1997 TOYOTA TACOMA maintenance schedule

11 7
Keep your engine in good running
order. Malfunctions in the engine
electrical system, electronic igni-tion system/distributor ignitionsystem or fuel systems could
cause an extremely high three- way catalytic converter tempera-ture.
If the engine becomes difficult to
start or stalls frequently, take your
vehicle in for a check-up as soon
as possible. Remember, your To-yota dealer knows your vehicleand its three-way catalytic con-
verter system best.
To ensure that the three-way cata-lytic converter and the engine
emission control system operateproperly, your vehicle must re-ceive the periodic inspections re-
quired by the Toyota Maintenance
Schedule. For scheduled mainte- nance information, refer to the
separate Owner's Manual Sup-
plement/Maintenance Scheduleº.
CAUTION!
Avoid inhaling the engine ex-
haust. It contains carbon monox-
ide, which is a colorless and odor-
less gas. It can cause uncon-
sciousness or even death.
Make sure the exhaust system
has no holes or loose connec-
tions. The system should be
checked from time to time. If you
hit something, or notice a change
in the sound of the exhaust, have
the system checked immediately.
Do not run the engine in a garage
or enclosed area except for the
time needed to drive the vehicle in
or out. The exhaust gases cannot escape, making this a paticularly
dangerous situation.
Do not remain for a long time in a
parked vehicle with the engine
running. If it is unavoidable, how-
ever, do so only in an unconfined
area and adjust the heating or
cooling system to force outside air into the vehicle.To allow proper operation of your
vehicle's ventilation system, keep
the inlet grilles in front of the
windshield clear of snow, leaves, or other obstructions.
If you smell exhaust fumes in the
vehicle, drive with the windows
open. Have the cause immediate- ly located and corrected.
Toyota does not recommend oc-
cupying the rear cargo area when
it is fitted with a slide-in camper,camper shell or other type cover
while the engine is running. This
caution applies to both driving
and stopped or parked situations
with the engine running. Particu-lar care should be taken to perv-
ent exhaust gases from entering
camper bodies, trailer or other en-
closures on or around your ve-
hicle. If exhaust fumes are de-
tected, open all windows and
throughly ventilate the area.
Engine exhaust cautions

130
CAUTION
Always observe the following
precautions to minimize the risk of
serious per sonal injury or damage to
your vehicle: Drive carefully when off the road.
Do not take unnecessary risks by
driving in dangerous places.
Do not grip the steering wheel
spokes when driving off-road. A
bad bump could jerk the wheel and
injure your hands. Keep both
hands and especially your thumbson the outside of the rim.
Always check your brakes for effec-
tiveness immediately after driving
in sand, mud, water or snow.
After driving through tall grass,
mud, rock, sand, rivers, etc., check
that there is no grass, bush, paper,
rags, stone, sand etc. adhering or
trapped on the underbody. Clear off
any such matter from the under-
body. If the vehicle is used with these materials trapped or adher-
ing to the underbody, a breakdown
or fire could occur.! The driver and all passengers
should fasten their seat belts
whenever the vehicle is moving.

If driving through water, such as when crossing shallow streams,
first check the depth of the waterand the bottom of the river bed for
firmness. Drive slowly and avoiddeep water.
Take all necessary safety mea-sures to ensure that 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 rustingand premature failure, and may
also enter the differential, 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 brake
system components.
NOTICE
Always perform a maintenance in-spection after each day of off-
road driving that has taken youthrough rough terrain, sand, mud,
or water. For scheduled mainte- nance information, refer to the
separate Owner's Manual Sup-plement/Maintenance Scheduleº.

134
Never tow a trailer without using a
safety chain securely attached to
both the trailer and the vehicle. If
damage occurs to the coupling
unit or hitch ball, there is danger of
the trailer wandering over into
another lane.
TIRES Ensure that your vehicle's tires are
properly inflated.
The trailer tires should be inflated to
the pressure recommended by the
trailer manufacturer in respect to the
total trailer weight.
TRAILER LIGHTS Trailer lights must comply with federal,
state/provincial and local regulations. See your local recreational vehicle
dealer or rental agency for the correct type of wiring and relays for your trail-
er. Check for correct operation of the
turn signals and stop lights each time
you hitch up. Direct splicing may dam-
age your vehicle's electrical system
and cause a malfunction of your lights. BREAK-IN SCHEDULE
Toyota recommends that you do not
tow a trailer with a new vehicle or a ve-
hicle with any new power train compo-
nent (engine, transmission, differen- tial, wheel bearing, etc.) for the first
800 km (500 miles) of driving.
MAINTENANCE If you tow a trailer, your vehicle will re-
quire more frequent maintenance due
to the additional load. For this informa-
tion, please refer to the scheduled
maintenance information in the Own-
er 's Manual Supplement/Maintenance Scheduleº.
Retighten all fixing bolts of the towing
ball and bracket after approximately
1000 km (600 miles) of trailer driving.
PRE-T OWING SAFETY CHECK Check that your vehicle remains level
when a loaded or unloaded trailer is
hitched. Do not drive if the vehicle has
an abnormal nose-up or nose-down
condition, and check for improper
tongue load, overload, worn suspen-
sion or other possible causes.
Make sure the trailer cargo is securely
loaded so that it cannot shift.
Check that your rear view mirrors con-
form to any applicable federal, state/
provincial or local regulation. If not,
install the rear view mirrors required
for towing purpose.
TRAILER TOWING TIPS
When towing a trailer, your vehicle will
handle differently than when not tow- ing. The three main causes of vehicle
trailer accidents are driver error, ex-
cessive speed and improper trailer
loading. Keep these in mind when tow-
ing: Before starting out, check operation of
the lights and all vehicle-trailer con-
nections. After driving a short dis-
tance, stop and recheck the lights and
connections. Before actually towing a
trailer, practice turning, stopping and
backing with a trailer in an area away
from traffic until you learn the feel.

