transmission TOYOTA 4RUNNER 1998 User Guide

4RUNNER (1998)
If your vehicle remains stuck af-
ter rocking the vehicle severaltimes, consider other ways such as towing.
(h) Driving in ºPWRº (Power) mode
In the ºPWRº mode, the transmission
is shifted up and down at a higher
vehicle speed than in the ºNORMº
(Normal) mode and a more powerful
acceleration is achieved. To set the
ºPWRº mode, push in the driving pat-
tern selector button. The ºPWRº mode
indicator light comes on.
For ordinary driving, Toyota recom-
mends using the ºNORMº mode to im-
prove fuel economy.
(i) If you cannot shift the selector lever out of ºPº position
If you cannot shift the selector lever
from the ºPº position even though the
brake pedal is depressed, use the
shift lock override button. For instruc-
tions, see ºIf you cannot shift auto-
matic transmission selector leverº in
Part 4.

4RUNNER (1998)
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 º2º posi- tion
With the brake pedal depressed, shift while holding the lock release button in. (The ignition switch must be in ºONºposition.) Shift while holding the lock release button in. Shifting normally Overdrive switch
For selecting either a three-speed or four-speed transmission
ºONº position(Shifting into overdrive pos-sible) ºOFFº position (Shifting into overdrive notpossible)ºO/D OFFº indicator light shows the over- drive switch is inOFF position
Driving pattern selector button For selecting a driving pattern suited to existing driving conditions
ºNORMº (Normal)mode for general driving conditioning ºPWRº (Power) mode for power- ful accelerationºPWRº mode indicator light on the instrument panel shows the driving pattern selector button isin the ºPWRº mode
Vehicles with cruise control ' When the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift the trans mission by turning
off the overdrive switch, engine braking will not be applied because the cruise control is not cancelled. For ways to
decrease the vehicle speed, see ºCruise controlº in this chapter. Automatic transmission
Four- wheel drive control

4RUNNER (1998)
Your automatic transmission has a
shift lock system to minimize the pos-
sibility of incorrect operation. This
means you can only shift out of ºPº
position when the brake pedal is de-
pressed (with the ignition switch in
ºONº position and the lock release
button depressed).
(a) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in
ºHow to start the engineº in Part 3.
The transmission must be in ºPº or
ºNº.
When the front drive control lever is
in ºL4º (low- speed position, four-
wheel drive), the driving pattern selec-
tor setting has no effect on gear shift
timing. (See ºFour- wheel drive sys-
temº in this Chapter for information of
the front drive control lever.)
2. With your foot holding down the
brake pedal, shift the selector lever to
ºDº.
In ºDº position, the automatic trans-
mission system will select the most
suitable gear for running conditions
such as normal cruising, hill climbing,
hard towing, etc. Always turn the overdrive switch on
for better fuel economy and quieter
driving. If the engine coolant tempera-
ture is low or when the front drive
control lever is in ºL4º (low- speed
position, four- wheel drive), the trans-
mission will not shift into
the overdrive gear even with the over-
drive switch on. (See ºFour- wheel
drive systemº in this Chapter for in-
formation of the front drive control le-
ver.)
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accel-
erator pedal while shifting.
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 down-
shift the transmission as follows:
Turn off the overdrive switch. The
ºO/D OFFº indicator light will come
on and the transmission will down-
shift to the third gear.
Shift into the º2º position. The
transmission will downshift to the
second gear when the vehicle
speed drops down to or lower than
the following speed, and more pow-
erful engine braking will be ob-
tained.
Front drive control lever in ºH2º or
ºH4º
3RZ- FE engine.....105 km/h (65
mph)
5VZ- FE engine.....114 km/h (70
mph)
Front drive control lever in ºL4º
3RZ- FE engine.....38 km/h (23
mph)
5VZ- FE engine.....41 km/h (25
mph)
Shift into the ºLº position. The
transmission will downshift to the
first gear when the vehicle speed
drops down to or lower than the
following speed, and maximum en-
gine braking will be applied.
Front drive control lever in ºH2º or
ºH4º
3RZ- FE engine.....51 km/h (31
mph)
5VZ- FE engine.....55 km/h (34
mph)

4RUNNER (1998)
Front drive control lever in ºL4º 3RZ- FE engine.....11 km/h (6
mph)
5VZ- FE engine.....12 km/h (7
mph) Vehicles with cruise control
'When the
cruise control is being used, even if
you downshift the transmission by
turning off the overdrive switch, en-
gine braking is not applied because
the cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle
speed, see Cruise control in this
chapter.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on
a slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
(c) Using the º2º and ºLº, posi-
tions
The º2º and ºLº positions are used for
strong engine braking as described
previously.
With the selector lever in º2º or ºLº,
you can start the vehicle in motion as
with the lever in ºDº.
With the selector lever in º2º, the ve-
hicle will start in the first gear and
automatically shift to the second gear.
With the selector lever in ºLº, the
transmission is engaged in the first
gear.

