1996 TOYOTA 4RUNNER automatic transmission

21. Side vent
2. Tilt steering lock release lever
3. Instrument cluster
4. Center vents
5. Personal lights
6. Electric moon roof switch
7. Power door lock switch
8. Power window switches
9. Automatic transmission selector lever
or manual transmission gear shift lever
10.Parking brake lever
11. Driving pattern selector button
12. Power back window switch
13. Front drive control lever
14. Lower vent
15. Hood lock release lever
16. Fuel filler door opener
17. Power rear view mirror control switch (with power windows)
Instrument panel overview

Indicator symbols on the instrument panel5
Unengaged Parkº warning light*1
Brake system warning light*
1
Seat belt reminder light* 1
Discharge warning light* 1
Low oil pressure warning light* 1
Malfunction indicator lamp* 1
Low fuel level warning light* 1 Open door warning light*
1
SRS airbag warning light* 1
Automatic transmission fluid temperature warning light* 1
Turn signal indicator lights
Headlight high beam indicator light
Overdrive-of f indicator light
Anti-lock brake system warning
light * 1 Low windshield washer fluid level
warning light*
1

63
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 Toyota
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 for concern 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.
(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 electri- cal 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) Low Fuel Level Warning Light
This light comes on when the fuel level in
the tank becomes nearly empty. Fill up the
tank as soon as possible.
(g) 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
without anti-lock function.
(h) Open Door Warning Light
This light remains on until all the doors
and back door are completely closed.
(i) 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 air-
bag sensor assembly, inflators, warning
light, interconnecting 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.

64(j) Light Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer will sound if the driver's door is opened while the ignition switch isturned to the LOCKº position with the
headlight
switch on. Removing the key will
not stop the buzzer as long as the head- light switch is on.
(k) 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 LOCKº position.
(l) Unengaged Parkº Warning Light (vehicles with automatic transmis- sion)
This light warns that the transmission
Parkº mechanism is not engaged. If the
front drive control lever is in the Nº posi-
tion while the selector lever is in the Pº
position, the transmission will disengage
and the wheels will not lock.
To restore the park function, shift
the front drive control lever out of Nº. CAUTION
! (m) Automatic Transmission Fluid
Temperature Warning Light
This light warns that the automatic trans- mission fluid temperature is too high.
If this light comes on while you are driving,
slow down and pull off the road. Stop the
vehicle at a safe place and put the selector
lever in Pº. With the engine idling, wait
until the light goes off. If the light goes off,
you may start the vehicle again. If the light
does not go off, call a Toyota dealer or
qualified repair shop for assistance.
NOTICE
Continued driving with the warning light on may damage the automatic
transmission.
(n) Low Windshield Washer Fluid Lev- el Warning Light (Canada)
The light warns that the windshield wash-
er fluid level is too low. Add washer fluid at
your earliest opportunity. (For instruc-
tions, see Adding washer fluidº in Chap-ter 7-3.) CHECKING SERVICE REMINDER
INDI-
CATORS
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Open one of the side doors or the back
door.
The open door warning light should come on.
3. Close the door. The open door warning light should go
off.
4. Turn 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.

Part 1Ignition switch with steering lock
65
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 in the Pº posi-
tion 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 will lock the
steering wheel and result in loss ofsteering 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.

66
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.
Automatic transmission
Two-wheel drive models

67
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 lock re-
lease button depressed).
(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 followingspeed, and more powerful engine
braking will be obtained.
3RZ-FE engine 112 km/h (69 mph) . . .
5VZ-FE engine 119 km/h (73 mph) . . .
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 following speed, and
maximum engine braking will be ap-plied.
3RZ-FE engine 54 km/h (33 mph) . . . .
5VZ-FE engine 58 km/h (36 mph) . . . . Vehicles with cruise controlÐWhen the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by turning off
the overdrive switch, engine braking is not
applied because the cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see Cruise controlº in this chapter.
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin orskid.
CAUTION
!
(c) Using the 2º and Lº positions
The 2º and Lº positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously. With the selector lever in 2º or Lº, you
can start the vehicle in motion as with the
lever in Dº. With the selector lever in 2º, the vehicle
will start in the first gear and automatically
shift to the second gear.
With the selector lever in Lº, the trans-
mission is engaged in the first gear.

68
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the en-gine. Watch the tachometer to
keep engine rpm from going into the red zone. The approximatemaximum allowable speed for
each position is given below for
your reference:
2º 120 km/h (74 mph) . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lº 65 km/h (40 mph) . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Do not continue hill climbing or hard towing for a long time in the2º or Lº position. This may
cause severe automatic transmis-sion damage from overheating.To prevent such damage, Dº
position should be used for hill climbing or hard towing.
(d) 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.
(e) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Pull the parking brake lever up fully to securely 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
! (f) 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 w hile 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.