Part 2Break-in periodFuel
11 5
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
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 slowly with the manual
transmission in a high gear.
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.
NOTICE
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.
OCTANE NUMBER
7A-FE engine: Select Research Octane
Number 91 (Octane Rating 87) or higher.
5S-FE engine: Select Research Octane
Number 91 (Octane Rating 87) or high-
er. For improved vehicle performance,
the use of premium unleaded gasoline
with a research Octane Number of 96
(Octane Rating 91) or higher is recom-
mended.
ProCarManuals.com
11 9
FUNCTIONS OF ENGINE OIL
Engine oil has the primary functions of lubri-
cating and cooling the inside of the engine,
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 combustion
process.
Oil is also used to lubricate the stems
of the intake valves. Some of this oil
is sucked into the combustion cham-
ber 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. 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 driving
and frequent acceleration and deceleration.
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 normal
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 be-
cause the oil is gradually becoming diluted
with the fuel or moisture, making it appear
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 as 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 the oil level
check, see Checking the engine oil levelº
in Chapter 7-2.
Facts about engine oil
consumption
ProCarManuals.com
130
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.
Do not use engine antifreeze or anyother substitute because it may
damage your vehicle's paint.
NOTICE
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 parking
brake 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.
Your vehicle is designed primarily as a
passenger-carrying vehicle. Towing a
trailer will have an adverse effect on han-
dling, performance, braking, durability
and driving economy (fuel consumption,
etc.). Your safety and satisfaction
depend
on the proper use of correct equipment
and cautious driving habits. For your safe-
ty and the safety of others, you must not
overload your vehicle or trailer. Toyota
warranties do not apply to damage or mal-
function caused by towing a tailer for com-
merical purposes. Ask your local Toyota
dealer for further details before towing.
WEIGHT LIMITS
Before towing, make sure the total trailer
weight, gross vehicle weight, gross axle
weight and trailer tongue load are all with-
in the limits.
The total trailer weight and tongue load
can be measured with platform scales
found at a highway weighing station,
building supply company, trucking com-
pany, junk yard, etc.
Trailer towing
ProCarManuals.com
134
Because of the added load of the trail-
er, your vehicle's engine may overheat
on hot days (at temperatures over
305C [85 5F]) when going up a long or
steep grade with a trailer. If the engine
coolant temperature gauge indicates
overheating, immediately turn off the
air conditioning (if in use), pull off the
road and stop in a safe spot. Refer to
If your vehicle overheatsº in Part 4 of
this manual.
Always place wheel blocks under both
the vehicle and trailer wheels when
parking. Apply the parking brake firm-
ly. Put the transmission in Pº (auto-
matic) or in first or reverse (manual).
Avoid parking on a slope with a trailer,
but if it cannot be avoided, do so only
after performing the following:
1. Apply the brakes and hold.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks un-
der both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place,
release your brakes slowly until the blocks
absorb the load.
4. Apply the parking brake frimly.
5. Shift into first or reverse (manual) or
Pº (automatic) and turn off the engine.
When restarting out after parking on a
slope: 1. With the transmission in Pº position
(automatic) or the clutch pedal depressed
(manual), start the engine. (With an
auto-
matic transmission, be sure to keep the
brake pedal depressed.)
2. Shift into gear.
3. Release the parking brake (also foot
brake on automatic transmission ve-
hicles) and slowly pull or back away from
the wheels blocks. Stop and apply your
brakes.
4. Have someone retrieve the blocks.
Do not exceed 72 km/h (45 mph) or
the posted towing speed limit,
whichever is lower. Because insta-
bility (swaying) of a towing vehicle
trailer combination usually in-
creases as the speed increases, ex-
ceeding 72 km/h (45 mph) may
cause loss of control.
Slow down and downshift before
descending steep or long downhill
grades. Do not make sudden down-
shifts
Avoid holding the pedal down too
long or too frequently. This could
cause the brakes to overheat and re-
sult in reduced braking efficiency.
CAUTION!
Getting more kilometers/mileage from a li-
ter/gallon of fuel is easy-just take it easy.
It will help make your vehicle last longer,
too. Here are some specific tips on how to
save money on both fuel and repairs:
Keep your tires inflated at the cor-
rect pressure. Underinflation causes
tire wear and wastes fuel. See Chapter
7-2 for instructions.
Do not carry unneeded weight in
your vehicle. Excess weight puts a
heavier load on the engine, causing
greater fuel consumption.
Avoid lenghty warm-up idling.
Once the engine is running smoothly,
begin drivingÐbut gently. Remember,
however, that on cold winter days this
may take a little longer.
Accelerate slowly and smoothly.
Avoid jackrabbit starts. Get into high
gear as quickly as possible.
Avoid long engine idling. If you have
a long wait and you are not in traffic, it
is better to turn off the engine and start
again later.
Avoid engine lug or overrevving.
Use a gear position suitable for the
road on which you are travelling.
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer, too
ProCarManuals.com
135
Avoid continuous speeding up and
slowing down. Stop-and-go driving
wastes fuel.
Avoid unnecessary stopping and
braking. Maintain a steady pace. Try
to time the traffic signals so you only
need to stop as little as possible or take
advantage of through streets to avoid
traffic lights. Keep a proper distance
from other vehicles to avoid sudden
braking. This will also reduce wear on
your brakes.
Avoid heavy traffic or traffic jams
whenever possible.
Do not rest your foot on the clutch
or brake pedal. This causes needless
wear, overheating and poor fuel econ-
omy.
Maintain a moderate speed on
highways. The faster you drive, the
greater the fuel consumption. By re-
ducing your speed, you will cut down
on fuel consumption.
Keep the front wheels in proper
alignment. Avoid hitting the curb and
slow down on rough roads. Improper
alignment not only causes faster tire
wear but also puts an extra load on the
engine, which, in turn, wastes fuel.
Keep the bottom of your vehicle
free from mud, etc. This not only
lessens weight but also helps prevent
corrosion.
Keep your vehicle tuned-up and in
top shape. A dirty air cleaner, improp-
er valve clearance, dirty plugs, dirty oil
and grease, brakes not adjusted, etc.
all lower engine performance and con-
tribute to poor fuel economy. For lon-
ger life of all parts and lower operating
costs, keep all maintenance work on
schedule, and if you often drive under
severe conditions, see that your ve-
hicle receives more frequent mainte-
nance (For scheduled maintenance in-
formation, please refer to the separate
Owner 's Manual Supplement/Main-
tenance Scheduleº).
CAUTION
Never turn off the engine to coast
down hills. Your power steering and
brake booster will not function with-
out the engine running. Also, the
emission control system operates
properly only when the engine is
running.!
ProCarManuals.com