cooling TOYOTA TACOMA 1999 Owners Manual

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With tachometer
Without tachometer 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 an overheated engine. See ºIf your ve-hicle overheatsº in Part 4.
Engine coolant temperature
gauge

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Heating
For best results, set controls to:
Fan speedÐ Any setting except ºOFFº
TemperatureÐ To w a r d s WARM
(red zone)
Air intakeÐFRESH (outside air)
Air flowÐFLOOR
Air conditioningÐOFF
For quick heating, select recirculated
air for a few minutes. To keep the
windows from fogging, select fresh af-
ter the vehicle interior has been
warmed.
Press the ºA/Cº button on for dehumidi-
fied heating.
Choose floor/windshield air flow to heat
the vehicle interior while defrosting or
defogging the windshield. Air conditioning
For best results, set controls to:
Fan speedÐ Any setting except ºOFFº
TemperatureÐ To w a r d s COLD
(blue zone)
Air intakeÐFRESH (outside air)
Air flowÐPANEL
Air conditioningÐON For quick cooling, move the air intake
selector to recirculate for a few min-
utes.
Ventilation
For best results, set controls to:
Fan speedÐ Any setting except ºOFFº
TemperatureÐ To w a r d s COLD
(blue zone)
Air intakeÐFRESH (outside air)
Air flowÐPANEL
Air conditioningÐOFF
Defogging
The inside of the windshield
For best results, set controls to:
Fan speedÐ Any setting except ºOFFº
TemperatureÐ To w a r d s WARM
(red zone) to heat;
COLD (blue zone) to cool
Air intakeÐFRESH (outside air)
Air flowÐWINDSHIELD
Vehicles with ºA/Cº buttonÐ
Turning the air flow control knob to wind-
shield position turns on the defroster-
linked air conditioning. This is to clear up
the front view more quickly.
When the ºA/Cº button is not pressed in,
turning the air flow control knob to anoth-
er position turns off the air conditioning.
On humid days, do not blow cold air
on the windshieldÐthe difference be-
tween the outside and inside tempera-
tures could make the fogging worse.

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NOTICE
A large amount of unburned gasesflowing into the three- way catalyticconverter may cause it to overheatand create a fire hazard. To prevent
this and other damage, observe thefollowing precautions:
Use only unleaded gasoline.
Do not drive with an extremely lowfuel 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 atidle speed for more than 20 minu-
tes.
Avoid racing the engine.
Do not push- start or pull- start yourvehicle.
Do not turn off the ignition while
the vehicle is moving.
Keep your engine in good runningorder. Malfunctions in the engineelectrical system, electronic ignitionsystem/distributor ignition system
or fuel systems could cause an ex-tremely high three- way catalyticconverter temperature.
If the engine becomes difficult tostart or stalls frequently, take yourvehicle in for a check- up as soon
as possible. Remember, your Toyotadealer knows your vehicle and itsthree- 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 theToyota Maintenance Schedule. Forscheduled maintenance information,
refer to the separate ºScheduledMaintenance Guideº or ºOwner'sManual Supplementº.
Engine exhaust cautions
CAUTION
Avoid inhaling the engine exhaust.
It contains carbon monoxide, which
is a colorless and odorless gas. It
can cause unconsciousness or even
death.
Make sure the exhaust system has
no holes or loose connections. The
system should be checked from
time to time. If you hit something,
or notice a change in the sound of
the exhaust, have the system
checked immediately.
Do not run the engine in a garage
or enclosed area except for the
time needed to drive the vehicle in
or out. The exhaust gases cannot
escape, making this a particularly
dangerous situation.
Do not remain for a long time in a
parked vehicle with the engine run-
ning. If it is unavoidable, however,
do so only in an unconfined area
and adjust the heating or cooling
system to force outside air into the
vehicle.

