maintenance schedule TOYOTA RAV4 2000 Owners Manual

Rav4(U)
ii2000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
New vehicle warranty
Your new vehicle is covered by the following Toyota
limited warranties:
 New vehicle warranty
 Emission control systems warranty
 Others
For further information, please refer to the ”Owner’s
Warranty Information Booklet” or ”Owner ’s Manual Sup-
plement”.
Your responsibility for maintenance
It is the owner ’s responsibility to make sure that the
specified maintenance is performed. Section 6 gives de-
tails of these maintenance requirements. Also included
in Section 6 is general maintenance. For scheduled
maintenance information, please refer to the ”Scheduled
Maintenance Guide” or ”Owner ’s Manual Supplement”.
Accessories, spare parts and
modification of your Toyota
A wide variety of non−genuine spare parts and accesso-
ries for Toyota vehicles are currently available in the
market. You should know that Toyota does not warrant
these products and is not responsible for their perfor-
mance, repair, or replacement, or for any damage they
may cause to, or adverse effect they may have on,
your Toyota vehicle.
This vehicle should not be modified with non−genuine
Toyota products. Modification with non−genuine Toyota
products could affect its performance, safety or durabili-
ty, and may even violate governmental regulations. In
addition, damage or performance problems resulting from
the modification may not be covered under warranty.
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Rav4(U)
1422000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
The three−way catalytic converter is an
emission control device installed in the
exhaust system.
The purpose is to reduce pollutants in the
exhaust gas.
CAUTION
Keep people and combustible mate-
rials away from the exhaust pipe
while the engine is running. The
exhaust gas is very hot.
Do not idle or park your vehicle
over anything that might burn easi-
ly such as grass, leaves, paper or
rags.
NOTICE
A large amount of unburned gases
flowing into the three−way catalytic
converter may cause it to overheat
and create a fire hazard. To prevent
this and other damage, observe the
following precautions:
Use only unleaded gasoline.
Do not drive with an extremely low
fuel level; running out of fuel could
cause the engine to misfire, creat-
ing an excessive load on the three−
way catalytic converter.
Do not allow the engine to run at
idle speed for more than 20 min-
utes.
Avoid racing the engine.
Do not push−start or pull−start your
vehicle.
Do not turn off the ignition while
the vehicle is moving.
Keep your engine in good running
order. Malfunctions in the engine
electrical system, electronic ignition
system/distributor ignition system
or fuel systems could cause an ex-
tremely high three−way catalytic
converter temperature.
If the engine becomes difficult to
start or stalls frequently, take your
vehicle in for a check−up as soon
as possible. Remember, your Toyota
dealer knows your vehicle and its
three−way catalytic converter sys-
tem best.To ensure that the three−way cata-
lytic converter and the entire emis-
sion control system operate proper-
ly, your vehicle must receive the
periodic inspections required by the
Toyota Maintenance Schedule. For
scheduled maintenance information,
refer to the ”Scheduled Maintenance
Guide” or ”Owner ’s Manual Supple-
ment”.
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Rav4(U)
1572000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
In a rollover crash, an unbelted per-
son is significantly more likely to
die than a person wearing a seat
belt. Therefore, the driver and all
passengers should fasten their seat
belts whenever the vehicle is mo-
ving.
When driving off−road or in rugged
terrain, do not drive at excessive
speeds, jump, make sharp turns,
strike objects, etc. This may cause
loss of control or vehicle rollover
causing death or serious injury. You
are also risking expensive damage
to your vehicle’s suspension and
chassis.
NOTICE
If driving through water, such as
when crossing shallow streams,
first check the depth of the water
and the bottom of the river bed for
firmness. Drive slowly and avoid
deep water.
Take all necessary safety measures
to ensure that water damage to the
engine or other components does
not occur.
Water entering the engine air intake
will cause severe engine damage.
Water can wash the grease from
wheel bearings, causing rusting and
premature failure, and may also en-
ter the differentials, transmission
and transfer case, reducing the gear
oil’s lubricating qualities.
Sand and mud that has accumulated
in brake drums and around brake
discs may affect braking efficiency
and may damage brake system com-
ponents.
