TOYOTA MR2 SPYDER 2001 Owners Manual (in English)

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1342001 MR2 (OM17482U)
SB41055
Discharged batteryBooster
battery
Positive terminal
( +" mark)
Positive
terminal
( +" mark)
Jumper
cable
4. Make the cable connections in the or-
der a, b, c, d.
a. Connect the clamp of the positive
(red) jumper cable to the positive (+)
terminal on the discharged battery.
b. Connect the clamp at the other end
of the positive (red) jumper cable to
the positive (+) terminal on the booster
battery.
SB41056
Jumper cable
Booster
battery Negative terminal
( −" mark)
Discharged
battery
c. Connect the clamp of the negative
(black) jumper cable to the negative (−)
terminal on the booster battery.
d. Connect the clamp at the other end
of the negative (black) jumper cable to
a solid, stationary, unpainted, metallic
point of the vehicle with the discharged
battery.
The recommended connecting point is
shown in the following illustration:
SB41040
Connecting point
Do not connect the cable to or near
any part that moves when the engine
is cranked.
CAUTION
When making the connections, to
avoid serious injury, do not lean over
the battery or accidentally let the
jumper cables or clamps touch any-
thing except the correct battery termi-
nals or the ground.

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
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5. Start your engine in the normal way.After starting, run it at about 2000 rpm
for several minutes with the accelerator
pedal lightly depressed.
6. Carefully disconnect the cables in the exact reverse order: the negative cable
and then the positive cable.
7. Carefully dispose of the battery cover clothsthey may now contain sulfuric
acid.
8. If removed, replace all the battery vent plugs.
If the cause of your battery discharging is
not apparent (for example, lights left on),
you should have it checked. If your engine stalls while driving...
1. Reduce your speed gradually, keeping a straight line. Move cautiously off the
road to a safe place.
2. Turn on your emergency flashers.
3. Turn the ignition key to ACC" or LOCK", and try starting the engine
again.
If the engine will not start, see If your
vehicle will not start" on page 132 in
this section.
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 your vehicle overheats
If your engine coolant temperature
gauge indicates overheating, if you ex-
perience a loss of power, or if you hear
a loud knocking or pinging noise, the
engine has probably overheated. You
should follow this procedure... 1. Pull safely off the road, stop the ve- hicle and turn on your emergency
flashers. Put the transmission in neu-
tral and apply the parking brake. Turn
off the air conditioning if it is being
used.
2. If coolant or steam is boiling out of the radiator or reservoir, stop the engine.
Wait until the steam subsides before
opening the hood. If there is no coolant
boiling over or steam, leave the engine
running and make sure the electric
cooling fan is operating. If it is not,
turn the ignition off.
CAUTION
To help avoid personal injury, keep
the hood closed until there is no
steam. Escaping steam or coolant is
a sign of very high pressure.
If your engine stalls while
driving

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1362001 MR2 (OM17482U)
3. Look for obvious coolant leaks from theradiator, hoses, and under the vehicle.
However, note that water draining from
the air conditioning is normal if it has
been used.
CAUTION
When the engine is running, keep
hands and clothing away from the
moving fan and engine drive belts.
4. If the coolant is leaking, stop the en-gine immediately. Call a Toyota dealer
for assistance.
5. If there are no obvious leaks, check the coolant reservoir. If it is dry, add
coolant to the reservoir while the en-
gine is running. Fill it about half full.
CAUTION
Do not attempt to remove the coolant
reservoir cap or air release valve
when the engine and radiator are hot.
Serious injury could result from
scalding hot fluid and steam blown
out under pressure.
6. After the engine coolant temperaturehas cooled to normal, again check the
coolant level in the reservoir. If neces-
sary, bring it up to half full again. Seri-
ous coolant loss indicates a leak in the
system. You s hould have it checked as
soon as possible at your Toyota dealer.
If you have a flat tire
1. Reduce your speed gradually, keeping a straight line. Move cautiously off the
road to a safe place well away from
the traffic. Avoid stopping on the center
divider of a highway. Park on a level
spot with firm ground.
2. Stop the engine and turn on your emergency flashers.
3. Firmly set the parking brake and put the transmission lever in reverse posi-
tion.
4. Have everyone get out of the vehicle on the side away from traffic.
5. Read the following instructions thor- oughly.
CAUTION
When jacking, be sure to observe the
following to reduce the possibility of
personal injury:
Follow jacking instructions.
Do not put any part of your body
under the vehicle supported by the
jack. Personal injury may occur.
Do not start or run the engine while
your vehicle is supported by the
jack.

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1372001 MR2 (OM17482U)
Stop the vehicle on a level firm
ground, firmly set the parking brake
and put the transmission in reverse.
Block the wheel diagonally opposite
to the one being changed if neces-
sary.
Make sure to set the jack properly
in the jack point. Raising the ve-
hicle with jack improperly posi-
tioned will damage the vehicle or
may allow the vehicle to fall off the
jack and cause personal injury.
Never get under the vehicle when
the vehicle is supported by the jack
alone.
Use the jack only for lifting your
vehicle during wheel changing.
Do not raise the vehicle with some-
one in the vehicle.
When raising the vehicle, do not
put an object on or under the jack.
Raise the vehicle only high enough
to remove and change the tire.
NOTICE
Do not continue driving with a de-
flated tire. Driving even a short dis-
tance can damage a tire and wheel
beyond repair.
SU41031
Compact spare tire
The compact spare tire is designed for
temporary emergency use only.
The compact spare tire is identified by the
distinctive wheel design and color and
special wording TEMPORARY USE ONLY"
molded into the side wall of the tire.
The standard tire should be repaired and
replaced as soon as possible.
The compact spare tire saves space in
your trunk, and its lighter weight helps to
improve fuel economy and permits easier
installation in case of a flat tire.

