1996 TOYOTA TACOMA Owners Manual

Part 1Ignition switch with steering lock
53
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 put in the Pº
position 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 w ill lock the
steering wheel and result in loss of
steering 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.

54
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 de-
crease the vehicle speed, see Cruise controlº in this chapter.
Automatic transmission (conventional type)

55
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 selector le- ver pulled toward you).
(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 overdrive
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 when the ve-
hicle speed drops down to or lower than the maximum allowable speed for
second gear. The transmission will downshift to the second gear andmore powerful engine braking will beobtained.
Shift into the Lº position when the ve-
hicle speed drops down to or lower than the maximum allowable speed for
Lº position. The transmission will
downshift to the first gear and maxi-
mum engine braking will be applied.
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. MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE SPEEDS
2º 124 km/h (77 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Lº 72 km/h (45 mph) . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin orskid. CAUTION
!
NOTICE
To prevent engine overrevving, do
not downshift if you are going
faster than the above speed ineach position.
Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer tokeep engine rpm from going intothe red zone. The approximate
maximum allowable speed for each position is given above foryour reference.
Do not continue hill climbing for a
long time in the 2º or Lº posi-tion. This may cause severe auto-
matic transmission damage fromoverheating. To prevent suchdamage, use Dº position for hill
climbing or hard towing.

56(c) 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.
(d) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Pull the parking brake lever fully to se- curely 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
! (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 notuse 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 Pº position even though the brake pedal
is depressed, use the shift lock override
button. For instructions, see If you can- not shift automatic transmission selectorleverº in Part 4.

57
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 de-
crease the vehicle speed, see Cruise controlº in this chapter.
Automatic transmission (electronically controlled typeÐtwo-wheel drive models)

58Your 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 selector le- ver pulled toward you).
(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 maximum al-
lowable speed for second gear, andmore powerful engine braking will beobtained.
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 maximum allowable
speed for Lº position and maximum
engine braking will be applied.
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.
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE SPEEDS
2º 136 km/h (85 mph) . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lº 74 km/h (46 mph) . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin orskid. CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to
keep engine rpm from going into
the red zone. The maximum allow-able speed (approximate) for each
position is given above for yourreference.
Do not continue hill climbing for along time in the 2º or Lº posi-
tion. This may cause severe auto-matic transmission damage from
overheating. To prevent such damage, use Dº position for hillclimbing or hard towing.
(c) 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.

59
(d) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Pull the parking brake lever fully to se- curely 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
!
(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 notuse 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) Driving in POWERº mode In the POWERº mode, the transmission
is shifted up and down at a higher vehicle
speed than in the NORMALº mode and a
more powerful acceleration is achieved.
To set the POWERº mode, push in the
driving pattern selector button. The
POWERº mode indicator light comes on.
For ordinary driving, Toyota recommends
using the NORMALº mode to improve
fuel economy.
(g) 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.

60
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 (electronically controlled typeÐfour-wheel drive models)