speed in excess of approximately 10 km/h
(6 mph). It stops operating when the vehicle
decelerates to a speed below approximate-
ly 5 km/h (3 mph).
You may hear a sound in the engine
compartment for a few seconds when the
engine is started or 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.
Twin ground electrode spark plugs (5VZ-FE engine)
Brake system

153
Make sure you have ethylene-glycol
antifreeze in the radiator.
Do not use alcohol type antifreeze.
NOTICE
Check the condition of the battery and cables. Cold temperatures reduce the capacity of
any battery, so it must be in top shape to provide enough power for winter starting.Chapter 7-3 tells you how to visually in-
spect the battery. Your Toyota dealer and
most service stations will be pleased tocheck the level of charge.
Make sure the engine oil viscosity is
suitable for the cold weather.
See Chapter 7-2 for recommended vis-
cosity.
Leaving a heavy summer oil in your
vehicle during winter months may cause
harder starting. If you are not sure about
which oil to use, call your Toyota dealer- he will be pleased to help. Keep the door locks from freezing. Squirt lock de-icer or glycerine into the
locks to keep them from freezing. To open
a frozen lock, try heating the key before in-serting it. Use a washer fluid containing an anti-
freeze solution.
This product is available at your Toyota
dealer and most auto parts stores. Follow
the manufacturer's directions for how
much to mix with water.
Do not use engine antifreeze or any
other substitute because it may
damage your vehicle's paint.
NOTICE
Do not use your parking brake when there is a possibility it could freeze. When parking, put the transmission into
Pº (automatic) or into first or reverse
(manual) and block the rear wheels. Do
not use the parking brake, or snow or wa-
ter accumulated in and around the parkingbrake mechanism may freeze, making it
hard to release. Keep ice and snow from accumulating
under the fenders.
Ice and snow built up under your fenders
can make steering difficult. During bad winter driving, stop and check under the
fenders occasionally. Depending on where you are driving,
we recommend you carry some emer- gency equipment.
Some of
the things you might put in the ve-
hicle are tire chains, window scraper, bag of sand or salt, flares, small shovel, jump- er cables, etc.
Winter driving tips

156
TIRES
Ensure that your vehicle's tires are
properly inflated. See Chapter 7-2 forinstructions.
The trailer tires should be inflated to
the pressure recommended by the
trailer manufacturer in respect to the
total trailer weight.
TRAILER LIGHTS Trailer lights must comply with federal,
state/provincial and local regulations. See your local recreational vehicle
dealer or rental agency for the correct type of wiring and relays for your trail-
er. Check for correct operation of the
turn signals and stop lights each time
you hitch up. Direct splicing may dam-
age your vehicle's electrical system
and cause a malfunction of your lights.
BREAK-IN SCHEDULE Toyota recommends that you do not
tow a trailer with a new vehicle or a ve-
hicle with any new power train compo-
nent (engine, transmission, differen- tial, wheel bearing, etc.) for the first
800 km (500 miles) of driving. MAINTENANCE
If you tow a trailer, your vehicle will re-
quire more frequent maintenance due
to the additional load. For this informa-
tion, please refer to the scheduled
maintenance information in the Own-
er 's Manual Supplement/Maintenance Scheduleº.
Retighten all fixing bolts of the towing
ball and bracket after approximately
1000 km (600 miles) of trailer driving.
PRE-T OWING SAFETY CHECK Check that your vehicle remains level
when a loaded or unloaded trailer is
hitched. Do not drive if the vehicle has
an abnormal nose-up or nose-down
condition, and check for improper
tongue load, overload, worn suspen-
sion or other possible causes.
Make sure the trailer cargo is securely
loaded so that it cannot shift.
Check that your rear view mirrors con-
form to any applicable federal, state/
provincial or local regulation. If not,
install the rear view mirrors required
for towing purpose. TRAILER TOWING TIPS
When towing a trailer, your vehicle will
handle differently than when not tow-
ing.
The three main causes of vehicle-
trailer accidents are driver error, ex-
cessive speed and improper trailer
loading. Keep these in mind when tow-
ing: Before starting out, check operation of
the lights and all vehicle-trailer con-
nections. After driving a short dis-
tance, stop and recheck the lights and
connections. Before actually towing a
trailer, practice turning, stopping and
backing with a trailer in an area away
from traffic until you learn the feel.
Backing w ith a trailer is difficult and re-
quires practice. Grip the bottom of thesteering wheel and move your hand to
the left to move the trailer to the left. Move your hand to the right to move
the trailer to the right. (This procedure is generally opposite to that when
backing without a trailer). Also, just
turn the steering wheel a little at a time,
avoiding sharp or prolonged turning. Have someone guide you when back-
ing to reduce the risk of an accident.

157

Because stopping distance may be in-
creased, vehicle-to-vehicle distance
should be increased when towing a
trailer. For each 16 km/h (10 mph) of speed, allow at least one vehicle and
trailer length between you and the ve-
hicle ahead. Avoid sudden braking as you may skid, resulting in jackknifing
and loss of control. This is especially
true on wet or slippery surfaces.
Avoid jerky starts or sudden accelera-tion. If your vehicle has manual trans-
mission, prevent excessive clutch slip-
page by keeping engine rpm low and
not racing the engine. Always start out
in first gear.
Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns.
The trailer could hit your vehicle in a
tight turn. Slow down before making a
turn to avoid the necessity of sudden braking.
Remember that when making a turn, the trailer wheels will be closer than the vehicle wheels to the inside of the
turn. Therefore, compensate for this
by making a larger than normal turning
radius with your vehicle.
Crosswinds and rough roads will ad-
versely affect handling of your vehicle
and trailer, causing sway. Pay atten-
tion to the rear from time to time to pre-
pare yourself for being passed by largetrucks or buses, which may cause your
vehicle and trailer to sway. If swaying
happens, firmly grip the steering wheel
and reduce speed immediately but
gradually. Never increase speed.
Steer straight ahead. If you make no
extreme correction with the steering or
brakes, the vehicle and trailer will sta-bilize.
Be careful when passing other ve-hicles. Passing requires considerable
distance. After passing a vehicle, do
not forget the length of your trailer and
be sure you have plenty of room be-
fore changing lanes.
In order to maintain engine braking ef-
ficiency, do not use fifth gear (manual
transmission) or overdrive (automatic transmission).
Because of the added load of the trail-
er, your vehicle's engine may overheat
on hot days (at temperatures over 30 5C [85 5F]) when going up a long or
steep grade with a trailer. If the engine
coolant temperature gauge indicates
overheating, immediately turn off the
air conditioning (if in use), pull off the
road and stop in a safe spot. Refer to
If your vehicle overheatsº in Part 4 of this manual.
Always place wheel blocks under both
the vehicle and trailer wheels whenparking. Apply the parking brake firm-
ly. Put the transmission in Pº (auto-
matic) or in first or reverse (manual).
Avoid parking on a slope with a trailer,but if it cannot be avoided, do so only after performing the following:
1. Apply the brakes and hold.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks un-
der both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release your brakes slowly until the blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the parking brake firmly.
5. Shift into first or reverse (manual) or Pº (automatic) and turn off the engine.