4RUNNER (1998)
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the
engine. Watch the tachometer tokeep engine rpm from goinginto the red zone. The approxi-
mate maximum allowable speedfor each position is given abovefor your reference:
Front drive control lever inºH2º or ºH4º
3RZ- FE engine º2º.....................111km/h (68
mph)
ºLº...................... 60km/h (37
mph)
5VZ- FE engine º2º.....................1 18km/h (73
mph)
ºLº...................... 64km/h (40
mph)
Front drive control lever in ºL4º
3RZ- FE engine º2º...................... 43km/h (26
mph) ºLº...................... 23km/h (14
mph)
5VZ- FE engine º2º...................... 46km/h (28
mph)
ºLº...................... 25km/h (15
mph)
Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time inthe º2º or ºLº position. Thismay cause severe automatic
transmission damage from over-heating. To prevent such dam-age, ºDº position should be
used in hill climbing or hardtowing.
(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 ºRº 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 fully to securely apply the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down, shift the selector lever to
the ºPº position.

4RUNNER (1998)
CAUTION
While the vehicle is moving, nev-
er attempt to move the selector
lever into ºPº position under any
circumstances. Serious mechani-
cal damage and loss of vehicle
control may result.
(f) Good driving practice
If the transmission is repeatedly
upshifted and downshifted between
third gear and overdrive when
climbing a gentle slope, the over-
drive switch should be turned off.
Be sure to turn the switch on im-
mediately afterward.
When towing a trailer, in order to
maintain engine braking efficiency,
do not use overdrive.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the
brake pedal while stopped with
the engine running. This prevents
the vehicle from creeping.
NOTICE
Do not hold the vehicle on an
upgrade with the accelerator pe-dal. It can cause the transmissionto overheat. Always use the brake
pedal or parking brake.
(g) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
CAUTION
To rock your vehicle if it becomes
stuck in snow, mud, sand, etc.,
first check that there are no ob-
jects or people around the ve-
hicle. During the rocking opera-
tion the vehicle may suddenly
move forward or backward as it
becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people or
objects.
NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe
the following precautions to pre-vent damage to the transmissionand other parts.
Do not depress the accelerator
pedal while shifting the selectorlever or before the transmissionis completely shifted to forward
or reverse gear.
Do not race the engine andavoid spinning the wheels.
If your vehicle remains stuck af-ter rocking the vehicle several
times, consider other ways suchas towing.
(h) Driving in ºPWRº(Power) mode
In the ºPWRº mode, the transmission
is shifted up and down at a higher
vehicle speed than in the
ºNORMº(Normal) mode and a more
powerful acceleration is achieved. To
set the ºPWRº mode, push in the driv-
ing pattern selector button. The ºPWRº
mode indicator light comes on.
For ordinary driving, Toyota recom-
mends using the ºNORMº mode to im-
prove fuel economy.

4RUNNER (1998)
(i) If you cannot shift the selector
lever out of ºPº position
If you cannot shift the selector lever
from the ºPº position even though the
brake pedal is depressed, use the
shift lock override lever. For instruc-
tions, see ºIf you cannot shift auto-
matic transmission selector leverº in
Part 4. Manual transmission
The shift pattern is as shown above.
Press the clutch pedal down fully
while shifting, and then release it
slowly. Do not rest your foot on the
pedal while driving, because it will
cause clutch trouble. And do not use
the clutch to hold the vehicle when
stopped on an uphill gradeÐuse the
parking brake.
Recommended shifting speeds
The transmission is fully synchronized
and upshifting or downshifting is easy.
For the best compromise between fuel
economy and vehicle performance,
you should upshift or downshift at the
following speeds:3RZ- FE engine

4RUNNER (1998)
Good driving practice
If it is difficult to shift into reverse,
put the transmission in neutral, re-
lease the clutch pedal momentarily,
and then try again.
When towing a trailer, in order to
maintain engine braking efficiency,
do not use the fifth gear.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on
a slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
NOTICE
Make sure the vehicle is com-
pletely stopped before shiftinginto reverse.
Four- wheel drive systemÐ
(a) Front drive control (lev
type)

