oil viscosity TOYOTA RAV4 1999 Owners Manual

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FUNCTIONS OF ENGINE OIL
Engine oil has the primary functions of
lubricating and cooling the inside of the
engine, and plays a major role in main-
taining the engine in proper working order.
ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION
It is normal that an engine should con-
sume some engine oil during normal
engine operation. The causes of oil
consumption in a normal engine are as
follows.
Oil is used to lubricate pistons, piston
rings and cylinders. A thin film of oil
is left on the cylinder wall when a pis-
ton moves downwards in the cylinder.
High negative pressure generated when
the vehicle is decelerating sucks some
of this oil into the combustion chamber.
This oil as well as some part of the oil
film left on the cylinder wall is burned
by the high temperature combustion
gases during the combustion process.
Oil is also used to lubricate the stems
of the intake valves. Some of this oil
is sucked into the combustion chamber
together with the intake air and is
burned along with the fuel. High tem-
perature exhaust gases also burn the
oil used to lubricate the exhaust valve
stems.
The amount of engine oil consumed de-
pends on the viscosity of the oil, the
quality of the oil and the conditions the
vehicle is driven under.
More oil is consumed by high- speed driv-
ing and frequent acceleration and decel-
eration.
A new engine consumes more oil, since
its pistons, piston rings and cylinder walls
have not become conditioned.
When judging the amount of oil con-
sumption, note that the oil may become
diluted and make it difficult to judge
the true level accurately.
As an example, if a vehicle is used for
repeated short trips, and consumes a nor-
mal amount of oil, the dipstick may not
show any drop in the oil level at all, even
after 1000 km (600 miles) or more. This
is because the oil is gradually becoming
diluted with fuel or moisture, making it
appear that the oil level has not changed. The diluting ingredients evaporate out
when the vehicle is then driven at high
speeds, as on an expressway, making it
appear that oil is excessively consumed
after driving at high speeds.
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 troubledue to insufficient oil.
For detailed information on oil level check,
see ºChecking the engine oil levelº in
Chapter 7- 2.
Facts about engine oil
consumption

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Winter driving tips
Make sure you have a proper freeze
protection of engine coolant.
Your coolant must contain ethylene- glycol
type coolant for a proper corrosion
protection of aluminum components. Use
ºToyota Long Life Coolantº or equivalent.
See Chapter 7- 2 for details about coolant
type selection.
NOTICE
Do not use alcohol type antifreeze or
plain water alone.
When it is extremely cold, we recommend
to use 60% solution for your Toyota, to
provide protection down to about -50 5C
(- 58 5F). Do not use more than 70% solu-
tion for better coolant performance.
Check the condition of the battery and
cables.
Cold temperatures reduce the capacity of
any battery, so it must be in top shape
to provide enough power for winter start-
ing. Chapter 7- 3 tells you how to visually
inspect the battery. Your Toyota dealer
and most service stations will be pleased
to check the level of charge. Make sure the engine oil viscosity is
suitable for the cold weather.
See Chapter 7- 2 for recommended viscos-
ity. Leaving a heavy summer oil in your
vehicle during winter months may cause
harder starting. If you are not sure about
which oil to use, call your Toyota dealer±
he will be pleased to help.
Keep the door locks from freezing.
Squirt lock de- icer or glycerine into the
locks to keep them from freezing. To open
a frozen lock, try heating the key before
inserting it.
Use a washer fluid containing an anti-
freeze solution.
This product is available at your Toyota
dealer and most auto parts stores. Follow
the manufacturer 's directions for how
much to mix with water.
NOTICE
Do not use engine antifreeze or any
other substitute because it may dam-age your vehicle's paint.
Do not use your parking brake when
there is a possibility it could freeze.
When parking, put the transmission into
ºPº (automatic) or into first or reverse
(manual) 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.

