engine TOYOTA 4RUNNER 1998 Owner's Manual

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)
Upshifting gear km/h (mph)
1 to 2 24 (15)
2 to 3 40 (25)/58 (36) *
3 to 4 64 (40)/72 (45) *
4 to 5 72 (45)/85 (53) *
Downshifting gear km/h (mph)
2 to 1 24 (15)
3 to 2 40 (25)
4 to 3 64 (40)
5 to 4 72 (45)
* : Applicable under heavy acceleration
conditions.
5VZ- FE engine gear km/h (mph)
1 to 2 or 2 to 1 24 (15)
2 to 3 or 3 to 2 40 (25)
3 to 4 or 4 to 3 64 (40)
4 to 5 or 5 to 4 72 (45) Downshift to the appropriate gear if
acceleration is needed when you are
cruising below the above downshifting
speeds.
Upshifting too soon or downshifting
too late will cause lugging and, possi-
bly, pinging. Regularly revving the en-
gine to maximum speed in each gear
will cause excessive engine wear and
high fuel consumption.
Maximum allowable speeds
To get on a highway or to pass slow-
er traffic, maximum acceleration may
be necessary. 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)
ºH2º and ºH4º ºL4º1 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)
ºH2º and ºH4º ºL4º
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 allow-able speed for the next lowergear.

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)
For easy unlocking, slightly turn the
steering wheel in either direction while
the vehicle is in motion.
When the differential lock is disen-
gaged, the indicator light will go out. The differential will also unlock if you
shift the front drive control lever out
of ºL4º. Never forget to turn off the
switch after using this feature.
To check the indicator bulb, turn the
ignition key to the ºONº position, but
do not start the engine.
CAUTION
Do not keep driving with the dif-
ferential lock switch on.
Parking brake
When parking, firmly apply the
parking brake to avoid inadvertent
creeping.
To set: Pull up the lever. For better
holding power, first depress the brake
pedal and hold it while setting the
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 release the parking brake.

4RUNNER (1998)
CAUTION
Before driving, be sure the park-
ing brake is fully released and
the parking brake reminder light
is off.
Cruise control
The cruise control allows you to
cruise the vehicle at a desired
speed over 40 km/h (25 mph) even
with your foot off the accelerator
pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained
up or down grades within the limits of
engine performance, although a slight
speed change may occur when driving
up or down the grades. On steeper
hills, a greater s peed change will oc-
cur so it is better to drive without the
cruise control.
CAUTION
To help maintain maximum con-
trol of your vehicle, do not use
the cruise control when driving
in heavy or varying traffic, or
on slippery (rainy, icy or snow-
covered) or winding roads.
Avoid vehicle speed increases
when driving downhill. If the ve-
hicle speed is too fast in rela-
tion to the cruise control set
speed, cancel the cruise control
then downshift the transmission
to use engine braking to slow down.

4RUNNER (1998)
SETTING AT A DESIRED SPEED
On vehicles with automatic transmis-
sion, the transmission must be in ºDº
before you set the cruise control
speed.
Bring your vehicle to the desired
speed, push the lever down in the
ºSET/COASTº direction and release it.
This sets the vehicle at that speed. If
the speed is not satisfactory, tap the
lever up for a faster speed, or tap it
down for a slower speed. Each tap
changes the set speed by 1.6 km/h
(1.0 mph). You can now take your foot
off the accelerator pedal. If you need accelerationÐfor example,
when passingÐdepress the accelera-
tor pedal enough for the vehicle to
exceed the set speed. When you re-
lease it, the vehicle will return to the
speed set prior to the acceleration.
CAUTION
For manual transmission:
While driving with the cruise con-
trol on, do not shift to neutral
without depressing the clutch
pedal, as this may cause engine
racing or overrevving.
CANCELLING THE PRESET SPEED
You can cancel the preset speed by:a. Pulling the lever in the ºCANCELº
direction and releasing it.
b. Depressing the brake pedal.
c. Depressing the clutch pedal (manu- al transmission).
If the vehicle speed falls below about
40 km/h (25 mph), the preset speed
will automatically cancel out.
If the vehicle speed drops 16 km/h
(10 mph) below the preset speed, the
preset speed will also automatically
cancel out.

4RUNNER (1998)
To crank the engine without de-
pressing the clutch pedal, push the
switch with the ignition on.
The switch stays on as long as the
ignition is on. And it will automatically
turn off when the ignition is off.
This switch cancels the clutch start
system, which is desi gned to keep the
starter motor from operating if the
clutch pedal is not depressed all the
way down.
The switch allows the vehicle to be
driven out of difficult situations by
cranking the engine with the clutch engaged. Never use the switch for normal en-
gine starting. Be sure to follow the
starting procedure instructed in ºHow
to start the engineº in Part 3.
Clutch start cancel switch
(four- wheel drive models wi
manual transmission)