automatic transmission TOYOTA CAMRY 1996 Owners Manual

Publication No. OM33447U
Part No. 01999-33447
Printed in Japan 29- 9810- 04
Quick index

If a service reminder indicator or warning buzzer comes on 65. . . . .

If your vehicle will not start 149. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If your engine stalls while driving 152. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If your vehicle overheats 152,153. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If you have a flat tire 153. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If your vehicle needs to be towed 163. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tips for driving during break- in period 129. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

How to start the engine 139. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

General maintenance 172. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Complete index 221. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Gas station information
Fuel type:
5S- FE engine: UNLEADED gasoline, Research Octane Number 91 (Octane
Rating 87) or higher.
1MZ- FE engine: UNLEADED gasoline, Research Octane Number 91 (Octane
Rating 87) or higher. For improved vehicle performance, the use of premium
unleaded gasoline with a Research Octane Number of 96 (Octane Rating
91) or higher is recommended.
See page 129 for detailed information.
Fuel tank capacity: 70 L (18.5 gal., 15.4 lmp. gal.)
Engine oil:
API SH, 'Energy- Conserving II'' multigrade engine oil or ILSAC multigrade
engine oil is recommended.
See page 186 for detailed information.
Automatic transmission fluid:
Automatic transmission fluid DEXRON
[- II.
Tire information: See pages 189 through 193.
Tire pressure: See pages 214 and 215.
A
7
I
ProCarManuals.com

Indicator symbols on the instrument panel
5
Brake system warning light*1
Seat belt reminder light*1
Discharge warning light*1
Malfunction indicator lamp*1
Low fuel level warning light*1
Low oil pressure warning light*1
Anit-lock brake system warning light*1
Open door warning light*1
Rear light failure warning light*1
SRS airbag warning light*1
Turn signal indicator lights
Headlight high beam indicator light
Overdrive-of f indicator light
PWRº mode indicator light
Cruise control indicator light*
2
Automatic transmission indicator lights
*
1: For details, see Service reminder indicators and warn-
ing buzzersº in Chapter 1-5.
*
2: If this light flashes, see Cruise controlº in Chapter 1-6.
ProCarManuals.com

15
1. To open the fuel filler door, pull the
lever up.
CAUTION!

Do not smoke, cause sparks or al-
low open flames when refueling.
The fumes are flammable.

When opening the cap, do not re-
move the cap quickly. In hot
weather, fuel under pressure
could cause injury by spraying out
of the filler neck if the cap is sud-
denly removed.
2. To remove the fuel tank cap, turn
the cap slowly counterclockwise, then
pause slightly before removing it. Af-
ter removing the cap, hang it on the
cap hanger.
It is not unusual to hear a slight swoosh
when the cap is opened. When installing,
turn the cap clockwise till you hear a click.
5S-FE engined vehicles with automatic
transmissionÐ
If the cap is not tightened securely, the
malfunction indicator lamp comes on.
Make sure the cap is tightened securely.
The indicator lamp goes off after driving
several times. If the indicator lamp does
not go off, contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible.
Fuel tank cap
ProCarManuals.com

66(a) Brake System Warning Light
This light has the following functions:
Parking brake reminder
If this light is on, make sure the parking
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 vehicle carefully.
There may be a problem 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 start-
ing and stopping.

If you judge that the brakes still work
adequately, drive cautiously to your
nearest dealer or shop for repairs.

