towing TOYOTA 4RUNNER 1997 Owners Manual

29
Remove excess length of the belt and adjust the belt position.
To shorten the belt, pull the free end of the belt. Position the lap belt as low as possible on your hipsÐnot on your waist, thn adjust it
to a snug fit.
CAUTION!
High-positioned and loose-fitting
lap belts could cause severe injuries
due to sliding under the lap belt
during a collision. Keep the lap belt
positioned as low on hips as possible.
To release the belt, press the buckle-
release button.The rear seat belts can be stowed
when not in use.
Seat belts must be stowed before you fold
the seat back. (See Rear seatsÐFold
down rear seatº in this chapter.)
ÐStowing rear seat belts

64
The gauge indicates the engine cool-
ant temperature when the ignition
switch is on. The engine operating
temperature will vary with changes inweather and engine load.
If the needle moves into the red zone, your engine is too hot. If your vehicle
overheats, stop your vehicle and allow the
engine to cool.
Your vehicle may overheat during severe operating conditions, such as: Driving up a long hill on a hot day.
Reducing speed or stopping after high
speed driving.
Idling for a long period with the air con-
ditioning on in stop-and-go traffic.
Towing a trailer
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in
the engine cooling system as this
may cause the engine to overheat. The thermostat is designed tocontrol the flow of coolant to keep
the temperature of the engine within the specified operatingrange.
Do not continue driving with an
overheated engine. See If yourvehicle overheatsº in Part 4.The tachometer indicates engine
speed in thousands of rpm (revolu-
tions per minute). Use it while driving
to select correct shift points and to
prevent engine lugging and overrev- ving.
Driving with the engine running too fast
causes excessive engine wear and poor
fuel economy. Remember, in most cases
the slower the engine speed, the greater
the fuel economy.
NOTICE
Do not let the indicator needle get into the red zone. This may cause
severe engine damage.
Tachometer
Engine coolant temperature gauge

73
Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of Pº position when the brake
pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in ONº position and the selector le-ver pulled toward you).
(a) Normal Driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in How
to start the engineº in Part 3. The trans- mission must be in Pº or Nº.
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to Dº.
In Dº position, the automatic transmis-
sion system will select the most suitable
gear for running conditions such as nor-
mal cruising, hill climbing, hard towing, etc.
Always turn the overdrive switch on for
better fuel economy and quieter driving. If
the engine coolant temperature is low, thetransmission will not shift into overdrive
gear even with the overdrive switch on.
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting. CAUTION
! 3. Release the parking brake and brake
pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
(b) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift the transmission as follows: Turn off the overdrive switch. The O/D
OFFº indicator light will come on and the transmission will downshift to the
third gear.
Shift into the 2º position). The trans-
mission will downshift to the second
gear when the vehicle speed drops down to or lower than the followingspeed, and more powerful engine
braking will be obtained.
3RZ-FE engine 112 km/h (69 mph) . .
5VZ-FE engine 119 km/h (73 mph) . .
Shift into the Lº position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the first gear.
When the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
maximum engine braking will be ap- plied.
3RZ-FE engine 54 km/h (33 mph) . . .
5VZ-FE engine 58 km/h (36 mph) . . . Vehicles with cruise controlÐWhen the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by turning off
the overdrive switch, engine braking is not
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 orskid.
CAUTION
!
(c) Using the 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.

74
NOTICE
To prevent engine overrevving, donot downshift if you are going
faster than the above speed ineach position.
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: 2º 120 km/h (74 mph). . . . . .
Lº 65 km/h (40 mph) . . . . .
Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the2º or Lº position. This may
cause severe automatic transmis-sion damage from overheating.
To prevent such damage, use Dºposition 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 parking brake lever up fully to securely apply the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down, shift the selector lever to the Pº posi-tion.
While the vehicle is moving, never
attempt to move the selector lever
into Pº position under any
circumstances. Serious mechanical
damage and loss of vehicle control may result. CAUTION
! (f) Good driving practice
If the transmission is repeatedly up-
shifted and downshifted between third
gear and overdrive when climbing a
gentle slope, the overdrive switch
should be turned off. Be sure to turn the switch on immediately afterward.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not use overdrive.
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping. CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Do not hold the vehicle on an upgrade with the accelerator pedal.
It can cause the transmission tooverheat. Always use the brake
pedal or parking brake.