Always perform a maintenance in-
spection after each day of off−road
driving that has taken you through
rough terrain, sand, mud, or water.
For scheduled maintenance informa-
tion, refer to the ”Scheduled Main-
tenance Guide” or ”Owner’s Manual
Supplement”.
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
”TOYOTA Long Life Coolant” or equivalent.
See Section 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°C
(−58°F). 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. Section 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.
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Rav4(U)
1612000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
BRAKES AND SAFETY CHAINS
Toyota recommends trailers with brakes
that conform to any applicable federal
and state/provincial regulations.
A safety chain must always be used
between the towing vehicle and the
trailer. Leave sufficient slack in the
chain for turns. The chain should cross
under the trailer tongue to prevent the
tongue from dropping to the ground in
case it becomes damaged or sepa-
rated. For correct safety chain proce-
dures, follow the hitch or trailer
manufacturer ’s recommendations.
CAUTION
If the total trailer weight exceeds
272 kg (600 lb.), trailer brakes are
required.
Never tap into your vehicle’s hy-
draulic system as it would lower its
braking effectiveness.
Never tow a trailer without using a
safety chain securely attached to
both the trailer and the vehicle. If
damage occurs to the coupling unit
or hitch ball, there is danger of the
trailer wandering over into another
lane.
TIRES
Ensure that your vehicle’s tires are
properly inflated. See Section 7−2 for
instructions.
The trailer tires should be inflated to
the pressure recommended by the trail-
er manufacturer in respect to the total
trailer weight.
TRAILER LIGHTS
Trailer lights must comply with federal,
state/provincial and local regulations.
See your local recreational vehicle
dealer or rental agency for the correct
type of wiring and relays for your trail-
er. Check for correct operation of the
turn signals and stop lights each time
you hitch up. Direct splicing may dam-
age your vehicle’s electrical system
and cause a malfunction of your lights.BREAK−IN SCHEDULE
Toyota recommends that you do not
tow a trailer with a new vehicle or a
vehicle with any new power train com-
ponent (engine, transmission, differen-
tial, wheel bearing, etc.) for the first
800 km (500 miles) of driving.
MAINTENANCE
If you tow a trailer, your vehicle will
require more frequent maintenance due
to the additional load. For this informa-
tion, please refer to the scheduled
maintenance information in the ”Sched-
uled Maintenance Guide” or ”Owner ’s
Manual Supplement”.
Retighten all fixing bolts of the towing
ball and bracket after approximately
1000 km (600 miles) of trailer driving.
PRE−TOWING SAFETY CHECK
Check that your vehicle remains level
when a loaded or unloaded trailer is
hitched. Do not drive if the vehicle has
an abnormal nose−up or nose−down
condition, and check for improper
tongue load, overload, worn suspension
or other possible causes.
Make sure the trailer cargo is securely
loaded so that it cannot shift.
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Rav4(U)
1642000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
Getting more kilometers/mileage from a
liter/gallon of fuel is easy—just 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 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
driving—but gently. Remember, howev-
er, that on cold winter days this may
take a little longer.
Always keep the automatic transmis-
sion overdrive switch turned on.
Driving with the overdrive switch off
will reduce the fuel economy. (For de-
tails, see “Automatic transmission” in
Section 1−6.)
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 lug or overrevving. Use
a gear position suitable for the road on
which you are travelling.
Avoid continuous speeding up and
slowing down. Stop−and−go driving
wastes fuel.
Avoid unnecessary stopping and
braking. Maintain a steady pace. Try
to time the traffic signals so you only
need to stop as little as possible or
take advantage of through streets to
avoid traffic lights. Keep a proper dis-
tance from other vehicles to avoid sud-
den braking. This will also reduce wear
on your brakes.
Avoid heavy traffic or traffic jams
whenever possible.
Do not rest your foot on the clutch
or brake pedal. This causes premature
wear, overheating and poor fuel econo-
my.
Maintain a moderate speed on high-
ways. The faster you drive, the greater
the fuel consumption. By reducing your
speed, you will cut down on fuel con-
sumption.
