battery TOYOTA TACOMA 1996 Owners Manual

Part 1Headlights and turn signals
41
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1-4
Lights and Wipers
Headlights and turn signals
Emergency flashers
Instrument panel light control
Interior lights
Personal lights
Ignition switch light
Windshield wipers and washer
HEADLIGHTS
To turn on the following lights: Twist
the headlight/turn signal lever knob. Position 1ÐParking, tail, license plate
and instrument panel lights Position 2ÐHeadlights and all of the above If you turn the ignition switch to the
LOCKº position with the headlights left
on, a buzzer reminds you to turn the lights
off when you open the driver's door.
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being discharged, do not leave the lights
on for a long period when theengine is not running.
Daytime running light system (Canada only)
The headlights turn on when the parking brake is released with the engine started,
even with the light switch in the OFFº
position. They will not go off until the igni-
tion switch is turned off.
To turn on the other exterior lights and in-
strument panel lights, twist the knob to the
position 1.
Under the daytime running light system,
the headlights turn on at reduced intensi-
ty. Twist the knob to the position 2 to turn
to full intensity for driving at night.

43
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being discharged, do not leave the switch
on longer than necessary when theengine is not running.
To adjust the brightness of the instru-
ment panel lights, turn the knob.Front light
Rear light (Xtra-cab models)
Instrument panel light control Interior lights

50
(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.There may be a problem somewhere in
the brake system. 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 yournearest 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.)
It is dangerous to continue driving
normally when the brake fluid level
is low. CAUTION
! If the brake fluid level is correct...
Have the warning system checked by
your Toyota dealer.
(b) Seat Belt Reminder Light and
Buzzer
Once the ignition key is turned to ONº or
STARTº, the reminder light and buzzer
come on if the driver's seat belt is not fas-
tened. Unless the driver fastens the belt, the light stays on and the buzzer sounds for about 4 to 8 seconds.
(c) Discharge Warning Light
This light warns that the battery is being discharged.
If it comes on while you are driving, there
is a problem somewhere in the charging system.
The engine ignition will continue to oper-
ate, however, until the battery is dischar-
ged. Turn off the air conditioning, blower,
radio, etc., and drive directly to the near-
est Toyota dealer or repair shop.
NOTICE
Do not continue driving if the engine drive belt is broken or loose.

Part 1Ignition switch with steering lock
53
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1-6 Ignition switch,
Transmissionand Parking brake
Ignition swi
tch with steering lock
Automatic transmission
Manual transmission
Four-wheel drive system
Rear differential lock system
Parking brake
Cruise control
Clutch start cancel switch
STARTºÐStarter motor on. The key
will return to the ONº position when released.
For starting tips, see Part 3. ONºÐEngine on and all accessories on. This is the normal driving position.
ACCºÐAccessories such as the ra-
dio operate, but the engine is off.
If you leave the key in the ACCº or
LOCKº position and open the driver's
door, a buzzer will remind you to remove
the key.
LOCKºÐEngine is off and the steer-
ing wheel is locked. The key can be re-
moved only at this position. You must push in the key to turn the key
from ACCº to the LOCKº position. On
vehicles with an automatic transmission,
the selector lever must be put in the Pº
position before pushing the key
.
When starting the engine, the key may
seem stuck at the LOCKº 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.For manual transmission:
Never remove the key when the ve-
hicle is moving, as this w ill lock the
steering wheel and result in loss of
steering control. CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Do not leave the key in the ONº position if the engine is not running.
The battery will discharge and the ignition could be damaged.

801 2 3 4 5 6 (Preset buttons)
These buttons are used to preset and tune in radio stations.
To preset a station to a button: Tune in the
desired station (see TUNEº). Push and
hold down the button until you hear abeepÐthis will set the station to the but-
ton.
The button number will appear on the
display.
To tune in to a preset station: Push the
button for the station you want. The button
number and station frequency will appear
on the display.
These systems can store one AM and one
FM station for each button. The preset
station memory will be canceled out if the
power source is interrupted (battery dis-
connected or fuse blown). AM VFM
Push AM VFMº to switch between the AM
and FM bands. AMº or FMº will appear
on the display.
If the audio system is off, you can turn on the radio by pushing AM VFMº.
BAL (Balance)
This knob lets you adjust the balance be- tween the right and left speakers.
Move the BALº ring around TONEº to adjust the right/left balance. PWR
VVOL (Power VVolume)
Push PWR VVOLº to turn the audio sys-
tem on and off. Turn the PWR VVOLº knob
to adjust the volume. ST (Stereo reception) display
Your radio automatically changes to ste- reo reception when a stereo broadcast is
received. STº appears on the display. If the signal becomes weak, the radio re-
duces the amount of channel separationto prevent the weak signal from creating
noise. If the signal becomes extremely weak, the radio switches from stereo tomono reception.
TONE
Turn TONEº to adjust the tone. TUNE
Tuning
Your Toyota has an electronic tuning radio (ETR). Push and release the  ~º (up) or  !º
(down) side of TUNEº to step up or down
the station band. If you hear a beep, you
held the button too long and the radio will
go into the seek mode. Seeking
In the seek mode, the radio finds and plays the next station up or down the sta-tion band.
To seek a station, push and hold the 
~º or
 ! º side of TUNEº until you hear a beep.
Do this again to find another station.

