TOYOTA TACOMA 2008 Owners Manual (in English)

331
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS40007a
Front
Double cab models (under the
rear seats)
1. Get the required tools andspare tire.
1Jack
2 Tool bag
To prepare yourself for an emergency,
you should familiarize yourself with
the use of the jack, each of the tools
and their storage locations.
When storing the tool bag, make sure
it is securely by the tightening strap.
LS40036
Turn the jack joint by hand.
To rem ov e: Tur n the joint in direction
1 until the jack is free.
To store: Turn the joint in direction 2
until the jack is fi rmly secured to pre-
vent it flying forward during a collision
or sudden braking.
LS40005a
To remove the spare tire:
1. Put a jack handle, jack handle ex- tension and jack handle end to-
gether as shown in the illustration.
1 Jack handle end
2 Jack handle extension
3 Wheel nut wrench
CAUTION
Make sure they are each securely
fixed with the screws.

332
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS40004a
2. Insert the end of the jack handleinto the lowering screw and turn
it counterclockwise.
3. After the tire is lowered completely to the ground, remove the holding
bracket.
When storing the spare tire, put it in
place with the outer side of the wheel
facing up. Then secure the tire, taking
care that the tire goes straight up
without catching on any other part, to
prevent it from flying forward during
a collision or sudden braking.
LS40008
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.
LS40010
Ty p e A
LS40011
Ty p e B
—Blocking the wheel —Removing wheel ornament

333
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS40012a
Ty p e C
3. Remove the wheel ornament.
Pry off the wheel ornament, using the
beveled end of the wheel nut wrench
as shown.
CAUTION
Do not try to pull off the orna-
ment by hand. Take due care in
handling the ornament to avoid
unexpected personal injury.
LS40013
4. Loosen all the wheel nuts.
Always loosen the wheel nuts before
raising the vehicle.
Turn the wheel nuts counterclockwise
to loosen. To get maximum leverage,
fit the wrench to the nut so that the
handle is on the right side, as shown
above. Grab the wrench near the end
of the handle and pull up on the han-
dle. Be careful that the wrench does
not slip off the nut.
Do not remove the nuts yet—just un-
screw them about one −half turn.
CAUTION
Never use oil or grease on the
bolts or nuts. The nuts may loose
and the wheels may fall off,
which could cause a serious ac-
cident.
—Loosening wheel nuts

334
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS40014
RearFront
5. Position the jack at the correct jack point as shown.
Make sure the jack is positioned on
a level and solid place.
JACK POINTS:
Front—Under the frame side rail
Rear—Under the rear axle housing
LS40005a
Put a wheel nut wrench, jack handle
extension and jack handle end togeth-
er as shown in the illustration.
1 Jack handle end
2 Jack handle extension
3 Wheel nut wrench
CAUTION
Make sure they are each securely
fixed with screws.
LS40037
Front of
vehicle
6. After making sure that no one is in the vehicle, as the jack
touches the vehicle and begins
to lift, doublecheck that it is
properly positioned.
Rear side only—
When positioning the jack under the
rear axle housing, make sure the
groove on the top of the jack fits with
the rear axle housing.
—Positioning the jack —Raising your vehicle

335
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS40015
7. After making sure that no oneis 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 end with the extension into the
jack (it is a loose fit) and turn it clock-
wise with the handle. 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.
LS40016
8. Remove the wheel nuts and change 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.
—Changing wheels

336
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS40017
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.
LS40018a
9. 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.
CAUTION
Never use oil or grease on the
bolts or nuts. Doing so may lead
to overtightening the nuts and
damaging the bolts. The nuts
may loosen and the wheels may
fall off, which could cause a seri-
ous accident. If there is oil or
grease on any bolt or nut, clean
it.
—Reinstalling wheel nuts