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192
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,
ºEnergy- 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): ºToyota Long Life Coolantº or equiva-
lent
See Chapter 7- 2 for details about cool-
ant type selection.
Demineralized or distilled water
Tools:
Funnel (only for adding coolant)
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 DEXRON II
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): Fuse with same amperage rating as
original Tools:
Screwdriver (for driver's side instru-
ment lower panel nut)
Conventional wrench (for passenger 's
side kick panel nut)
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 ºRe-
placing light bulbsº in Chapter 7- 3.)
Tools:
Screwdriver

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194
Engine oil selection
Use API grade SJ, ºEnergy- Conservingº or
ILSAC multigrade engine oil.
Recommended viscosity (SAE):
SAE 5W- 30 is the best choice for your
vehicle, for good fuel economy and
good starting in cold weather.
If you use SAE 10W- 30 engine oil in
extremely low temperatures, the engine
may become difficult to start, so SAE
5W- 30 engine oil is recommended.
API service symbol
ILSAC certification mark
Oil identification marks
Either or both API registered marks are
added to some oil containers to help
you select the oil you should use.
The API Service Symbol is located anywhere
on the outside of the container.
The top portion of the label shows the oil
quality by API (American Petroleum Insti-
tute) designations such as SJ. The center
portion of the label shows the SAE viscos-
ity grade such as SAE 5W- 30. ºEnergy-
Conservingº shown in the lower portion,
indicates that the oil has fuel- saving ca-
pabilities.
The ILSAC (International Lubricant Stan-
dardization and Approval Committee) Certi-
fication Mark is displayed on the front of
the container.

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Oil grade:
API grade SJ, ºEnergy- Conservingº or
ILSAC multigrade engine oil is recom-
mended.
Recommended oil viscosity (SAE):
COOLING SYSTEM
Total capacity, L (qt., Imp. qt.): Manual transmission8.0 (8.5, 7.0)
Automatic transmission 7.7 (8.1, 6.8) Coolant type:
ºToyota Long Life Coolantº or equivalent
With ethylene- glycol type coolant for a
proper corrosion protection of aluminum
components
Do not use alcohol type antifreeze or
plain water alone.
BATTERY
Open voltage *
at 20 C (68 F):
12.6Ð12.8 V Fully charged
12.2Ð12.4 V Half charged
11.8Ð12.0 V Discharged
* : Voltage that is checked 20 minutes af-
ter the key is removed with all the lights
turned off
Charging rates:
5 A max.
CLUTCH
Pedal freeplay, mm (in.): 5Ð15 (0.2Ð0.6)
Fluid type: SAE J1703 or FMVSS No.116 DOT 3
MANUAL TRANSAXLE
Oil capacity, L (qt., Imp. qt.): Two- wheel drive models3.9 (4.1, 3.4)
Four- wheel drive models
5.0 (5.3, 4.4) Oil type:
Two- wheel drive models
Gear oil API GL- 4 or GL- 5
Four- wheel drive models Gear oil API GL- 5
Recommended oil viscosity: SAE 75W- 90
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE
Fluid capacity (drain and ref ill),
L (qt., Imp. qt.): Up to 3.3 (3.5, 2.9)
Fluid type: Two- wheel drive models
Automatic transmission fluid
D- II or DEXRON III (DEXRON II)
Four- wheel drive models
Toyota automatic transaxle fluid
Type T or equivalent

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TRANSFER
(four- wheel drive models with an auto-
matic transaxle)
Oil capacity, L (qt., Imp. qt.):
0.7 (0.7, 0.6)
Oil type: Gear oil API GL- 5
Recommended oil viscosity: SAE 75W- 90
REAR DIFFERENTIAL
(four- wheel drive models)
Oil capacity, L (qt., Imp. qt.): 0.9 (1.0, 0.8)
Oil type: Hypoid gear oil API GL- 5
Recommended oil viscosity: Above -18 5C (0 5F)
SAE 90
Below -18 5C (0 5F)
SAE 80W or 80W- 90 BRAKES
Minimum pedal clearance when depressed
with the pressure of 490 N (50 kgf, 110
lbf) with the engine running, mm (in.):
75 (3.0)
Pedal freeplay, mm (in.): 1Ð6 (0.04Ð0.24)
Pad wear limit, mm (in.): 1.0 (0.04)
Lining wear limit, mm (in.): 1.0 (0.04)
Parking brake adjustment when pulled with
the force of 196 N (20 kgf, 44 lbf): 5Ð8 clicks
Fluid type: SAE J1703 or FMVSS No.116 DOT 3
STEERING
Wheel freeplay: Less than 30 mm (1.2 in.)
Power steering fluid type: Automatic transmission fluid DEXRON II or III