tow TOYOTA SOLARA 1999 Owners Manual

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For front passenger's use
Window lock button
For driver's use
CAUTION
To avoid serious personal injury, you
must do the following. Always make sure the head, hands
and other parts of the body of all
occupants are kept completely in-
side the vehicle before you close
the power windows. If someone's
neck, head or hands gets caught in
a closing window, it could result in
a serious injury. When anyone
closes the power windows, be sure
that they operate the windows safe-
ly.
When small children are in the ve-
hicle, never let them use the power
window switches without supervi-
sion. Use the window lock button to
prevent them from making unex-
pected use of the switches.
Never leave small children alone in
the vehicle, especially with the igni-
tion key still inserted. They could
use the power window switches and
get trapped in a window. Unat-
tended children can become in-
volved in serious accidents.
Trunk lidÐ
To open the trunk lid from the outside,
insert the master key and turn it clock-
wise.
See ºLuggage stowage precautionsº in
Part 2 for precautions to observe for load-
ing luggage.
To close the trunk lid, lower it and press
down on it. After closing the trunk lid, try
pulling it up to make sure it is securely
closed.

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Fold- down rear seat
(A) FOLDING REAR SEAT
1. Pull up the seatback security lock lever 1 to the unlock position.
2. Pull up the lock release button 2.
3. Fold down the seatback.
Each seatback may be folded separately.
This will enlarge the trunk as far as the
front seatbacks. See º Luggage stowage
precautionsº in Part 2 for precautions to
observe for loading luggage.
CAUTION
When returning the seatback to the
upright position: Make sure the seat belts are not
twisted or caught in the seatback
and are arranged in their proper
position and are ready to use.
Make sure the seatback is securely
locked by pushing forward and rear-
ward on the top of the seatback.
(B) PREVENTING DAMAGE TO REAR
CENTER SEAT BELT WEBBING
When folding down the left seatback, if
the luggage loaded in the enlarged
trunk will damage the webbing of the
rear center seat belt, disconnect the
rear center seat belt to prevent damage.
1. Insert the tab 1 or tab of the outside seat belt into the buckle- release but-
ton to release the tab 2, and allow
the belt to retract.

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To turn on the windshield wipers, move
the lever to the desired setting.
The key must be in the ºONº position.Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Intermittent
Position 2Slow
Position 3Fast
With interval adjuster: The ºINT TIMEº
band lets you adjust the wiping time inter-
val when the wiper lever is in the intermit-
tent 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 ºAdding washer fluidº in Chapter 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 your windshield, which
can block your vision.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the wind-
shield is dry. It may scratch theglass.
Ty p e A
Ty p e B
Windshield wipers and
washer
Rear window and outside
rear view mirror defoggers

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The gauge indicates the engine coolant
temperature when the ignition switch is
on. The engine operating temperature
will vary with changes in weather and
engine load.
If the needle moves into the red zone,
your engine is too hot. If your vehicle
overheats, stop your vehicle and allow the
engine to cool.
Your vehicle may overheat during severe
operating conditions, such as: Driving up a long hill on a hot day.
Reducing speed or stopping after high
speed driving.
Idling for a long period with the air
conditioning on in stop- and- go traffic.
Towing a trailer.
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in
the engine cooling system as thismay cause the engine to overheat.The thermostat is designed to con-
trol the flow of coolant to keep thetemperature of the engine withinthe specified operating range.
Do not continue driving with anoverheated engine. See ºIf your ve-hicle overheatsº in Part 4.
Tachometer
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 causesevere engine damage.
Engine coolant temperature
gauge

