tow TOYOTA MR2 SPYDER 2001 Owners Manual (in English)

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
2001 MR2 (OM17482U)
Publication No. OM17482U
Part No. 01999-17482
Printed in Japan 01−0008−00
C
MR2(U)
Quick index
If a service reminder indicator or warning buzzer comes on 70 . . . . . . . . . . .
 If your vehicle will not start 132 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\
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 If your engine stalls while driving 135 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
 If your vehicle overheats 135 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\
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 If you have a flat tire 136 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\
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 If your vehicle needs to be towed 145 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
 Tips for driving during break−in period 110 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
 How to start the engine 124 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\
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 General maintenance 177 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\
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 Complete index 227 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\
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Gas station information
Fuel type:
1ZZ−FE engine: UNLEADED gasoline, Octane Rating 87
(Research Octane Number 91) or higher
See page 110 for detailed information.
Fuel tank capacity:
48 L (12.7 gal., 10.6 lmp. gal.)
Engine oil:
API grade SJ, Energy−Conserving" or ILSAC multigrade engine oil is
recommended.
See page 190 for detailed information.
Tire information: See pages 194 through 199.
Tire pressure: See page 219.
U2

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
222001 MR2 (OM17482U)
SB12082
CAUTION
To prevent personal injury, do not
grasp the part shown in dark color in
the illustration.
SB12079
4. Fold the soft top slowly and houseit completely.
Press down the soft top toward the front
from the rear and lock it. You will hear
click sound when the soft top is complete-
ly housed.
Shake the soft top up and down softly to
check whether the soft top is fixed se-
curely.
Raise both sun visors.
SB12059
Folding board
Flare
NOTICE
Do not lower the soft top while
placing a luggage which is higher
than the bottom edge of the flare
inside the luggage space. The lug-
gage may be damaged by hitting
the folding board or the improperly
folded soft top may flap in the wind
and cause an accident.
 Do not place any objects on the
folding board. Such objects may
damage the folding board or cause
an unexpected accident by moving
while the vehicle is driven.

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
232001 MR2 (OM17482U)
Air deflector
SB12060
The air deflector will reduce the wind
from the rear of the vehicle when the
vehicle is running with the soft top
lowered. Pull up to use.
NOTICE
Do not use alcohol or other solvents
for the air deflector. Because they
could damage the air deflector’s resin
material.
Raising the soft top
SB12061
1. Lower both side windows and sunvisors. Then pull down the lock re-
lease lever towards the front of the
vehicle and release the lock of the
soft top.
NOTICE
Always lower the sun visor when rais-
ing the soft top. The sun visor may
be damaged if the soft top is locked
with the sun visor raised.
SB12074
2. Stand outside of the vehicle and pullthe soft top out slowly holding the
part shown in dark color in the il-
lustration. Then move the soft top
toward the upper part of the frame
of the front window glass.
NOTICE
Lower the windows before raising the
soft top. Otherwise, the soft top may
not lock securely.

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
652001 MR2 (OM17482U)
The INT TIME" band lets you adjust the
wiping time interval when the wiper lever
is in the intermittent position (position 1).
Twist the band upward to increase the
time between sweeps, and downward to
decrease it.
To squirt washer fluid, pull the lever
toward you.
If the windshield wipers are off, they will
operate a couple of times after the washer
squirts.
For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see Adding washer fluid" on page 205 in
Section 7−3.
In freezing weather, warm the windshield
with the defroster before using the washer.
This will help prevent the washer fluid
from freezing on the windshield, which can
block your vision.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the wind-
shield is dry. It may scratch the
glass.
Rear window defogger
SB14017
To defog or defrost the rear window,
push the switch.
The key must be in the ON" position.
The thin heater wires on the inside of the
rear window will quickly clear the surface.
An indicator light will illuminate to indicate
the defogger is operating.
Push the switch once again to turn the
defogger off.
The system will automatically shut off af-
ter the defogger has operated about 15
minutes.Make sure you turn the defogger off when
the window is clear. Leaving the defogger
on for a long time could cause the battery
to discharge, especially during stop−and−
go driving. The defogger is not designed
for drying rain water or for melting snow.
NOTICE

When cleaning the inside of the
rear window, be careful not to
scratch or damage the heater wires
or connectors.
 When the soft top is completely
lowered, keep the rear window de-
fogger turned off to avoid damage
to the top.