If the brakes are not working, have the
vehicle towed in for repairs. (For tow-
ing information, see Part 4.)
It is dangerous to continue driving
normally when the brake fluid level
is low.CAUTION
!
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 ONº or
STARTº, the reminder light and buzzer
come on if the driver's seat belt is not fas-
tened. Unless the driver fastens the belt,
the light stays on and the buzzer stops af-
ter 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 oper-
ate, however, until the battery is dis-
charged. Turn off the air conditioning,
blower, radio, etc., and drive directly to the
nearest Toyota dealer or repair shop.
NOTICE
Do not continue driving if the
engine drive belt is broken or loose.
(d) Malfunction Indicator Lamp
This lamp comes on in the following
cases.
a. The fuel tank is completely empty.
(See Fuel gaugeº in Chapter 1-5 for in-
structions.)b. The fuel tank cap is not tightened se-
curely. (See Fuel tank capº in Chapter
1-2 for instructions.)
c. There is a problem somewhere in your
engine or automatic transmission electri-
cal system.
If it comes on while you are driving in case
c, have your vehicle checked/repaired by
your Toyota dealer as soon as possible.
(e) Low Fuel Level Warning Light
This light comes on when the fuel level in
the tank becomes nearly empty. Fill up the
tank as soon as possible.
(f) Low Oil Pressure Warning Light
This light warns that the engine oil pres-
sure is too low.
If it flickers or stays on while you are driv-
ing, pull off the road to a safe place and
stop the engine immediately. Call a Toyota
dealer or qualified repair shop for assis-
tance.
The light may occasionally flicker when
the engine is idling or it may come on brief-
ly after a hard stop. There is no cause for
concern if it then goes out when the en-
gine is accelerated slightly.
The light may come on when the oil level
is extremely low. It is not designed to indi-
cate low oil level, and the oil level must be
checked using the level dipstick.
ProCarManuals.com

Part 1Ignition switch with steering lock
69
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS
AND CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1-6
Ignition switch,
Transmission
and Parking brake

Ignition switch with steering lock

Automatic transmission

Manual transmission

Parking brake

Cruise control
STARTºÐStarter motor on. The key
will return to the ONº position when
released.
For starting tips, see Part 3.
ONºÐEngine on and all accessories
on.
This is the normal driving position.
ACCºÐAccessories such as the ra-
dio operate, but the engine is off.
If you leave the key in the ACCº or
LOCKº position and open the driver's
door, a buzzer will remind you to remove
the key.
LOCKºÐEngine is off and the steer-
ing wheel is locked. The key can be re-
moved only at this position.You must push in the key to turn the key
from ACCº to the LOCKº position. On
vehicles with an automatic transmission,
the selector lever must be put in the Pº
position before pushing the key.
When starting the engine, the key may
seem stuck at the LOCKº position. To
free it, first be sure the key is pushed all
the way in, and then rock the steering
wheel slightly while turning the key gently.For manual transmission:
Never remove the key when the ve-
hicle is moving, as this will lock the
steering wheel and result in loss of
steering control.CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Do not leave the key in the ONº
position if the engine is not running.
The battery will discharge and the
ignition could be damaged.
ProCarManuals.com

70
Automatic transmission
ProCarManuals.com

71 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 lock re-
lease button depressed).
(a) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in How
to start the engineº in Part 3. The trans-
mission must be in Pº or Nº.
2. With your foot holding down the brake
pedal, shift the selector lever to Dº.
In Dº position, the automatic transmis-
sion system will select the most suitable
gear for the 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 temperature is low, the
transmission will not shift into overdrive
gear even with the overdrive switch on.
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting.CAUTION
!
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 downshift
the transmission as follows:

Turn off 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 the maximum al-
lowable speed for second gear, and
more powerful engine braking will be
obtained.

Shift into the Lº position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the maximum allowable
speed for Lº position and maximum
engine braking will be applied.MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE SPEEDS
km/h (mph)
2º Lº
5S-FE engine 120 (75) 66 (41)
1MZ-FE engine 128 (80) 70 (44)
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to
keep engine rpm from going into
the red zone. The maximum allow-
able speed (approximate) for each
position is given above for your
reference.
Do not continue hill climbing for a
long time in the 2º or Lº posi-
tion. This may cause severe auto-
matic transmission damage from
overheating. To prevent such
damage, use Dº position for hill
climbing or hard towing.
ProCarManuals.com

72(c) 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
vehicle is moving.
(d) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Pull the parking brake lever up fully to
securely apply the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down,
shift the selector lever to the Pº position.
While the vehicle is moving, never
attempt to move the selector lever
into Pº position under any circum-
stances. Serious mechanical dam-
age and loss of vehicle control may
result.CAUTION
!
(e) Good driving practice

If the transmission is repeatedly up-
shifted and downshifted between the
third gear and overdrive when climbing
a gentle slope, the overdrive switch
should be turned off. Be sure to turn
the switch on immediately afterward.