137

Avoid engine lug or overrevving.
Use a gear position suitable for the
road on which you are travelling.
Avoid continuous speeding up and
slowing down. Stop-and-go driving
wastes fuel.
Avoid unnecessary stopping andbraking. Maintain a steady pace. Try
to time the traffic signals so you only
need to stop as little as possible or take
advantage of through streets to avoid
traffic lights. Keep a proper distance
from other vehicles to avoid sudden braking. This will also reduce wear on your brakes.
Avoid heavy traffic or traffic jams
whenever possible.
Do not rest your foot on the clutch
or brake pedal. This causes needless
wear, overheating and poor fuel econ-
omy.
Maintain a moderate speed on highways. The faster you drive, the
greater the fuel consumption. By re-
ducing your speed, you will cut down
on fuel consumption.
Keep the front wheels in properalignment. Avoid hitting the curb and
slow down on rough roads. Improper
alignment not only causes faster tire
wear but also puts an extra load on the
engine, which, in turn, wastes fuel.
Keep the bottom of your vehicle
free from mud, etc. This not only
lessens weight but also helps prevent corrosion.
Keep your vehicle tuned-up and in
top shape. A dirty air cleaner, improp-
er valve clearance, dirty plugs, dirty oil
and grease, brakes not adjusted, etc.
all lower engine performance and con-
tribute to poor fuel economy. For lon-
ger life of all parts and lower operating
costs, keep all maintenance work on
schedule, and if you often drive under severe conditions, see that your ve-
hicle receives more frequent mainte-
nance (For scheduled maintenance in-
formation, please refer to the separate
Owner 's Manual Supplement/Main-
tenance Scheduleº).
CAUTION
Never turn off the engine to coast
down hills. Your power steering and
brake booster will not function with-
out the engine running. Also, the
emission control system operates
properly only when the engine is run-
ning.!

Part 6Maintenance requirements
167
VEHICLE
MAINTENANCE ANDCARE
Maintenance requirements
General maintenance
Does your vehicle need repairing?
For scheduled maintenance infor-
mation, please refer to the sep-
arate Owner's Manual Supple-ment/Maintenance Scheduleº.
Your Toyota vehicle has been designed to
for fewer maintenance requirements with longer service intervals to save both your
time and money. However, each regular
maintenance, as well as day-to-day
care, is more important than ever before
to ensure smooth, and trouble-free, safe,
and economical drivings.
It is the owner's responsibility to make sure
the specified maintenance, including
general maintenance service, is per-
formed. Note that both the new vehicle
and emission control system warranties
specify that proper maintenance and care
must be performed. See Owner's Guide,
Owner 's Manual Supplement or W arranty
Booklet for complete warranty informa- tion.
General maintenance General maintenance items are those
day-to-day care practices that are impor-
tant to your vehicle for proper operation.
It is the owner's responsibility to ensure
that the general maintenance items are
performed regularly.
These checks or inspections can be done
either by yourself or a qualified technician,
or if you prefer, your Toyota dealer will be
pleased to do them at a nominal cost. Scheduled maintenance
The scheduled maintenance items listed
in the Owner's Manual Supplement/
Maintenance Scheduleº are those re-
quired to be serviced at regular intervals.
For details of your maintenance Sched-
ule, read the separate ºOwner's Manual
Supplement/Maintenance Scheduleº.
It is recommended that any replace-
ment parts used for maintenance or
for the repair of the emission control
system be Toyota supplied.
The owner may elect to use non-Toyo- ta supplied parts for replacement pur-
poses without invalidating the emis-
sion
control system warranty. Howev-
er, use of replacement parts which are
not of equivalent quality may impair
the effectiveness of the emission con-
trol systems.
You may also elect to have mainte-
nance, replacement, or repair of the
emission control devices and system
performed by any automotive repair
establishment or individual without
invalidating this warranty. See Own-
er's Guide, Owner's Manual Supple-
ment or Warranty Booklet for complete
warranty information.