1997 TOYOTA TACOMA Owners Manual

72
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the en-gine. Watch the tachometer to
keep engine rpm from going intothe red zone. The approximate
maximum allowable speed foreach position is given below for
your reference: 2º 136 km/h (85 mph). . . . . .
Lº 74 km/h (46 mph) . . . . .
Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the2º or Lº position. This may
cause severe automatic transmis-sion damage from overheating.
To prevent such damage, use Dºposition for hill climbing 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.
2. Pull the parking brake lever fully to se-
curely apply the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down, shift the selector lever to the P posi- tion.
While the vehicle is moving, never
attempt to move the selector lever
into Pº position under any
circumstances. Serious mechanical
damage and loss of vehicle control may result. CAUTION
!
(f) Good driving practice If the transmission is repeatedly up-
shifted and downshifted between third
gear and overdrive when climbing a
gentle slope, the overdrive switch
should be turned off. Be sure to turn the switch on immediately afterward.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do notuse overdrive.
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping. CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Do not hold the vehicle on an upgrade with the accelerator pedal.
It can cause the transmission tooverheat. Always use the brake pedal or parking brake.
(g) Driving in POWERº mode In the POWERº mode, the transmission
is shifted up and down at a higher vehicle
speed than in the NORMALº mode and a
more powerful acceleration is achieved.
To set the POWERº mode, push in the
driving pattern selector button. The
POWERº mode indicator light comes on
For ordinary driving, Toyota recommends
using the NORMALº mode to improve
fuel economy.

73
(h) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
If you rock your vehicle to make it
out when it becomes stuck in snow,
mud, sand, etc., first check that there are no objects or people
around the vehicle. During
operation, the vehicle may suddenly move forward or
backward as it becomes unstuck,
causing injury or damage to nearby
people or objects.
CAUTION
!
NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe the following precautions to prevent
damage to the transmission andother parts.
Do not depress the acceleratorpedal while shifting the selectorlever or before the transmission is
completely shifted to forward or reverse gear.
Do not race the engine and avoid
spinning the wheels.
If your vehicle remains stuck afterrocking the vehicle several times,
consider other ways such as tow-ing.
(i) If you cannot shift the selector lever
out of Pº position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from the Pº position even though the brake
pedal is depressed, use the shift lock
override button. For instructions, see If you cannot shift automatic transmissionselector leverº in Part 4.

74Automatic transmission (electronically controlled typeÐfour-wheel drive models)
Vehicles with cruise control - When the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift the transmission by turning off the
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.

75
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 lock re-
lease button depressed).
(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.
When the front drive control lever is in L4º
(low-speed position, four-wheel drive),
the driving pattern selector setting has no
effect on gear shift timing. (See Four-
wheel drive systemº in this Chapter for in-
formation of the front drive control lever.)
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. If
the engine coolant temperature is low or
when the front drive control lever is in L4º
(low-speed position, four-wheel drive),
the transmission will not shift into the
overdrive gear even with the overdrive
switch on. (See Four-wheel drive sys-
temº in this Chapter for information of the
front drive control lever.)
Never put your foot on the
accelerator 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.
Front drive control lever in H2º and H4º 3RZ-FE engine 106km/h (66 mph)
.
5VZ-FE engine 114 km/h (71 mph) .
Front drive control lever in L4º
3RZ-FE engine 36 km/h (22 mph) . .
5VZ-FE engine 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.
Front drive control lever in H2º and H4º 3RZ-FE engine 51km/h (32 mph) . .
5VZ-FE engine 55 km/h (34 mph) . .
Front drive control lever in L4º
3RZ-FE engine 9km/h (6 mph) . . . .
5VZ-FE engine 10 km/h (6 mph) . .

76Vehicles 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 or skid. CAUTION
!
(c) Using 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 approximate
maximum allowable speed foreach position is given below for
your reference:Front drive control lever in H2º or
H4º- 3RZ-FE engine
2º 109 km/h (68 mph). . . . . .
Lº 60 km/h (37 mph) . . . . .
5VZ-FE engine 2º 120 km/h (75 mph). . . . . .
Lº 66 km/h (41 mph) . . . . .
Front drive control lever in L4º-
3RZ-FE engine 2º 43 km/h (27 mph). . . . . .
Lº 22 km/h (14 mph) . . . . .
5VZ-FE engine
2º 46 km/h (29 mph). . . . . .
Lº 25 km/h (16 mph) . . . . .
Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the
2º or Lº position. This maycause severe automatic transmis-
sion damage from overheating.To prevent such damage, use Dº
position for hill climbing or hardtowing.
(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.
2. Pull the parking brake lever fully to se-
curely apply the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down,
shift the selector lever the Pº position.

