1997 TOYOTA TACOMA service

176
If you perform maintenance by your-
self, be sure to follow the correct pro- cedure given in this part.
You should be aware that improper or in- complete servicing may result in operat-
ing problems.
Performing do-it-yourself maintenance
during the warranty period may affect
your warranty coverage. Read the sepa-
rate Toyota Warranty statement for details
and suggestions.
This part gives instructions only for those
items that are relatively easy for an owner
to perform. As explained in Part 6, there
are still a number of items that must be
done by a qualified technician with special
tools.
For information on tools and parts for do-
it-yourself maintenance, see Parts andtoolsº.
Utmost care should be taken when work-
ing on your vehicle to prevent accidental
injury. Here are a few precautions that
you should be especially careful to ob- serve:
Fuse locations
Do-it-yourself service precautions

177
When the engine is running, keep
hands, clothing, and tools away
from the moving fan and engine
drive belts. (Removing rings,
watches, and ties is advisable.)
Right after driving, the engine
compartmentÐthe engine, radia-
tor, exhaust manifold, power
steering fluid reservoir and spark
plug boots, etc.Ðwill be hot. So
be careful not to touch them. Oil,
fluids and spark plugs may also be
hot.
If the engine is hot, do not remove
the radiator cap or loosen the
drain plugs to prevent burning yourself.
Do not smoke, cause sparks or al-
low open flames around fuel or the
battery. Their fumes are flamable.
Be extremely cautious when work-
ing on the battery. It contains poi-
sonous and corrosive sulfuric acid.
Do not get under your vehicle with
just the body jack supporting it.
Always use automotive jack
stands or other solid supports. CAUTION
!
Use eye protection whenever you
work on or under you vehicle
where you may be exposed to fly-
ing or falling material, fluid spray, etc.
Used engine oil contains poten-
tially harmful contaminants which
may cause skin disorders such as
inflammation or skin cancer, so
care should be taken to avoid pro-
longed and repeated contact with
it. To remove used engine oil from
your skin, wash thoroughly with
soap and water.
Do not leave used oil within thereach of children.
Dispose of used oil and filter only
in a safe and acceptable manner.
Do not dispose of used oil and fil-
ter in household trash, in sewers
or onto the ground. Call your deal- er or a service station for informa-
tion concerning recycling or dis- posal.
Remember that battery and igni-
tion cable carry high currents or
voltages. Be careful of accidental-
ly causing a short circuit.
Add only demineralized or dis- tilled w ater to fill the radiator. And
if you spill some of the coolant, be sure to wash it off with water to
prevent it from damaging theparts or paint.
Do not allow dirt or anything elseto fall through the spark plug
holes.
Do not pry the outer electrode of aspark plug against the center elec-
trode.
Use only spark plugs of the speci- fied type. Using other types will
cause engine damage, loss of per-
formance or radio noise.
Do not overfill automatic trans- mission fluid, or the transmission
could be damaged.
Do not drive with the air cleaner fil-ter removed, or excessive enginewear could result. Also backfiring
could cause a fire in the enginecompartment.
NOTICE

182
Avoid overfilling, or the engine
could be damaged.
Check the oil level on the dipstick
once again after adding the oil.
NOTICE
Engine oil selection Use API SH, Energy-Conserving IIº mul- tigrade engine oil or ILSAC multigrade en-
gine oil.
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

183
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. Look at the see-through coolant res-
ervoir when the engine is cold. The
coolant level is satisfactory if it is be-
tween the Fº and Lº lines on
the res-
ervoir. If the level is low, add ethylene-
glycol type coolant.
The coolant level in the reservoir will vary
with engine temperature. However, if the level is on or below the Lº line, add cool- ant. Bring the level up to the Fº line. Use only ethylene-glycol type coolant. See information in the next column.
If the coolant level drops within a short
time after replenishing, there may be a
leak in the system. Visually check the ra-
diator, hoses, radiator cap and drain cock
and water pump.
If you can find no leak, have your Toyota
dealer test the cap pressure and check for
leaks in the cooling system.
To prevent burning yourself, do not
remove the radiator cap when the en-
gine is hot.
CAUTION! Coolant type selection
Your coolant must contain ethylene-gly- col antifreeze. In addition to preventingfreezing and subsequent damage to the
engine, this will also prevent corrosion. Further supplemental inhibitors or addi-
tives are neither needed nor recom- mended.
Read
the antifreeze container for informa-
tion on freeze protection. Follow the
manufacturer 's directions for how much
to mix with water. The total capacity of the
cooling system is given in Part 8. We rec-
ommend 50% solution be used for your
Toyota, or a sufficient quantity to provideprotection to about -35 C (-31 C).
Do not use alcohol type antifreeze
or plain water alone.
NOTICE
Checking the engine coolant level