4RUNNER (1998)
SHIFTING BETWEEN ºH2º AND ºH4º
To shift from ºH2º to ºH4º, move
the front drive control lever.
This can be done when the vehicle is
stopped, or moving straight ahead at
speeds of 40km/h (25mph) or less.
You need not depress the clutch ped-
al. If you have trouble shifting, de-
press or release the accelerator pedal
momentarily while pushing the front
drive control lever.
CAUTION
Never move the front drive con-
trol lever if wheels are slipping.
Stop the slipping or spinning be-
fore shifting.
To shift from ºH4º to ºH2 º, simply
move the front drive control lever.
This can be done at any vehicle
speed. You need not depress the
clutch pedal.
If the indicator light does not go off
when you shift the transfer into ºH2º,
drive straight ahead while accelerating
or decelerating, or drive in reverse. With A.D.D.
To shift from ºH2º to ºH4º,
reduce
your speed to less than 80 km/h (50
mph) and move the front drive control
lever. You need not depress the clutch
pedal.
If you have trouble shifting in cold
weather, reduce your speed or stop
the vehicle and reshift.
CAUTION
Never move the front drive con-
trol lever if wheels are slipping.
Stop the slipping or spinning be-
fore shifting.
To shift from ºH4º to ºH2º, simply
move the front drive control lever.
This can be done at any vehicle
speed. You need not depress the
clutch pedal.
If the indicator light does not go off
when you shift the transfer into ºH2º,
drive straight ahead while accelerating
or decelerating, or drive in reverse. SHIFTING BETWEEN ºH4º AND ºL4º
To shift from ºH4º to ºL4,
stop the
vehicle or reduce your speed to less
than 8 km/h (5 mph). With your foot
off the accelerator pedal, depress the
clutch pedal and move the front drive
control lever.
To shift from ºL4º to ºH4º, depress
the clutch pedal and move the front
drive control lever.
This can be done at any vehicle
speed.
(c) Shifting procedure (leve
r
type with manu
transmission)

4RUNNER (1998)
SHIFTING BETWEEN ºH2º AND ºH4º
To shift from ºH2º to ºH4º, move
the front drive control lever.
This can be done when the vehicle is
stopped, or moving straight ahead at
speeds of 40 km/h (25 mph) or less.
If you have trouble shifting, depress
or release the accelerator pedal mo-
mentarily while pushing the front drive
control lever.
CAUTION
Never move the front drive con-
trol lever if wheels are slipping.
Stop the slipping or spinning be-
fore shifting.
To shift from ºH4º to ºH2º, simply
move the front drive control lever.
This can be done at any vehicle
speed.
If the indicator light does not go off
when you shift the transfer into ºH2º,
drive straight ahead while accelerating
or decelerating, or drive in reverse. With A.D.D.
To shift from ºH2º to ºH4º,
reduce
your speed to less than 80 km/h (50
mph) and move the front drive control
lever.
If you have trouble shifting in cold
weather, reduce your speed or stop
the vehicle and reshift.
CAUTION
Never move the front drive con-
trol lever if wheels are slipping.
Stop the slipping or spinning be-
fore shifting.
To shift from ºH4º to ºH2º, simply
move the front drive control lever.
This can be done at any vehicle
speed.
If the indicator light does not go off
when you shift the transfer into ºH2º,
drive straight ahead while accelerating
or decelerating, or drive in reverse.
SHIFTING BETWEEN ºH4º ANDºL4º
To shift between ºH4º and ºL4º, stop
the vehicle and put the transmission
in ºNº. With your foot holding down
the brake pedal, move the front drive
control lever. SHIFTING BETWEEN ºH2º AND ºH4º
To shift from ºH2º to ºH4º,
reduce
your speed to less than 100 km/h (62
mph) and push in the º4WDº button.
If the indicator light does not come on
when you push in the º4WDº button,
drive straight ahead while accelerating
or decelerating.
If the indicator light flashes and the
buzzer sounds when you push in the
º4WDº button, reduce your speed or
stop the vehicle and reset.
CAUTION
Never push the º4WDº button if
wheels are slipping. Stop the slip-
ping or spinning before shifting.
(c) Shifting procedure (lev
type with automa
t
transmission) (c) Shifting procedure
(lever/button type)