77
While the vehicle is moving, never
attempt to move the selector lever
into Pº position under any
circumstances. Serious mechanical
damage and loss of vehicle control may result.CAUTION
!
(f) Good driving practice If the transmission is repeatedly up-
shifted and downshifted between third
gear and overdrive when climbing a
gentle slope, the overdrive switch
should be turned off. Be sure to turn the switch on immediately afterward.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do notuse overdrive.
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping. CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Do not hold the vehicle on an upgrade with the accelerator pedal.
It can cause the transmission tooverheat. Always use the brake pedal or parking brake.
(g) Driving in POWERº mode In the POWERº mode, the transmission
is shifted up and down at a higher vehicle
speed than in the NORMALº mode and a
more powerful acceleration is achieved.
To set the POWERº mode, push in the
driving pattern selector button. The
POWERº mode indicator light comes on.
For ordinary driving, Toyota recommends
using the NORMALº mode to improve
fuel economy. (h) Rocking your vehicle in stuck
If you rock your vehicle to make it
out when it becomes stuck in snow,
mud, sand, etc., first check that there are no objects or people
around the vehicle. During
operation, the vehicle may suddenly move forward or
backward as it becomes unstuck,
causing injury or damage to nearby
people or objects.
CAUTION
!

78
NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe the following precautions to prevent
damage to the transmission andother parts.
Do not depress the acceleratorpedal while shifting the selectorlever or before the transmission is
completely shifted to forward or reverse gear.
Do not race the engine and avoid
spinning the wheels.
If your vehicle remains stuck afterrocking the vehicle several times,
consider other ways such as tow-ing.
(i) If you cannot shift the selector lever
out of Pº position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from the Pº position even though the brake
pedal is depressed, use the shift lock
override lever. For instructions, see If you
cannot shift automatic transmission se- lector leverº in Part 4.
The shift pattern is as shown above.
Press the clutch pedal down fully while
shifting, and then release it slowly. Do not
rest your foot on the pedal while driving, because it will cause clutch trouble. And do not use the clutch to hold the vehicle
when stopped on an uphill grade-use the
parking brake. Recommended shifting speeds
The transmission is fully synchronized
and upshifting or downshifting is easy.
For the best compromise between fuel
economy and vehicle performance, you
should upshift or downshift at the follow-
ing speeds: 2RZ-FE engine Low altitude Ð1219 m (4000 ft) or lower
gear km/h (mph)
1 to 2 or 2 to 1 24 (15)
2 to 3 or 3 to 2 40 (25)
3 to 4 or 4 to 3 64 (40)
4 to 5 or 5 to 4 72 (45)
High altitude
ÐHigher than 1219 m (4000 ft) Upshifting
gear km/h (mph)
1 to 2 24 (15)
2 to 3 40 (25)/58 (36)*
3 to 4 64 (40)/72 (45)*
4 to 5 72 (45)/85 (53)*
Downshifting gear km/h (mph)
2 to 1 25 (15)
3 to 2 40 (25)
4 to 3 64 (40)
5 to 4 72 (45)
*: Applicable under heavy acceleration
conditions.
Manual transmission

79
3RZ-FE engine Upshifting
gear km/h (mph)
1 to 2 24 (15)
2 to 3 40 (25)/58 (36)*
3 to 4 64 (40)/72 (45)*
4 to 5 72 (45)/85 (53)*
Downshifting gear km/h (mph)
2 to 1 24 (15)
3 to 2 40 (25)
4 to 3 64 (40)
5 to 4 72 (45)
*: Applicable under heavy acceleration conditions.
Downshift to the appropriate gear if accel-
eration is needed when you are cruising
below the above downshifting speeds. Upshifting too soon or downshifting toolate
will cause lugging, and possibly, ping-
ing. Regularly revving the engine to maxi-
mum speed in each gear will cause exces- sive engine wear and high fuel consump- tion.
Maximum allowable speeds
To get on a highway or to pass slower traf- fic, maximum acceleration may be neces-
sary. Make sure you observe the following
maximum allowable speeds in each gear:
Two-wheel drive models 2RZ-FE engine
gear km/h (mph)
1 48 (30)
2 88 (55)
3 136 (85)
4 165 (103)
5VZ-FE engine
gear km/h (mph)
1 54 (34)
2 101 (63)
3 144 (89)
4 165 (103) Four-wheel drive models
3RZ-FE engine
gear km/h (mph) H2º and H4º L4º
1 46 (29) 17 (11)
2 86 (53) 33 (21)
3 135 (84) 52 (32)
4 165 (103) 66 (41)
5VZ-FE engine gear km/h (mph)
H2º and H4º L4º
1 48 (30) 18 (11)
2 88 (55) 34 (21)
3 128 (80) 49 (30)
4 165 (103) 72 (45)
NOTICE
Do not downshift if you are going faster than the maximum allowable
speed for the next lower gear.
Good driving practice If it is difficult to shift into reverse, put
the transmission in neutral, release
the clutch pedal momentarily, and then
try again.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use the fifth gear.