flat tire TOYOTA RAV4 2008 XA30 / 3.G Owner's Manual

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NOTICE
Do not continue driving with a
deflated tire. Driving even a
short distance can damage a
tire and wheel beyond repair.
Tool bag
Jack1. Get the required tools and
spare tire on the back door.
To prepare yourself for an emergency,
you should familiarize yourself with
the use of the jack, each of the tools
and their storage locations.
— R eq u ired to o ls an d sp are
tire

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To remove the spare tire, turn the
hold −down nuts counterclockwise
with the wheel nut wrench and re-
move them.
When stowing the spare tire, put it in
place and secure it to prevent it from
flying forward during a collision or
sudden braking.2. Block the wheel diagonally op- posite the flat tire to keep the
vehicle from rolling when it is
jacked up.
When blocking the wheel, place a
wheel block in front of one of the front
wheels or behind one of the rear
wheels.Ty p e A
Ty p e B
—Blocking the wheel —Removing wheel ornament

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5. Position the jack at the correctjack point as shown.
Make sure the jack is positioned on
a level and solid place.6. After making sure that no one is in the vehicle, raise it high
enough so that the spare tire
can be installed.
Remember you will need more ground
clearance when putting on the spare
tire than when removing the flat tire.
To raise the vehicl e, 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 posi-
tioned.
CAUTION
Never get under the vehicle when
the vehicle is supported by the
jack alone.
—Positioning the jack —Raising your vehicle

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7. Remove the wheel nuts andchange tires.
Lift the flat tire straight off and put it
aside.
Roll the 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.Before putting on wheels, remove any
corrosion on the mounting surfaces
with a wire brush or such. Installation
of wheels without good metal− to−met-
al contact at the mounting surface can
cause wheel nuts to loosen and
eventually cause a wheel to come off
while driving.8. Reinstall all the wheel nuts fin- ger tight.
Reinstall the wheel nuts (tapered end
inward) and tighten them as much as
you can by hand. Press back on the
tire back and see if you can tighten
them more.
—Changing wheels —Reinstalling wheel nuts

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10.Install the flat tire and spare tirecover on the back door.
CAUTION
Make sure flat tire and spare tire
cover are securely in place in
their storage location to reduce
the possibility of personal injury
during a collision or sudden
braking.
On vehicles with aluminum wheels
and a steel wheel for the spare, re-
move the rubber rings from the wheel
nuts of the spare tire carrier before
stowing a flat tire. Be careful not to
lose the rubber rings after removing
them.
CAUTION
Make sure that the rubber rings
are not installed to the wheel
nuts for aluminum wheel. Other-
wise, the nuts may become loose
and the wheel may fall off, which
may cause a serious accident.
After repairing the flat tire, be sure
to reinstall the rubber rings to the
wheel nuts before stowing the spare
tire. If the steel wheel is stowed with-
out reinstalling the rubber rings to the
wheel nuts, the spare tire carrier may
produce abnormal noise when the ve-
hicle is driven.
—Stowing flat tire

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On some models—Before stowing the
flat tire, remove the center wheel or-
nament by pushing from the reverse
side.
Be careful not to lose the wheel orna-
ment.
Guides
To install the spare tire cover: 1. Insert the hooks under the guides to the upper slots and lower the
cover.
2. Attach the cover by hooking the2 inner protrusions.
Check that the cover is securely at-
tached.

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Ty pe C—
Push the wheel ornament into the
center hole.
With a spare tire of different wheel
type from the installed tires, the wheel
ornament can not be installed into the
spare tire. After repairing the flat tire,
reinstall the wheel ornament.
CAUTION
Take due care in handling the
ornament to avoid unexpected
personal injury.
 Do not attach a heavily dam-
aged plastic wheel ornament.
It may fly off the wheel and
cause accidents while the ve-
hicle is moving.
12.Check the air pressure of the re-
placed tire.
Adjust the air pressu re to the specifi-
cation designated on page 433 in
Section 8. If the pressure is lower,
drive slowly to the nearest service
station and fill to the correct pressure.
Do not forget to reinstall the tire infla-
tion valve cap as dirt and moisture
could get into th e valve core and
possibly cause air leakage. If the cap
is missing, have a new one put on as
soon as possible.
13.Restow all the tools and jack se- curely.
As soon after changing wheels as
possible, tighten the wheel nuts to the
torque specified on page 433 in Sec-
tion 8 with a torque wrench. Have a
technician repair the flat tire.CAUTION
Before driving, make sure all the
tools and jack are securely in
place in their storage location to
reduce the possibility of person-
al injury during a collision or
sudden braking.
—After changing wheels

