1996 TOYOTA CELICA maintenance

148
Where to go for service?
Toyota technicians are well-trained spe-
cialists and are kept up to date with the lat-
est service information through technical
bulletins, service tips, and in-dealership
training programs. They learn to work on
Toyotas before they work on your vehicle,
rather than while they are working on it.
You can be confident that your Toyota
dealer's service department performs the
best job to meet the maintenance require-
ments on your vehicleÐreliably and eco-
nomically.
Your copy of the repair order is proof that
all required maintenance has been per-
formed for warranty coverage. And if any
problems should arise with your vehicle
while under warranty, your Toyota dealer
will promptly take care of it. Again, be sure
to keep a copy of the repair order for any
service performed on your Toyota.
What about do-it-yourself mainte-
nance?
Many of the maintenance items are easy
to do yourself if you have a little mechani-
cal ability and a few basic automotive
tools. Simple instructions for how to per-
form them are presented in Part 7. If you are a skilled do-it-yourself me-
chanic, the Toyota service manuals are
recommended. Please be aware that do-
it-yourself maintenance can affect your
warranty coverage. See Owner's Guide,
Owner 's
Manual Supplement or W arranty
Booklet for the details. Listed
below are the general maintenance
items that should be performed as fre-
quently as specified. In addition to check-
ing the items listed, if you notice any un-
usual noise, smell or vibration, you should
investigate the cause or take your vehicle
to your T oyota dealer or a qualified service
shop immediately. It is recommended
that any problem you notice be brought to
the attention of your dealer or the qualified
service shop for their advice.
Make these checks only where
adequate ventilation can be ob-
tained if you run the engine. CAUTION
!
OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE
Items listed below should be per-
formed from time to time, unless
otherwise specified.
Tire pressure
Check the pressure with a gauge every
two weeks, or at least once a month. See
Chapter 7-2 for additional information.
General maintenance
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Part 7
153
DO-IT-YOURSELF
MAINTENANCEÐ
Chapter 7-1
Introduction
Engine compartment overview
 Fuse locations
 Do-it-yourself service
precautions
 Parts and tools
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157
If you perform maintenance by your-
self, be sure to follow the correct pro-
cedure given in this part.
You should be aware that improper or in-
complete servicing may result in operat-
ing problems.
Performing do-it-yourself maintenance
during the warranty period may affect
your warranty coverage. Read the sepa-
rate Toyota Warranty statement for details
and suggestions.
This part gives instructions only for those
items that are relatively easy for an owner
to perform. As explained in Part 6, there
are still a number of items that must be
done by a qualified technician with special
tools.
For information on tools and parts for do-
it-yourself maintenance, see Parts and
toolsº.
Utmost care should be taken when work-
ing on your vehicle to prevent accidental
injury. Here are a few precautions that
you should be especially careful to ob-
serve:
 When the engine is running, keep
hands, clothing, and tools away
from the moving fan and engine
drive belts. (Removing rings,
watches, and ties is advisable.)
 Right after driving, the engine
compartmentÐthe engine, radia-
tor, exhaust manifold, power
steering fluid reservoir and spark
plug boots, etc.Ðwill be hot. So
be careful not to touch them. Oil,
fluids and spark plugs may also be
hot.
 If the engine is hot, do not remove
the radiator cap or loosen the
drain plugs to prevent burning
yourself.
 Do not smoke, cause sparks or al-
low open flames around fuel or the
battery. Their fumes are flam-
mable.
 Be extremely cautious when work-
ing on the battery. It contains poi-
sonous and corrosive sulfuric
acid.
 Do not get under your vehicle with
just the body jack supporting it.
Always use automotive jack
stands or other solid supports. CAUTION
!
Be sure that the ignition is off if you
work near the electric cooling fans
or radiator grille. With the ignition
on, the electric cooling fans will au-
tomatically start to run if the engine
coolant temperature is high and/or
the air conditioning is on.
 Use eye protection whenever you
work on or under your vehicle
where you may be exposed to fly-
ing or falling material, fluid spray,
etc.
 Used engine oil contains potential-
ly harmful contaminants which
may cause skin disorders such as
inflammation or skin cancer, so
care should be taken to avoid pro-
longed and repeated contact with
it. To remove used engine oil from
your skin, wash thoroughly with
soap and water.
 Do not leave used oil within the
reach of children.
 Dispose of used oil and filter only
in a safe and acceptable manner.
Do not dispose of used oil and filter
in household trash, in sewers or
onto the ground. Call your dealer
or a service station for information
concerning recycling or disposal.
Do-it-yourself service
precautions
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159
Checking power steering fluid
Parts (if level is low):
Automatic transmission fluid DEX-
RON
[II or III
Tools:
 Rag or paper towel
 Funnel (only for adding fluid)
Checking battery condition
Non-maintenance batteriesÐ
Tools:
 Warm water
 Baking soda
 Grease
 Conventional wrench (for terminal
clamp bolts)
Maintenance type batteriesÐ
Parts (if level is low):
 Distilled water
Tools:
 Warm water
 Baking soda
 Grease
 Conventional wrench (for terminal
clamp bolts)
 Coin (for vent plugs)
 Funnel (only for adding distilled water) Checking and replacing fuses
Parts (if replacement is necessary):