Normal cab models Xtra-cab models
Overall length mm (in.) 4440 (174.8) *1
4910 (193.3) *1
4590 (180.7) *2
5055 (199.0) *2
Overall width mm (in.) 1690 (66.5) 1690 (66.5)
Overall height mm (in.) 1570 (61.8) *3,
5
1575 (62.0) *5
1575 (62.0) *4,
5
Wheelbase mm (in.) 2625 (103.3) 3095 (121.9)
Front tread mm (in.) 1395 (54.9) *3
1425 (56.1)
1425 (56.1) *4
Rear tread mm (in.) 1415 (55.7) *3
1440 (56.7)
1440 (56.7) *4
Cargo weight rating kg (lb.) 500 (1100) *6
500 (1100)*6
430 (950) *7
430 (950)*7
295 (650) *8
*1 : Without rear step bumper
*2 : With rear step bumper
*3 : With P195/75R 14 tires
*4 : With P215/70R 14 tires
*5 : Unladen vehicle
*6 : With 1 or 2 occupants
*7 : With 3 occupants
*8 : With 5 occupants
Part 8 Dimensions and weight
205
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions and weight
Engine
Fuel
Service specifications
Tires
Fuses
TWO-WHEEL DRIVE MODELS

207
Fuel type:
Unleaded gasoline, Research Octane Number 91 (Octane Rating 87) orhigher
Fuel tank capacity, L (gal., Imp. gal.):
Two-wheel drive models
57 (15.1, 12.5) Four-wheel drive models
68 (18.0, 15.0) ENGINE
Valve clearance (engine cold), mm (in.) 2RZ-FE and 3RZ-FE engines
Intake 0.15 '0.25 (0.006 '0.010)
Exhaust 0.25 '0.35 (0.010 '0.014)
5VZ-FE engine
Intake 0.13 '0.23 (0.006 '0.009)
Exhaust 0.27 '0.37 (0.011 '0.014)
Spark plug type: 2RZ-FE and 3RZ-FE engines NIPPONDENSO K16R-U
NGK BKR5EYA
5VZ-FE engine
NIPPONDENSO K16TR11
NGK BKR5EKB11
Spark plug type: 2RZ-FE and 3RZ-FE engines
0.8 (0.031)
5VZ-FE engine
1.1 (0.043) Drive belt tension measured with Bor-
oughs drive belt tension gauge No.
BT-33-73F (used belt), Ibf: 2RZ-FE and 3RZ-FE engines
Generator belt 115 + 20
Air conditioning
compressor belt 100 + 20
Power steering pump belt 100 -15+20
5VZ-FE engine Generator belt 100 + 20
Air conditioning
compressor belt 100 + 20
Power steering pump belt 100 -15+20
Fuel
Service specifications

Part 9Reporting safety defects for
U.S. ownersUniform tire quality grading
(except vehicles with 31 x
10.5R 15LT tires)
215
REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS FOR U.S.OWNERS, UNIFORMTIRE GRADING AND CAMPER
INFORMATION
Reporting safety defects for
U.S. owners
Uniform tire quality grading
Camper information
If you believe that your vehicle has
a defect which could cause a crash
or could cause injury or death, you
should immediately inform the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) in addition
to notifying Toyota Motor Sales,
U.S.A., Inc. (Toll-free: 1-800-331-4331).
If NHTSA receives similar
complaints, it may open a
investigation, and if it finds that asafety defect exists in a group of
vehicles, it may order a recall and
remedy campaign. However,
NHTSA cannot become involved in
individual problems between you,
your dealer, or Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
To contact NHTSA, you may either
call the Auto Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-800-424-9393 (or 366-0123
in Washington D.C. area) or w
rite to:
NHTSA. U.S. Department of
Transportation. Washington D.C.
20590. You can also obtain other
information about motor vehiclesafety from the Hotline. This
information has been prepared in ac-
cordance with regulations issued by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis-
tration of the U.S. Department of Trans-
portation. It provides the purchasers and/
or prospective purchasers of Toyota
vehicles with information on uniform tire
quality grading.
Your Toyota dealer will help answer any
questions you may have as you read this information.
DOT quality gradesÐAll passenger
vehicle tires must conform to Federal
Safety Requirements in addition to these grades. These quality grades are
molded on the sidewall.
Treadwear ÐThe treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the wear
rate of the tire when tested under con-
trolled conditions on a specified govern-
ment test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and a half
(1-1/2) times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends upon the
actual conditions of their use, however,
and may depart significantly from the norm due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in road characteristics and climate.