Keep the front wheels in proper
alignment. Avoid hitting the curb and
slow down on rough roads. Improper
alignment not only causes faster tire
wear but also puts an extra load on
the engine, which, in turn, wastes fuel.
Keep the bottom of your vehicle free
from mud, etc. This not only lessens
weight but also helps prevent corro-
sion.
Keep your vehicle tuned−up and in
top shape. A dirty air cleaner, improp-
er valve clearance, dirty plugs, dirty oil
and grease,brakes not adjusted, etc. all
lower engine performance and contrib-
ute to poor fuel economy. For longer
life of all parts and lower operating
costs, keep all maintenance work on
schedule, and if you often drive under
severe conditions, see that your vehicle
receives more frequent maintenance.
(For scheduled maintenance informa-
tion, please refer to the ”Scheduled
Maintenance Guide” or ”Owner ’s Manu-
al Supplement”).
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer, too
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Rav4(U)
1932000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
VEHICLE MAINTENANCE AND CARE
Maintenance requirements194 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General maintenance195 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Does your vehicle need repairing?197 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
For scheduled maintenance information, please refer to the ”Sched-
uled Maintenance Guide” or ”Owner’s Manual Supplement”.
SECTION 6
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Rav4(U)
1942000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
Maintenance requirements
Your Toyota vehicle has been designed to
for fewer maintenance requirements with
longer service intervals to save both your
time and money. However, each regular
maintenance, as well as day−to−day care,
is more important than ever before to en-
sure smooth, and trouble−free, safe, and
economical drivings.
It is the owner ’s responsibility to make
sure the specified maintenance, including
general maintenance service, is performed.
Note that both the new vehicle and emis-
sion control system warranties specify that
proper maintenance and care must be per-
formed. See ”Owner ’s Warranty Informa-
tion Booklet” or ”Owner ’s Manual Supple-
ment” for complete warranty information.
General maintenance
General maintenance items are those day−
to−day care practices that are important to
your vehicle for proper operation. It is the
owner ’s responsibility to ensure that the
general maintenance items are performed
regularly.
These checks or inspections can be done
either by yourself or a qualified technician,
or if you prefer, your Toyota dealer will be
pleased to do them at a nominal cost.Scheduled maintenance
The scheduled maintenance items listed in
the ”Scheduled Maintenance Guide” or
”Owner ’s Manual Supplement” are those
required to be serviced at regular inter-
vals.
For details of your maintenance schedule,
read the ”Scheduled Maintenance Guide”
or ”Owner ’s Manual Supplement”.
It is recommended that any replacement
parts used for maintenance or for the
repair of the emission control system
be Toyota supplied.
The owner may elect to use non−To y o t a
supplied parts for replacement pur-
poses without invalidating the emission
control system warranty. However, use
of replacement parts which are not of
equivalent quality may impair the effec-
tiveness of the emission control sys-
tems.
You may also elect to have mainte-
nance, replacement, or repair of the
emission control devices and system
performed by any automotive repair es-
tablishment or individual without invali-
dating this warranty. See ”Owner’s War-
ranty Information Booklet” or ”Owner’s
Manual Supplement” for complete war-
ranty information.Where to go for service?
Toyota technicians are well−trained spe-
cialists and are kept up to date with the
latest service information through technical
bulletins, service tips, and in−dealership
training programs. They learn to work on
Toyotas before they work on your vehicle,
rather than while they are working on it.
You can be confident that your Toyota
dealer ’s service department performs the
best job to meet the maintenance require-
ments on your vehicle—reliably and eco-
nomically.
Your copy of the repair order is proof that
all required maintenance has been per-
formed for warranty coverage. And if any
problems should arise with your vehicle
while under warranty, your Toyota dealer
will promptly take care of it. Again, be
sure to keep a copy of the repair order
for any service performed on your Toyota.
What about do−it−yourself maintenance?
Many of the maintenance items are easy
to do yourself if you have a little mechani-
cal ability and a few basic automotive
tools. Simple instructions for how to per-
form them are presented in Section 7.
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