battery TOYOTA COROLLA 2000 Owner's Manual

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If you perform maintenance by yourself,
be sure to follow the correct procedure
given in this section.
You should be aware that improper or in-
complete servicing may result in operating
problems.
Performing do- it- yourself maintenance
during the warranty period may affect your
warranty coverage. Read the separate
Toyota Warranty statement for details and
suggestions.
This section gives instructions only for
those items that are relatively easy for an
owner to perform. As explained in Section
6, there are still a number of items that
must be done by a qualified technician
with special tools.
For information on tools and parts for do-
it- yourself maintenance, see Parts and
toolsº.
Utmost care should be taken when work-
ing on your vehicle to prevent accidental
injury. Here are a few precautions that
you should be especially careful to ob-
serve:CAUTION

When the engine is running, keep
hands, clothing, and tools away
from the moving fan and engine
drive belts. (Removing rings,
watches, and ties is advisable.)

Right after driving, the engine
compartmentÐthe engine, radiator,
exhaust manifold and spark plug
boots, etc.Ðwill be hot. So be care-
ful not to touch them. Oil, fluids
and spark plugs may also be hot.

If the engine is hot, do not remove
the radiator cap or loosen the drain
plugs to prevent burning yourself.

Do not smoke, cause sparks or al-
low open flames around fuel or the
battery. Their fumes are flammable.

Be extremely cautious when work-
ing on the battery. It contains poi-
sonous and corrosive sulfuric acid.

Do not get under your vehicle with
just the body jack supporting it. Al-
ways use automotive jack stands or
other solid supports.

Be sure that the ignition is off if
you work near the electric cooling
fans or radiator grille. With the
ignition on, the electric cooling fans
will automatically start to run if the
engine coolant temperature is high
and/or the air conditioning is on.

Use eye protection whenever you
work on or under your vehicle
where you may be exposed to flying
or falling material, fluid spray, etc.

Used engine oil contains potentially
harmful contaminants which may
cause skin disorders such as in-
flammation or skin cancer, so care
should be taken to avoid prolonged
and repeated contact with it. To re-
move used engine oil from your
skin, wash thoroughly with soap
and water.

Do not leave used oil within the
reach of children.
Do- it- yourself service
precautions
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Dispose of used oil and filter only
in a safe and acceptable manner.
Do not dispose of used oil and fil-
ter in household trash, in sewers or
onto the ground. Call your dealer or
a service station for information
concerning recycling or disposal.
NOTICE

Remember that battery and ignition
cables carry high currents or volt-
ages. Be careful of accidentally
causing a short circuit.

Add only demineralized or distilled
water to fill the radiator. And if you
spill some of the coolant, be sure
to wash off with water to prevent it
from damaging the parts or paint.

Do not allow dirt or anything else
to fall through the spark plugholes.

Use only spark plugs of the speci-
fied type. Using other types will
cause engine damage, loss of per-
formance or radio noise.

Do not reuse iridium- tipped spark
plugs by cleaning or regapping.

Do not overfill automatic transmis-
sion fluid, or the transmission
could be damaged.

Do not drive with the air cleaner
filter removed, or excessive engine
wear could result. Also backfiring
could cause a fire in the engine
compartment.

Be careful not to scratch the glass
surface with the wiper frame.

When closing the engine hood,
check to see that you have not for-
gotten any tools, rags, etc.
Parts and tools
Here is a list of parts and tools you will
need on performing do- it- yourself mainte-
nance. Remember all Toyota parts are de-
signed in metric sizes, so your tools must
be metric.
Checking the engine oil level
Parts (if level is low):

Engine oil API grade SJ,
Energy- Conservingº or ILSAC
multigrade having viscosity proper for
your climate
Tools:

Rag or paper towel

Funnel (only for adding oil)
Checking the engine coolant level
Parts (if level is low):

TOYOTA Long Life Coolantº or equiva-
lent
See Section 7- 2 for details about cool-
ant type selection.