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(h) Take vehicle to
Toyota dealer.
(i) Close all doors.
(j) Replace bulb.(type A)
(type B)
(f) Fill up tank.
Low fuel level
warning light
If the indicator or Do this.
buzzer comes on...
(l) Add washer fluid.
(m) Take vehicle to Toyota dealer.
(n) Remove key.Key reminder
buzzer
(k) Take vehicle to
Toyota dealer
immediately.
If the indicator or Do this.
buzzer comes on... (a) Brake System Warning Light
This light has the following functions:
Parking brake reminder
If this light is on, make sure the parking
brake is fully released. The light should
go off.
Low brake fluid level warning
If this light comes on and stays on while
you are driving, slow down and pull off
the road. Then stop the vehicle carefully.
Remember that stopping distance and ped-
al effort may be increased. There may be
a problem somewhere in the brake sys-
tem. Check the fluid level of the see-
through reservoir.
To make sure the parking brake has not
caused the warning light to come on,
check to see that the parking brake is
fully released.
If the brake fluid level is low...
At a safe place, test your brakes by start-
ing and stopping.
If you judge that the brakes still work
adequately, drive cautiously to your
nearest dealer or shop for repairs.
If the brakes are not working, have the
vehicle towed in for repairs. (For tow-
ing information, see Part 4.)

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Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of ºPº position when the
brake pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in ºONº position and the lock re-
lease button depressed).
(a) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in ºHow to start the engineº in Part 3. The
transmission must be in ºPº or ºNº.
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to ºDº.
In ºDº position, the automatic transmission
system will select the most suitable gear
for the running conditions such as normal
cruising, hill climbing, hard towing, etc.
Always turn the overdrive switch on for
better fuel economy and quieter driving. If
the engine coolant temperature is low, the
transmission will not shift into overdrive
gear even with the overdrive switch on.
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
(b) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows: Turn off the overdrive switch. The ºO/D
OFFº indicator light will come on and
the transmission will downshift to the
third gear.
Shift into the º2º position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the second
gear when the vehicle speed drops
down to or lower than the following
speed, and more powerful engine brak-
ing will be obtained.
5S- FE engine...... 106 km/h (65 mph)
1MZ- FE engine.... 119 km/h (73 mph)
Shift into the ºLº position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the first gear
When the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
maximum engine braking will be ap-
plied.
5S- FE engine........ 46 km/h (28 mph)
1MZ- FE engine..... 56 km/h (34 mph) Vehicles with cruise control
'When the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by turning off
the overdrive switch, engine braking is not
applied because the cruise control is not
cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see ºCruise controlº in this chapter.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
(c) Using º2º and ºLº positions
The º2º and ºLº positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously.
With the selector lever in º2º or ºLº, you
can start the vehicle in motion as with the
lever in ºDº.
With the selector lever in º2º, the vehicle
will start in the first gear and automatical-
ly shift to the second gear.
With the selector lever in ºLº, the trans-
mission is engaged in the first gear.

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NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the en-gine. Watch the tachometer to keepengine rpm from going into the red zone. The approximate maximum al-
lowable speed for each position isgiven below for your reference:
º2º
.................125 km/h (77 mph)
ºLº
..................69 km/h (42 mph)
Do not continue hill climbing or hard towing for a long time in theº2º or ºLº position. This may cause severe automatic transmission dam-
age from overheating. To preventsuch damage, ºDº position should
be used in hill climbing or hard
towing.
(d) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the selector lever to the
ºRº position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the ve-
hicle is moving.
(e) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Pull the parking brake lever up fully to securely apply the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down, shift the selector lever to the ºPº posi-
tion.
CAUTION
While the vehicle is moving, never
attempt to move the selector lever
into ºPº position under any circum-
stances. Serious mechanical damage
and loss of vehicle control may re-
sult.
(f) Good driving practice
If the transmission is repeatedly up-
shifted and downshifted between the
third gear and overdrive when climbing
a gentle slope, the overdrive switch
should be turned off. Be sure to turn
the switch on immediately afterward.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use overdrive.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping.
NOTICE
Do not hold the vehicle on an up-
grade with the accelerator pedal. Itcan cause the transmission to over- heat. Always use the brake pedal or
parking brake.

