1997 TOYOTA TACOMA ABS

61
The engine ignition will continue to oper-
ate, however, until the battery is dis-
charged. Turn off the air conditioning,
blower, radio, e
ct., 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 driv-
ing, pull off the road to a safe place and
stop the engine immediately. Call a Toyo-
ta dealer or qualified repair shop for assis- tance.
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 bechecked using the level dipstick.
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
c, 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.
Vehicles with rear differential lock sys- temÐ
The anti-lock brake system does not op-
erate when the rear differential is locked.
It is normal operation for the ABSº warn-
ing light to be on at this time.

63
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.

87
Do not use the rear differential lock
in the conditions other than above.
Large steering effort and careful
cornering control will be required.CAUTION
!
To lock the rear differential, push the switch.
Be sure to stop the wheels before locking
the differential.
For easy locking, depress the clutch ped- al,
push the lock switch and slowly release
the clutch pedal.
The indicator light will blink when the
switch is turned on. Wait a few seconds for
the system to complete operation. After
the differential is locked, the light will stop
blinking and remain on.
The anti-lock brake system does not op-
erate when the rear differential is locked.
It is normal operation for the ABSº warn-
ing light to be on at this time.
Do not lock the differential until
the wheels have stopped spin-
ning. Otherwise, the vehicle may
move in an unexpected direction
when the differential lock is en-
gaged, resulting in an accident.
This may also lead to possible
damage to differential lock com-
ponent parts.
Do not drive over 8 km/h (5 mph)
when the differential is locked. CAUTION
!
To unlock the differential, push the
switch once again.
Unlock the differential as soon as the ve- hicle moves out.
For easy unlocking, slightly turn the steer-
ing wheel in either direction while the ve- hicle is in motion.
When the differential lock is disengaged, the indicator light will go out.
The differential will also unlock if you shift
the front drive control lever out of L4º. Never forget to turn off the switch after us-
ing this feature.

11 9
Your engine is fitted with twin ground electrode spark plugs.
Use only twin ground electrodespark plugs for your engine
performance.
NOTICE
TANDEM MASTER CYLINDER BRAKE SYSTEM
The tandem master cylinder brake sys-
tem is a hydraulic system with two sepa-
rate sub-systems. If either sub-system
should fa il, the other will still work. Howev-
er, the pedal will be harder to press, and
your stopping distance will be longer.
Also, the brake system warning light may come on.
CAUTION!
Do not drive your vehicle with only
a single brake system. Have your
brakes fixed immediately.
BRAKE BOOSTER
The brake booster uses engine vacuum to
power-assist the brakes. If the engine
should quit while you are driving, you can
bring the vehicle to a stop with normal
pedal pressure. There is enough reserve
vacuum for one or two stops - but no more!
CAUTION!
Do not pump the brake pedal if the
engine stalls. Each push on the
pedal uses up your vacuum re- serve.
Even if the power assist is com-
pletely lost, the brakes will still
work. But you will have to push
the pedal hard-much harder than
normal. And your braking dis- tance will be longer
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (with ABSº warning light)
The anti- lock brake system is designed to
automatically help prevent lock- up of the
wheels during sudden braking or braking on
slippery road surfaces. This assists in pro-
viding directional stability and steering per -
formance of the vehicle under these cir -
cumstances.
The anti- lock brake system becomes op-
erative after the vehicle has accelerated to
a speed in excess of approximately 10 km/h
(6 mph). It stops operating when the vehicle
decelerates to a speed below approximate-
ly 5 km/h (3 mph).
You may hear a sound in the engine
compartment for a few seconds when the
engine is started or just after the vehicle is started. This means that the anti-lock
brake system is in the self check mode,
and does not indicate a malfunction.
Twin ground electrode spark plugs
(5VZ-FE engine)
Brake system

