1996 TOYOTA SUPRA check oil

53
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 your nearest 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.
(c) Seat Belt Reminder Light and Buzzer
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.
(d) 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 charging system. The engine ignition will continue to oper-
ate, however, until the battery is dischar-
ged. Turn off the air conditioning, blower,
radio, etc., and drive directly to the near-
est Toyota dealer or repair shop.
NOTICE
Do not continue driving if the engine drive belt is broken or loose.
(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. There is a problem somewhere in your
engine or automatic transmission electri- cal system.
If it comes on while you are driving in case
b, 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) 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.
(h) Low Engine Oil Level Warning Light
The light warns that the engine oil level is
too low. Add oil as soon as possible. (For instructions, see Checking the engine oil
levelº in Chapter 7-2.)
NOTICE
Continued engine operation with low engine oil will damage the
engine.

11 0
CAUTION!
Avoid inhaling the engine exhaust.
It contains carbon monoxide,
which is a colorless and odorless
gas. It can cause unconsciousness
or even death.
Make sure the exhaust system has
no holes or loose connections. 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 es-
cape, making this a particularly
dangerous situation.
Do not remain for a long time in a
parked vehicle with the engine run-
ning. If it is unavoidable, however,
do so only in an unconfined area and adjust the heating or cooling
system to force outside air into the vehicle.
Keep the back door closed while
driving. An open or unsealed back
door may cause exhaust gases to
be drawn into the vehicle. If you
must drive with the back door
open to accommodate a large ob-
ject, close the windows, open all
the instrument panel vents and have the heating or cooling sys- tem deliver fresh air into the ve-
hicle by turning the fan to high
speed with the air intake control
button in the OUTSIDE AIR mode.
To allow proper operation of your
vehicle's ventilation system, keep
the inlet grilles in front of the wind-
shield clear of snow, leaves, or
other obstructions.
If you smell exhaust fumes in the
vehicle, drive with the windows
open and the back door closed.
Have the cause immediately lo-cated and corrected. FUNCTIONS OF ENGINE OIL
Engine oil has the primary functions of lu-
bricating and cooling the inside of the en-
gine,
and plays a major role in maintaining
the engine in proper working order. ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION
It is normal that an engine should con-
sume some engine oil during normal
engine operation. The causes of oil
consumption in a normal engine are
as follows. Oil is used to lubricate pistons, piston
rings and cylinders. A thin film of oil is left on the cylinder wall when a piston
moves downwards in the cylinder.
High negative pressure generated
when the vehicle is decelerating sucks
some of this oil into the combustion
chamber. This oil as well as some part
of the oil film left on the cylinder wall is
burned by the high temperature com-
bustion gases during the combustionprocess.
Oil is also used to lubricate the stems
of the intake valves. Some of this oil is
sucked into the combustion chamber
together with the intake air and is
burned along with the fuel. High tem- perature exhaust gases also burn the
oil used to lubricate the exhaust valve stems.
Engine exhaust cautions
Facts about engine oil consumption

111
The amount of engine oil consumed
depends on
the viscosity of the oil, the
quality of the oil and the conditions
the vehicle is driven under.
More oil is consumed by high-speed driv-
ing and frequent acceleration and decel- eration.
A new engine consumes more oil, since
its pistons, piston rings and cylinder walls
have not become conditioned.
When judging the amount of oil con-
sumption, note that the oil may be- come diluted and make it difficult to
judge the true level accurately.
As an example, if a vehicle is used for re-
peated short trips, and consumes a nor- mal amount of oil, the dipstick may not
show any drop in the oil level at all, even
after 1000 km (600 miles) or more. This is
because the oil is gradually becoming di-
luted with fuel or moisture, making it ap-
pear that the oil level has not changed.
The diluting ingredients evaporate out
when the vehicle is then driven at high
speeds, as on an expressway, making it appear that oil is excessively consumed
after driving at high speeds. IMPORTANCE OF ENGINE OIL LEVEL CHECK
One of the most important points in proper vehicle maintenance is to keep the engine
oil at the optimum level so that oil function
will
not be impaired. Therefore, it is essen-
tial that the oil level be checked regularly.
Toyota recommends that the oil level be checked every time you refuel the vehicle.
NOTICE
Failure to check the oil level regularly could lead to serious
engine trouble due to insufficientoil.
For detailed information on oil level check,
see Checking the engine oil levelº in Chapter 7-2. TANDEM MASTER CYLINDER BRAKE SYSTEM
The tandem master cylinder brake sys-
tem is a hydraulic system with two sepa-
rate sub-systems. If either sub-system
should fail, the other w
ill still work. Howev-
er, the pedal will be harder to press, and
your stopping distance will be longer.
Also, the brake system warning light may come on.
Do not drive your vehicle with only
a single brake system. Have your
brakes fixed immediately.
CAUTION!
BRAKE BOOSTER
The brake booster uses engine vacuum to
power-assist the brakes. If the engine
should quit while you are driving, you can
bring the vehicle to a stop with normal
pedal pressure. There is enough reservevacuum for one or two stopsÐbut no more!
Do not pump the brake pedal if the
engine stalls. Each push on the
pedal uses up your vacuum re- serve.
CAUTION!
Brake system