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(g) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
CAUTION
If your vehicle becomes stuck in
snow, mud, sand, etc., then you may
attempt to rock your vehicle free by
moving it forward and backward. Do
not attempt this procedure if people
or objects are anywhere near the ve-
hicle. During the rocking operation
the vehicle may suddenly move for-
ward or backward as it becomes un-
stuck, causing injury or damage to
nearby people or objects.
NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe the
following precautions to prevent dam-age to the transmission and otherparts.
Do not depress the accelerator ped-al while shifting the selector lever or before the transmission is com-
pletely shifted to forward or reversegear.
Do not race the engine and avoidspinning the wheels.
If your vehicle remains stuck after
rocking the vehicle several times,consider other ways such as tow-ing.
(h) If you cannot shift the selector le-
ver out of ºPº position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from
ºPº position even though the brake pedal
is depressed, use the shift lock override
button. For instructions, see ºIf you cannot
shift automatic transmission selector leverº
in Part 4. Manual transmission
The shift pattern is conventional as
shown above.
Press the clutch pedal down fully while
shifting, and then release it slowly. Do not
rest your foot on the pedal while driving,
because it will cause clutch trouble. And
do not use the clutch to hold the vehicle
when stopped on an uphill gradeÐuse the
parking brake.

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Recommended shifting speeds
The transmission is fully synchronized and
upshifting or downshifting is easy.
For the best compromise between fuel
economy and vehicle performance, you
should upshift or downshift at the following
speeds:
gear km/h (mph)
1 to 2 or 2 to 1 24 (15)
2 to 3 or 3 to 2 40 (25)
3 to 4 or 4 to 3 64 (40)
4 to 5 or 5 to 4 72 (45)
Downshift to the appropriate gear if accel-
eration is needed when you are cruising
below the above downshifting speeds.
Upshifting too soon or downshifting too
late will cause lugging, and possibly ping-
ing. Regularly revving the engine to maxi-
mum speed in each gear will cause ex-
cessive engine wear and high fuel
consumption. Maximum allowable speeds
To get on a highway or to pass slower
traffic, maximum acceleration may be nec-
essary. Make sure you observe the follow-
ing maximum allowable speeds in each
gear:
gear km/h (mph)1 52 (32)
2 93 (57)
3 147 (91)
NOTICE
Do not downshift if you are going
faster than the maximum allowablespeed for the next lower gear.
Good driving practice
If it is difficult to shift into reverse, put
the transmission in neutral, release the
clutch pedal momentarily, and then try
again.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use the fifth gear.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
NOTICE
Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before shifting into reverse.

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152
Part 2
INFORMATION
BEFORE DRIVING
YOUR TOYOTA
Break- in period
Fuel
Operation in foreign countries
Three- way catalytic converters
Engine exhaust cautions
Facts about engine oil
consumption

Twin ground electrode spark plugs

Brake system
Brake pad wear limit indicators
Luggage stowage precautions
Your Toyota's identification
Theft prevention labels
Suspension and chassis
Types of tires
Break- in period
Drive gently and avoid high speeds.
Your vehicle does not need an elaborate
break- in. But following a few simple tips
for the first 1600 km (1000 miles) can add
to the future economy and long life of
your vehicle: Do not drive over 88 km/h (55 mph).
Run the engine at moderate speed be-
tween 2000 and 4000 rpm.
Avoid full- throttle starts.
Try to avoid hard stops during the first
300 km (200 miles).
Do not drive slowly with the manual
transmission in a high gear.
Do not drive for a long time at any
single speed, either fast or slow.
Do not tow a trailer during the first 800
km (500 miles). Fuel
FUEL TYPE
Your new vehicle must use only un-
leaded gasoline.
To help prevent gas station mix- ups, your
Toyota has a new smaller fuel tank open-
ing. The special nozzle on pumps with
unleaded fuel will fit it, but the larger
standard nozzle on pumps with leaded gas
will not.
At a minimum, the gasoline you use
should meet the specifications of ASTM
D4814 in the U.S.A. and CGSB 3.5- M93
in Canada.
NOTICE
Do not use leaded gasoline. Use of
leaded gasoline will cause the three-way catalytic converter to lose its ef-
fectiveness and the emission control
system to function improperly. Also,this can increase maintenance costs.