When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use overdrive.
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping.CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Do not hold the vehicle on an
upgrade with the accelerator pedal.
It can cause the transmission to
overheat. Always use the brake
pedal or parking brake.
(f) Driving in PWRº mode
In the PWRº mode, the transmission is
shifted up and down at a higher vehicle
speed than in the NORMº mode and a
more powerful acceleration is achieved.
To set the PWRº mode, push in the driv-
ing pattern selector button. The PWRº
mode indicator light comes on.
For ordinary driving, Toyota recommends
using the NORMº mode to improve fuel
economy.
(g) If you cannot shift the selector lever
out of Pº position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from
Pº position even though the brake pedal
is depressed, use the shift lock override
button. For instructions, see If you can-
not shift automatic transmission selector
leverº in Part 4.
ProCarManuals.com

75
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 speed change will occur so it is
better to drive without the cruise control.

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 ve-
hicle speed is too fast in relation to
the cruise control set speed, can-
cel the cruise control then down-
shift the transmission to use en-
gine braking to slow down.CAUTION
!
TURNING ON THE SYSTEM
To operate the cruise control, push the
CRUISE ON-OFFº switch. This turns the
system on. The indicator light in the instru-
ment panel shows that you can now set
the vehicle at a desired cruising speed.
Another push will turn the system com-
pletely off.
To avoid accidental cruise control
engagement, keep the CRUISE
ON-OFFº switch off when not using
the cruise control.CAUTION
!
SETTING AT A DESIRED SPEED
On vehicles with automatic transmission,
the transmission must be in Dº before
you set the cruise control speed.
Bring your vehicle to the desired speed,
press the SET/COASTº direction and re-
lease it. This sets the vehicle at that
speed. Now you may take your foot off the
accelerator pedal. If you need accelera-
tionÐfor example, when passingÐde-
press 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.
For manual transmission:
While driving with the cruise control
on, do not shift to neutral without
depressing the clutch pedal, as this
may cause engine racing or overrev-
ving.CAUTION
! Cruise control
ProCarManuals.com

76CANCELLING THE PRESET SPEED
You can cancel the preset speed by:
a. Pulling the control lever in the CAN-
CELº direction and releasing it.
b. Depressing the brake pedal.
c. Depressing the clutch pedal (manual
transmission).
If the vehicle speed falls below about 40
km/h (25 mph), the preset speed will auto-
matically cancel out.
If the vehicle speed drops 16 km/h (10
mph) below the preset speed, the preset
speed will also automatically cancel out.
If the preset speed automatically cancels
out other than for the above cases, have
your vehicle checked by your Toyota deal-
er at the earliest opportunity.
RESETTING AT A FASTER SPEED
Push the control lever upward in the
RES/ACCº direction and hold it. Release
the lever when the desired speed is at-
tained. While the lever is held upward, the
vehicle will gradually gain speed.
However, a faster way to reset is to accel-
erate the vehicle and then press the con-
trol lever downward in the SET/COASTº
direction.RESETTING AT A SLOWER SPEED
Push the control lever downward in the
SET/COASTº direction and hold it. Re-
lease the lever when the desired speed is
attained. While the lever is held down-
ward, the vehicle speed will gradually de-
crease.
However, a faster way to reset is to de-
press the brake pedal and then press the
control lever downward in the SET/
COASTº direction.
RESUMING THE PRESET SPEED
If the preset speed is cancelled by pulling
the control lever or by depressing the
brake pedal or clutch pedal, pushing the
lever up in the RES/ACCº direction will
restore the speed set prior to cancellation.
However, once the vehicle speed falls be-
low about 40 km/h (25 mph), the preset
speed will not be resumed.
CRUISE CONTROL FAILURE WARNING
If the CRUISEº indicator light in the in-
strument cluster flashes when using the
cruise control, there is some trouble in the
cruise control system. Contact your Toyo-
ta dealer and have your vehicle inspected.ProCarManuals.com