1997 TOYOTA RAV4 Owners Manual

104
CIGARETTE LIGHTER
To use the cigarette lighter, press it in.
When it becomes heated, it automati-
cally pops out ready for use.
If the engine is not running, the key must be in the ºACCº position.
Do not hold the cigarette lighter pressed in.
Use a Toyota genuine cigarette lighter or equivalent for replacement.ASHTRAY
To use the ashtray, open the cover. When finished with your cigarette, thor-
oughly extinguish it in the ashtray to pre-
vent other cigarette butts from catching
fire. After using the
ashtray, close the ash-
tray cover completely.
To remove the ashtray, open the ashtray cover and pull it out.To reduce the chance of injury in
case of an accident or sudden stop
while driving, always close the ash-
tray cover completely after using. CAUTION
!
To use the glovebox, do this.
To open: Pull the lever.
To lock: Insert the master key and turn it clockwise.
To reduce the chance of injury in
case of an accident or sudden stop,
always keep the glovebox door
closed while driving.CAUTION
!
Cigarette lighter and ashtray
Glovebox

105
2-door models (left side)
2-door models (right side) and 4-door modelsTo open the box, turn the knob.
Use a floor mat of the correct size.
If the floor mat has a hole, then it is de-
signed for use with a locking clip. Fix thefloor mat and locking clip into the hole in the floor carpet.
Auxiliary box
Floor mat

106
Make sure the floor mat is properly
placed on the floor carpet. If the
floor mat slips and interferes with
the movement of the pedals duringdriving, it may cause an accident.CAUTION
!

Part 2Off-road vehicle precautions
107
INFORMATION
BEFORE DRIVING
YOUR TOYOTA
Off-road vehicle precautions
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
Limited-slip differential
Your Toyota's idenitification
Theft prevention labels
Suspension and chassis
Types of tires
This vehicle is one of the class of ve-
hicles which have higher ground
clearances and narrower tread in rela-
tion to the height of their center of
gravity to make them capable of per-forming in a wide variety of off-road applications. Specific design charac-
teristics
give it a higher center of gravi-
ty than ordinary cars. An advantage of
the higher ground clearance is a better
view of the road allowing you to antici-
pate problems. It is not designed for
cornering at the same speeds as con-
ventional two-wheel drive vehicles
any more than low-slung sports cars are designed to perform satisfactorily under off-road condtions.
CAUTION!
Always observe the following pre-
cautions to minimize the risk of se-
rious personal injury or damage toyour vehicle: Avoid loading any items on the
roof that will make the center of
gravity even higher.
Avoid sharp turns or abrupt ma-
neuvers, if at all possible. As with
other vehicles of this type, failure
to operate this vehicle correctly
may result in loss of control or ve-
hicle rollover.
Always slow down in gusty cross-
winds. Because of its high center
of gravity, your vehicle is more
sensitive to side winds than an or-
dinary passsenger car. Slowing
down will allow you to have much
better control.

108
Do not drive horizontally across
steep slopes. Driving straight up or
straight down is preferred. Your ve-
hicle (or any similar off-road ve-
hicle) can tip over sideways much
more easily than forward or back- ward.
When driving off-road or in rugged
terrain, do not drive at excessive
speeds, jump the vehicle, or strike
objects, etc. This may cause loss or
control or vehicle rollover. You are
also risking expensive damage to
your vehicle's suspension and chassis. 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.
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 increase maintenance costs.
NOTICE
OCTANE NUMBER
Select Research Octane Number 91
(Octane Rating 87) or higher.
Use of unleaded fuel with an octane num- ber rating lower than stated above will
cause persistent heavy knocking. If se-
vere, this will lead to engine damage.
Break-in period
Fuel

