1997 TOYOTA TERCEL catalytic converter

Part 2Break-in period Fuel
101
INFORMATION
BEFORE DRIVING
YOUR TOYOTA
Break-in period
Fuel
Operation in foreign countries
Three-way catalytic converter
Engine exhaust cautions
Facts about engine oil consumption
Twin ground electrode spark plugs
Brake system
Brake pad wear limit indicators
Luggage stowage precautions
Your Toyota's idenitification
Theft prevention labels
Suspension and chassis
Types of tires
Drive gently and avoid high speeds.
Your vehicle does not need an elaborate
break-in. But following a few simple tips
for the first 1600 km (1000 miles) can add
to the future economy and long life of your vehicle:
Do not drive over 88 km/h (55 mph).
Run the engine at moderate speed be- tween 2000 and 4000 rpm.
Avoid full-throttle starts.
Try to avoid hard stops during the first
300 km (200 miles).
Do not drive slowly with the manual
transmission in a high gear.
Do not drive for a long time at any
single speed, either fast or slow. FUEL TYPE
Your new vehicle must use only un-
leaded gasoline.
To help prevent gas station mixups, your
Toyota has a new smaller fuel tank open- ing.
The special nozzle on pumps with un-
leaded fuel will fit it, but the larger stan-
dard nozzle on pumps with leaded gas will
not.
Do not use leaded gasoline. Use of
leaded gasoline will cause the
three-way catalytic converter tolose its effectiveness and the emis- sion control system to function im-properly. Also, this can increase maintenance costs.
NOTICE
OCTANE NUMBER
Select Research Octane Number 91
(Octane Rating 87) or higher.
Use of unleaded fuel with an octane num- ber rating lower than stated above will
cause persistent heavy knocking. If se-
vere, this will lead to engine damage.

103
If you plan to drive your Toyota in
another country... First,
comply with the vehicle registration
laws. Second, confirm the availability of the
correct fuel (unleaded and minimum oc- tane number).
The three-way catalytic converter is
an emission control device installed in
the exhaust system.
The purpose is to reduce pollutants in the exhaust gas.
CAUTION!
Keep people and combustible ma- terials away from the exhaust pipe
while the engine is running. The ex-
haust gas is very hot.
Do not drive, idle or park your ve-
hicle over anything that might burn
easily such as grass, leaves, paper
or rags.
A large amount of unburned gases
flowing into the three-way catalytic
converter may cause it to overheatand create a fire hazard. To prevent this and other damage, observe thefollowing precautions:
Use only unleaded gasoline.
Do not drive with an extremely lowfuel level; running out of fuelcould cause the engine to misfire,
creating an excessive load on the
three-way catalytic converter.
Do not allow the engine to run atidle speed for more than 20 min-utes.
Avoid racing the engine.
Do not push-start or pull-start
your vehicle.
Do not turn off the ignition whilethe vehicle is moving.
NOTICE
Three-way catalytic converter
Operation in foreign countries

104
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 exhaust.
It contains carbon monoxide,
which is a colorless and odorless
gas. It can cause unconsciousness
or even death.
Make sure the exhaust system has
no holes or loose connections. 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 es-
cape, making this a paticularly dan-
gerous situation.
Do not remain for a long time in a
parked vehicle with the engine run-
ning. If it is unavoidable, however,
do so only in an unconfined areaand adjust the heating or cooling
system to force outside air into the vehicle.Keep the trunk lid closed while
driving. An open or unsealed trunk
lid may cause exhaust gases to be
drawn into the vehicle. If you must
drive with the trunk lid open to ac-
commodate a large object, close
the windows, open all the instru-
ment panel vents and have the
heating or cooling system deliver fresh air into the vehicle by turning
the fan to high speed with the air
intake control lever set at the out-side air position.
To allow proper operation of your
vehicle's ventilation system, keep
the inlet grilles in front of the wind-
shield clear of snow, leaves, or
other obstructions.
If you smell exhaust fumes in the
vehicle, drive with the windows
open and the trunk lid closed.
Have the cause immediately lo-cated and corrected.
Engine exhaust cautions

Part 4If your vehicle will not startÐ
(a) Simple checks
11 9
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
If your vehicle will not start
If your engine stalls while driving
If your vehicle overheats
If you have a flat tire
If your vehicle needs to be towed
If you cannot shift automatic
transmission selector lever
If you lose your keys
Before making these checks, make sure
you have followed the correct starting pro-
cedure given in How to start the engineº
in Part 3 and that you have sufficient fuel.
If the engine is not turning over or is
turning over too slowlyÐ
1. Check that the battery terminals are
tight and clean.
2. If the battery terminals are O.K., switch on the interior light.
3. If the light is out, dim or goes out when the starter is cranked, the battery is
discharged. You may try jump starting.
See (c) Jump startingº for further in- structions.
If the light is O.K., but the engine still will
not start, it needs adjustment or repair.
Call a Toyota dealer or qualified repair shop.
NOTICE
Do not pullÐ or push-start the vehicle. It may damage the vehicle
or cause a collision when theengine starts. Also the three-way catalytic converter may overheatand become a fire hazard.
If the engine turns over at its normal
speed but will not startÐ
1. Check that all the push-on connectors are tight. (For example, connections at the spark plugs, ignition coil and/or dis-
tributor)
2. If the connectors are O.K., the engine may be flooded because of repeated
cranking. See (b) Starting a flooded
engineº for further instructions.