821 2 3 4 5 6 (Preset buttons)
These buttons are used to preset and tune in radio stations.
To preset a station to a button: Tune in the
desired station (see TUNEº). Push and
hold down the button until you hear abeepÐthis will set the station to the but-
ton.
The button number will appear on the
display.
To tune in to a preset station: Push the
button for the station you want. The button
number and station frequency will appear
on the display.
These systems can store one AM and one
FM station for each button. The preset
station memory will be canceled out if the
power source is interrupted (battery dis-
connected or fuse blown).
(Eject Button)
Push this button to eject a cassette.
After you turn the ignition to LOCKº, you
will be able to eject a cassette but you will
not be able to reinsert it. AM
VFM
Push AM VFMº to switch between the AM
and FM bands. AMº or FMº will appear
on the display.
If the audio system is off, you can turn on
the radio by pushing AM VFMº. Also, push
the AM VFMº button to switch from cas-
sette operation to radio operation. BAL (Balance)
This knob lets you adjust the balance be- tween the right and left speakers.
Pull out PWR/VOL/BALº. Turn the knob
to adjust the right/left balance. Push the
knob back into its normal position. BASS This knob lets you adjust the bass level. Push BASS/TREBº so that it pops out of
its retracted position. Turn the knob to ad-
just the bass. Push the knob back into its
retracted position. Dolby
)

NR*
If you are listening to a tape that was re-
corded with Dolby )
Noise Reduction,
push the button marked with the
double-D symbol. The double-D symbol
will appear on the display. Push the button
again to turn off Dolby )
NR.
The Dolby NR mode reduces tape noise
by about 10 dB. For best sound reproduc- tion, play your tapes with this button on or
off according to the mode used for record-
ing the tape.
*: Dolby noise reduction manufactured under license from Dolby Lab-
oratories Licensing Corporation. DOLBYº and the double-D symbol
are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation.
FADE
Move the FADEº knob around PWR/
VOLº to adjust the front/rear balance. PROG (Program)
Push PROGº to select the other side of
a cassette tape. The display indicates
which side is currently selected (  ~º indi-
cates top side, !º indicates bottom side).

11 2
CAUTION
Always observe the following pre-
cautions to minimize the risk of seri-
ous personal injury or damage to
your vehicle: Drive carefully when off the road.
Do not take unnecessary risks by
driving in dangerous places.
Do not grip the steering wheel
spokes when driving off-road. A
bad bump could jerk the wheel and
injure your hands. Keep both
hands and especially your thumbs
on the outside of the rim.
Always check your brakes for ef-
fectiveness immediately after driv-
ing in sand, mud, water or snow.
After driving through tall grass,
mud, rock, sand, rivers, etc., check
that there is no grass, bush, paper,
rags, stone, sand, etc. adhering or
trapped on the underbody. Clear
off any such matter from the un-
derbody. If the vehicle is used with
these materials trapped or adher-
ing to the underbody, a breakdown
or fire could occur.
The driver and all passengers
should fasten their seat belts
whenever the vehicle is moving.!

If driving through water, such aswhen crossing shallow streams,
first check the depth of the waterand the bottom of the river bed forfirmness. Drive slowly and avoid
deep water.
Take all necessary safety mea-sures to ensure that damage to the
engine or other components does not occur.
Water entering the engine air in-take will cause severe engine dam-
age.
Water can wash the grease fromwheel bearings, causing rusting and premature failure, and mayalso enter the differential, trans-
mission and transfer case, reduc-ing the gear oil's lubricating quali-ties.
Sand and mud that has accumu-
lated in brake drums and aroundbrake discs may affect braking ef-
ficiency and may damage brake system components.
Always perform a maintenance in-spection after each day of of f-road
driving that has taken you through rough terrain, sand, mud, or water.
For scheduled maintenance infor-mation, refer to the separate
Owner 's Manual Supplement/
Maintenance Scheduleº.
NOTICEMake sure you have ethylene-glycol
antifreeze in the radiator.
Do not use alcohol type antifreeze.
NOTICE
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 starting.Chapter 7-3 tells you how to visually in-
spect the battery. Your Toyota dealer and
most service stations will be pleased tocheck the level of charge.
Make sure the engine oil viscosity is
suitable for the cold weather.
See Chapter 7-2 for recommended vis-
cosity. 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 dealerÐ
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 in-serting it.
Winter driving tips

