engine overheat TOYOTA TACOMA 1996 Owners Manual

Publication No. OM35704U
Part No. 01999-35704
Printed in Japan 15- 9810- 00
Quick index If a service reminder indicator or warning buzzer comes on 49 . . . . .
If your vehicle will not start 119
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If your engine stalls while driving 122 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If your vehicle overheats 122
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If you have a flat tire 123
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If your vehicle needs to be towed 131 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tips for driving during break- in period 98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How to start the engine 109
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General maintenance 142
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Complete index 193
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Gas station information
Fuel type: UNLEADED gasoline, Research Octane Number 91 (Octane Rating 87)
or higher.
See page 98 for detailed information.
Fuel tank capacity: Two- wheel drive models
57 L (15.1 gal., 12.5 Imp.gal.)
Four- wheel drive models
68 L (18.0 gal., 15.0 Imp. gal.)
Engine oil: API SH, ''Energy- Conserving II'' multigrade engine oil or ILSAC mult igrade
engine oil is recommended.
See page 156 for detailed information.
Tire information: See pages 159 through 163.
Tire pressure: See page 183. T-
8
I

48
The gauge indicates the engine cool-
ant temperature when the ignition
switch is on. The engine operating
temperature will vary with changes inweather and engine load.
If the needle moves into the red zone, your engine is too hot. If your vehicle over-
heats, stop your vehicle and allow the en-
gine 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 con-
ditioning on in stop-and-go traffic.
Towing a trailer.
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in
the engine cooling system as this
may cause the engine to overheat. The thermostat is designed tocontrol the flow of coolant to keep
the temperature of the engine within the specified operatingrange.
Do not continue driving with an
overheated engine. See If yourvehicle overheatsº in Part 4.
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 overr evving.
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 cause
severe engine damage.
Tachometer
Engine coolant temperature gauge

55
Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of Pº position when the brake
pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in ONº position and the selector le- ver pulled toward you).
(a) Normal Driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in How
to start the engineº in Part 3. The trans- mission must be in Pº or Nº.
2. With your foot holding down the brake
pedal, shift the selector lever to Dº.
In Dº position, the automatic transmis-
sion system will select the most suitable
gear for running conditions such as nor-
mal 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.
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting. CAUTION
! 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 O/D
OFFº indicator light will come on and the transmission will downshift to the
third gear.
Shift into the 2º position when the ve-
hicle speed drops down to or lower than the maximum allowable speed for
second gear. The transmission will downshift to the second gear andmore powerful engine braking will beobtained.
Shift into the Lº position when the ve-
hicle speed drops down to or lower than the maximum allowable speed for
Lº position. The transmission will
downshift to the first gear and maxi-
mum engine braking will be applied.
Vehicles with cruise controlÐWhen the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by turning off the overdrive switch, engine braking will
not be applied because the cruise control
is not cancelled. For ways to decrease the
vehicle speed, see Cruise controlº in this
chapter. MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE SPEEDS
2º 124 km/h (77 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Lº 72 km/h (45 mph) . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin orskid. CAUTION
!
NOTICE
To prevent engine overrevving, do
not downshift if you are going
faster than the above speed ineach position.
Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer tokeep engine rpm from going intothe red zone. The approximate
maximum allowable speed for each position is given above foryour reference.
Do not continue hill climbing for a
long time in the 2º or Lº posi-tion. This may cause severe auto-
matic transmission damage fromoverheating. To prevent suchdamage, use Dº position for hill
climbing or hard towing.

56(c) 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 Rº
position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the vehicle is moving.
(d) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Pull the parking brake lever fully to se- curely apply the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down,
shift the selector lever to the Pº position.
While the vehicle is moving, never
attempt to move the selector lever
into Pº position under any circum-
stances. Serious mechanical dam-
age and loss of vehicle control mayresult. CAUTION
! (e) Good driving practice
If the transmission is repeatedly up-
shifted and downshifted between 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 notuse overdrive.
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping. CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Do not hold the vehicle on an upgrade with the accelerator pedal.
It can cause the transmission tooverheat. Always use the brake pedal or parking brake.
(f) If you cannot shift the selector lever
out of Pº position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from Pº position even though the brake pedal
is depressed, use the shift lock override
button. For instructions, see If you can- not shift automatic transmission selectorleverº in Part 4.

58Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of Pº position when the brake
pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in ONº position and the selector le- ver pulled toward you).
(a) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in How
to start the engineº in Part 3. The trans- mission must be in Pº or Nº.
2. With your foot holding down the brake
pedal, shift the selector lever to Dº.
In Dº position, the automatic transmis-
sion system will select the most suitable
gear for running conditions such as nor-
mal 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 the over-
drive gear even with the overdrive switch on.
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting. CAUTION
!
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 O/D
OFFº indicator light will come on and the transmission will downshift to the
third gear.
Shift into the 2º position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the second
gear when the vehicle speed drops
down to or lower than the maximum al-
lowable speed for second gear, andmore powerful engine braking will beobtained.
Shift into the Lº position. The trans- mission will downshift to the first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the maximum allowable
speed for Lº position and maximum
engine braking will be applied.
Vehicles with cruise controlÐWhen the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by turning off the overdrive switch, engine braking will
not be applied because the cruise control
is not cancelled. For ways to decrease the
vehicle speed, see Cruise controlº in this
chapter.
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE SPEEDS
2º 136 km/h (85 mph) . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lº 74 km/h (46 mph) . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin orskid. CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to
keep engine rpm from going into
the red zone. The maximum allow-able speed (approximate) for each
position is given above for yourreference.
Do not continue hill climbing for along time in the 2º or Lº posi-
tion. This may cause severe auto-matic transmission damage from
overheating. To prevent such damage, use Dº position for hillclimbing or hard towing.
(c) 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 Rº
position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the vehicle is moving.

59
(d) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Pull the parking brake lever fully to se- curely apply the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down,
shift the selector lever to the Pº position.
While the vehicle is moving, never
attempt to move the selector lever
into Pº position under any circum-
stances. Serious mechanical dam-
age and loss of vehicle control mayresult.
CAUTION
!
(e) Good driving practice If the transmission is repeatedly up-
shifted and downshifted between 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 notuse overdrive.
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping. CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Do not hold the vehicle on an upgrade with the accelerator pedal.
It can cause the transmission tooverheat. Always use the brake pedal or parking brake.
(f) Driving in POWERº mode In the POWERº mode, the transmission
is shifted up and down at a higher vehicle
speed than in the NORMALº mode and a
more powerful acceleration is achieved.
To set the POWERº mode, push in the
driving pattern selector button. The
POWERº mode indicator light comes on.
For ordinary driving, Toyota recommends
using the NORMALº mode to improve
fuel economy.
(g) If you cannot shift the selector lever
out of Pº position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from the Pº position even though the brake
pedal is depressed, use the shift lock
override button. For instructions, see If you cannot shift automatic transmission selector leverº in Part 4.

62
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin orskid.CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to
keep engine rpm from going intothe red zone. The maximum allow-able speed (approximate) for each
position is given above for yourreference.
Do not continue hill climbing for a
long time in the 2º or Lº posi-tion. This may cause severe auto-matic transmission damage from
overheating. To prevent such damage, use Dº position for hillclimbing or hard towing.
(c) 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 Rº
position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the vehicle is moving.
(d) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Pull the parking brake lever fully to se- curely apply the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down,
shift the selector lever to the Pº position.
While the vehicle is moving, never
attempt to move the selector lever
into Pº position under any circum-
stances. Serious mechanical dam-
age and loss of vehicle control mayresult. CAUTION
!
(e) Good driving practice If the transmission is repeatedly up-
shifted and downshifted between 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 notuse overdrive.
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping. CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Do not hold the vehicle on an upgrade with the accelerator pedal.
It can cause the transmission tooverheat. Always use the brake pedal or parking brake.
(f) Driving in POWERº mode In the POWERº mode, the transmission
is shifted up and down at a higher vehicle
speed than in the NORMALº mode and a
more powerful acceleration is achieved.
To set the POWERº mode, push in the
driving pattern selector button. The
POWERº mode indicator light comes on.
For ordinary driving, Toyota recommends
using the NORMALº mode to improve
fuel economy.
(g) If you cannot shift the selector le-
ver out of Pº position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from the Pº position even though the brake
pedal is depressed, use the shift lock
override lever. For instructions, see If you
cannot shift automatic transmission se-lector leverº in Part 4.

100
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 ma- terials away from the exhaust pipe
while the engine is running. The
exhaust gas is very hot.
Do not drive, idle or park your ve-
hicle over anything that might
burn easily such as grass, leaves, paper or rags.
A large amount of unburned gases
flowing into the three-way catalytic
converter may cause it to overheat and create a fire hazard. To preventthis and other damage, observe the following precautions:
Use only unleaded gasoline.
Do not drive with an extremely lowfuel level; running out of fuelcould cause the engine to misfire,
creating an excessive load on the
three-way catalytic converter.
Do not allow the engine to run atidle 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 whilethe vehicle is moving.
NOTICEKeep your engine in good running
order. Malfunctions in the engine
electrical system, electronic igni-
tion system/distributor ignitionsystem or fuel systems could
cause an extremely high three-way catalytic converter tempera-ture.
If the engine becomes difficult to
start or stalls frequently, take your
vehicle in for a check-up as soon
as possible. Remember, your To- yota dealer knows your vehicleand its three-way catalytic con-
verter system best.
To ensure that the three-way cata-lytic converter and the entire
emission control system operateproperly, your vehicle must re-ceive the periodic inspections re-
quired by the Toyota Maintenance
Schedule. For scheduled mainte- nance information, refer to the
separate Owner's Manual Sup-plement/Maintenance Scheduleº.
Three-way catalytic converter

