page 94 TOYOTA MR2 SPYDER 2003 W30 / 3.G Owner's Manual

602003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
SB13115
Ty p e A
SB13114
Ty p e B
CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM
INSTALLATION
Ty p e A —1. Widen the clearance between the seat cushion and seatback a little
and confirm the position of the low-
er anchorages below the tag in the
seatback.
2. Latch the hooks of lower straps onto the anchorages and tighten the lower
straps.
Ty p e B — 1. Widen the clearance between the seat cushion and seatback a little
and confirm the position of the low-
er anchorages below the tag in the
seatback.
2. Latch the buckles onto the anchor- ages.
If your child restraint system has a top
strap, it should be anchored. (For the
installation of the top strap, see “—Using
a top strap” on page 58.)
For the installation details, refer to the
instruction manual equipped with each
product.
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692003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
SB14011
TURN SIGNALS
To signal a turn, push the headlight/
turn signal lever up or down to position
1.
The key must be in the “ON” position.
The lever automatically returns after you
make a turn, but you may have to return
it by hand after you change lanes.
To signal a lane change, move the lever
up or down to the pressure point (position
2) and hold it.
If the turn signal indicator lights (green
lights) on the instrument panel flash faster
than normal, a front or rear turn signal
bulb is burned out. See “Replacing light
bulbs—” on page 226 in Section 73.
Emergency flashers
SB14012
To turn on the emergency flashers,
push the switch.
All the turn signal lights will flash. To turn
them off, push the switch once again.
Turn on the emergency flashers to warn
other drivers if your vehicle must be
stopped where it might be a traffic hazard.
Always pull as far off the road as pos-
sible.
The turn signal light switch will not work
when the emergency flashers are operat-
ing.
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being dis-
charged, do not leave the switch on
longer than necessary when the en-
gine is not running.
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712003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
Windshield wipers and washer
SB14020
To turn on the windshield wipers, move
the lever to the desired setting.
The key must be in the “ON” position.Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Intermittent
Position 2Slow
Position 3Fast
For a single sweep of the windshield,
push the lever up and release it. 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 225 in
Section 73.
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
SB14023
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.
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752003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
If the engine coolant temperature gauge
needle is not displayed, there may be a
problem in the system. In this case, con-
tact your Toyota dealer as soon as pos-
sible.
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in
the engine cooling system as this
may cause the engine to overheat.
The thermostat is designed to con-
trol the flow of coolant to keep the
temperature of the engine within
the specified operating range.
 Do not continue driving with an
overheated engine. See “If your
vehicle overheats” on page 166 in
Section 4.
Tachometer
SB15008
The tachometer indicates engine speed
in thousands of rpm (revolutions per
minute). Use it while driving to select
correct shift points and to prevent en-
gine lugging and overrevving.
Driving with the engine running too fast
causes excessive engine wear and poor
fuel economy. Remember, in most cases
the slower the engine speed, the greater
the fuel economy.
NOTICE
Do not let the indicator needle get
into the red zone. This may cause
severe engine damage.
Odometer and two trip meters
SB15005
This meter displays the odometer and
two trip meters.
1. Odometer—Shows the total distance the vehicle has been driven.
2. Two trip meters—Show two different distances independently driven since
the last time each trip meter was set
to zero.
You can use one trip meter to calculate
the fuel economy and the other to
measure the distance on each trip. All
trip meter data is cancelled if the elec-
trical power source is disconnected.
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772003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
Service reminder indicators and warning buzzers
If the indicator or buzzer comes on...Do this.
(a)If parking brake is off, stop immediately and contact Toyota dealer.
(b)Fasten driver ’s seat belt.
(c)Fasten passenger ’s seat belt.
(d)Stop and check.
(e)Stop and check.
(f)Take vehicle to Toyota dealer.
(g)Low fuel level warning lightFill up tank. (See “Fuel gauge” on page 74 in this Section.)
(h)Take vehicle to Toyota dealer immediately. If the vehicle cannot be driven, contact your
Toyota dealer.
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782003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
If the indicator or buzzer comes on...Do this.
(i)Take vehicle to Toyota dealer.
(j)Close both the doors.
(k)Take vehicle to Toyota dealer immediately.
(l)Take vehicle to Toyota dealer.
(m)Key reminder buzzerRemove key.
(n)Light reminder buzzerTurn off lights.
(o)Warning function of the
sequential manual transmissionSee “Sequential manual transmission” on page 85 in Section 16.
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822003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
(l) Power Steering System WarningLight
This light warns that there is a problem
in your power steering system.
If the light comes on while you are driv-
ing, have your vehicle checked by your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible.
(m) Key Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer reminds you to remove the
key when you open the driver ’s door with
the ignition key in the “ACC” or “LOCK”
position.
(n) Light reminder buzzer
The buzzer will sound if the headlight
switch is left on and the driver’s door is
opened with the key removed from the
ignition switch.
(o) Warning function of the Sequential Manual Transmission (sequential
manual transmission only)
When driving, if any incorrect operation
that may cause damage to this system is
performed or if the gear is not shifted as
desired by the driver, the warning buzzer
will sound and the gear position indicator
will flash to warn the driver in some
cases. For details, see “(k) Warning
functions” on page 94 in Section 16. CHECKING SERVICE REMINDER
INDICATORS (except the low fuel level
warning light)
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Open either side door. The open door warning light should
come
on.