120
Effective way to press the ABSº brake
pedal: When the anti-lock brake system
function is in action, you may feel the brake pedal pulsating and hear a noise.
In this situation, to let the anti-lock brake
system work for you, just hold the brake
pedal down more firmly. Do not pumpthe brake. This will result in reduced
braking performance.
The brake pedal pulsation caused by the
anti-lock brake system may indicate haz- ardous road surface conditions. Althoughthe anti-lock brake system assists in pro-
viding vehicle control, it is still important to
drive with all due care, because the anti-
lock brake system cannot overcome the
laws of physics that act on your vehicle: Braking capab ility is dependent on tire
friction with the road surface.
Even though the anti-lock brake sys-
tem is operating, a driver cannot main- tain full control on certain slippery road
surfaces, when cornering at highspeeds, or in violent maneuvers.
Avoid high speeds on wet roads. The
anti-lock brake system cannot elimi-
nate the risk of hydroplaning and lossof tire friction. Always maintain a safe distance from the
vehicle in
front of you. Compared with ve-
hicles not fitted with an anti-lock brake
system, your vehicle may require a longer
stopping distance in the following cases: Driving on rough, gravel or snow-cov-
ered roads.
Driving with tire chains installed.
Driving on roads where the road sur-
face is pitted or has other differencesin surface height.
CAUTION!
Do not use tires other than the
manufacturer 's designated tires, and
do not mix tires or wheels of different
sizes. You may prevent the antilockbrake system from operating at fulleffictiveness.
Vehicles with rear differential lock sys- temÐ
The anti-lock brake system does not op-
erate when the rear differential is locked.
It is normal operation for the ABSº warn-
ing light to be on at this time.Type A
Type B

121
ABSº warning light
This light comes on when the ignition key is turned to the ONº position. After about
3 seconds, the light will go off.
If any 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 as de-
scribed above, or remains on.
The light comes on while driving.
Vehicles with rear differential lock sys- temÐ The light comes on while driving with
the rear differential unlocked.
The light does not come on with the
rear differential locked.
The system comes into operation with
the rear differential locked. Even if the anti-lock brake system
should
fail, the brake system will still operate con-
ventionally. However, when the `ABS''
warning light is on (and the brake system
warning light is off), the anti-lock brake
system is not assisting brake perfor-mance so that the wheels can lock-up
during sudden braking or braking on slip-
pery road surfaces. Have your vehicle
checked by your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible
The brake pads wear limit indicators
on your disc brakes give a warning
noise w hen the brake pads are worn to
where replacement is required.
If you hear a squealing or scraping noise
while driving, have the brake pads
checked and replaced by your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible. Expensive ro-
tor damage can result if the pads are not
replaced when necessary.
Brake pad wear limit indicators

135

Backing w ith a trailer is difficult and re-
quires practice. Grip the bottom of the steering 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 procedureis 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.
Because stopping distance may be in-
creased, vehicle-to-vehicle distance
should be increased when towing a
trailer. For each 16 km/h (10 mph) of speed, allow at least one vehicle and
trailer length between you and the ve-
hicle ahead. Avoid sudden braking as you may skid, resulting in jackknifing and loss of control This is especially
true on wet or slippery surfaces.
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.
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 over 30 5C [85 5F]) when going up a long or
steep grade with a trailer. If the engine
coolant temperature 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 of this 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.

184
Type A
Type BTo check the fluid level, simply look at
the see through reservoir. The level
should be between the MAXº and
MINº lines on the reservoir. It is normal for the brake fluid level to go
down slightly as the
brake pads wear. So
be sure to keep the reservoir filled. If the reservoir needs frequent refilling, it may indicate a serious mechanical prob- lem.
If the level is low, add SAE J1703 or
FMVSS No. 116 DOT 3 brake fluid to the
brake reservoir. Remove and replace the reservoir cover by hand. Fill the brake fluid to the dotted
line. This brings the fluid to the correct lev-
el when you put the cover back on.
Use only newly opened brake fluid. Once
opened, brake fluid absorbs moisture
from the air, and excess moisture can cause a dangerous loss of braking.
CAUTION
Take care when filling the reservoir
because brake fluid can harm your
eyes and damage painted surfaces. If
fluid gets in your eyes, flush your
eyes with clean water.!
If you spill the fluid, be sure to wash
it off with water to prevent it from
damaging the parts or paint.
NOTICE
Checking brake fluid