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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 ve- hicle and turn on your emergency
flashers. Put the transmission in Pº
(automatic) or neutral (manual) and
apply the parking brake. Turn off the
air conditioning if it is being used.
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 and make sure the electric
cooling fan is operating. If it is not, turn
the ignition off.
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 (water pump belt) is broken or loose. Look for obvious coolant
leaks from the radiator, hoses, and un-
der the vehicle. However, note that
water draining from the air condition-
ing is normal if it has been used.
When the engine is running, keep
hands and clothing away from the
moving fan and engine drive belts. CAUTION
!
4. If the engine drive belt is broken or coolant is leaking, stop the engine im-
mediately. Call a Toyota dealer for as- sistance.
5. If the engine drive belt is O.K. and there are no obvious leaks, check the
coolant reservoir. If it is dry, add cool-
ant to the reservoir while the engine is
running. Fill it about half full.
Do not attempt to remove the
radiator cap when the engine and
radiator are hot. Serious injury
could result from scalding hot fluid
and steam blown out underpressure. CAUTION
!
6. After the engine coolant temperature has cooled to normal, again check the
coolant level in the reservoir. If neces-
sary, bring it up to half full again. Seri-
ous coolant loss indicates a leak in the
system. You should have it checked as
soon as possible at your Toyota deal-
er.
If your vehicle overheats
155
Look at the see-through coolant res-
ervoir when the engine is cold. The
coolant level is satisfactory if it is be-
tween the FULLº and LOWº lines on
the reservoir. If the level is low, add
ethylene-glycol type coolant.
The coolant level in the reservoir will vary
with engine temperature. However, if the
level is on or below the LOWº line, add
coolant. Bring the level up to the FULLº line. Use only ethylene-glycol type coolant. See information in the next column.
If the coolant level drops within a short
time after replenishing, there may be a
leak in the system. Visually check the ra-
diator, hoses, radiator cap and drain cock
and water pump.
If you can find no leak, have your Toyota
dealer
test the cap pressure and check for
leaks in the cooling system.
To prevent burning yourself, do not remove the radiator cap when the
engine is hot.
CAUTION! Coolant type selection
Your coolant must contain ethylene-gly- col antifreeze. In addition to preventingfreezing and subsequent damage to the
engine, this will also prevent corrosion. Further supplemental inhibitors or addi-
tives are neither needed nor recom- mended.
Read
the antifreeze container for informa-
tion on freeze protection. Follow the
manufacturer 's directions for how much
to mix with water. The total capacity of the
cooling system is given in Part 8. We rec-
ommend 50% solution be used for your
Toyota, or a sufficient quantity to provideprotection to about -35 C (-31 F).
Do not use alcohol type antifreeze
or plain water alone.
NOTICE
Type A
Type B
Checking brake fluid
Checking the engine coolant level
