TOYOTA AVALON 1997 Owners Manual

Part 1Clock
123
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1-8
Other equipment

Clock

Cigarette lighter and ashtray

Glovebox

Auxiliary box

Cup holder

Traction control system

Floor mat
The digital clock indicates the time.
The key must be in the ``ACCº or ``ON''
position.
To reset the hour: Push the ºHº button.
To reset the minutes: Push the Mº button.
If quick adjustment to a full hour is de-
sired, push the :00º button.
For example, if the :00º button is de-
pressed when the time is between
1:01Ð1:29, the time will change to 1:00.
If the time is between 1:30Ð1:59, the time
will change to 2:00. Once the electrical power source has
been disconnected from the clock, the
time is automatically set to 1:00 (one
o'clock).
When the instrument panel lights are
turned
on, the brightness of the time indi-
cation will be reduced.
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124
CIGARETTE LIGHTER
To use the cigarette lighter, first pull
the ash tray lid, then press in the ligh-
ter. When it becomes heated, it auto-
matically pops out ready for use.
If the engine is not running, the key must
be in the ºACCº position.
Do not hold the cigarette lighter pressed
in.
Use a Toyota genuine cigarette lighter or
equivalent for replacement.ASHTRAY
To use the ashtray, open the cover.
When finished with your cigarette, thor-
oughly extinguish it in the ashtray to pre-
vent other cigarette butts from catching
fire. After using the ashtray, close the ash-
tray cover completely.
To remove the ashtray, open the ashtray
cover and pull it out.To reduce the chance of injury in
case of an accident or sudden stop
while driving, always push the ash-
tray back in completely after using.
CAUTION
!
To use the glovebox, do this.
To open: Pull the lever.
With the instrument panel lights on, the
glovebox light will come on when the glo-
vebox is open.
To lock: Insert the master key and turn it
clockwise.
To reduce the chance of injury in
case of an accident or sudden stop,
always keep the glovebox door
closed while driving.
CAUTION
!
Cigarette lighter and ashtray Glovebox
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125
To open the auxiliary box, press on the
knob and pull out the box lid.
To reduce the chance of injury in
case of an accident or a sudden
stop, always keep the auxiliary box
closed while driving. CAUTION
!
The cup holder is designed for holding
cups or drink-cans fit snugly in its
holes.
To use the cup holder, push on the lid.


Do not place anything else on the
cup holder, as such items may be
thrown about and possible injure
people in the vehicle during sud-
den braking or accident.

Keep the cup holder shut when not
in use.
CAUTION!
Cup holder
(with separate front seat) Cup holder
(with bench front seat)
Auxiliary box
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126The cup holder is designed for holding
cups or drinkÐcans fit snugly in its
holes.
To use the cup holder, open the armrest
lid, p
ull out the cup holder. Then close the
armrest lid.

Do not leave the armrest lid open
especailly when the cup holder
holds a scalding hot drink. If the lid
is forcibly pulled up, the drink may
spill over the seat occupants.

When the cup holder is in use, the
armrest lid must be securely
closed with the lock engaged.

Do not place anything else on the
cup holder, as such items may be
thrown about and possible injure
people in the vehicle during sud-
den braking or accident.

Keep the cup holder shut when not
in use.

Do not lift the armrest upright
when the cup holder is pulled out.
CAUTION!
Slip indicator light
TRAC OFFº indicator/warning light AUTOMATIC TRACTION CONTROL
SYSTEM
The traction control system automati-
cally controls the spinning of
the front
wheels which may occur when accel-
erating on slippery road surfaces, thus
assisting driver to control the driving
power of the front wheels. When you
turn the ignition switch on, the trac-
tion control system always turns on
automatically, and the slip indicator
light and TRAC OFFº indicator/warn-
ing light will come on. The indicator
lights will go off after about 3 seconds.
Leave the system on during ordinary
driving so that it can operate when
needed. When traction control is ap-
plied, the slip indicator light blinks.
You may hear a slight clicking noise in the
engine compartment when the engine is
started. This means that the traction con-
trol system is in the self-check mode, and
does not indicate malfunction. When the
traction control system is operating, you
may feel vibration or noise of your vehicle,
caused by operation of brakes. This indi-
cates the system is functioning properly.
Traction control system
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127
When getting the vehicle out of mud or
new snow, etc. the traction control system
will operate to prevent the wheels from
spinning.
MANUAL OPERATION
You can turn off the traction control
system by pushing the TRAC OFFº
switch. The TRAC OFFº indicator/
warning light will come on. Pushing
the TRAC OFFº switch a second time
turns on the traction control system
and the TRAC OFFº indicator/warn-
ing light will go off.
Under certain slippery road condi-
tions, full traction of the vehicles
and power to the front wheels can-
not be maintained, even though the
traction control system is in opera-
tion. Do not drive the vehicle under
any speed or maneuvering condi-
tions
which will cause the vehicle to
lose traction. In situations where
the road surface is covered with ice
or snow, your vehicle should be
fitted with snow tires or tire chains.
Always drive at an appropriate and
cautious pace. CAUTION
!
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128
Use a floor mat of the correct size.
If the floor mat has a hole, then it is de-
signed for use with a locking clip. Fix the
floor mat and locking clip into the hole in
the floor carpet.
Make sure the floor mat is properly
placed on the floor carpet. If the
floor mat slips and interferes with
the movement of the pedals during
driving, it may cause an accident.CAUTION
!
Floor mat
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Part 2Break-in periodFuel
129
INFORMATION
BEFORE DRIVING
YOUR TOYOTA