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To allow proper operation of your
vehicle's ventilation system, keep
the inlet grilles in front of the wind-
shield clear of snow, leaves, or oth-
er obstructions.
If you smell exhaust fumes in the
vehicle, drive with the windows
open. Have the cause immediately
located and corrected.
Toyota does not recommend occu-
pying the rear cargo area when it
is fitted with a slide- in camper,
camper shell or other type cover
while the engine is running. This
caution applies to both driving and
stopped or parked situations with
the engine running. Particular care
should be taken to prevent exhaust
gases from entering camper bodies,
trailers or other enclosures on or
around your vehicle. If exhaust
fumes are detected, open all win-
dows and thoroughly ventilate the
area.FUNCTIONS OF ENGINE OIL
Engine oil has the primary functions of
lubricating and cooling the inside of the
engine, and plays a major role in main-
taining the engine in proper working order.
ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION
It is normal that an engine should con-
sume some engine oil during normal
engine operation. The causes of oil
consumption in a normal engine are as
follows.
Oil is used to lubricate pistons, piston
rings and cylinders. A thin film of oil
is left on the cylinder wall when a pis-
ton moves downwards in the cylinder.
High negative pressure generated when
the vehicle is decelerating sucks some
of this oil into the combustion chamber.
This oil as well as some part of the oil
film left on the cylinder wall is burned
by the high temperature combustion
gases during the combustion process.
Oil is also used to lubricate the stems
of the intake valves. Some of this oil
is sucked into the combustion chamber
together with the intake air and is
burned along with the fuel. High tem-
perature exhaust gases also burn the
oil used to lubricate the exhaust valve
stems.
The amount of engine oil consumed de-
pends on the viscosity of the oil, the
quality of the oil and the conditions the
vehicle is driven under.
More oil is consumed by high- speed driv-
ing and frequent acceleration and decel-
eration.
A new engine consumes more oil, since
its pistons, piston rings and cylinder walls
have not become conditioned.
When judging the amount of oil con-
sumption, note that the oil may become
diluted and make it difficult to judge
the true level accurately.
As an example, if a vehicle is used for
repeated short trips, and consumes a nor-
mal amount of oil, the dipstick may not
show any drop in the oil level at all, even
after 1000 km (600 miles) or more. This
is because the oil is gradually becoming
diluted with fuel or moisture, making it
appear that the oil level has not changed.
Facts about engine oil
consumption

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Look at the see- through coolant reser-
voir when the engine is cold. The cool-
ant level is satisfactory if it is between
the ºFº and ºLº lines on the reservoir.
If the level is low, add ethylene- glycol
type coolant for a proper corrosion
protection of aluminum components.
The coolant level in the reservoir will vary
with engine temperature. However, if the
level is on or below the ºLº line, add
coolant. Bring the level up to the ºFº line.
Always use ethylene- glycol type coolant
for a proper corrosion protection of alumi-
num components. See information in the
next column.
If the coolant level drops within a short
time after replenishing, there may be a
leak in the system. Visually check the
radiator, hoses, radiator cap and drain
cock and water pump.
If you can find no leak, have your Toyota
dealer test the cap pressure and check
for leaks in the cooling system.
CAUTION
To prevent burning yourself, do not
remove the radiator cap when the en-
gine is hot.
Coolant type selection
Use of improper coolants may damage
your engine cooling system. Your coolant
must contain ethylene- glycol type coolant
for a proper corrosion protection of your
engine that contains aluminum
components. Use ºToyota Long Life
Coolantº or equivalent.
In addition to preventing freezing and
subsequent damage to the engine, this
type of coolant will also prevent corrosion.
Further supplemental inhibitors or additives
are neither needed nor recommended.
Read the coolant container for information
on freeze protection. Follow the manufac-
turer's directions for how much to mix
with plain water (preferably demineralized
water or distilled water). The total c
apacity
of the cooling system is given in Part 8. We recommend to use 50% solution for
your Toyota, to provide protection down to
about -35
C (- 31 F). When it is extreme-
ly cold, to provide protection down to
about -50 5C (- 58 5F), 60% solution is rec-
ommended. Do not use more than 70%
solution for better coolant performance.NOTICE
Do not use alcohol type antifreeze or
plain water alone.
Checking the engine coolant level

