1997 TOYOTA RAV4 brake

125
The trailer cargo load should be
distributed so that the tongue load
is 9 to 11% of the total trailer weight,
not exceeding 68 kg (150 lb.).
Never load the trailer with more
weight in the back than in the front.
About 60% of the trailer load
should be in thefront half of the
trailer and the remaining 40% in the
rear. HITCHES
Use only a weight carring hitch de-
signed for the total trailer weight. T oyota
does not recommend using a weight
distribution (load equalizing) hitch.
The hitch must be bolted securely to the vehicle frame and installed according to
the hitch manufacturer's instructions.
The hitch ball should have a light coat of grease.
Toyota recommends that the trailer
hitch be removed when not towing toprevent injury and/or damage by the
hitch in event of a rear end collision. Af-
ter removing the hitch, the installation
area should be sealed to prevent entry of exhaust fumes and mud.
NOTICE
Do not use an axle-mounting hitch as it may cause damage to the axle
housing, wheel bearings, wheels and/or tires.
BRAKES AND SAFETY CHAINS Toyota recommends trailers with brakes that conform to any applicable
federal and state/provincial regulations.
A safety chain must always be used
between the towing vehicle and the
trailer. Leave sufficient slack in the
chain for turns. The chain should
cross under the trailer tongue toprevent the tongue from dropping to
the ground in case it becomes dam-
aged or separated. For correct safety
chain procedures, follow the hitch or
trailer manufacturer's recommenda-tions.
CAUTION!
If the total trailer weight exceeds
272 kg (600 lb.), trailer brakes are required.
Never tap into your vehicle's hy-
draulic system as it would lower its
braking effectiveness.
Never tow a trailer without using a
safety chain securely attached to
both the trailer and the vehicle. If
damage occurs to the coupling unit
or hitch ball, there is danger of the
trailer wandering over into anotherlane.

127

Avoid jerky starts or sudden accelera- tion. If your vehicle has manual trans-
mission, prevent excessive clutch slip-
page by keeping engine rpm low and
not racing the engine. Always start out
in first gear.
Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns.
The trailer could hit your vehicle in a
tight turn. Slow down before making a
turn to avoid the necessity of sudden braking.
Backing w ith a trailer is difficult and re-
quires practice. Grip the bottom of thesteering wheel and move your hand to
the left to move the trailer to the left. Move your hand to the right to move
the trailer to the right. (This procedure is generally opposite to that when
backing without a trailer). Also, just
turn the steering wheel a little at a time,
avoiding sharp or prolonged turning. Have someone guide you when back-
ing to reduce the risk of an accident.
Remember that when making a turn, the trailer wheels will be closer than the vehicle wheels to the inside of the
turn. Therefore, compensate for this
by making a larger than normal turning
radius with your vehicle.
Crosswinds and rough roads will ad-
versely affect handling of your vehicle
and trailer, causing sway. Pay atten-
tion to the rear from time to time to pre-
pare yourself for being passed by largetrucks or buses, which may cause your
vehicle and trailer to sway. If swaying
happens, firmly grip the steering wheel
and reduce speed immediately but
gradually. Never increase speed.
Steer straight ahead. If you make no
extreme correction with the steering or
brakes, the vehicle and trailer will sta- bilize.
Be careful when passing other ve- hicles. Passing requires considerable
distance. After passing a vehicle, do
not forget the length of your trailer and
be sure you have plenty of room be-
fore changing lanes.
In order to maintain engine braking ef-
ficiency, do not use fifth gear (manual
transmission or overdrive (automatic transmission).
Because of the added load of the trail-
er, your vehicle's engine may overheat
on hot days (at temperatures over30 5C [85 5F]) when going up a long or steep
grade with a trailer. If the engine
coolant termperatue 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 ofthis manual.
Always place wheel blocks under both
the vehicle and trailer wheels whenparking. 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 onlyafter 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.

128
When restarting out after parking on a slope:
1. With the transmission in Pº position
(automatic) or the clutch pedal de-
pressed (manual), start the engine.
(With an automatic transmission, be
sure to keep the brake pedal de- pressed.)
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 ap- ply your brakes.
4. Have someone retrieve the blocks.
CAUTION!
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) maycause loss of control.
Slow down and downshift before
descending steep or long down- hill grades. Do not make sudden downshifts.
Avoid holding the pedal down
too long or too frequently. This
could cause the brakes to over-
heat and result in reduced brak-
ing efficiency. 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

129

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 suddenbraking. This will also reduce wear onyour 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 undersevere 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 run-
ning.