120Make sure you have ethylene-glycol
antifreeze in the radiator.
Do not use alcohol type antifreeze.
NOTICE
Check the condition of the battery and cables. Cold temperatures reduce the capacity of
any battery, so it must be in top shape to provide enough power for winter starting.Chapter 7-3 tells you how to visually in-
spect the battery. Your Toyota dealer and
most service stations will be pleased tocheck the level of charge.
Make sure the engine oil viscosity is
suitable for the cold weather.
See Chapter 7-2 for recommended vis-
cosity.
Leaving a heavy summer oil in your
vehicle during winter months may cause
harder starting. If you are not sure about
which oil to use, call your Toyota dealerÐ
he will be pleased to help. Keep the door locks from freezing. Squirt lock de-icer or glycerine into the
locks to keep them from freezing. To open
a frozen lock, try heating the key before in-serting it. Use a washer fluid containing an anti-
freeze solution.
This product is available at your Toyota
dealer and most auto parts stores. Follow
the manufacturer's directions for how
much to mix with water.NOTICE
Do not use engine antifreeze or any other substitute as washer fluid be-
cause it may damage your vehicle's
paint.
Do not use your parking brake when there is a possibility it could freeze. When parking, put the transmission into
Pº (automatic) or into first or reverse
(manual) and block the rear wheels. Do
not use the parking brake, or snow or wa-
ter accumulated in and around the parkingbrake mechanism may freeze, making it
hard to release. Keep ice and snow from accumulating
under the fenders.
Ice and snow built up under your fenders
can make steering difficult. During bad winter driving, stop and check under the
fenders occasionally. Depending on where you are driving,
we recommend you carry some emer- gency equipment.
Some of
the things you might put in the ve-
hicle are tire chains, window scraper, bag of sand or salt, flares, small shovel, jump- er cables, etc.
Winter driving tips

126Do not connect the cable to or near any
part that moves when the engine is cranked.
NOTICE
When making the connections, do not lean over the battery or
accidentally let the jumper cables or clamps touch anything exceptthe correct battery terminals or the ground.
5. Start your engine in the normal way.
After starting, run it at about 2000 rpm for several minutes with the accelerator ped-
al lightly depressed.
6. Carefully disconnect the cables in the
exact reverse order: the negative cable
and then the positive cable.
7. Carefully dispose of the battery cover
clothsÐthey may now contain sulfuricacid.
8. If removed, replace all the battery vent plugs.
If the cause of your battery discharging is
not apparent (for example, lights left on), you should have it checked. If your engine stalls while driving
0
1. Reduce your speed gradually, keeping
a straight line. Move cautiously off the
road to a safe place.
2. Turn on your emergency flashers.
3. Try starting the engine again.
If the engine will not start, see If your ve-
hicle will not startº.If the engine is not running, the
power assist for the brakes and
steering will not work so steering
and braking will be much harder
than usual. CAUTION
! If your engine coolant temperature
gauge indicates overheating, if you
experience a loss of power, or if you
hear a
loud knocking or pinging noise,
the engine has probably overheated.
You should follow this procedure 0
1. Pull safely off the road, stop the vehicle
and turn on your emergency flashers. Put
the transmission in Pº (automatic) or neu-
tral ( manual) and apply the parking brake.
Turn off the air conditioning if it is beingused.
2. If coolant or steam is boiling out of the
radiator or reservoir, stop the engine. Wait
until the steam subsides before opening
the hood. If there is no coolant boiling over or steam, leave the engine running.
To help avoid personal injury, keep
the hood closed until there is no steam. Escaping steam or coolant
is a sign of very high pressure. CAUTION
!
3. Visually check to see if the engine drive
belt (fan belt) is broken or loose. Look for
obvious coolant leaks from the radiator,
hoses, and under the vehicle. However, note that water draining from the air condi-
tioning is normal if it has been used.
If your vehicle overheats
If your engine stalls while driving

140Begin by vacuuming thoroughly to re-
move as much dirt as possible. Several
types of foam cleaners are available;some are in aerosol cans and others are
powders or
liquids which you mix with wa-
ter to produce a foam. To shampoo the
carpets, use a sponge or brush to apply the foam. Rub in overlapping circles. Do not apply waterÐthe best results are obtained by keeping the carpet as dry as possible. Read the shampoo instructions
and follow them closely. Seat belts
The seat belts may be cleaned with mild
soap and water or with lukewarm water. Use a cloth or sponge. As you are clean-
ing, check the belts for excessive wear,
fraying, or cuts.
Do not use dye or bleach on the
beltsÐit may weaken them.
NOTICE
Windows
The windows may be cleaned with any
household window cleaner.
When cleaning the inside of the win-
dows, be careful not to scratch or
damage the heater wires on the rear window.
NOTICE
Air conditioning control panel, car au-
dio, instrument panel, console panel,
and switches Use a soft damp cloth for cleaning.
Soak a clean soft cloth in water or luke-
warm water then lightly wipe off any dirt.