77
Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of Pº position when the brake
pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in ONº position and the selector le- ver pulled toward you).
(a) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in How to start the engineº in Part 3. The trans- mission must be in Pº or Nº.
When the front drive control lever is in L4º
(low-speed position, four-wheel drive),
the driving pattern selector setting has no
effect on gear shift timing. (See Four-
wheel drive systemº in this chapter for in-
formation of the front drive control lever.)
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to Dº.
In Dº position, the automatic transmis-
sion system will select the most suitable
gear for running conditions such as nor-
mal cruising, hill climbing, hard towing, etc. Always turn the overdrive switch on for
better
fuel economy and quieter driving. If
the engine coolant temperature is low or
when the front drive control lever is in l4º
(low-speed position, four-wheel drive)
the transmission will not shift into the
overdrive gear even with the overdrive
switch on. ( See Fourwheel drive systemº
in this chapter for information of the front
drive control lever.)
Never put your foot on the accelera- tor pedal while shifting. CAUTION
!
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
(b) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift the transmission as follows: Turn off the overdrive switch. The O/D
OFFº indicator light will come on andthe transmission will downshift to the
third gear.
Shift into the 2º position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the second
gear when the vehicle speed drops
down to or lower than following speed,
and more powerful engine braking will
be obtained.
Front drive control lever in H2º or H4º
3RZ-FE engine 105 km/h (65 mph) . .
5VZ-FE engine 114 km/h (70 mph) . . .
Front drive control lever in L4º 3RZ-FE engine 38 km/h (23 mph) . . . .
5VZ-FE engine 41 km/h (25 mph) . . . .
Shift into the Lº position. The trans- mission will downshift to the first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
maximum engine braking will be ap- plied.
Front drive control lever in H2º or H4º
3RZ-FE engine 51 km/h (31 mph) . . . .
5VZ-FE engine 55 km/h (34 mph) . . . .
Front drive control lever in L4º 3RZ-FE engine 11 km/h (6 mph) . . . . .
5VZ-FE engine 12 km/h (7 mph) . . . . .

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.

79
While the vehicle is moving, never
attempt to move the selector lever
into Pº position under any
circumstances. Serious mechanical
damage and loss of vehicle control may result.CAUTION
!
(f) Good driving practice If the transmission is repeatedly up-
shifted and downshifted between third
gear and overdrive when climbing a
gentle slope, the overdrive switch
should be turned off. Be sure to turn the switch on immediately afterward.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do notuse overdrive.
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping. CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Do not hold the vehicle on an upgrade with the accelerator pedal.
It can cause the transmission tooverheat. Always use the brake pedal or parking brake.
(g) Rocking your vehicle in stuck
If you rock your vehicle to make it
out when it becomes stuck in snow,
mud, sand, etc., first check that there are no objects or people
around the vehicle. During
operation, the vehicle may suddenly move forward or
backward as it becomes unstuck,
causing injury or damage to nearby
people or objects. CAUTION
!
NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe the following precautions to prevent
damage to the transmission andother parts.
Do not depress the acceleratorpedal while shifting the selector
lever or before the transmission is
completely shifted to forward or reverse gear.
Do not race the engine and avoid
spinning the wheels.
If your vehicle remains stuck afterrocking the vehicle several times,consider other ways such as tow-ing.
(h) Driving in POWERº mode In the POWERº mode, the transmission
is shifted up and down at a higher vehicle
speed than in the NORMALº mode and a
more powerful acceleration is achieved.
To set the POWERº mode, push in the
driving pattern selector button. The
POWERº mode indicator light comes on.
For ordinary driving, Toyota recommends
using the NORMALº mode to improve
fuel economy.

