1997 TOYOTA RAV4 oil viscosity

11 2FUNCTIONS OF ENGINE OIL
Engine oil has the primary functions of lu-
bricating and cooling the inside of the en-
gine,
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 combustionprocess.
Oil is also used to lubricate the stems
of the intake valves. Some of this oil is
sucked into the combustion chamber
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 driv-
ing and frequent acceleration and decel- eration.
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 nor- mal 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 because the oil is gradually becoming
diluted
with fuel or moisture, making it ap-
pear 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 itappear 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 bechecked every time you refuel the vehicle.
Failure to check the oil level regular-
ly could lead to serious engine
trouble due to insufficient oil.
NOTICE
For detailed information on the oil level
check, see Checking the engine oil levelº
in Chapter 7-2.
Facts about engine oil consumption

122
The driver and all passengers
should fasten their seat belts when-
ever the vehicle is moving.
NOTICE
If driving through water, such as
when crossing shallow streams,
first check the depth of the water
and the bottom of the river bed forfirmness. Drive slowly and avoid
deep water.
Take all necessary safety measuresto ensure that water damage to the
engine or other components does
not occur.Water entering the engine air in-
take will cause severe engine dam-age.Water can wash the grease from
wheel bearings, causing rusting and premature failure, and mayalso enter the differentials, trans-
mission and transfer case, reduc-ing the gear oil's lubricating quali-ties.
Sand and mud that has accumu-lated in brake drums and around
brake discs may affect braking ef-
ficiency and may damage brakesystem components.
Always perform a maintenance in-
spection after each day of off- road driving that has taken you
through rough terrain, sand, mud,
or water. For scheduled mainte-nance information, refer to the
separate Owner's Manual Sup- plement/Maintenance Scheduleº.
Make sure you have ethylene-glycol
antifreeze in the radiator.
Do not use alcohol type antifreeze.
NOTICE
Check the condition of the battery and cables. Cold temperatures reduce the capacity of
any battery, so it must be in top shape to provide enough power for winter starting. Chapter 7-3 tells you how to visually in-
spect the battery. Your Toyota dealer and
most service stations will be pleased to check the level of charge.
Make sure the engine oil viscosity is
suitable for the cold weather.
See Chapter 7-2 for recommended vis-
cosity. Leaving a heavy summer oil in your
vehicle during winter months may cause
harder starting. If you are not sure about
which oil to use, call your Toyota dealer- he will be pleased to help. Keep the door locks from freezing. Squirt lock de-icer or glycerine into the
locks to keep them from freezing. To open
a frozen lock, try heating the key before in-serting it.
Winter driving tips

166Here is a list of parts and tools you will
need on performing do-it-yourself main-
tenance. Remember all Toyota parts are
designed in metric sizes, so your tools
must be metric. Checking the engine oil level Parts (if level is low):
Engine oil API SH, Energy-Conserv-
ing IIº multigrade or ILSAC multigrade
having viscosity proper for your cli-mate
Tools: Rag or paper towel
Funnel (only for adding oil)
Checking the engine coolant level Parts (if level is low): Ethylene-glycol antifreeze
Demineralized or distilled water
Tools: Funnel (only for adding coolant)
Checking brake fluid Parts (if level is low): SAE J1703 or FMVSS No. 116 DOT 3 brake fluid Tools:
Rag or paper towel
Funnel (only for adding fluid)
Checking power steering fluid Parts (if level is low): Automatic transmission fluid DEX- RON [
-II or III
Tools: Rag or paper towel
Funnel (only for adding fluid)
Checking battery condition Non-maintenance batteriesÐ
Tools: Warm water
Baking soda
Grease
Conventional wrench (for terminal clamp bolts)
Maintenance type batteriesÐ Parts (if level is low): Distilled water Tools:
Warm water
Baking soda
Grease
Conventional wrench (for terminal clamp bolts)
Coin (for vent plugs)
Funnel (only for adding distilled water)
Checking and replacing fuses Parts (if replacement is necessary): Fuse with same amperage rating as original
Tools: Screwdriver (for driver's side instru-
ment lower panel nut)
Conventional wrench (for passenger's
side kick panel nut)
Adding washer fluid Parts: Water
Washer fluid containing antifreeze (for winter use)
Parts and tools