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1382001 MR2 (OM17482U)
The compact spare tire can be used many
times, if necessary. It has tread life of up
to 4800 km (3000 miles) depending on
road conditions and your driving habits.
When tread wear indicators appear on the
tire, replace the tire.
See also the tire section on page 195 in
Section 7−2 for details on the tread wear
indicators and other service information.
CAUTION
The compact spare tire was de-
signed especially for your Toyota.
Do not use it on any other vehicle.
Do not exceed 80 km/h (50 mph)
when driving with the compact
spare tire.
Avoid sudden acceleration, sudden
deceleration and sharp turns with
the compact spare tire.
NOTICE
Your ground clearance is reduced
when the compact spare tire is
installed so avoid driving over ob-
stacles and drive slowly on rough,
unpaved roads and speed bumps.
Also, do not attempt to go through an
automatic car wash as the vehicle
may get caught, resulting in damage.
SB41053
Compact spare tire
SB41054
Tool bag
Required tools and
compact spare tire

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1392001 MR2 (OM17482U)
1. Get the tool bag and compact sparetire.
You will find a jack in the tool bag.
To prepare yourself for an emergency, you
should fam iliarize yourself with the use of
the jack, each of the tools and their stor-
age locations.
SB41047
To remove the compact spare tire:
1. Open the front box cover in the trunk.
SB41061
2. Remove the spare wheel cover.

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
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SB41063
3. Loosen the bolt and remove it.
Then take the compact spare tire out of
the vehicle.
When storing the compact spare tire, put
it in place with the outer side of the wheel
facing up. Then secure the tire by repeat-
ing the above removal steps in reverse
order to prevent it from flying forward dur-
ing a collision or s udden braking.
SB41064
When you store the replaced flat ground
tire in the place where the compact spare
tire was loaded, install the spare wheel
extension to the spare wheel clamp.
NOTICE
The replaced ground tire should be
fixed steadily by the spare wheel
clamp or it may damage the vehicle’s
body.
Blocking the wheel
SB41035
2. Block the wheel diagonally opposite
the flat tire to keep the vehicle from
rolling when it is jacked up.
When blocking the wheel, place a wheel
block from the front for the front wheels
or from the rear for the rear wheels.

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1412001 MR2 (OM17482U)
Loosening wheel nuts
SB41027
3. Loosen all the wheel nuts.
Always loosen the wheel nuts before rais-
ing the vehicle.
Turn the wheel nuts counterclockwise to
loosen. To get maximum leverage, fit the
wrench to the nut so that the handle is
on the right side, as shown above. Grab
the wrench near the end of the handle
and pull up on the handle. Be careful that
the wrench does not slip off the nut.
Do not remove the nuts yetjust unscrew
them about one−half turn.
Positioning the jack
SB41036
4. Position the jack at the correct jack point as shown.
Make sure the jack is positioned on a
level and solid place.
Raising your vehicle
SB41029
5. After making sure that no one is in the vehicle, raise it high enough so
that the compact spare tire can be
installed.
Remember you will need more ground
clearance when putting on the compact
spare tire than when removing the flat
tire.
To raise the vehicle, insert the jack handle
into the jack (it is a loose fit) and turn it
clockwise. As the jack touches the vehicle
and begins to lift, double−check that it is
properly positioned.

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1422001 MR2 (OM17482U)
CAUTION
Never get under the vehicle when the
vehicle is supported by the jack
alone.
Changing wheels
SB41028
6. Remove the wheel nuts and changetires.
Lift the flat tire straight off and put it
aside.
Roll the compact spare wheel into position
and align the holes in the wheel with the
bolts. Then lift up the wheel and get at
least the top bolt started through its hole.
Wiggle the tire and press it back over the
other bolts.
SB41044
Before putting wheels on, remove any cor-
rosion on the mounting surfaces with a
wire brush or such. Installation of wheels
without good metal−to−metal contact at the
mounting surface can cause wheel nuts to
loosen and eventually cause a wheel to
come off while driving. Therefore after the
first 1600 km (1000 miles), check to see
that the wheel nuts are tight.

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
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Reinstalling wheel nuts
SB41030
7. Reinstall all the wheel nuts with fin-ger tight.
Reinstall the wheel nuts (tapered end in-
ward) and tighten them as much as you
can by finger. Press back on the tire back
and see if you can tighten them more.
Lowering your vehicle
SB41031
8. Lower the vehicle completely and tighten the wheel nuts.
Turn the jack handle counterclockwise to
lower the vehicle.
Use only the wheel nut wrench and turn
it clockwise to tighten the nuts. Do not
use other tools or any additional leverage
other than your hands, such as a hammer,
pipe or your foot. Make sure the wrench
is securely engaged over the nut.
Tighten each nut a little at a time in the
order shown. Repeat the process until all
the nuts are tight.
CAUTION
When lowering the vehicle, make sure
all portions of your body and all oth-
er persons around will not be injured
as the vehicle is lowered to the
ground.