81
Maximum allowable speeds
To get on a highway or to pass slower traf- fic, maximum acceleration may be neces-
sary.
Make sure you observe the following
maximum allowable speeds in each gear:
Two-wheel drive models gear km/h (mph)
1 48 (29)
2 90 (55)
3 139 (86)
4 165 (102)
Four-wheel drive models
3RZ-FE engine gear km/h (mph) H2º and H4º L4º
1 45 (28) 17 (11)
2 84 (52) 32 (20)
3 130 (81) 50 (31)
4 165 (102) 64 (39)
5VZ-FE engine
gear km/h (mph) H2º and H4º L4º
1 48 (29) 18 (11)
2 89 (55) 34 (21)
3 127 (79) 49 (31)
4 165 (102) 64 (39)
NOTICE
Do not downshift if you are going faster than the maximum allowable
speed for the next lower gear.
Good driving practice If it is difficult to shift into reverse, put
the transmission in neutral, release
the clutch pedal momentarily, and then
try again.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use the fifth gear.
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or skid. CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Make sure the vehicle is completely stopped before shifting into
reverse.
Use the front drive control lever to se-
lect the following transfer modes. H2º (high speed position, two-wheel
drive): Lever at H2º
Use this for normal driving on dry hardsur- faced roads. This position gives greater
economy, quietest ride and least wear.
H4º (high speed position, four-wheel drive): Lever at H4º
Use this for normal driving on wet, icy or
snow-covered roads. This position pro-
vides greater traction than two-wheel drive.
Four-wheel drive systemÐ (a) Front drive control (lever type)

144
When stowing luggage or cargo in the ve-
hicle, observe the following:
Put luggage or cargo in the trunk when
at all possible. Be sure all items are se- cured in place.
Be careful to keep the vehicle bal-
anced. Locating the weight as far for-
ward as possible helps maintain bal- ance.
For better fuel economy, do not carryunneeded weight.
CAUTION!
To prevent luggage or packages
from sliding forward during brak-
ing, do not stack anything behind
the front seats higher than the seatbacks. Keep luggage or pack-
ages low, as close to the floor as possible.
Never allow anyone to ride in the
luggage compartment. It is not de-
signed for passengers. They
should ride in their seats with their
seat belts properly fastened.
Otherwise, they are much more
likely suffer serious bodily injury,
in the event of sudden braking or a collision.
Do not place anything on the filler
panel or luggage cover. Such items may be thrown about and
possibly injure people in the ve-
hicle during sudden braking or an
accident. (secure all items in a safe
place.)
Do not drive with objects left on
top of the instrument panel. They
may interfere with the driver's field
of view. Or they may move during
sharp vehicle acceleration or turn-ing, and impair the driver's control
of the vehicle. In an accident they
may injure the vehicle occupants.
NOTICE
Do not load the vehicle beyond the vehicle capacity weight specified in
Part 8.
The vehicle identification number
(VIN) is the legal identifier for your ve- hicle. This number is on the left top of
the instrument panel, and can be seen
through the windshield from outside.
This is the primary identification number
for your T oyota. It is used in registering the
ownership of your vehicle.
Luggage storage precautions
Your Toyota's identificationÐ
ÐVehicle identification number

Part 3How to start the engineÐ
(a) Before cranking
Before starting the engine
149
STARTING AND DRIVING
Before starting the engine
How to start the engine
Tips for driving in various conditions
Off-road driving precautions
Winter driving tips
Trailer towing
How to save fuel and make your
vehicle last longer, too
1. Check
the area around the vehicle be-
fore entering it.
2. Adjust seat position, seatback angle, seat cushion angle, head restraint
height and steering wheel angle.
3. Adjust inside and outside rear view mirrors.
4. Lock all doors.
5. Fasten seat belts. 1. Apply the parking brake firmly.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and acces-
sories.
3. Manual transmission: Press the
clutch pedal to the floor and shift the
transmission into neutral. Hold theclutch pedal to the floor until the engine
is started. A starter safety device willprevent the starter from operating if
the clutch pedal is not fully depressed.
Automatic transmission: Put the se-
lector lever in Pº. If you need to restart
the engine while the vehicle is moving, put the selector lever in Nº. A starter
safety device will prevent the starter
from operating if the selector lever is in
any drive position.
4. Automatic transmission only: De-
press the brake pedal and hold it to the
floor until driving off.