1997 TOYOTA T100 engine

58
The voltmeter tells whether the battary
is charged or discharged. Check it
while the engine is runningÐthe
needle should always indicates as
shown above.
If the needle reads below or above the normal range while the engine is running,
it indicates the charging system needs im-
mediate repair.
However, it is normal for the needle to
drop below the normal range during en-
gine starting.The tachometer indicates engine
speed in thousands of rpm (revolu-
tions per minute). Use it while driving
to select correct shift points and to
prevent engine lugging and overfeed- ing.
Driving with the engine running too fast
causes excessive engine wear and poor
fuel economy. Remember, in most cases
the slower the engine speed, the greater
the fuel economy.
NOTICE
Do not let the indicator needle get into the red zone. This may cause
severe engine damage.
The odometer records the total dis-
tance the vehicle has been driven. The
trip meter may be set to zero to record
the distance on each trip. To reset the
trip meter, press the trip meter reset knob.
The black digits on white indicate tenths of kilometers or miles.
Odometer and trip meter
Tachometer
Voltmeter

60(a) Brake System Warning Light This light has the following functions: Parking brake reminder
If this light is on, make sure the parking
brake is
fully released. The light should go
off.
Low brake fluid level warning
If this light comes on and stays on while
you are driving, slow down and pull off the
road. Then stop the vehicle carefully.There may be a problem somewhere in
the brake system. Check the fluid level of
the see-through reservoir.
To make sure the parking brake has not
caused the warning light to come on,
check to see that the parking brake is fully
released.
If the brake fluid level is low...
At a safe place, test your brakes by start-
ing and stopping. If you judge that the brakes still work
adequately, drive cautiously to yournearest dealer or shop for repairs.
If the brakes are not working, have the
vehicle towed in for repairs. (For tow-
ing information, see Part 4.)
It is dangerous to continue driving
normally when the brake fluid level
is low. CAUTION
!
If the brake fluid level is correct...
Have the warning system checked by
your Toyota dealer.
(b) Seat Belt Reminder Light and Buzzer
Once the ignition key is turned to ONº or
STARTº, the reminder light and buzzer
come on if the driver's seat belt is not fas- tened. Unless the driver fastens the belt,
the light stays on and the buzzer stops af-
ter about 4 to 8 seconds.
(c) Discharge Warning Light
This light warns that the battery is being discharged.
If it comes on while you are driving, there
is a problem somewhere in the charging system. The engine ignition will continue to oper-
ate, however, until the battery is dis-
charged. Turn off the air conditioning,
blower, ra
dio, ect., and drive directly to the
nearest Toyota dealer or repair shop.
NOTICE
Do not continue driving if the engine drive belt is broken or loose.
(d) Low Oil Pressure Warning Light
This light warns that the engine oil pres-
sure is too low.
If it flickers or stays on while you are
driving, pull off the road to a safe place
and stop the engine immediately. Call a
Toyota dealer or qualified repair shop forassistance.
The light may occasionally flicker when
the engine is idling or it may come on brief-
ly after a hard stop. There is no cause for concern if it then goes out when the en-
gine is accelerated slightly.
The light may come on when the oil level
is extremely low. It is not designed to indi- cate low oil level, and the oil level must be checked using the level dipstick.