109
If you detect heavy knocking even when
using the recommended fuel, or if you
hear steady knocking while holding a
steady sp
eed on level roads, consult your
Toyota dealer.
However, now and then, you may notice
light knocking for a short time while accel-
erating or driving up hills. This is no needof concern.
GASOLINES CONTAINING DETER-
GENT ADDITIVES
Toyota recommends use of gasolines
that contain detergent additives to
avoid buld-up of engine deposits.
For further details, ask your Toyota dealer
or a local gasoline retailer.
GASOLINES CONTAINING MTBE
Gasolines that contain MTBE (Methyl
Tertiary-Butyl Ether) are available in
the market. If you use a gasoline mixed
with MTBE, make certain that it does
not contain more than 15% of MTBE.
If the use of gasolines containing MTBE causes poor driveability and/or poor fuel
economy, you should discontinue the use
of fuels containing MTBE. If you use gasohol in your Toyota, be sure
that it is
unleaded, has an octane rating no
lower than 87 and does not contain more than 10% ethanol.
Gasohol is a mixture of gasoline and etha-
nol.
Toyota does not recommend the use of
gasolines containing methanol. If you use
gasoline containing methanol, use only
gasoline meeting the requirements above
and also containing less than 5% metha-
nol with cosolvents and corrosion inhibi-
tors for methanol.

Do not use gasohol other thanstated above. It will cause fuel
system damage or vehicle perfor-
mance problems.
If driveability problems occur(poor hot starting, vaporizing, en-
gine knock, etc), discontinue theuse.
Take care not to spill gasohol dur-
ing refueling. Gasohol may causepaint damage.
NOTICE
58 L (15.3 gal., 12.8 imp. gal.)
GASOLINES CONTAINING ALCOHOL
If your engine knocks... FUEL TANK CAPACITY

11 0If you plan to drive your Toyota in
another country... First,
comply with the vehicle registration
laws. Second, confirm the availability of the
correct fuel (unleaded and minimum oc- tane number).
The three-way catalytic converter is
an emission control device installed in
the exhaust system.
The purpose is to reduce pollutants in the exhaust gas.
CAUTION!
Keep people and combustible materials away from the exhaust
pipe while the engine is running. The exhaust gas is very hot.
Do not drive, idle or park your ve-
hicle over anything that might
burn easily such as grass, leaves,
paper or rags.
A large amount of unburned gases
flowing into the three-way catalytic
converter may cause it to overheatand create a fire hazard. To prevent this and other damage, observe thefollowing precautions:
Use only unleaded gasoline.
Do not drive with an extremely lowfuel level; running out of fuelcould cause the engine to misfire,
creating an excessive load on the
three-way catalytic converter.
Do not allow the engine to run atidle speed for more than 20 min-utes.
Avoid racing the engine.
Do not push-start or pull-start
your vehicle.
Do not turn off the ignition whilethe vehicle is moving.
NOTICE
Three-way catalytic converter
Operation in foreign countries

111

Keep
your engine in good running
order. Malfunctions in the engine
electrical system, electronic igni-tion system/distributor ignitionsystem or fuel systems could
cause an extremely high three-
way catalytic converter tempera-ture.
If the engine becomes difficult to
start or stalls frequently, take your
vehicle in for a check-up as soon
as possible. Remember, your To-
yota dealer knows your vehicleand its three-way catalytic con-
verter system best.
To ensure that the three-way cata-lytic converter and the engine
emission control system operate
properly, your vehicle must re-ceive the periodic inspections re-
quired by the Toyota Maintenance
Schedule. For scheduled mainte- nance information, refer to the
separate Owner's Manual Sup- plement/Maintenance Scheduleº.
CAUTION!
Avoid inhaling the engine ex-
haust. It contains carbon monox-
ide, which is a colorless and odor-
less gas. It can cause uncon-
sciousness or even death.
Make sure the exhaust system
has no holes or loose connec-
tions. 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 escape, making this a paticularly
dangerous situation.
Do not remain for a long time in a
parked vehicle with the engine
running. If it is unavoidable, how-
ever, 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 ve-
hicle. If you must drive with theback door open to accommodate a large object, close the windows,
open all the instrument panel vents and have the heating or
cooling system deliver fresh air
into the vehicle by turning the fan
to high speed with the air intake
control lever set at the outside air position.
To allow proper operation of your
vehicle's ventilation system, keep
the inlet grilles in front of the
windshield 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.
Engine exhaust cautions