1997 TOYOTA TERCEL tires

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.

111
Determine what kind of tires your
vehicle is originally equipped with.
1. Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed capability
tires best suited to highway driving under dry conditions. Since
summer tires do not have the same
traction performance as snow tires, sum-
mer tires are inadequate for driving on
snow-covered or icy roads. For driving on
snow-covered or icy roads, we recom-
mend using snow tires. If installing snow tires, be sure to replace all four tires.
2. All season tires
All season tires are designed to provide
better traction in snow and to be adequate
for driving in most winter conditions, as
well as for use all year round.
All season tires, however, do not have ad-
equate traction performance compared
with snow tires in heavy or loose snow.
Also, all season tires fall short in accelera-
tion and handling performance compared with summer tires in highway driving.
CAUTION!
Do not mix summer and all season
tires on your vehicle as this can cause dangerous handling char-
acteristics, resulting in loss of control.
Do not use tire other than the
manufacturer 's designated tires,
and never mix tires or wheels of
the sizes different from the origi- nals.
Types of tires

11 5
CAUTION
Before driving off, make sure that the parking brake if fully released
and the parking brake reminder
light is off.
Do not leave your vehicle unat- tended while the engine is run- ning.
Do not rest your foot on the brake
pedal while driving. It can cause
dangerous overheating, needless
wear, and poor fuel economy.
To drive down a long or steep hill, reduce your speed and downshift.
Remember, if you ride the brakes
excessively, they may overheat
and not work properly.
Be careful when accelerating, up-
shifting, downshifting or braking
on a slippery surface. Sudden ac-
celeration or engine braking,
could cause the vehicle to spin or skid.!
Do not drive in excess of the speed
limit. Even if the legal speed limit
permits it, do not drive over 140
km/h (85 mph) unless your vehicle
has high-speed capability tires.
Driving over 140 km/h (85 mph)
may result in tire failure, loss of
control and possible injury. Be sure to consult a tire dealer to de-
termine whether the tires on your
vehicle are high-speed capability tires or not before driving at suchspeeds.
Do not continue normal driving
when the brakes are wet. If they are
wet, your vehicle will require a lon-
ger stopping distance, and it may
pull to one side when the brakes
are applied. Also, the parking
brake will not hold the vehicle se-
curely. Make sure you have ethylene-glycol
antifreeze in the radiator.
Do not use alcohol type antifreeze.
NOTICE
Check the condition of the battery and cables. Cold temperatures reduce the capacity of
any battery, so it must be in top shape to provide enough power for winter starting.Chapter 7-3 tells you how to visually in-
spect the battery. Your Toyota dealer and
most service stations will be pleased tocheck the level of charge.
Make sure the engine oil viscosity is
suitable for the cold weather.
See Chapter 7-2 for recommended vis-
cosity.
Leaving a heavy summer oil in your
vehicle during winter months may cause
harder starting. If you are not sure about
which oil to use, call your Toyota dealer- he will be pleased to help. Keep the door locks from freezing. Squirt lock de-icer or glycerine into the
locks to keep them from freezing. To open
a frozen lock, try heating the key before in- serting it.
Winter driving tips

11 7
Getting
more kilometers/mileage from a li-
ter/gallon of fuel is easyÐjust take it easy.
It will help make your vehicle last longer,
too. Here are some specific tips on how to
save money on both fuel and repairs: Keep your tires inflated at the cor- rect pressure. Underinflation causes
tire wear and wastes fuel. See Chapter
7-2 for instructions.
Do not carry unneeded weight in
your vehicle. Excess weight puts a
heavier load on the engine, causing greater fuel consumption.
Avoid lenghty warm-up idling.
Once the engine is running smoothly,
begin driving-but gently. Remember,
however, that on cold winter days this
may take a little longer.
Accelerate slowly and smoothly.
Avoid jackrabbit starts. Get into high
gear as quickly as possible.
Avoid long engine idling. If you have
a long wait and you are not in traffic, it
is better to turn off the engine and start
again later.
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 and
braking. 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 recduce 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 onhighways. 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, it turn, wastes fuel.
Keep the bottom of your vehicle
free from mud, etc. This not only
lessens weight but also helps preventcorrosion.
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 schedule 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
without the engine running. Also,
the emission control system oper-
ates properly only when the engine
is running.!
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer, too

129
7. Remove the wheel nuts and changetires.
Lift the flat tire straight off and put it aside.
Roll the spare wheel into position and
align the holes in the wheel with the bolts.
Then lift up the wheel and get at least the top bolt started through its hole. Wiggle the tire and press it back over the other bolts.Before putting on wheels, remove any
corrosion on the mounting surfaces with a
wire brush or such. Installation of wheels
without good metal-to-metal contact at
the mounting surface can cause wheel
nuts to loosen and eventually cause a
wheel to come off while driving. Therefore
after the first 1600 km (1000 miles), check
to see that the wheel nuts are tight.8. Reinstall all the wheel nuts finger
tight.
Reinstall the wheel nuts (tapered end in-
ward) and tighten them as much as you
can by hand. Press back on the tire and see if you can tighten them more.
ÐReinstalling wheel nuts
ÐChanging wheels