Fuse with the same amperage rating
as original
Tools:
 Screwdriver (for passenger's side kick
panel screw)
Adding washer fluid
Parts:
 Water
 Washer fluid containing antifreeze (for
winter use)
Tools:
 Funnel
Replacing light bulbs
Parts:
 Bulb with same number and wattage
rating as original (See charts in Re-
placing light bulbsº in Chapter 7-3.)
Tools:
 Screwdriver
 Conventional wrench
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Part 7Checking the engine oil level161
DO-IT-YOURSELF
MAINTENANCEÐ
Chapter 7-2
Engine and Chassis

Checking the engine oil level

Checking the engine coolant
level

Checking brake fluid

Checking power steering fluid

Checking tire pressure

Checking and replacing tires

Rotating tires

Installing snow tires and chains

Replacing wheels

Aluminum wheel precautions
With the engine at operating tempera-
ture and turned off, check the oil level
on the dipstick.
1. To get a true reading, the vehicle
should be on a level spot. After turning off
the engine, wait a few minutes for the oil
to drain back into the bottom of the en-
gine.
2. Pull out the dipstick, and wipe it clean
with a rag.
3. Reinsert the dipstick 'push it in as far
as it will go, or the reading will not be cor-
rect.
4. Pull the dipstick out and look at the oil
level on the end.
CAUTION
Be careful not to touch the hot ex-
haust manifold.!
If the oil level is below or only slightly
above the low level line, add engine oil
of the same type as already in the en-
gine.
Remove the oil filter cap and add engine
oil in small quantities at a time, checking
the dipstick.
The approximate quantity of oil needed to
fill between the low level line and the full
level on the dipstick is indicated below for
reference.
When the level reaches within the correct
range, install the filler cap hand-tight.
Oil quantity, L (qt., Imp. qt.): 7A-FE engine 1.2 (1.3, 1.1)
5S-FE engine 1.0 (1.1, 0.9)

Avoid overfilling, or the engine could be damaged.
Check the oil level on the dipstick
once again after adding the oil.
NOTICE
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Part 7Checking battery conditionÐ
ÐPrecautions171
DO-IT-YOURSELF
MAINTENANCEÐ
Chapter 7-3
Electrical components

Checking battery condition

Battery recharging precautions

Checking and replacing fuses

Adding washer fluid

Checking headlight aims

Replacing light bulbs
BATTERY PRECAUTIONS
The battery produces flammable
and explosive hydrogen gas.

Do not cause a spark from the bat-
tery with tools.

Do not smoke or light a match near
the battery.
The electrolyte contains poisonous
and corrosive sulfuric acid.

Avoid contact with eyes, skin or
clothes.

Never ingest electrolyte.

Wear protective safety glasses
when working near the battery.

Keep children away from the bat-
tery.
EMERGENCY MEASURES

If electrolyte gets in your eyes,
flush your eyes with clean water
immediately and get immediate
medical attention. If possible, con-
tinue to apply water with a sponge
or cloth while en route to the medi-
cal office. CAUTION
!

If electrolyte gets on your skin,
thoroughly wash the contact area.
If you feel pain or burning, get
medical attention immediately.

If electrolyte gets on your clothes,
there is a possibility of its soaking
through to your skin, so immedi-
ately take off the exposed clothing
and follow the procedure above, if
necessary.

If you happen to swallow electro-
lyte, drink a large quantity of water
or milk. Follow with milk of mag-
nesia, beaten raw egg or vegetable
oil. Then go immediately for emer-
gency help.
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172
Check the battery for corroded or
loose terminal connections, cracks, or
loose hold-down clamp.
a. If the battery is corroded, wash it off
with a solution of warm water and baking
soda. Coat the outside of the terminals
with grease to prevent further corrosion.
b. If the terminal connections are loose,
tighten their clamp nuts±but do not over-
tighten.
c. Tighten the hold-down clamp only
enough to keep the battery firmly in place.
Overtightening may damage the battery
case.
NOTICE
Be sure the engine and all acces-sories are off before performing
maintenance.
When checking the battery, re-move the ground cable from the
negative terminal (-º mark) firstand reinstall it last.
Be careful not to cause a short cir-cuit with tools.
Take care no solution gets into thebattery when washing it.
There are two types of batteries: Main-
tenance type and non-maintenance
type.
A non-maintenance battery has MAIN-
TENANCE FREE BATTERYº on its top. A
maintenance type battery does not have
such indication.
Maintenance type batteryÐ
Check the fluid condition by the fluid level
lines on the side of the battery. Or if the
battery has a hydrometer on its top, you
can also check the hydrometer.
Non-maintenance batteryÐ
Check the battery condition by the
hydrometer on the top of the battery.
ÐChecking battery exterior ÐChecking battery fluid
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173
CHECKING BY THE FLUID LEVEL
LINES (MAINTENANCE TYPE BAT-
TERY ONLY)
The fluid (electrolyte) level must be be-
tween the upper and lower lines.
When checking the fluid level, look at all
six cells, not just one or two.
If the level is lower than the lower line, add
distilled water. (See ADDING DIS-
TILLED WATERº.)CHECKING BY THE HYDROMETER
Check the battery condition by the
hydrometer color.
Maintenance type battery
Hydrometer colorConditionType AType BCondition
GREENBLUEGood
DARKWHITECharging necessary.
Have battery checked
by your Toyota dealer.
CLEAR or
LIGHT
YELLOWREDAdd distilled water*
*: See ADDING DISTILLED WATERº.Non-maintenance battery
Hydrometer colorConditionType AType BCondition
GREENBLUEGood
DARKWHITECharging necessary.
Have battery checked
by your Toyota dealer.
CLEAR or
LIGHT
YELLOWREDHave battery checked
by your Toyota dealer.
NOTICE
Do not refill the battery with water.
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