1996 TOYOTA AVALON engine

67
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the vehicle is moving.
(d) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Fully depress the parking brake pedal
to apply the parking brake securely.
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 may
result. 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 not
use 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
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.
(g) Driving in PWRº (Power) mode
In the PWRº mode, the transmission is
shifted up and down at a higher vehicle
speed than in the NORMº (Normal) mode
and a more powerful acceleration is
achieved. To set the PWRº mode, push
in the driving pattern selector button. The
PWRº mode indicator light comes on.
For ordinary driving, Toyota recommends
using the NORMº mode to improve fuel
economy.
Type A
Type B
Parking brake
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68When parking, firmly apply the park-
ing brake to avoid inadvertent creep-
ing.
To set: Fully depress the pedal.
To release: Pull the lever.
To remind you that the parking brake is
set,
the parking brake reminder light in the
instrument panel remains on until you re-
lease the parking brake.
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the park-
ing brake reminder light is off. CAUTION
!
The cruise control allows you to cruise
the vehicle at a desired speed over 40
km/h (25 mph) even with your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained up
or down grades within the limits of engine
performance, although a slight speed
change may occur when driving up or
down the grades. On steeper hills, a
greater speed change will occur so it is
better to drive without the cruise control.

To help maintain maximum con-
trol of your vehicle, do not use the
cruise control when driving in
heavy or varying traffic, or on slip-
pery (rainy, icy or snow-covered)
or winding roads.
 Avoid vehicle speed increases
when driving downhill. If the ve-
hicle speed is too fast in relation to
the cruise control set speed, can-
cel the cruise control then down-
shift the transmission to use en-
gine braking to slow down. CAUTION
!TURNING ON THE SYSTEM
To operate the cruise control, press the
CRUISE ON-OFFº button. This turns the
system on. The indicator light in the instru-
ment panel shows that you can now set
the vehicle at a desired cruising speed.
Another press will turn the system com-
pletely off.
To avoid accidental cruise control
engagement, keep the CRUISE
ON-OFFº
switch off when not using
the cruise control. CAUTION
!
Cruise control
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69
SETTING AT A DESIRED SPEED
On vehicles with automatic transmission,
the transmission must be in Dº before
you set the cruise control speed.
Bring your vehicle to the desired speed,
push the lever down in the SET/COASTº
direction and release it. This sets the ve-
hicle at that speed. If the speed is not sat-
isfactory, tap the lever up for a faster
speed, or tap it down for a slower speed.
Each tap changes the set speed by 1.6
km/h (1.0 mph). You can now take your
foot off the accelerator pedal.If you need accelerationÐfor example,
when passingÐdepress the accelerator
pedal
enough for the vehicle to exceed the
set speed. When you release it, the ve-
hicle will return to the speed set prior to the
acceleration.
CANCELLING THE PRESET SPEED
You can cancel the preset speed by:
a. Pulling the lever in the CANCELº di-
rection and releasing it.
b. Depressing the brake pedal.
If the vehicle speed falls below about 40
km/h (25 mph), the preset speed will auto-
matically cancel out.
If the vehicle speed drops 16 km/h (10
mph) below the preset speed, the preset
speed will also automatically cancel out.
If the preset speed automatically cancels
out other than for the above cases have
your vehicle checked by your Toyota deal-
er at the earliest opportunity. RESETTING AT A FASTER SPEED
Push
the lever up in the RES/ACCº direc-
tion and hold it. Release the lever when
the desired speed is attained. While the
lever is held up, the vehicle will gradually
gain speed.
However, a faster way to reset is to accel-
erate the vehicle and then push the lever
down in the SET/COASTº direction.
RESETTING AT A SLOWER SPEED
Push the lever down in the SET/COASTº
direction and hold it. Release the lever
when the desired speed is attained. While
the lever is held down, the vehicle speed
will gradually decrease.
However, a faster way to reset is to de-
press the brake pedal and then push the
lever down in the SET/COASTº direction.
Even if you turn off the overdrive switch
with the cruise control on, engine braking
will not be applied because the cruise con-
trol is not cancelled. To decrease the ve-
hicle speed, reset to a slower speed with
the cruise control lever or depress the
brake pedal. If you use the brake pedal,
cruise control is cancelled.
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11 0
CIGARETTE LIGHTER
To use the cigarette lighter, first pull
the ashtray lid, then press in the ligh-
ter. When it becomes heated, it auto-
matically pops out ready for use.
If the engine is not running, the key must
be in the ºACCº position.
Do not hold the cigarette lighter pressed
in.
Use a Toyota genuine cigarette lighter or
equivalent for replacement.ASHTRAY
To use the ashtray, pull out the lid.
When finished with your cigarette, thor-
oughly extinguish it in the ashtray to pre-
vent other cigarette butts from catching
fire. After using the ashtray, push it back
in completely.
To remove the ashtray, pull the ashtray lid
and pull it out.To reduce the chance of injury in
case of an accident or sudden stop
while driving, always push the ash-
tray back in completely after using.
CAUTION
!
To use the glovebox, do this.
To open: Pull the lever.
With the instrument panel lights on, the
glovebox light will come on when the
glovebox is open.
To lock: Insert the master key and turn it
clockwise.
To reduce the chance of injury in
case of an accident or a sudden
stop, always keep the glovebox
door closed while driving.CAUTION
!
Cigarette lighter and ashtray Glovebox
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Part 2
11 3
INFORMATION
BEFORE DRIVING
YOUR TOYOTA

Break-in period

Fuel

Operation in foreign countries

Three-way catalytic converter

Engine exhaust cautions

Facts about engine oil
consumption

Twin ground electrode spark
plugs

Brake system

Brake pad wear limit indicators

Luggage stowage precautions

Your Toyota's identification

Theft prevention labels

Suspension and chassis

Types of tires
Drive gently and avoid high speeds.
Your vehicle does not need an elaborate
break-in. But following a few simple tips
for the first 1600 km (1000 miles) can add
to the future economy and long life of your
vehicle:

Do not drive over 88 km/h (55 mph).