61
NOTICE
Do not drive the vehicle with the warning light onÐeven for one
block. It may ruin the engine.
(e) Low Fuel Level Warning Light
This light comes on when the fuel level in
the tank becomes nearly empty. Fill up the
tank as soon as possible.
(f) Malfunction Indicator Lamp
This lamp comes on in the following cases.
a. The fuel tank is completely empty. (See Fuel gaugeº in Chapter 1-5 for in-structions.)
b. The fuel tank cap is not tightened se-
curely. (See Fuel tank capº in Chapter
1-2 for instructions.)
c. There is a problem somewhere in your
engine or automatic transmission electri- cal system.
If it comes on while you are driving in case
b, have your vehicle checked/repaired by
your Toyota dealer as soon as possible. (g) ABSº Warning Light
This light warns that there is a problem
somewhere in your anti-lock brake sys-tem.
If the light comes on while you are driving,
have your vehicle checked by your T
oyota
dealer as soon as possible.
The light will come on when the ignition key is turned to the ONº position. After
about 3 seconds, the light will go off. When the ABSº warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), thebrake system operates conventionally but
anti-lock brake system is not assistingbrake performance so that the wheels can
lock-up during sudden braking or braking
on slippery road surfaces.
(h) SRS Airbag Warning Light
This light will come on when the ignition
key is turned to the ACCº or ONº posi- tion. After about 6 seconds, the light will
go off. This means the airbag system is
operating properly.
The warning light system monitors the
front airbag sensors, center airbag sensor
assembly, inflator, warning light, intercon-
necting wiring and power sources. If either of the following conditions occurs, this indicates a malfunction somewhere in the parts monitored by the warning light
system. Contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible to service the vehicle.
The light does not come on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the ACCº or ONº
position or remains on. The light comes on while driving.
(i) Light Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer will sound if the driver's door is opened while the ignition switch isturned to the LOCKº position with the
headlight
switch on. Removing the key will
not stop the buzzer as long as the head- light switch is on.
(j) Key Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer reminds you to remove the
key when you open the driver's door with the ignition key in the ACCº or LOCKº position.

62(k) Unengaged Parkº Warning Light
(vehicles with automatic tranmis- sion)
This light warns that the transmission
Parkº mechanism is not engaged. If the
front drive control lever is in the Nº posi-
tion while the selector lever is in the Pº
position, the transmission will disengage
and the wheels will not lock.
To restore the park function, shift
the four-wheel drive control lever
out of Nº, or the vehicle can move. CAUTION
!
(l) Automatic Transmission Fluid Tem- perature Warning Light
This light warns that the automatic trans- mission fluid temperature is too high.
If this light comes on while you are driving,
slow down and pull off the road. Stop the
vehicle at a safe place and put the selector
lever in Pº. With the engine idling, wait
until the light goes off. If the light goes off,
you may start the vehicle again. If the light
does not go off, call a Toyota dealer or
qualified repair shop for assistance. (m)Low Windshield Washer Fluid
Level Warning Light (Canada)
The light warns that the windshield wash-
er fluid level is too low. Add washer fluid at
your earliest opportunity. (For instruc-
tions, see Adding washer fluidº in Chap-ter 7-3.)
CHECKING SERVICE REMINDER INDI-
CATORS (except the low fuel level
warning light)
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Turn ignition key to ACCº. The SRS airbag warning light should
come on. It goes off after about 6 sec- onds.
3. Turn the ignition key to ONº, but do not start the engine.
All the service reminder indicators ex-
cept the SRS airbag warning light
should come on. The ABSº warning
light goes off after about 3 seconds.
If any service reminder indicator or warn-
ing buzzer does not function as describedabove, either the bulb is burned out or the
circuit is in need of repair. Have it checked
by your Toyota dealer as soon as pos- sible.

Part 1Ignition switch with steering lock
63
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS ANDCONTROLS
Chapter 1-6 Ignition switch,
Transmission and Parking brake
Ignition switch with steering lock
Automatic transmission
Manual transmission
Four-wheel drive system
Parking brake
Cruise control
Clutch start cancel switch
STARTº ÐStarter motor on. The key will return to the ONº position when released.
For starting tips, see Part 3.
ONº ÐEngine on and all accessories on.
This is the normal driving position. ACCº - Accessories such as the ra-
dio operate, but the engine is off.
If you leave the key in the ACCº or
LOCKº position and open the driver's
door, a buzzer will remind you to remove
the key.
LOCKº ÐEngine is off and the steer-
ing wheel is locked. The key can be re-
moved only at this position.
On vehicle with a manual transmission, you must push in the key to turn the key
to the LOCKº position
On vehicles with an automatic transmis- sion, the selector lever must be put in the
Pº position before turning the key to theLOCKº position. When starting the engine, the key may
seem stuck at the LOCKº position. To
free it, first be sure the key is pushed all
the way in, and then rock the steering
wheel slightly
while turning the key gently.
For manual transmission:
Never remove the key when the
vehicle is moving, as this will lock
the steering wheel and result in loss
of steering control. CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Do not leave the key in the ONº position if the engine is not running.
The battery will discharge and the ignition could be damaged.

