TOYOTA TERCEL 1997 Repair Manual

58
High-Low beamsÐFor high beams,
turn the headlights on and push the lever away from you (position 1). Pull the lever toward you (position 2) for low beams.
The headlight high beam indicator light
(blue light) on the instrument panel will tell
you that the high beams are on.
Flashing the high beam headlights
(position 3)ÐPull the lever all the way
back. The high beam headlights turn off
when you release the lever.
You can flash the high beam headlights with the knob turned to OFFº.TURN SIGNALS
To signal a turn, push the headlight/
turn signal lever up or down to posi-
tion 1. The key must be in the ONº position. The lever automatically returns after you make a turn, but you may have to return it by hand after you change lanes.
To signal a lane change, move the lever
up or down to the pressure point (position 2) and hold it.
If the turn signal indicator lights (green
lights) on the instrument panel flash faster
than normal, a front or rear turn signal bulb has burned out.To turn on the emergency flashers,
push the switch.
All the turn signal lights will flash. To turn
them off, push the switch once again.
Turn on the emergency flashers to warn other drivers if your vehicle must be
stopped where it might be a traf fic hazard.
Always pull as far off the road as possible.
The turn signal light switch will not work
when the emergency flashers are operat- ing.
Emergency flashers

59
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being discharged, do not leave the lights
on for a long period when the engine is not running.
To adjust the brightness of the instru-
ment panel lights, turn the knob.To turn on the interior light, slide the switch.
The interior light switch has the following positions: ONºÐKeeps the light on all the time.
OFFºÐTurns the light off.DOORºÐTurns the light on when any of
the doors are opened. The light goes off
when all of the doors are closed.
Instrument panel light control Interior light

60
Type A
Type BTo turn on the windshield wipers, move the lever to the desired setting. The key must be in the ONº position.
Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Intermittent
Position 2Slow
Position 3Fast
To squirt washer fluid, push the button
at the end of the lever (type A) or, pull
the lever toward your and release it
(type B).
If the windshield wipers are off, they will op-
erate a couple of times after the washer
squirts.
For instructions on adding washer fluid, see
Adding washer fluidº in Chapter 7- 3.
In freezing weather, warm the windshield
with the defroster before using the washer.
This will help prevent washer fluid from
freezing on your windshield, which could
block your vision.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the windshield is dry. It may scratch the
glass.
Type A
Type B
Windshield wipers and washer (intermittent type)
Windshield wipers andwasher (mist type)

61
To turn on the windshield wipers, move the lever to the desired setting. The key must be in the ONº position.
Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Slow
Position 2Fast
For a single sweep of the windshield, push the lever up and release it.
To squirt washer fluid, push the button
at the end of the lever (type A) or, pull
the lever toward you and release it
(type B).
For instructions on adding washer fluid, see Adding washer fluidº in Chapter 7-3.
In freezing weather, warm the windshield with the defroster before using the wash-
er. This will help prevent the washer fluid
from freezing on your windshield, which
could block your vision.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the windshield is dry. It may scratch the
glass.
To defog or defrost the rear window,
push the switch. The key must be in the ONº position.
The thin heater wires on the inside of the rear window will quickly clear the surface. An indicator light will illuminate to indicatethe defogger is operating. Push the switch once again to turn the de-
fogger off.
With timer: The system will automatically
shut off after the defogger has operated
about 15 minutes. Make sure you turn the defogger off when
the window is clear. Leaving the defogger
on for a long time could cause the battery
to discharge, especially during stop-and-
go driving. The defogger is not designed
for drying rain water or for melting snow.
NOTICE
Without timer: To prevent the bat-
tery from being discharged, turn
the switch on when the engine is
running.
When cleaning the inside of the rear window, be careful not toscratch or damage the heaterwires.
Rear window defogger

Part 1Fuel gauge
63
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS ANDCONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1-5 Gauges, Meters and Service reminderindicators
Fuel gauge
Engine coolant temperature gauge
Tachometer
Odometer and trip meter
Service
reminder indicators and
warning buzzers
The gauge works when the ignition
switch is on and indicates the approxi-
mate quantity of fuel remaining in the tank. Nearly fullÐNeedle at Fº Nearly emptyÐNeedle at Eº
It is a good idea to keep the tank over 1/4 full.
This fuel gauge has a non-return type
needle wh ich remains at the last indicated
position when the ignition switch is turned
off.
If the fuel level approaches Eº, fill the fuel
tank as soon as possible. If the fuel tank is completely empty, the malfunction
indicator lamp comes on. Fill
the fuel tank immediately.
The indicator lamp goes off after driving
several times. If the indicator lamp does
not go off, contact your Toyota dealer assoon as possible.

