tow TOYOTA 4RUNNER 1998 Owners Manual

4RUNNER (1998)
LOCKING AND UNLOCKING WITH KEY
Insert the key into the keyhole and
turn it.
To lock: Turn the key clockwise.
To unlock: Turn the key counterclock-
wise.
The back door will be controlled by
operating the power door lock switch.
When closing the back door, make
sure it is fully closed.
See ºLuggage stowage precautionsº in
Part
2 for precautions to observe in
loading luggage.
CAUTION
Keep the back window and back
door closed while driving. This
not only keeps the luggage from
being thrown out but also pre-
vents exhaust gases from enter-
ing the vehicle.

4RUNNER (1998)
BEFORE FOLD- DOWN REAR SEAT
Stow the rear seat belts as shown
in the illustration.
This prevents the belts from falling
out when you fold the seatback.
NOTICE
The seat belts must be stowed
before you fold the seatback.

4RUNNER (1998)
2. Unlock the seatback and fold it
down.
This will enlarge the luggage compart-
ment as far as the raised seat cush-
ion. See ºLuggage stowage precau-
tionsº in Part 2 for precautions to
observe in loading luggage.
If desired, each seatback may be
folded separately.
CAUTION
When returning the seatback to
the upright position: Make sure the seat belts are
not twisted or caught in the
seatback and are arranged in
their proper position for readyuse.
Make sure the seatback is se-
curely locked by pushing for-
ward and rearward on the top
of the seatback. Be certain to
replace the head restraints.
Head restraints

4RUNNER (1998)
To release the belt, press the
buckle- release button. ÐStowing rear seat belts
The rear seat belts can be stowed
when not in use.Seat belts must be stowed before you
fold the seat back. (See ºRear
seatsÐFold down rear seatº in this
chapter.)ÐSeat belt extender

4RUNNER (1998)
High- Low beams ÐFor high beams,
turn the headlights on and push the
lever away from you (position 1). Pull
the lever toward you (position 2) for
low beams.
The headlight high beam indicator light
(blue light) on the instrument panel
will tell you that the high beams are on.
Flashing the high beam headlights
(position 3)ÐPull the lever all the way
back. The high beam headlights turn
off when you release the lever.
You can flash the high beam head-
lights with the knob turned to ºOFFº.

4RUNNER (1998)
To turn on the windshield wipers,
move the lever to the desired set-
ting.
The key must be in the ºONº position. Lever posi-tion
Speed set-ting
Position 1Intermittent
Position 2Slow
Position 3Fast
The ºINT TIMEº band lets you adjust
the wiping time interval when the wip-
er lever is in the intermittent position
(position 1). Twist the band upward to
increase the time between sweeps,
and downward to decrease it. To squirt washer fluid, pull the le-
ver toward you.
If the windshield wipers are off, they
will operate a couple of times after
the washer squirts.
For instructions on adding washer
fluid, see ºAdding washer fluidº in
Chapter 7- 3.
In freezing weather, warm the wind-
shield with the defroster before using
the washer. This will help prevent the
washer fluid from freezing on your
windshield, which can block your vi-
sion.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the
windshield is dry. It may scratchthe glass.
Windshield wipers and
washer (mist type)

4RUNNER (1998)
To turn on the windshield wipers,
move the lever to the desired set-
ting.
The key must be in the ºONº position.
Lever posi-tion
Speed set-ting
Position 1Slow
Position 2Fast
For a single sweep of the windshield,
push the lever up and release it.
To squirt washer fluid, pull the le-
ver toward you.
For instructions on adding washer
fluid, see ºAdding washer fluidº in
Chapter 7- 3. In freezing weather, warm the wind-
shield with the defroster before using
the washer. This will help prevent the
washer fluid from freezing on your
windshield, which can block your vi-
sion.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the
windshield is dry. It may scratchthe glass.
Back window wiper and
washer

4RUNNER (1998)
The gauge indicates the engine
coolant temperature when the igni-
tion switch is on. The engine oper-
ating temperature will vary with
changes in weather 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 se-
vere 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
conditioning on in stop- and- go traf-fic.
Towing a trailer
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat
in the engine cooling system asthis may cause the engine to
overheat. The thermostat is de-
signed to control the flow ofcoolant to keep the temperatureof the engine within the speci-
fied operating range.
Do not continue driving with anoverheated engine. See ºIf your
vehicle overheatsº in Part 4.
Tachometer

4RUNNER (1998)
(a) Brake System Warning Light
This light has the following functions:
Parking brake reminder
If this light is on, make sure the park-
ing 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 ve-
hicle carefully. There may be a prob-
lem 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
starting and stopping.
If you judge that the brakes still
work adequately, drive cautiously to
your nearest dealer or shop for re-
pairs.
If the brakes are not working, have
the vehicle towed in for repairs.
(For towing information, see Part
4.)CAUTION
It is dangerous to continue driv-
ing normally when the brake fluid
level is low.
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
ºONº or ºSTARTº, the reminder light
and buzzer come on if the driver's
seat belt is not fastened. Unless the
driver fastens the belt, the light keeps
on flickering 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
operate, however, until the battery is
discharged. Turn off the air condition-
ing, blower, radio, etc., and drive di-
rectly to the nearest Toyota dealer or
repair shop.
NOTICE
Do not continue driving if the en- gine drive belt is broken or loose.
(d) Low Oil Pressure Warning Light
This light warns that the engine oil
pressure is too low.
If it flickers or stays on while you are
driving, pull off the road to a safe
place and stop the engine immediate-
ly. Call a Toyota dealer or qualified
repair shop for assistance.
The light may occasionally flicker
when the engine is idling or it may
come on briefly after a hard stop.
There is no cause for concern if it
then goes out when the engine is ac-
celerated slightly.
The light may come on when the oil
level is extremely low. It is not de-
signed to indicate low oil level, and
the oil level must be checked using
the level dipstick.
NOTICE
Do not drive the vehicle with thewarning light onÐeven for oneblock. It may ruin the engine.

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.
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, the transmission will not
shift into the overdrive gear even with
the overdrive switch on.
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accel-
erator pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress the accelera-
tor pedal slowly for smooth start-
ing.
(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.
3RZ- FE engine.....112 km/h (69
mph)
5VZ- FE engine.....119 km/h (73
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.
3RZ- FE engine.....54 km/h (33
mph)