134
Do not connect it to or near any part that moves when the engine is cranked.
When making the connections, to
avoid serious injury, do not lean over the battery or accidentally let
the jumper cables or clamps touchanything except the correct battery
terminals or the ground.CAUTION
!
5. Start your engine in the normal way. After starting, run it at about 2000 rpm
for several minutes with the accelera- tor pedal lightly depressed. 6. Carefully disconnect the cables in the
exact reverse order: the negative
cable and then the positive cable.
7. Carefully dispose of the battery cover clothsÐthey may now contain sulfuricacid.
8. If removed, replace all the battery vent plugs.
If the cause of your battery discharging is
not apparent (for example, lights left on), you should have it checked. If your engine stalls while driving
0
1. Reduce your speed gradually, keeping
a straight line. Move cautiously off the
road to a safe place.
2. Turn on your emergency flashers.
3. Try starting the engine again.
If the engine will not start, see If your ve-
hicle will not startº.
If the engine is not running, the
power assist for the brakes and
steering will not work so steering
and braking will be much harder
than usual. CAUTION
!
If your engine stalls while driving

135
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. Look for obvious coolant leaks from
the radiator, hoses, and under the ve-
hicle. However, note that water drain- ing from the air conditioning 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 coolant is leaking, stop the en- gine immediately. Call a Toyota dealer
for assistance.
5. If there are no obvious leaks, check the coolant reservoir. If it is dry, add
coolant to the reservoir while the en-
gine is running. Fill it about half full.
Do not attempt to remove the radia-
tor cap when the engine and radiator
are hot. Serious injury could result
from scalding hot fluid and steam
blown out under pressure. CAUTION
! 6. After the engine coolant temperature
has cooled to normal, again check the
coolant level in the reservoir. If
necessary, bring it up to half full again.
Serious coolant loss indicates a leak in
the system. You should have it
checked as soon as possible at your
Toyota dealer.
If your vehicle overheats

1361. Reduce
your speed gradually, keeping
a straight line. Move cautiously off the
road to a safe place well away from the
traf fic. Avoid stopping on the center di-
vider of a highway. Park on a level spotwith firm ground.
2. Stop the engine and turn on your emergency flashers.
3. Firmly set the parking brake and put the transmission in Pº (automatic) or reverse (manual).
4. Have everyone get out of the vehicle on the side away from traffic.
5. Read the following instructions thor- oughly.
When jacking, be sure to observe
the following to reduce the possibil-
ity of personal injury: Follow jacking instructions.
Do not start or run the engine
while your vehicle is supported by
the jack. CAUTION
!

Stop the vehicle on a level firm
ground, firmly set the parking
brake and put the transmission in Pº (automatic) or reverse (manu-
al). Block the wheel diagonally op-
posite to the one being changed if
necessary.
Make sure to set the jack properly
in the jack point. Raising the ve-
hicle with jack improperly posi-
tioned will damage the vehicle or
may allow the vehicle to fall off thejack and cause injury to the per- son.
Never get under the vehicle when
the vehicle is supported by the jack alone.
Use the jack only for lifting your
vehicle during wheel changing.
Do not raise the vehicle with some-
one in the vehicle.
When raising the vehicle, do not
put an object on or under the jack.
Raise the vehicle only high
enough to remove and change the tire.NOTICE
Do not continue driving with a deflated tire. Driving even a short
distance can damage a tire beyondrepair.
If you have a flat tireÐ

144TOWING PRECAUTIONS: Use a safety chain system for all towing,
and abide by the state/provincial and local
laws. The wheels and axle on the ground
must be in good condition. If they are
damaged, use a towing dolly.
Two-wheel drive modelsÐ
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck
From front
ÐRelease the parking brake.
NOTICE
When lifting wheels, take care to ensure adequate ground clearance
for towing at the opposite end of theraised vehicle. Otherwise, the bumper and/or underbody of thetowed vehicle will be damaged during towing.
From rearÐ Manual transmission:
We recommend using a towing dolly
under the front wheels. If you do not
use a towing dolly, place the ignition key in the ACCº position and put thetransmission in neutral.
NOTICE
Do not tow with the key removed or in the LOCKº position when
towing from the rear without atowing dolly. The steering lock mechanism is not strong enough tohold the front wheels straight.
Automatic transmission: Use a towing dolly under the front wheels.
NOTICE
Never tow a vehicle with an automatic transmission from the
rear with the front wheels on theground, as this may cause serious damage to the transmission.
(b) Using a flat bed truck Four-wheel drive modelsÐ
(a) Towing with a wheel lift type truck
Using a towing dolly under the wheels not
lifted by the truck. (b) Using flat bed truck
All modelsÐ
(c) Towing with sling type truck
Do not tow with sling type truck,
either from the front or rear. This
may cause body damage.
NOTICE