Break-in period

Fuel

Operatin in foreign countries

Three way catalytic converter

Engine exhaust cautions


Facts about engine oil consuption

Twin ground electrode spark plugs

Brake system

Brake pad wear limit inidicators

Luggage stowage precautions

Your Toyota's identification

Theft prevention labels

Suspension and chassis

Types of tires
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 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 increasemaintenance costs.
NOTICE
OCTANE NUMBER
Select Research Octane number 91 (Oc-
tane Rating 87) or higher. For improved
vehicle performance, the use of pre-
mium unleaded gasoline with a Re-
search Octane number of 96 (Ocatne
Rating 91) or higher is recommended.
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.
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130If your engine knocks...
If you detact heavy knocking even when
using the recommended fuel, or if you
hear steady knocking while holding a
steady sp
eed on level roads, consult your
Toyota dealer.
However, now and then, you may notice
light knocking for a short time while accel-
erating or d riving up hills. This is no cause
for concern.
GASOLINES CONTAINING DETER-
GENT ADDITIVES
Toyota recommens use of gasolines
that contain detergent additives to
avoid build-up of engine deposits.
For further details, ask your Toyota dealer
or a local gasoline retailer..
GASOLINES CONTAINING MTBE
Gasolines that contain MTBE (Methyl
Tertiary-Butyl Ether) are available in
the market. If you use a gasoline mixed
with MTBE, make certain that it does
not contain more than 15% of MTBE.
If the use of gasolines containing MTBE
causes poor driveability and/or poor fuel
economy, you should discontinue the use
of fuels containing MTBE. GASOLINES CONTAINING ALCOHOL
If you use gasohol in your Toyota, be
sure that it is u
nleaded, has an octane
rating no lower than 87 and does not
contain more than 10% ethonol.
Gasohol is a mixture of gasoline and etha-
nol.
Toyota does not recommend the use of
gasolines containing m ethonol. If you use
gasoline containing methonol, use only
gasoline meeting the requirements above
and also containing less than 5% metha-
nol with cosolvents and corrosion inhibi-
tors for methanol.
NOTICE
Do not use gasohol other than
stated above. It will cause fuel sys-
tem damage or vehicle perfor- mance problems.
If driveablity problems are encoun-tered (poor hot starting, vaporiz-ing, engine knock, etc.), discontin-ue the use.
Take care not to spill gasohol dur-
ing refueling. Gashol may causepaint damage.
FUEL TANK CAPACITY
70 L (18.5 gal., 15.4 Imp. gal)
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131
If you plan to drive your Toyota in
another country...
First,
comply with the vehicle registration
laws.
Second, confirm the availability of the
correct fuel (unleaded and minimum oc-
tane number).
The three-way catalytic converter is
an emission control device installed in
the exhaust system.
Its purpose is to reduce pollutants in the
exhaust gas.
CAUTION!

Keep people and combustible ma-
terials away from the exhaust pipe
while the engine is running. The ex-
haust gas is very hot.

Do not drive, idle or park your ve-
hicle over anything that might
burn easily such as grass, leaves,
paper or rags.
A large amount of unburned gases
flowing into the three-way catalytic
converter may cause it to overheatand create a fire hazard. To preventthis and other damage, observe thefollowing precautions:
Use only unleaded gasoline.
Do not drive with an extremely lowfuel level; running out of fuelcould cause the engine to misfire,
creating an excessive load on thethree-way catalytic converter.
NOTICE
Three-way catalytic converter
Operation in foreign countries
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132
Do not allow the engine to run atidle speed for more than 20 min-
utes.
Avoid racing the engine.
Do not push-start or pull-startyour vehicle.
Do not turn off the ignition whilethe vehicle is moving.
Keep your engine in good running
order. Malfunctions in the engine electrical system, electronic igni-
tion system/distributor ignitionsystem or fuel system engine ex-haust cautions could cause an ex-
tremely high three-way catalytic converter temperature.
If the engine becomes difficult tostart or stalls frequently, take your
vehicle in for a check-up as soon as possible. Remember, your To-
yota dealer knows your vehicleand its three-way catalytic con-verter system best.
To ensure that the three-way cata-lytic converter and the engine
emission control system operateproperly, your vehicle must re-ceive the periodic inspections re-
quired by the T oyota Maintenance
Schedule. For scheduled mainte- nance information, refer to the
separate Owner's Manual Sup-plement/Maintenance Scheduleº.CAUTION!

Avoid inhaling the engine ex-
haust. It contains carbon monox-
ide, which is a colorless and odor-
less gas. It can cause uncon-
sciousness or even death.

Make sure the exhaust system
has no holes or loose connec-
tions. The system should be
checked from time to time. If you
hit something, or notice a change
in the sound of the exhaust, have
the system checked immediately.

Do not run the engine in a garage
or enclosed area except for the
time needed to drive the vehicle in
or out. The exhaust gases cannot
escape, making this a paticularly
dangerous situation.

Do not remain for a long time in a
parked vehicle with the engine
running. If it is unavoidable, how-
ever, do so only in an unconfined
area and adjust the heating or
cooling system to force outside
air into the vehicle.
Engine exhaust cautions
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