automatic transmission TOYOTA AVALON 2000 User Guide

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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
lever pulled toward you).
(a) Selector lever
The shift position is displayed on the in-
strument cluster.
P:Parking, engine starting and
key removal
R: Reverse
N: Neutral
D: Normal driving (with overdrive on)
2: Stronger engine braking
L: Maximum engine braking


Column shift type
Overdrive switch
Selector lever
With the brake pedal depressed,
shift while pilling the selector
lever toward you. (The ignition
switch must be in ONº
position.) Shift while pulling the
selector lever toward you.
Shift normally.
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(b) Overdrive switch
You can select either a third gear (with
overdrive off) or fourth gear (with over-
drive on) by pushing this switch.
To turn the overdrive off, push the switch.
The O/D OFFº indicator light should come
on. To turn the overdrive on again, push
the switch again. The O/D OFFº indicator
light should go off.
Always drive your vehicle with the over-
drive on for better fuel economy and
quieter driving.
If the engine is turned off when the over-
drive is off and restarted, the overdrive
will automatically be on.When the cruise control is being used,
even if you downshift the transmission by
pushing and releasing the overdrive
switch, engine braking will not applied be-
cause the cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see Cruise controlº in this section.
(c) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in How to start the engineº in Section 3. The
transmission must be in Pº or Nº.
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to Dº.
When the lever is in the Dº position, the
automatic transmission system will select
the most suitable gear for running condi-
tions such as normal cruising, hill climb-
ing, hard towing, etc.
Always turn the overdrive on for better
fuel economy and quieter driving. If the
engine coolant temperature is low, the
transmission will not shift into the over-
drive gear even with the overdrive on.
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
(d) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Push 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 132 km/h (82
mph), and stronger engine braking will
be enabled.
Shift into the Lº position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the first gear
When the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than 59 km/h (36 mph), and
maximum engine braking will be ap-
plied.
When the cruise control is being used,
even if you downshift the transmission by
pushing and releasing the overdrive
switch, engine braking will not applied be-
cause the cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see Cruise controlº in this section.
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CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
(e) 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 automatical-
ly 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 keepengine rpm from going into the redzone. The approximate maximum al-
lowable speed for each position isgiven below for your reference:
2º 139 km/h (86 mph) . . . . . . . . . . .
Lº 76 km/h (47 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . .

Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the2º or Lº position. This may causesevere automatic transmission dam-
age from overheating. To preventsuch damage, Dº position shouldbe used in hill climbing or hard
towing.
(f) 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 ve-
hicle is moving.
(g) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal pressed down, fully depress the parking brake pedal
to apply the parking brake securely.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down, shift the selector lever to the Pº posi-
tion.
CAUTION
Never attempt to move the selector
lever into Pº position under any cir-
cumstances while the vehicle is mov-
ing. Serious mechanical damage and
loss of vehicle control may result.
(h) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly shifts up
and down between third gear and over-
drive when climbing a gentle slope, the
overdrive should be turned off. Be sure
to turn the switch on immediately after-
ward.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use overdrive.
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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 up-grade with the accelerator pedal. Itcan cause the transmission to over-heat. Always use the brake pedal or
parking brake.
(i) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
CAUTION
If your vehicle becomes stuck in
snow, mud, sand, etc., then you may
attempt to rock the vehicle free by
moving it forward and backward. Do
not attempt this procedure if people
or objects are anywhere near the ve-
hicle. During the rocking operation
the vehicle may suddenly move for-
ward or backward as it becomes un-
stuck, causing injury or damage to
nearby people or objects.
NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe thefollowing precautions to prevent dam-age to the transmission and otherparts.

Do not depress the accelerator ped-al while shifting the selector leveror before the transmission is com-
pletely shifted to forward or reversegear.