Part 4If your vehicle will not startÐ
(a) Simple checks
11 9
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
If your vehicle will not start
If your engine stalls while driving
If your vehicle overheats
If you have a flat tire
If your vehicle needs to be towed
If you cannot shift automatic transmission selector lever
If you lose your keys
Before making these checks, make sure
you have followed the correct starting pro-
cedure given in How to start the engineº
in Part 3 and that you have sufficient fuel.
If the engine is not turning over or is
turning over too slowlyÐ
1. Check that the battery terminals are
tight and clean.
2. If the battery terminals are O.K., switch
on the interior light.
3. If the light is out, dim or goes out when the starter is cranked, the battery is dis-
charged. You may try jump starting. See
(c) Jump startingº for further instructions.
If the light is O.K., but the engine still will
not start, it needs adjustment or repair.
Call a Toyota dealer or qualified repair shop.
NOTICE
Do not pull- or push-start the vehicle. It may damage the vehicle
or cause a collision when the enginestarts. Also the three-way catalytic converter may overheat andbecome a fire hazard.
If the engine turns over at its normal
speed but will not startÐ
1. Check that all the push-on connectors are tight. (For example, connectors at thedistributor and spark plugs)
2. If the connectors are O.K., the engine
may be flooded because of repeatedcranking. See (b) Starting a flooded en-
gineº for further instructions.

120If the engine will not start, your engine
may be flooded because of repeated cranking.
If this happens, turn the key to STARTº with the accelerator pedal held down.
Keep
the key and accelerator pedal so for
15 seconds and release them. Then try
starting the engine with your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If the engine does not start after 15 sec-
onds of cranking, release the key, wait a few minutes and try again.
If the engine still will not start, it needs ad-
justment or repair. Call a Toyota dealer or
qualified repair shop for assistance.
NOTICE
Do not crank for more than 15 seconds at a time. This may
overheat the starter and wiring systems.
To avoid serious personal injury and
damage to your vehicle which might
result from battery explosion, acid
burns, electrical burns, or damaged
electronic components, these instruc-
tions must be followed precisely.
If you are unsure about how to follow this procedure, we strongly recommend thatyou seek the help of a competent me-
chanic or towing service.
Batteries contain sulfuric acid
which is poisonous and corrosive.
Wear protective safety glasses
when jump starting, and avoid
spilling acid on your skin, cloth-
ing, or vehicle. CAUTION
!

If you should accidentally get acid
on yourself or in your eyes, re- move any contaminated clothing
and flush the affected area with
water for at least 15 minutes. Then
get immediate medical attention. If
possible, continue to apply water
with a sponge or cloth while en
route to the medical office.
The gas normally produced by a battery will explode if a flame or
spark is brought near. Use only
standardized jumper cables and
do not smoke or light a match
while jump starting.
(b) Starting a flooded engine (c) Jump starting

121
NOTICE
The battery used for boosting must be 12 V. Do not jump start unless
you are sure that the booster batteryis correct.
JUMP STARTING PROCEDURE
1. If the booster battery is installed in
another vehicle, make sure the vehicles
are not touching. Turn off all unnecessary
lights and accessories.
2. If required, remove all the vent plugs from the booster and discharged batter- ies. Lay a cloth over the open vents on the
batteries. (This helps reduce the explo-
sion hazard, personal injuries and burns.)
3. If the engine in the vehicle with the booster battery is not running, start it and
let it run for a few minutes. During jump
starting, run the engine at about 2000 rpm
with the accelerator pedal lightly de- pressed. 4. Connect
the jumper cables in the exact
order shown in the illustration: positiveterminal (+º mark)-to-positive terminal
(+º mark), and negative terminal (-º
mark)-to-engine or body ground. Note
that you first connect the positive cable to
the discharged battery and then to the
booster battery. Next, connect the nega-
tive cable to the booster battery and then
to a solid, stationary, unpainted, metallic
point (e.g. engine hanging hook) away
from the battery. Do not connect it to or
near any part that moves when the engine
is cranked.
When making the connections, do
not lean over the battery or acciden- tally let the jumper cables or clamps
touch anything except the correctbattery terminals or the ground. CAUTION
!
5. Start your engine in the normal way.
After starting, run it at about 2000 rpm for several minutes with the accelerator ped-
al lightly depressed.
6. Carefully disconnect the cables in the
exact reverse order: the negative cable
and then the positive cable.
7. Carefully dispose of the battery cover
clothsÐthey may now contain sulfuricacid. 8. If removed, replace all the battery vent plugs.
If the cause of your battery discharging is
not apparent (for example, lights left on), you should have it checked.