64Automatic transmission
Vehicles
with cruise control - When the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift the transmission by turning off the overdriv e switch, engine
braking will not be applied because the cruise control is not cancelled. For ways to decrease the vehicle speed, see Cruise controlº in this chapter.

65
Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of Pº position when the brake
pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in ONº position and the selector le- ver pulled toward you).
(a) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in How to start the engineº in Part 3. The trans- mission must be in Pº or Nº.
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to Dº.
In Dº position, the automatic transmis-
sion system will select the most suitable
gear for running conditions such as nor-
mal cruising, hill climbing, hard towing, etc.
Always turn the overdrive switch on for
better fuel economy and quieter driving.
Two-wheel drive models-If the engine
coolant temperature is low, the transmis-
sion will not shift into the overdrive gear
even with the overdrive switch on. Four-wheel drive models-If the engine
coolant t
emperautre is low and the vehicle
is travelling at low speed or when the four-
wheel drive control lever is in L4º (four-
wheel drive, low range), the transmission
will not shift into the overdrive gear evenwith the overdrive switch on. (See Four-
wheel drive systemº in this Chapter for in-
formation of the four-wheel drive control
lever.)
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting. CAUTION
!
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
(b) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift the transmission as follows: Turn off the overdrive switch. The O/D
OFFº indicator light will come on andthe transmission will downshift to the
third gear.
Shift into the 2º position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the second
gear when the vehicle speed dropsdown to or lower than the followingspeed, and more powerful engine
braking will be obtained.
Two-wheel drive models.Ð
3RZ-FE engine...112 km/h (70 mph)
5VZ-FE engine...117 km/h (73 mph)
Four-wheel drive models- ÐFour wheel drive control lever
in H2º and H4º...112 km/h (70 mph) ÐFour-wheel drive control lever in L4º...38 km/h (24 mph)
Shift into the Lº position. The trans- mission will downshift to the first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
maximum engine braking will be ap- plied.
Two-wheel drive modelsÐ 3RZ-FE engine...54 km/h (34 mph)5VZ-FE engine...56 km/h (35 mph)
Four-wheel drive modelsÐ ÐFour-wheel drive control lever in H2º and H4º...54 km/h (34 mph)
ÐFour-wheel drive control lever in
L4º...10 km/h (6 mph)

66Vehicles with cruise controlÐWhen the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by turning offthe overdrive switch, engine braking will
not be applied because the cruise control
is not cancelled. For ways to decrease the
vehicle speed, see Cruise controlº in
this
chapter.
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin orskid. CAUTION
!
(c) Using the 2º and Lº positions
The 2º and Lº positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously. With the selector lever in 2º or Lº, you
can start the vehicle in motion as with the
lever in Dº. With the selector lever in 2º, the vehicle
will start in the first gear and automatically
shift to the second gear.
With the selector lever in Lº, the trans-
mission is engaged in the first gear.
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to
keep engine rpm from going intothe red zone. The approximatemaximum allowable speed for
each position is given below for your reference:Two-wheel drive modelsÐ
2º 100 km/h (62 mph)Lº 55 km/h (34 mph)
Four-wheel drive modelsÐ
ÐFour-wheel drive control lever
in H2º and H4º 2º 100 km/h (62 mph)
Lº 55 km/h (34 mph)
ÐFour-wheel drive control lever in LFº
2º 35 km/h (21 mph)Lº 20 km/h (12 mph)
Do not continue hill climbing for along time in the 2º or Lº posi-tion. This may cause severe auto-matic transmission damage from
overheating. To prevent such damage, use Dº position for hillclimbing or hard towing.
(d) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the selector lever to the
Rº position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the vehicle is moving.
(e) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop. Pull the parking brake lever up fully to securely apply the parking brake.
With the brake pedal pressed down,
shift the selector lever to the Pº posi- tion.
While the vehicle is moving, never
attempt to move the selector lever
into Pº position under any circum-
stances. Serious mechanical dam-
age and loss of vehicle control mayresult. CAUTION
!