11 0Before starting the engine, be sure to follow
the instructions in (a) Before crankingº. Normal starting procedure
The multiport fuel injection system/se-
quential multiport fuel injection system in
your engine automatically controls the
proper air-fuel mixture for starting. You can start a cold or hot engine as follows:
1. With your foot off the accelerator ped- al, crank the engine by turning the key to
STARTº. Release it when the engine starts.
2. After
the engine runs for about 10 sec-
onds, you are ready to drive.
If the weather is below freezing, let the en-
gine warm up for a few minutes before driving.
If the engine stalls...
Simply restart it, using the correct proce- dure given in normal starting. If the engine will not startÐ
See If your vehicle will not startº in Part 4.

Do not crank for more than 15 sec-onds at a time. This may overheat
the starter and wiring systems.
Do not race a cold engine.
NOTICE
If the engine becomes difficult tostart or stalls frequently, have the
engine checked immediately. Always slow down in gusty crosswinds.
This will allow you much better control.
Drive slowly onto curbs and, if pos-
sible, at a right angle. Avoid drivingonto high, sharp-edged objects and
other road hazards. Failure to do so
can lead to severe tire damage result-
ing in tire bursts.
When parking on a hill, turn the front
wheels until they touch the curb so that
the vehicle will not roll. Apply the parking
brake, and place the transmission in Pº
(automatic) or in first or reverse (manu-
al). If necessary, block the wheels.
Washing your vehicle or driving through
deep water may get the brakes wet. To
see whether they are wet, check that
there is no traffic near you, and then
press the pedal lightly. If you do not feel
a normal braking force, the brakes are
probably wet. To dry them, drive the ve-
hicle cautiously while lightly pressing the
brake pedal with the parking brake
pulled. If they still do not work safely, pull
to the side of the road and call a Toyota
dealer for assistance.
Four- wheel drive modelsÐToyota rec-
ommends not using four- wheel drive on
dry hard- surfaced roads, because four-
wheel driving will cause unnecessary
noise and wear, and poor fuel economy.
(b) Starting the engine
Tips for driving in variousconditions

111

Four-wheel drive modelsÐIn cold
temperatures, noise may occur when
driving in two-wheel drive before the
transfer is warmed up. Therefore, first
drive in four-wheel drive until the
transfer is warmed up.
CAUTION
Before driving off, make sure that
the parking brake is fully released
and the parking brake reminder
light is off.
Do not leave your vehicle unat- tended while the engine is run-ning.
Do not rest your foot on the brake
pedal while driving. It can cause
dangerous overheating, needless
wear, and poor fuel economy.
To drive down a long or steep hill,reduce your speed and downshift.
Remember, if you ride the brakes
excessively, they may overheat
and not work properly.
Be careful when accelerating, up-
shifting, down shifting or braking on a slippery surface. Sudden ac-
celeration or engine braking,
could cause the vehicle to spin or skid.!
Do not drive in excess of the
speed lim it. Even if the legal speed
limit permits it, do not drive over
140 km/h (85 mph) unless your ve-
hicle has high-speed capability
tires. Driving over 140 km/h (85
mph) may result in tire failure, loss
of control and possible injury. Be
sure to consult a tire dealer to de-
termine whether the tires on your vehicle are high-speed capability tires or not before driving at suchspeeds.
Do not continue normal driving
when the brakes are wet. If they
are wet, your vehicle will require a
longer stopping distance, and it
may pull to one side when the brakes are applied. Also, the park-
ing brake will not hold the vehicle
securely. When driving your vehicle off-road,
please observe the following precautions
to ensure your driving enjoyment and to
help prevent the closure of areas to off-
road vehicles.
a. Drive your vehicle only in areas where
off-road vehicles are permitted to travel.
b. Respect private property. Get owner's
permission before entering private prop-
erty.
c. Do not enter areas that are closed.
Honor gates, barriers and signs that re-
strict travel.
d. Stay on established roads. When con- ditions are wet, driving techniques should
be changed or travel delayed to prevent
damage to roads.
For owners in U.S. mainland, Hawaii and Puerto Rico:
To obtain additional information pertaining
to driving your vehicle off-road, consultthe following organizations.
State and Local Parks and Recreation Departments
State Motor Vehicle Bureau
Recreational Vehicle Clubs
U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of
Land Management
Off-road driving precautions(four-wheel drive models only)