337
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS40020
Twowheel drive models except
PreRunner
LS40019
Fourwheel drive models and
PreRunner10.Lower the vehicle completely
and tighten the wheel nuts.
Turn the jack handle end with the ex-
tension counterclockwise with handle
to lower the vehicle, making sure the
handle remains firmly fitted onto the
jack handle extension.
Use only the wheel nut wrench and
turn it clockwise to tighten the nuts.
Do not use other tools or any addition-
al leverage other than your hands,
such as a hammer, pipe or your foot.
Make sure the wrench is securely en-
gaged over the nut.
Tighten each nut a little at a time in
the order shown. Repeat the process
until all the nuts are tight.
CAUTION
 When lowering the vehicle,
make sure all portions of your
body and all other persons
around will not be injured as
the vehicle is lowered to the
ground.
 Have the wheel nuts tightened
with torque wrench to 113 N·m
(11.5 kgf·m, 85 ft·lbf), as soon
as possible after changing
wheels. Otherwise, the nuts
may loosen and the wheels
may fall off, which could cause
a serious accident.
—Lowering your vehicle

338
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS40021
11. Reinstall the wheel ornament.
Put the wheel ornament into position
and then tap it firmly with the side or
heel of your hand to snap it into place.
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 410 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, jack and flat tire securely.
With a spare tire of the same wheel
type as the installed tires—
As soon after changing wheels as
possible, tighten the wheel nuts to the
torque specified on page 410 in Sec-
tion 8 with a torque wrench. Have a
technician repair the flat tire.
With a spare tire of different wheel
type from the installed tires—
—Reinstalling wheel ornament
(type A only) —After changing wheels

339
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
As soon after changing wheels as
possible, tighten the wheel nuts to the
torque specified on page 410 in Sec-
tion 8 with a torque wrench. Have a
technician repair the flat tire and re-
place the spare tire with it.
CAUTION
Before driving, make sure all the
tools, jack and flat tire are se-
curely in place in their storage
location to reduce the possibility
of personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden braking.
If your vehicle becomes stuck in snow,
mud, sand, etc., then you may attempt
to rock the vehicle free by moving it
forward and backward.
If your vehicle is equipped with the
“AUTO LSD” system, you can use it in
this situation. (For details, see “AUTO
LSD system” on page 182 in Section
17.)
If your vehicle is equipped with the
rear differential lock system, you can
use it in this situation. (For details, see
“Rear differential lock system” on page
192 in Section 17.)
CAUTION
Do not attempt to rock the vehicle
free by moving it forward and back-
ward if people or objects are any-
where near the vehicle. During the
rocking operation the vehicle may
suddenly move forward or backward
as it becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people or ob-
jects.
NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe the
following precautions to prevent dam-
age to the transmission and other
parts.
Do not depress the accelerator ped-
al while shifting the selector lever
(automatic transmission) or gear
shift lever (manual transmission), or
before the transmission is com-
pletely shifted to forward or reverse
gear.
 Do not race the engine and avoid
spinning the wheels.
 If your vehicle remains stuck after
rocking the vehicle several times,
consider other ways such as tow-
ing.
If your vehicle becomes stuck

340
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS40024
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck——From front
—From rear
(b) Using flat bed truck
Twowheel drive models
LS40025
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck— —From front
—From rear
(b) Using flat bed truck
Fourwheel drive models
If towing is necessary, we recommend
you have it done by your Toyota dealer
or a commercial tow truck service. In
consultation with them, have your ve-
hicle towed using either (a) or (b).
Only when you cannot receive a towing
service from a Toyota dealer or
commercial tow truck service, tow your
vehicle carefully in accordance with the
instructions given in “—Emergency
towing” on page 342 or 343 in this
Section.
Proper equipment will help ensure that
your vehicle is not damaged while being
towed. Commercial operators are generally
aware of the state/provincial and local
laws pertaining to towing.
Your vehicle can be damaged if it is
towed incorrectly. Although most operators
know the correct procedure, it is possible
to make a mistake. To avoid damage to
your vehicle, make sure the following pre-
cautions are observed. If necessary, show
this page to the tow truck driver.
TOWING PRECAUTIONS:
Use a safety chain system for all towing,
and abide by the state/provincial and local
laws. The wheels and axle on the ground
must be in good condition. If they are
damaged, use a towing dolly.
If your vehicle needs to be
towed—