Do not use organic substances(solvents, kerosene, alcohol, gas-
oline, etc.) or alkaline or acidic
solutions. These chemicals cancause discoloring, staining or
peeling of the surface.
If you use cleaners or polishingagents, make sure their ingredi-
ents do not include the sub-
stances mentioned above.
If you use a liquid car freshener,do not spill the liquid onto the ve-
hicle's interior surfaces. It maycontain the ingredients men-
tioned above. Immediately clean
any spill using the method men-tioned above.
NOTICE
Leather Interior
The leather upholstery may be cleaned
with neutral detergent for wool. Remove dirt using a soft cloth dampened with 5% solution of neutral detergent for
wool. Then thoroughly wipe off all traces
of detergent with a clean damp cloth. After
cleaning or whenever any part of the
leather gets wet, dry with a soft clean
cloth. Allow the leather to dry in a venti-
lated shaded area.

If a stain should fail to come outwith a neutral detergent, apply a
cleaner that does not contain anorganic solvent.
Never use organic substances
such as benzine, alcohol or gaso-line, or alkaline or acid solutionsfor cleaning the leather as these
could cause discoloring.
Use of a nylon brush or syntheticfiber cloth, etc. may scratch the
fine grained surface of the leather.
Mildew may develop on soiled
leather upholstery. Be especially
careful to avoid oil spots. Try tokeep your upholstery alwaysclean.
Long exposure to direct sunlight
may cause the leather surface toharden and shrink. Keep your ve-
hicle in a shaded area, especiallyin the summer.
NOTICE

144You 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 thatany problem you notice be brought to theattention 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 other-
wise 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. Tire surface and wheel nuts Check the tires carefully
for cuts, damage
or excessive wear. See Chapter 7-2 for
additional information. When checking the tires, make sure no nuts are missing,
and check the nuts for looseness. T ighten
them if necessary. Fluid leaks Check underneath for leaking fuel, oil, wa-
ter or other fluid after the vehicle has been
parked for a while. If you smell fuel fumes
or notice any leak, have the cause found
and corrected immediately. Doors and engine hood
Check that all doors including back door
operate smoothly and all latches lock se-
curely. M ake sure the engine hood secon-
dary latch secures the hood from opening
when the primary latch is released. INSIDE THE VEHICLE Items listed below should be checked
regularly, e.g. while performing period-
ic services, cleaning the vehicle, etc. Lights Make sure the headlights, stop lights, tail lights, turn signal lights, and other lights are all working. Check headlight aim.
General maintenance

145
Service reminder indicators and
warn-
ing buzzers Check that all service reminder indicators
and warning buzzers function properly. Steering wheel
Be alert for changes in steering condition, such as hard steering or strange noise. Seats Check that all front seat controls such as
seat adjusters, seatback recliner, etc. op- erate smoothly and that all latches lock
securely in any position. For folding-down
rear seatback, check that the latches lock
securely. Make sure the front headrestsare firmly secured. Seat belts
Check that the seat belt system such as
buckles, retractors and anchors operate
properly and smoothly. Make sure the belt
webbing is not cut, frayed, worn or dam- aged. Accelerator pedal Check the pedal for smooth operation and
uneven pedal effort or catching. Clutch pedal Check the pedal for smooth operation. Brake pedal Check
the pedal for smooth operation and
that the pedal has the proper clearance. Check the brake booster function. Brakes
At a safe place, check that the brakes do not pull to one side when applied. Parking brake Check that the lever has the proper travel and that, on a safe incline, your vehicle is
held securely with only the parking brake applied.
Automatic transmission Parkº mech-
anismCheck the lock release button of the selec-
tor lever for proper and smooth operation.
On a safe incline, check that your vehicle is held securely with the selector lever inPº position and all brakes released.
IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT Items listed below should be checked
from time to time , e.g. each time when
refueling.
Washer fluid
Make sure there is sufficient fluid in the
tank. See Chapter 7-3 for additional infor-
mation.
Engine coolant level Make sure the coolant level is between
the FULLº and LOWº lines on the see-
through reservoir when the engine is cold.
See Chapter 7-2 for additional informa-tion. Battery electrolyte level Make sure the electrolyte level of all bat-
tery cells is correct. Add only distilled wa-
ter when replenishing. See Chapter 7-3
for additional information. Brake fluid level
Make sure the brake fluid level is correct. See Chapter 7-2 for additional informa- tion.
Engine oil level
Check the l
evel on the dipstick with the en-
gine turned off and the vehicle parked on
a level spot. See Chapter 7-2 for addition-
al information. Power steering fluid level Check the level on the dipstick. The level
should be in the HOTº or COLDº range
depending on the fluid temperature. See Chapter 7-2 for additional information. Exhaust system
If you notice any change in the sound of
the exhaust or smell exhaust fumes, have the cause located and corrected immedi-
ately. (See engine exhaust cautions in
Part 2.)