64
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 con-
ditioning on in stop-and-go traffic.
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in the engine cooling system as this
may cause the engine to overheat. The thermostat is designed to
control the flow of coolant to keep
the temperature of the engine within the specified operating
range.
Do not continue driving with an
overheated engine. See If yourvehicle overheatsº in Part 4.
The tachometer indicates engine
speed in thousands of rpm (revolu-
tions per minute). Use it while driving
to select correct shift points and to
prevent engine lugging and overrev- ving.
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

65
These meters show the running dis- tance.
1. OdometerÐIt shows the total distance
the vehicle has been driven.
2. Trip meterÐIt shows the distance driv- en since the last time it was set to zero. The black digits on white indicate tenth or kilometers or miles.
3. Trip meter reset knobÐIt resets the trip meter to zero.
To reset the trip meter, push the knob.
Odometer and trip meter Service reminder indicators
and warning buzzers

66(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, slowdown and pull off the
road. Then stop the vehicle carefully.There maybe 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 Buzz-
er
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 stops af-
ter 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 chargingsystem.
The engine ignition will continue to oper-
ate, however, until the battery is dis-
charged. Turn off the air conditioning,
blower, radio, e tc., and drive directly to the
nearest Toyota dealer or repair shop.NOTICE
Do not continue driving if the engine drive belt is broken or loose.
(d) Low Oil Pressure Warning Light
This light warns that the engine oil pres-
sure is too low.
If it flickers or stays on while you are driv-
ing, pull off the road to a safe place and
stop the engine immediately. Call a Toyo-
ta dealer or qualified repair shop for assis-tance.
The light may occasionally flicker when
the engine is idling or it may come on brief-
ly after a hard stop. There is no cause forconcern if it then goes out when the en-
gine is accelerated slightly.
The light may come on when the oil level
is extremely low. It is not designed to indi- cate low oil level, and the oil level must be checked using the level dipstick.
NOTICE
Do not drive the vehicle with the warning light onÐeven for one
block. It may ruin the engine.

67
(e) Malfunction Indicator Lamp
This lamp comes on in the following cases.
a. The fuel tank is completely empty. (See Fuel gaugeº in Chapter 1-5 for in- structions.)
b. The fuel tank cap is not tightened se-
curely. (See Fuel tank capº in Chapter
1-2 for instructions.)
c. There is a problem somewhere in your engine or automatic transmission
electrical system.
If it comes on while you are driving in case
c, have your vehicle checked/repaired by
your Toyota dealer as soon as possible.
(f) ABSº Warning Light
This light warns that there is a problem
somewhere in your anti-lock brake sys-tem.
If the light comes on while you are driving,
have your vehicle checked by your T
oyota
dealer as soon as possible.
The light will come on when the ignition
key is turned to the ONº position. After
about 3 seconds, the light will go off. When the ABSº warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), the brake system
operates conventionally but
anti-lock brake system is not assistingbrake performance so that the wheels can
lock-up during sudden braking or braking
on slippery road surfaces.
(g) Open Door Warning Light
This light remains on until all the side doors and back door are completelyclosed.
(h) SRS Airbag Warning Light
This light will come on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the ACCº or ONº
position. After about 6 seconds, the
light w ill go off. This means the airbag
system is operating properly.
The warning light system monitors the
front airbag sensors, center airbag sensor
assembly, inflators, warning light, inter-
connecting wiring and power sources.
If either of the following conditions occurs, this indicates a malfunction somewhere in the parts monitored by the warning light
system. Contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible to service the vehicle. The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the ACCº or
ONº position or remains on.
The light comes on while driving. (i) Light Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer will sound if the driver's door is opened with the key removed from the
ignition switch and the headlight switch
left on.
(j) Key Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer reminds you to remove the
key when you open the driver's door with the ignition key in the ACCº or LOCKºposition.

68CHECKING SERVICE REMINDER
INDI-
CATORS (except the low fuel level
warning light)
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Open one of the doors. The open door warning light should come on.
3. Close the door. The open door warning light should go
off.
4. Turn the ignition key to ACCº. The SRS airbag warning light should
come on. It goes off after about 6 sec- onds.
5. Turn the ignition key to ONº, but do not start the engine.
All the service reminder indicators ex-
cept the open door warning light and
SRS airbag warning light should come
on. The ABSº warning light goes off
after about 3 seconds.
If any service reminder indicator or warn-
ing buzzer does not function as described above, either the bulb is burned out or the
circuit is in need of repair. Have it checked
by your Toyota dealer as soon as pos- sible.