Demineralized or distilled water
Tools:

Funnel (only for adding coolant)
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Checking brake fluid
Parts (if level is low):

SAE J1703 or FMVSS No.116 DOT 3
brake fluid
Tools:

Rag or paper towel

Funnel (only for adding fluid)
Checking power steering fluid
Parts (if level is low):

Automatic transmission fluid
DEXRONII or III
Tools:

Rag or paper towel

Funnel (only for adding fluid)
Checking battery condition
Tools:

Warm water

Baking soda

Grease

Conventional wrench (for terminal
clamp bolts)Checking and replacing fuses
Parts (if replacement is necessary):

Genuine Toyota fuse or equivalent with
same amperage rating as original
Adding washer fluid
Parts:

Water

Washer fluid containing antifreeze (for
winter use)
Tools:

Funnel
Replacing light bulbs
Parts:

Bulb with same number and wattage
rating as original (See charts in Re-
placing light bulbsº in Section 7- 3.)
Tools:

Screwdriver
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DO- IT- YOURSELF MAINTENANCE
Electrical components
Checking battery condition216 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Battery recharging precautions217 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Checking and replacing fuses218 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adding washer fluid219 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Replacing light bulbs219 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 7- 3
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CAUTION
BATTERY PRECAUTIONS
The battery produces flammable and
explosive hydrogen gas.

Do not cause a spark from the bat-
tery with tools.

Do not smoke or light a match near
the battery.
The electrolyte contains poisonous
and corrosive sulfuric acid.

Avoid contact with eyes, skin or
clothes.

Never ingest electrolyte.

Wear protective safety glasses when
working near the battery.

Keep children away from the bat-
tery.
EMERGENCY MEASURES

If electrolyte gets in your eyes,
flush your eyes with clean water
immediately and get immediate
medical attention. If possible, con-
tinue to apply water with a sponge
or cloth while en route to the medi-
cal office.

If electrolyte gets on your skin,
thoroughly wash the contact area. If
you feel pain or burning, get medi-
cal attention immediately.

If electrolyte gets on your clothes,
there is a possibility of its soaking
through to your skin, so immediate-
ly take off the exposed clothing and
follow the procedure above, if nec-
essary.

If you accidentally swallow electro-
lyte, drink a large quantity of water
or milk. Follow with milk of magne-
sia, beaten raw egg or vegetable
oil. Then go immediately for emer-
gency help.
ÐChecking battery exterior
TerminalsGround cable
Hold- down
clamp
Check the battery for corroded or loose
terminal connections, cracks, or loose
hold- down clamp.
a. If the battery is corroded, wash it off
with a solution of warm water and bak-
ing soda. Coat the outside of the termi-
nals with grease to prevent further cor-
rosion.
b. If the terminal connections are loose,
tighten their clamp nutsÐbut do not
overtighten.
c. Tighten the hold- down clamp only
enough to keep the battery firmly in
place. Overtightening may damage the
battery case.
Checking battery conditionÐ
ÐPrecautions
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NOTICE

Be sure the engine and all accesso-
ries are off before performing main-
tenance.

When checking the battery, remove
the ground cable from the negative
terminal (- º mark) first and rein-
stall it last.

Be careful not to cause a short cir-
cuit with tools.

Take care no solution gets into the
battery when washing it.
ÐChecking battery fluid
Ty p e A
Ty p e BGreen DarkClear or
light yellow
Blue White Red
CHECKING BY HYDROMETER
Check the battery condition by the
hydrometer color.
Hydrometer color
ConditionTy p e ATy p e BCondition
GREENBLUEGood
DARKWHITE
Charging necessary.
Have battery
checked by your
Toyota dealer.
CLEAR
or
LIGHT
YELLOW
RED
Have battery
checked by your
Toyota dealer.
Battery recharging precautions
During recharging, the battery is pro-
ducing hydrogen gas.
Therefore, before recharging:
1. If recharging with the battery installed
on the vehicle, be sure to disconnect
the ground cable.
2. Be sure the power switch on the re-
charger is off when connecting the
charger cables to the battery and when
disconnecting them.
CAUTION

Always charge the battery in an un-
confined area. Do not charge the
battery in a garage or closed room
where there is not sufficient ventila-
tion.

Only do a slow charge (5A or less).
Charging at a quicker rate is dan-
gerous. The battery may explode,
causing personal injuries.
NOTICE
Never recharge the battery while the
engine is running. Also, be sure all
accessories are turned off.
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