Run the engine at moderate speed be-
tween 2000 and 4000 rpm.

Avoid full-throttle starts.

Try to avoid hard stops during the first
300 km (200 miles).

Do not drive for a long time at any
single speed, either fast or slow.

Do not tow a trailer during the first 800
km (500 miles). FUEL TYPE
Your new vehicle must use only un-
leaded gasoline.
To help prevent gas station mixups, your
Toyota has a new smaller fuel tank open-
ing.
The special nozzle on pumps with un-
leaded fuel will fit it, but the larger stan-
dard nozzle on pumps with leaded gas will
not.
Do not use leaded gasoline. Use of leaded gasoline will cause the
three-way catalytic converter tolose its effectiveness and the emis-sion control system to function im-
properly. Also, this can increasemaintenance costs.
NOTICE
OCTANE NUMBER
Select Research Octane number 91 (Oc-
tane Rating 87) or higher. For improved
vehicle performance, the use of pre-
mium unleaded gasoline with a Re-
search Octane number of 96 (Octane
Rating 91) or higher is recommended.
Break-in period Fuel
ProCarManuals.com

11 4Use of unleaded fuel with an octane num-
ber or rating lower than stated above will
cause persistent heavy knocking. If se-
vere, this will lead to engine damage.
If your engine knocks...
If you detect heavy knocking even when
using the recommended fuel, or if you
hear steady knocking while holding a
steady sp
eed on level roads, consult your
Toyota dealer.
However, now and then, you may notice
light knocking for a short time while accel-
erating or driving up hills. This is no cause
for concern.
GASOLINES CONTAINING DETER-
GENT ADDITIVES
Toyota recommends use of gasolines
that contain detergent additives to
avoid build-up of engine deposits.
For further details, ask your Toyota dealer
or a local gasoline retailer.
GASOLINES CONTAINING MTBE
Gasolines that contain MTBE (Methyl
Tertiary-Butyl Ether) are available in
the market. If you use a gasoline mixed
with MTBE, make certain that it does
not contain more than 15 % of MTBE. If the use of gasolines containing MTBE
causes poor driveability and/or poor fuel
economy, you should discontinue the use
of fuels containing MTBE.
GASOLINES CONTAINING ALCOHOL
If you use gasohol in your Toyota, be
sure that it is unleaded, has an octane
rating no lower than 87 and does not
contain more than 10 % ethanol.
Gasohol is a mixture of gasoline and
ethanol.
Toyota does not recommend the use of
gasolines containing methanol. If you use
gasoline containing methanol, use only
gasoline meeting the requirements above
and also containing less than 5 % metha-
nol with cosolvents and corrosion inhibi-
tors for methanol.
NOTICE
Do not use gasohol other than
stated above. It will cause fuel sys-
tem damage or vehicle perfor- mance problems.
If driveability problems are en-countered (poor hot starting, va-porizing, engine knock, etc.), dis-continue the use.
Take care not to spill gasohol dur-
ing refueling. Gasohol may causepaint damage.
FUEL TANK CAPACITY
70 L (18.5 gal., 15.4 Imp. gal.)
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11 5
If you plan to drive your Toyota in
another country...
First,
comply with the vehicle registration
laws.
Second, confirm the availability of the
correct fuel (unleaded and minimum oc-
tane number).
The three-way catalytic converter is
an emission control device installed in
the exhaust system.
Its 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 ex-
haust 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 overheatand create a fire hazard. To preventthis and other damage, observe thefollowing 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 thethree-way catalytic converter.
Do not allow the engine to run atidle speed for more than 20 min-utes.
Avoid racing the engine.
Do no push-start or pull-startyour vehicle.
Do not turn off the ignition whilethe vehicle is moving.
NOTICE
Three-way catalytic converter
Operation in foreign countries
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11 6
Keep
your engine in good running
order. Malfunctions in the engine
electrical system, electronic igni-tion system/distributor ignitionsystem or fuel system engine ex-
haust cautions could cause an ex-
tremely high three-way catalytic converter temperature.
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 engine
emission control system operateproperly, your vehicle must re-ceive the periodic inspections re-
quired by the T oyota Maintenance
Schedule. For scheduled mainte- nance information, refer to the
separate Owner's Manual Sup-plement/Maintenance Scheduleº.
CAUTION!

Avoid inhaling the engine ex-
haust. It contains carbon monox-
ide, which is a colorless and odor-
less gas. It can cause uncon-
sciousness or even death.

Make sure the exhaust system
has no holes or loose connec-
tions. 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
running. If it is unavoidable, how-
ever, do so only in an unconfined
area and adjust the heating or
cooling system to force outside
air into the vehicle.

Keep the trunk lid closed while
driving. An open or unsealed
trunk lid may cause exhaust
gases to be drawn into the ve-
hicle. If you must drive with the
trunk lid open to accommodate a
large object, close the windows,
open all the instrument panel
vents and have the heating or
cooling system deliver fresh air
into the vehicle by turning the fan
to high speed with the air intake
control button set at the outside
air mode.

To allow proper operation of your
vehicle's ventilation system, keep
the inlet grilles in front of the
windshield clear of snow, leaves,
or other obstructions.

If you smell exhaust fumes in the
vehicle, drive with the windows
open and the trunk lid closed.
Have the cause immediately lo-
cated and corrected.
Engine exhaust cautions
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