143
Tire surface and wheel nuts Check the tires carefully
for cuts, damage
or excessive wear. See Chapter 7-2 for
additional information. When checking the tires, make sure no nuts are missing,
and check the nuts for looseness. T ighten
them if necessary.
Tire rotation
Rotate the tires every 12000 km (7500
miles). See Chapter 7-2 for additional in- formation.
Fluid leaks Check underneath for leaking fuel, oil, wa-
ter or other fluid after the vehicle has been
parked for a while. If you smell fuel fumes
or notice any leak, have the cause found
and corrected immediately. Doors and engine hood Check that all doors including trunk lid op-
erate smoothly and all latches lock se-
curely. M ake sure the engine hood secon-
dary latch secures the hood from opening
when the primary latch is released. INSIDE THE VEHICLE Items listed below should be checked
regularly, e.g. while performing peri-
odic services, cleaning the vehicle, etc. Lights Make sure the headlights, stop lights, tail lights, turn signal lights, and other lights are all working. Check headlight aim. Service reminder indicators and
warn-
ing buzzers Check that all service reminder indicators
and warning buzzers function properly. Steering wheel
Check that it has the specified freeplay.
Be alert for changes in steering condition,such as hard steering or strange noise. Seats Check that all front seat controls such as
seat adjusters, seatback recliner, etc. op- erate smoothly and that all latches lock
securely in any position. For folding-down
rear seat backs, check that the latches
lock securely. Seat belts
Check that the seat belt system such as
buckles, retractors and anchors operate
properly
and smoothly. Make sure the belt
webbing is not cut, frayed, worn or dam-aged. Accelerator pedal Check the pedal for smooth operation and
uneven pedal effort or catching. Clutch pedal Check the pedal for smooth operation. Brake pedalCheck the pedal for smooth operation and
that the pedal has the proper clearance. Check the brake booster function. Brakes
At a safe place, check that the brakes do not pull to one side when applied. Parking brake Check that the lever has the proper travel and that, on a safe incline, your vehicle is
held securely with only the parking brake applied.

Part 7Checking the engine oil level
155
DO-IT-YOURSELF MAINTENANCEÐ
Chapter 7-2 Engine and Chassis
Checking the engine oil level
Checking the engine coolant level
Checking brake fluid
Checking power steering fluid
Checking tire pressure
Checking and replacing tires
Rotating tires
Installing snow tires and chains
Replacing wheels
With the engine at operating tempera- ture and turned off, check the oil level
on the dipstick.
1. To get a true reading, the vehicle
should be on a level spot. After turning
off the engine, wait a few minutes for
the oil to drain back into the bottom of the engine.
2. Pull out the dipstick, and wipe it clean with a rag.
3. Reinsert the dipstick 'push it in as far
as it will go, or the reading will not be correct.
4. Pull the dipstick out and look at the oil level on the end. If the oil level is below or only slightly
above the low level, add engine oil of
the same type as already in the engine. Remove the oil filler cap and add engine
oil in small quantities at a time, checking the dipstick.
The approximate quantity of oil needed to fill between the low level and the full level
on the dipstick is indicated below for refer- ence.
When the level reaches within the correct range, install the filler cap hand-tight.
Oil quantity, L (qt., Imp. qt.):
1.3 (1.4, 1.1)

Avoid overfilling, or the engine could be damaged.
Check the oil level on the dipstick
once again after adding the oil.
NOTICE

159
c. Reinstall the filler cap.
d. Remove
the filler cap again and look at
the fluid level. If the fluid is cold, the level
should be in the COLDº range on the dip-
stick. Similarly, if it is hot, the fluid level
should be in the HOTº range. If the level
is at the low side of either range, add auto- matic transmission fluid DEXRON
II or III
to bring the level within the range.
e. After replacing the filler cap, visually check the steering box case, vane pump
and hose connections for leaks or dam-age.
CAUTION
The reservoir tank may be hot so be careful not to burn yourself.!
Avoid overfilling, or the power steering could be damaged.
NOTICE
Keep your tire pressures at the proper level.
The recommended cold tire pressures,
tire size and the vehicle capacity weight are given in Part 8. They are also on the tire pressure label as shown.
You should check the tire pressures every two weeks, or at least once a month. And
do not forget the spare!
Incorrect tire pressure can reduce tire
life and make your vehicle less safe todrive. Low tire pressure results in excessive
wear, poor handling, reduced fuel econo-
my, and the possibility of blowouts from
overheated tires. Also, low tire pressure
can cause poor sealing of the tread bead.
If the tire pressure is excessively low,
there is the possibility of wheel deforma- tion and/or tire separation.
High tire pressure produces a harsh ride,
handling problems, excessive wear at the center of the tire tread, and a greater
pos-
sibility of tire damage from road hazards.
If a tire frequently needs refilling, have it
checked by your Toyota dealer.
The following instructions for check-
ing tire pressure should be observed: The pressure should be checked
only when the tires are cold. If your
vehicle has been parked for at least 3 hours and has not been driven formore than 1.5 km or 1 mile since, you
will get an accurate cold tire pressure reading.
Always use a tire pressure gauge.
The appearance of a tire can be mis-
leading. Besides, tire pressure that
are even just a few pounds off can de-
grade handling and ride.
Checking tire pressure