1996 TOYOTA TACOMA transmission

21. Side vent
2. Instrument cluster
3. Automatic transmission selector lever
(column shift)
4. Center vents
5. Personal lights or interior light
6. Glovebox
7. Power door lock switch
8. Power window switches
9. Manual transmission gear shift lever or
automatic transmission selector lever (floor shift)
10. Front drive control lever
11. Tilt steering lock release lever 12. Power rear view mirror control switch
Instrument panel overview

6
Anti-lock brake system 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 light* 1
Low fuel level warning light* 1
SRS airbag warning light* 1 Automatic transmission fluid temperature warning light*
1
Turn signal indicator lights
Headlight high beam indicator light
Over-drive indicator light
Unengaged Parkº warning light* 1
Low windshield washer fluid level light*1
Driving pattern (POWERº mode) indicator light
Four-wheel drive indicator light
Automatic transmission indicator lights
Indicator symbols on the instrument panel

51
(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 driving,
pull off the road to a safe place and stop the
engine immediately. Call a Toyota dealer or
qualified repair shop for assistance.
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 bechecked using the level dipstick.
NOTICE
Do not drive the vehicle with the warning light onÐeven for one
block. It may ruin the engine.
(e) 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. (f) 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 instruc- tions.)
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.
(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), thebrake system operates conventionally but
without anti-lock function. Vehicles with rear differential lock systemÐ
The anti-lock brake system does not op-
erate when the rear differential is locked.
It is normal operation for the ABSº warn-
ing light to be on at this time.
(h) 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 will go off. This means the airbag
system is operating properly.
The warning light system monitors the air-
bag sensor assembly, inflator, warning light, interconnecting wiring and powersources.
If either of the following conditions occurs, this indicates a malfunction somewhere inthe 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.
(i) Light Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer will sound if the driver's door is opened while the ignition switch is turned 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.

52(j) Key Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer reminds you to remove the
key when you open the driver's door withthe ignition key in the ACCº or LOCKº position.
(k) 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
!
(l) 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. (m) Low Windshield Washer Fluid
Level 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 (except the low fuel level
warning light)
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Turn ignition key to ACCº.
The SRS airbag warning light should
come on. It goes off after about 6 sec- onds.
3. Turn the ignition key to ONº, but do not
start the engine.
All the service reminder indicators except
the 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
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.