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CAUTION
If the emergency towing eyelet is
used to get out when your vehicle
becomes struck in mud, sand or oth-
er condition from which the vehicle
cannot be driven out under its own
power, make sure to observe the pre-
cautions mentioned below. Otherwise,
excessive stress will be put on the
eyelet and the towing cable or chain
may break, causing serious injury or
damage.
If the towing vehicle can hardly
move, do not forcibly continue the
towing. Contact your Toyota dealer
or a commercial tow truck service
for assistance.
Tow the vehicle as straight ahead
as possible.
Keep away from the vehicle during
towing.
The following methods are effective to get
out when your vehicle is struck in mud,
sand or other condition from which the
vehicle cannot be driven out under its own
power. Use extreme caution when towing
vehicles. In addition, keep away from the
vehicles and towing cable or chain when
towing.
Remove the soil and sand in the front
and the back of the tires.
Place a stone or wood under the tires.
If you cannot shift the selector lever
out of “P” position to other positions
even though the brake pedal is de-
pressed, use the shift lock override but-
ton as follows:1. Turn the engine switch to the “LOCK” position. Make sure the
parking brake is applied.
2. Pry up the cover with a flathead screwdriver or equivalent.
—Tips for towing a stuck
vehicle If you cannot shift automatic
transmission selector lever

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Tire inflation pressure
Check the pressure with a gauge ev-
ery two weeks, or at least once a
month. See page 408 in Section 7−2
for additional information.
Tire surface and wheel nuts
Check the tires carefully for cuts,
damage or excessive wear. See page
410 in Section 7− 2 for additional in-
formation. When checking the tires,
make sure no nuts are missing, and
check the nuts for looseness. Tighten
them if necessary.
Tire rotation
Rotate the tires according to the
maintenance schedule. (For sched-
uled maintenance information, please
refer to the “Scheduled Maintenance
Guide” or “Owner ’s Manual Supple-
ment”.) See page 412 in Section 7 −2
for additional information.Be on the alert for changes in perfor-
mance, sounds, and visual tip −offs that
indicate service is needed. Some impor-
tant clues are as follows:
Engine missing, stumbling, or pinging
Appreciable loss of power
Strange engine noises
A leak under the vehicle (However, wa-
ter dripping from the air conditioning
after use is normal.)
Change in exhaust sound (This may
indicate a dangerous carbon monoxide
leak. Drive with the windows open and
have the exhaust system checked im-
mediately.)
Flat −looking tire; excessive tire squeal
when cornering; uneven tire wear
Vehicle pulls to one side when driving
straight on a level road
Strange noises related to suspension
movement
Loss of brake effectiveness; spongy
feeling brake pedal; pedal almost
touches floor; vehicle pulls to one side
when braking
Engine coolant temperature continually
higher than normal If you notice any of these clues, take your
vehicle to your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible. It probably needs adjustment or
repair.
CAUTION
Do not continue driving with the ve-
hicle unchecked. It could result in se-
rious vehicle damage and possibly
personal injury.
Does your vehicle need
repairing?

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DOITYOURSELF MAINTENANCE
Engine and Chassis
Checking the engine oil level404
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Checking the engine coolant level 406
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Checking the radiator and condenser 407
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Checking brake fluid 407
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Checking tire inflation pressure 408
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Checking and replacing tires 410
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Rotating tires 412
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Installing snow tires and chains 413
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Replacing wheels 415
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Aluminum wheel precautions 416
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SECTION 7 2