3. Close the door. The open door warning light should go
off.
4. Turn the ignition key to “ON”, but do not start the engine.
All the service reminder indicators ex-
cept the open door warning light should
come on. The “ABS” and power steer-
ing system warning lights go off after
a few seconds. The SRS warning light
goes off after about 6 seconds.
If any service reminder indicator or warn-
ing buzzer does not function as described
above, have it checked by your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible.
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842003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
SB16007
“START”—Starter motor on. The key
will return to the “ON” position when
released.
For starting tips, see page 153 in Section
3.
“ON”—Engine on and all accessories
on.
This is the normal driving position.
“ACC”—Accessories such as the radio
operate, but the engine is off.
If you leave the key in the “ACC” or
“LOCK” position and open the driver’s
door, a buzzer will remind you to remove
the key.“LOCK”—Engine is off and the steering
wheel is locked. The key can be re-
moved only at this position.
You must push in the key to turn it from
“ACC” to the “LOCK” position.
Once you remove the key, the engine im-
mobilizer system is automatically set. (See
“Engine immobilizer system” on page 10
in Section 12.)
When starting the engine, the key may
seem stuck at the “LOCK” 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.
CAUTION
Never remove the key when the ve-
hicle is moving, as this will lock the
steering wheel and result in loss of
steering control.
NOTICE
Do not leave the key in the “ON”
position if the engine is not running.
The battery will discharge and the
ignition could be damaged.
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Ignition switch with steering
lock

892003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
CAUTION
Be careful when accelerating, up-
shifting, downshifting or braking on
a slippery surface. Sudden accelera-
tion or engine braking could cause
the vehicle to spin or skid.
To drive down a long or steep hill,
reduce your speed and downshift.
Remember, if you ride the brakes
excessively, they may overheat and
fail.
Do not place the selector lever in
the “N” position while driving.
Otherwise the engine brake may not
work, and you may get involved in
an unexpected accident.
Do not apply the parking brake
while driving. Otherwise, it could
cause a skid and you may get in-
volved in an unexpected accident.
NOTICE
The system will not allow shifting
up or down to a gear that would
cause engine overrevving or un-
derrevving. When engine overrev-
ving occurs, a warning buzzer
(short pulse sound) will sound. In
either case, the demand will be can-
celled.
 If frequently driving at low speed
using a high gear position, a warn-
ing buzzer (long pulse sound) will
sound. Such driving will cause the
reduction of clutch life.
 Frequent downshifting (more than 3
positions continuously) causes the
reduction of transmission life.
 Do not drive with your foot on the
brake pedal. Otherwise, it will cause
the “Sequential manual
transmission” warning light to come
on.
(e) Starting off
1. Start the engine as instructed in “How to start the engine” on page 154 in
Section 3. 2. With your foot holding down the brake
pedal, shift the selector lever to the “S”
position properly. When the selector le-
ver is shifted to “S” position, the gear
will be shifted to 1st. On a slippery
surface, it is possible to start off with
the gear in 2nd. To start off with the
gear in 2nd, shift the selector lever
from “N” to “S” position, then operate
the lever to “+” direction. The gear will
be shifted to 2nd. Before starting off,
always make sure that the gear is en-
gaged by the gear position indicator,
then depress the accelerator pedal.
If the gear cannot be engaged to 1st
when the selector lever is shifted from
the “N” to “S” position, the “N” indica-
tor will flash and a warning buzzer
(long pulse sound) will sound. In this
case, the system will retry shifting or
the driver can operate the selector le-
ver to shift, as follows.
The system will retry shifting automat-
ically. This will take some time, noise
may be heard from the gears, and shift
shock may occur. However, they do not
indicate malfunction.
The driver may shift the selector lever
to the “N” position once, then shift to
the “S” position.
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1352003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
IMPORTANCE OF ENGINE OIL LEVEL
CHECK
One of the most important points in prop-
er vehicle maintenance is to keep the en-
gine oil at the optimum level so that oil
function will not be impaired. Therefore, it
is essential that the oil level be checked
regularly. Toyota recommends that the oil
level be checked every time you refuel
the vehicle.
NOTICE
Failure to check the oil level regularly
could lead to serious engine trouble
due to insufficient oil.
For detailed information on oil level check,
see “Checking the engine oil level” on
page 206 in Section 72.
Iridiumtipped spark plugs
SB21011
Your engine is fitted with iridiumtipped
spark plugs.
NOTICE
Use only iridiumtipped spark plugs
and do not adjust gaps for your en-
gine performance and smooth drive-
ability.
Brake system
The tandem master cylinder brake system
is a hydraulic system with two separate
subsystems. If either subsystem should
fail, the other will still work. However, the
pedal will be harder to press, and your
stopping distance will increase. Also, the
brake system warning light may come on.
CAUTION
Do not drive your vehicle with only a
single brake system. Have your
brakes fixed immediately.
BRAKE BOOSTER
The brake booster uses engine vacuum to
powerassist the brakes. If the engine
should quit while you are driving, you can
bring the vehicle to a stop with normal
pedal pressure. There is enough reserved
vacuum for one or two stops but no more!
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