170Engine oil selection Use API SH, Energy-Conserving IIº mul- tigrade engine oil or ILSAC multigrade en-
gine oil. Recommended viscosity (SAE):
SAE 5W-30 is the best choice for your
vehicle, for good fuel economy and
good starting in cold weather.
If you use SAE 10W-30 engine oil in
extremely low temperatures, the en-
gine may become difficult to start, so
SAE 5W-30 engine oil is recom-mended.
API service symbol
ILSAC certification mark
Oil identification marks
Either or
both API registered marks are
added to some oil containers to help
you select the oil you should use.
The API Service Symbol is located any-
where on the outside of the container. The top portion of the label shows the oil
quality by API (American Petroleum Insti-
tute) designations such as SH. The cen-
ter portion of the label shows the SAE vis-
cosity grade such as SAE 5W-30.
Energy-Conserving IIº shown in the low-
er portion, indicates that the oil has fuel-
saving capabilities. Oils marked Ener-
gy-Conserving IIº will have higher
fuel-saving capabilities than oil marked Energy-Conservingº.
The ILSAC (International Lubricant Stan-
dardization and Approval Committee)Certification Mark is displayed on the front
of the container.

196
Oil grade:
API SH, Energy-Conserving IIº mul-
tigrade engine oil or ILSAC multigrade en-
gine oil is recommended. Recommended oil viscosity (SAE):
COOLING SYSTEM
Total capacity, L (qt., Imp., qt.):
Manual Transmission 8.0 (8.5, 7.0)
Automatic transmission
7.7 (8.1, 6.8) Coolant type:
With ethylene-glycol antifreeze (Do not use alcohol type.)
BATTERY Open voltage* at 20 C (68 F):
12.6 '12.8 V Fully charged
12.2 '12.4 V Half charged
11.8 '12.0 V Discharged
*: Voltage that is checked 20 minutes after
the key is removed with all the lights
turned off Charging rates: 5 A max.
CLUTCH
Pedal freeplay, mm (in.):
5' 15 (0.2 '0.6)
Fluid type: SAE J1703 or FMVSS No. 116 DOT 3
MANUAL TRANSAXLE
Oil capacity, L (qt., Imp. qt.): Two-wheel drive models 3.9 (4.1, 3.4)
Four-wheel drive models
5.0 (5.3, 4.4) Oil type:
Two-wheel drive models
Multipurpose gear oil API GL-4 or GL-5
Four-wheel drive models
Multipurpose gear oil API GL-5
Recommended oil viscosity:
SAE 75W-90
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE Fluid capacity (drain and refill), L (qt., Imp. qt.): Two-wheel drive models Up to 3.3 (3.5, 2.9)
Four-wheel drive models Up to 7.0 (7.4, 6.2)
Fluid type:
Two-wheel drive models Automatic transmission fluid D-II or DEXRON [
III (DEX
RON [
II)
Four-wheel drive models Toyota automatic transaxle
fluid Type T or equivalent

197
TRANSFER
(four-wheel drive models with an au-
tomatic transaxle)
Oil capacity, L (qt., Imp. qt.):
0.7 (0.7, 0.6)
Oil type:
Multipurpose gear oil API GL-5
Recommended oil viscosity: SAE 75W-90
REAR DIFFERENTIAL (four-wheel drive models)
Oil capacity, L (qt., Imp. qt.): 0.9 (1.0, 0.8)
Oil type: Hypoid gear oil API GL-5
Recommended oil viscosity:
Above -18 C (0 F)
SAE 90
Below -18 C (0 F)
SAE 80W or 80W-90 BRAKES Minimum pedal clearance when de- pressed with the pressure of 490 N (50
kgf, 110 lbf) with the engine running, mm (in.):
75 (3.0)
Pedal freeplay, mm (in.): 1' 6 (0.04 '0.24)
Pad wear limit, in. (mm): 1.0 (0.04)
Lining wear limit, in. (mm):
1.0 (0.04)
Parking brake adjustment when pulledwith the force of 196 N (20 kgf, 44 lbf): 5' 8 clicks
Fluid type: SAE J1703 or FMVSS No. 116 DOT 3
STEERING Wheel freeplay: Less than 30 mm (1.2 in.)
Power steering fluid type: Automatic transmission fluid DEXRON [
II or III