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.
(j) If you cannot shift the selector le-
ver out of Pº position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from
the Pº position even though the brake
pedal is depressed, use the shift lock
override button. For instructions, see If
you cannot shift automatic transmission
selector leverº in Section 4.
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Parking brake
Ty p e A
Ty p e B
When parking, firmly apply the parking
brake to avoid inadvertent creeping.
To set: Fully depress the parking brake
pedal. For better holding power, first de-
press the brake pedal and hold it while
setting the parking brake.
To release: Depress the parking brake
pedal while depressing the brake pedal.
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.
CAUTION
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the park-
ing 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) with your foot off the
accelerator pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained
although a slight speed change may occur
when driving up or down gradient, within
the limits of engine performance. On
steeper hills, a greater speed change will
occur so it is better to drive without the
cruise control.
When the cruise control is on, the driving
pattern of the automatic transmission is
fixed in the normal position, regardless of
the position of the selector switch.
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CAUTION
To help maintain maximum control
of your vehicle, do not use the
cruise control when driving in
heavy or varying traffic, or on slip-
pery (rainy, icy or snow- covered) or
winding roads.
Avoid vehicle speed increases when
driving downhill. If the vehicle
speed is too fast in relation to the
cruise control set speed, cancel the
cruise control then downshift the
transmission to use engine braking
to slow down.
TURNING ON THE SYSTEM
To operate the cruise control, push ON/
OFFº button. This turns the system on.
The indicator light in the instrument clus-
ter shows that you can now set your de-
sired cruising speed. Another push will
turn the system completely off.
When the ignition key is turned off, the
system automatically turned off. To use
the cruise control again, push ON/OFFº
button again to turn it on.
CAUTION
To avoid accidental cruise control en-
gagement, keep the cruise control
system off when not using the cruise
control.
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SETTING AT A DESIRED SPEED
The transmission must be in Dº before
you set the cruise control speed.
Bring your vehicle to the desired speed,
push COAST SETº button and release it.
This sets the vehicle at that speed. If the
speed is not satisfactory, push RES ACCº
button for a faster speed, or push SET
COASTº button for a slower speed. Each
push 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 accelerator
pedal enough for the vehicle to exceed
the set speed. When you release it, the
vehicle will return to the speed set prior
to the acceleration.
CANCELLING THE PRESET SPEED
You can cancel the preset speed by any
of the following:
a. Depressing the brake pedal.
b. Push CANCELº button and releasing it.
c. Pushing ON/OFFº button.
If the vehicle speed falls below about 40
km/h (25 mph), the preset speed will be
automatically cancelled.
If the vehicle speed drops 16 km/h (10
mph) below the preset speed, the preset
speed will be also automatically cancelled.
If the preset speed automatically cancels
out for any other reasons, have your ve-
hicle checked by your Toyota dealer at the
earliest opportunity.
RESETTING TO A FASTER SPEED
Push ºRES ACCº button and hold it. Re-
lease the button the desired speed is at-
tained. While the button is pushed, the
vehicle will gradually gain speed.
When the difference between the actual
vehicle speed and the set speed is less
than 5 km/h (3 mph), the set speed can
be increased 1.6 km/h (1 mph) each time
by pushing RES ACCº button quickly
within 0.6 seconds.
However, a faster way to reset is to ac-
celerate the vehicle and then push
COAST SETº button.
RESETTING TO A SLOWER SPEED
Push COAST SETº button and hold it.
Release the button when the desired
speed is attained. While the button is
pushed, the vehicle speed will gradually
decrease.
When the difference is 5 km/h (3 mph) or
more, the vehicle will cruise with its actu-
al speed. When the difference between the
actual vehicle speed and the set speed is
less than 5 km/h (3 mph), the set speed
can be lowered 1.6 km/h (1 mph) each
time by pushing COAST SETº button
quickly within 0.6 seconds.
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1. Apply the brakes and hold.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks un-der both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release your brakes slowly until the
blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the parking brake firmly.
5. Shift into Pº and turn off the engine. When restarting out after parking on a
slope:
1. With the transmission in Pº position, start the engine. Be sure to keep the
brake pedal depressed.
2. Shift into the 2º, Lº or Rº position.
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal and slowly pull or back away
from the wheel blocks. Stop and apply
your brakes.
4. Have someone retrieve the blo cks.CAUTION

Do not exceed 72 km/h (45 mph) or
the posted towing speed limit,
whichever is lower. Because insta-
bility (swaying) of a towing vehicle-
trailer combination usually in-
creases as the speed increases, ex-
ceeding 72 km/h (45 mph) may
cause loss of control.

Slow down and downshift before
descending steep or long downhill
grades. Do not make sudden down-
shifts.

Avoid holding the brake pedal down
too long or too frequently. This
could cause the brakes to overheat
and result in reduced braking effi-
ciency.
Getting more kilometers/mileage from a
liter/gallon of fuel is easyÐjust take it
easy. It will help make your vehicle last
longer, too. Here are some specific tips
on how to save money on both fuel and
repairs:

Keep your tires inflated at the cor-
rect pressure. Underinflation causes
tire wear and wastes fuel. See 7- 2 for
instructions.

Do not carry unneeded weight in
your vehicle. Excess weight puts a
heavier load on the engine, causing
greater fuel consumption.

Avoid lengthy warm- up idling. Once
the engine is running smoothly, begin
drivingÐbut gently. Remember, howev-
er, that on cold winter days this may
take a little longer.

Keep the automatic transmission
overdrive turned on when engine
braking is not required. Driving with
the overdrive off will reduce the fuel
economy. (For details, see Automatic
transmissionº in Section 1- 6.)

Accelerate slowly and smoothly.
Avoid jackrabbit starts.
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer, too
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If you cannot shift automatic transmission selector lever276
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If towing is necessary, we recommend
you to have it done by your Toyota
dealer or a commercial tow truck ser-
vice.
If towing service is not available in an
emergency, your vehicle may be tempo-
rarily towed by a cable or chain se-
cured to one of the emergency towing
eyelets under the vehicle. Use extreme
caution when towing vehicles.
NOTICE
Only use specified towing eyelet;otherwise your vehicle may be dam-aged.
A driver must be in the vehicle to steer
it and operate the brakes.
Towing in this manner may be done only
on hard- surfaced roads for a short dis-
tance and at low speeds. Also, the
wheels, axles, drive train, steering and
brakes must all be in good condition.
CAUTION
Use extreme caution when towing ve-
hicles. Avoid sudden starts or erratic
driving maneuvers which would place
excessive stress on the emergency
towing eyelets and towing cable or
chain. The eyelets and towing cable
or chain may break and cause serious
injury or damage.
NOTICE
Use only a cable or chain specifically
intended for use in towing vehicles.Securely fasten the cable or chain tothe towing eyelets provided.
Before towing, release the parking brake
and put the transmission in Nº. The key
must be in ACCº (engine off) or ONº
(engine running).
CAUTION
If the engine is not running, the pow-
er assist for the brakes and steering
will not work so steering and braking
will be much harder than usual.
If you cannot shift the selector lever
out of Pº position to other positions
even though the brake pedal is de-
pressed, use the shift lock override but-
ton as follows:
1. Turn the ignition key to LOCKº position. Make sure the parking
brake is set.
2. Pry up the cover with a flat- bladed screwdriver or equivalent.
If you cannot shift automatic
transmission selector lever
(floor shift)
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