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1092001 MR2 (OM17482U)
INFORMATION BEFORE DRIVING YOUR
TOYOTA
Break−in period11 0
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Fuel 11 0
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Fuel pump shut off system 11 2
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Operation in foreign countries 11 2
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Three−way catalytic converter 11 3
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Engine exhaust cautions 11 4
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Facts about engine oil consumption 11 4
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Iridium−tipped spark plugs 11 5
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Brake system 11 6
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Brake pad wear limit indicators 11 8
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Luggage stowage precautions 11 9
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Limited−slip differential 11 9
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Your Toyota’s identification 120
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Theft prevention labels 121
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Suspension and chassis 121
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Types of tires 121
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SECTION 2

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
11 92001 MR2 (OM17482U)
Luggage stowage precautions
When stowing luggage or cargo in the
vehicle, observe the following:
Put luggage or cargo in the front box
or luggage space when at all possible.
Be sure all items are secured in place.
Be careful to keep the vehicle bal-
anced. Locating the weight as far for-
ward as possible helps maintain bal-
ance.
For better fuel economy, do not carry
unneeded weight.
CAUTION
Never allow anyone to ride in the
luggage space. It is not designed
for the passenger. The passenger
should ride in the seat with the
seat belt properly fastened. Severe
injuries to an unrestrained passen-
ger can occur during sudden brak-
ing or a collision.
Do not drive with objects left on
top of the instrument panel. They
may interfere with the driver’s field
of view. Or they may move during
sharp vehicle acceleration or turn-
ing, and impair the driver’s control
of the vehicle. In an accident they
may injure the vehicle occupants.Some Toyotas are equipped with a limit-
ed−slip differential. If one of the rear
wheels begins to spin, the limited−slip dif-
ferential is designed to aid traction by
automatically transmittiing driving force to
the other rear wheel. If you are not sure
whether your vehicle is equipped with one,
you can ask your Toyota dealer.
CAUTION
Do not start or run the engine while
your vehicle is supported by a jack.
The vehicle could be driven off the
jack and could pose a danger or re-
sult in serious injury.
NOTICE
Use only a compact spare tire of the
same size, construction and load ca-
pacity as the original tires on your
Toyota because damage to the limit-
ed−slip differential could possibly oc-
cur with another tire type.
Limited−slip differential
(on some models)

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1232001 MR2 (OM17482U)
STARTING AND DRIVING
Before starting the engine124
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How to start the engine 124
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Tips for driving in various conditions 125
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Winter driving tips 126
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Dinghy towing 127
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Trailer towing 128
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How to save fuel and make your vehicle last longer, too 128
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SECTION 3

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1272001 MR2 (OM17482U)
Do not use your parking brake when
there is a possibility it could freeze.
When parking, put the transmission into
first or reverse and block the rear wheels.
Do not use the parking brake, or snow or
water accumulated in and around the
parking brake mechanism may freeze,
making it hard to release.
Keep ice and snow from accumulating
under the fenders.
Ice and snow built up under your fenders
can make steering difficult. During bad
winter driving, stop and check under the
fenders occasionally.
Depending on where you are driving,
we recommend you carry some emer-
gency equipment.
Some of the things you might put in the
vehicle are tire chains, window scraper,
bag of sand or salt, flares, small shovel,
jumper cables, etc.
Dinghy towing
SB31003
Your vehicle can be dinghy towed (with
four wheels on the ground) from the
front behind a motorhome.
CAUTION
Dinghy towing requires special equip-
ment and accessories. Please refer to
your service outlet of the motorhome
manufacture for the recommended
equipment.
NOTICE
Dinghy towing does not eliminate the
possibility of damage to your vehicle.
DINGHY TOWING TIPS
Before dinghy towing, be sure to ob-
serve the following in order to reduce
the damage to your vehicle.1. Put the shift lever in neutral.
2. Turn the ignition switch to the ACC" position. Make sure the audio is turned
off.
NOTICE
To avoid the locking of the steering
wheel, turn the ignition switch to the
ACC" position.
3. Release the parking brake.
After dinghy towing, let the engine idle for
more than 3 minutes before driving the
vehicle.

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1282001 MR2 (OM17482U)
SB31004
NOTICE
Do not tow your vehicle from the
rear. This may cause serious damage
to your vehicle.
Trailer towing
SB31002
Toyota does not recommend towing a trail-
er with your MR2. It is not designed for
trailer towing.Getting more kilometers/mileage from a
liter/gallon of fuel is easyjust 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 page
194 in Section 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
drivingbut gently. Remember, howev-
er, that on cold winter days this may
take a little longer.
Accelerate slowly and smoothly.
Avoid jackrabbit starts. Get into high
gear as quickly as possible.
Avoid long engine idling. If you have
a long wait and you are not in traffic,
it is better to turn off the engine and
start again later.
Avoid engine lugging or over−rev-
ving. Use a gear position suitable for
the road on which you are travelling.
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer, too

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1312001 MR2 (OM17482U)
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
If your vehicle will not start132
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If your engine stalls while driving 135
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If your vehicle overheats 135
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If you have a flat tire 136
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If your vehicle needs to be towed 145
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If you lose your keys 148
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SECTION 4