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Replacing wheels
WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR WHEELS
If you have wheel damage such as
bending, cracks or heavy corrosion, the
wheel should be replaced.
If you fail to replace damaged wheels, the
tire may slip off the wheel or they may
cause loss of handling control.
WHEEL SELECTION
When replacing wheels, care should be
taken to ensure that the wheels are re-
placed by ones with the same load ca-
pacity, diameter, rim width, and offset.
Correct replacement wheels are available
at your Toyota dealer.
A wheel of a different size or type may
adversely affect handling, wheel and bear-
ing life, brake cooling, speedometer/odom-
eter calibration, stopping ab
ility, headlight
aim, bumper height, vehicle ground clear-
ance, and tire or snow chain clearance to
the body and chassis. Replacement with used wheels is not rec-
ommended as they may have been sub-
jected to rough treatment or high mileage
and could fail without warning. Also, bent
wheels which have been straightened may
have structural damage and therefore
should not be used. Never use an inner
tube in a leaking wheel which is designed
for a tubeless tire.
Aluminum wheel precautions
After driving your vehicle the first 1600
km (1000 miles), check that the wheel
nuts are tight.
If you have rotated, repaired, or
changed your tires, check that the
wheel nuts are still tight after driving
1600 km (1000 miles).
When using tire chains, be careful not
to damage the aluminum wheels.
Use only the Toyota wheel nuts and
wrench designed for your aluminum
wheels.
When balancing your wheels, use only
Toyota balance weights or equivalent
and a plastic or rubber hammer.
As with any wheel, periodically check
your aluminum wheels for damage. If
damaged, replace immediately.

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ENGINE LUBRICATION
Oil capacity (drain and ref
ill), L (qt., Imp.
qt.):
Two- wheel drive models except Pre Runner2RZ- FE engine With filter 5.5 (5.8, 4.8)
Without filter 4.8 (5.0, 4.2)
5VZ- FE engine With filter 5.4 (5.7, 4.8)
Without filter 5.1 (5.4, 4.5)
Four- wheel drive models and Pre Runner
3RZ- FE engine With filter 5.4 (5.7, 4.8)
Without filter 4.7 (5.0, 4.1)
5VZ- FE engine With filter 5.2 (5.5, 4.6)
Without filter 4.9 (5.2, 4.3)
Oil grade: API grade SJ, ºEnergy- Conservingº or
ILSAC multigrade engine oil is recom-
mended. Recommended oil viscosity (SAE):
COOLING SYSTEM
Total capacity, L (qt., Imp. qt.):
Two- wheel drive models except Pre Runner
With manual transmission2RZ- FE engine 8.0 (8.5, 7.0)
5VZ- FE engine 9.7 (10.3, 8.5)
With automatic transmission 2RZ- FE engine 7.8 (8.2, 6.9)
5VZ- FE engine 9.5 (10.0, 8.4) Four- wheel drive models and Pre Runner
With manual transmission3RZ- FE engine 8.3 (8.8, 7.3)
5VZ- FE engine 10.1 (10.7, 8.9)
With automatic transmission 3RZ- FE engine 8.2 (8.7, 7.2)
5VZ- FE engine 10.0 (10.5, 8.8)
Coolant type: ºToyota Long Life Coolantº or equivalent
With ethylene- glycol type coolant for a
proper corrosion protection of aluminum
components
Do not use alcohol type antifreeze or plain
water alone.
BATTERY
Open voltage *
at 20 5C (68 5F):
12.6Ð12.8 V Fully charged
12.2Ð12.4 V Half charged
11.8Ð12.0 V Discharged
* : Voltage that is checked 20 minutes after
the key is removed with all the lights
turned off
Charging rates: 5 A max.