1998 Lexus ES300 engine

STARTING AND DRIVING
138
Correct use of the automatic transmission is explained in the following
parts.
(a) Normal driving
(b) Using engine braking
(c) Using the º2º and ºLº positions
(d) Backing up
(e) Parking
(f) Good driving practice
(g) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
(h) If you cannot shift the selector lever out of ºPº position
(a) Normal driving
31E006

1
ºPº (Park) position 2ºNº (Neutral) position
1. Start the engine as instructed in ºHow to start the engineº on page 136.
The transmission must be in ºPº or ºNº. The engine will not st\
art in ºRº, º2º,
ºLº or ºDº position even if the ignition key is turned to ºSTARTº.

STARTING AND DRIVING139
31E007±1

1On 2Off
2. Set the overdrive switch to the ON position.
Always set the overdrive switch to the ON position to improve fuel economy
and quiet driving. (See º(b) Using engine brakingº and º(f)\
Good driving
practiceº for exceptions.)
31E008

1 Brake pedal 2ºDº (Drive) position
3. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever
to ºDº.
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelerator pedal while shifting.
4. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress the accelerator
pedal slowly for smooth starting.
The vehicle will start in the first gear and automatically shift to the mos\
t
suitable gear for the running conditions, such as the vehicle speed, hill
climbing, hard towing, etc. However, while the engine coolant temperature
is low and the vehicle is traveling at low speed, the transmission will no\
t shift
into the overdrive gear even with the overdrive switch on.

STARTING AND DRIVING
140
In ºDº position, the automatic transmission system will select the most
suitable
gear for the running conditions such as hill climbing, hard towing, etc.\
If you need to accelerate rapidly while driving, push the accelerator pe\
dal all
the way to the floor. The transmission will automatically downshift to the
third, second or first gear, according to the vehicle speed.
If engine braking is needed, such as in descending a long hill, see º(\
b) Using
engine brakingº.
(b) Using engine braking
31E009±2
To use the braking power of the engine, downshift the transmission in the way
described below:
1 Turn off the overdrive switch. (This is effective only when you are
driving in the ºDº position.) The ºO/D OFFº indicator light in th\
e
instrument cluster will come on and the transmission will downshift to
the third gear and engine braking will be obtained.
When the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift the
transmission by t urning off the overdrive switch, engine braking will not
be applied because the cruise control is not cancelled. If you need to
decrease the vehicle speed, see page 146.
2 Shift into the º2º position. The transmission will downshift to t\
he
second gear when the vehicle speed is lower than 122 km/h (76 mph) and
more powerful engine braking will be obtained.

STARTING AND DRIVING141
3Shift into the ºLº position. The transmission will downshift to t\
he first
gear when the vehicle speed is lower than 55 km/h (34 mph) and
maximum engine braking will be applied.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a slippery surface. The
abrupt change in engine speed could cause the vehicle to spin
or skid.
(c) Using the º2º and ºLº positions
The º2º and ºLº positions are used for strong engine braking\
as described
previously.
With the selector lever in º2º or ºLº, you can start the vehicle\
in motion as with
the lever in ºDº.
With the selector lever in º2º, the vehicle will start in the first\
gear and
automatically shift to the second gear.
With the selector lever in ºLº, the transmission is engaged in the \
first gear.
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the engine. Watch the tachometer to keep
engine rpm from going into the red zone. The approximate maximum
allowable speed for each position is given above for your reference.
º2º 128 km/h (80 mph) . . . .
ºLº 70 km/h (43 mph) . . .
 Do not continue hill climbing or hard towing for a long time in the º2º
or ºLº position. This may cause severe automatic transmission
damage from overheating. To prevent such damage, ºDº position
should be used in hill climbing or hard towing.

STARTING AND DRIVING143
(f) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly upshifts and downshifts between the third\
and overdrive gears when climbing a gentle slope, turn off the overdrive
switch. Be sure to turn the switch on immediately after climbing the slope.
 When towing a trailer, in order to maintain efficient engine braking and
electrical charging performance, do not use overdrive.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal while stopped with
the engine running. This prevents the vehicle from creeping.
NOTICE
Do not hold the vehicle on an upgrade with the accelerator pedal. This
can cause the transmission to overheat. Always use the brake pedal or
parking brake.
(g) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
CAUTION
If your vehicle becomes stuck in snow, mud, sand, etc., then
you may attempt to rock the vehicle free by moving it forward
and backward. Do not attempt this procedure if people or
objects are anywhere near the vehicle. During the rocking
operation the vehicle may suddenly move forward or back as
it becomes un±stuck, causing injury or damage to nearby
people or objects.
NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe the following precautions to prevent
damage to the transmission and other parts.
Do not depress the accelerator pedal while shifting the selector lever
or before the transmission is completely shifted to forward or reverse
gear.
 Do not race the engine and avoid spinning the wheels.
 If your vehicle remains stuck after rocking the vehicle several times,
consider other ways such as towing.
(h) If you cannot shift the selector lever out of ºPº
position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from ºPº position even though\
the brake
pedal is depressed, use the shift lock override button. For instructions, se\
e ºIf
you cannot shift automatic transmission selector leverº on page 177.

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144
CRUISE CONTROL
The cruise control allows you to cruise the vehicle at a desired speed over
40 km/h (25 mph) with your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained although a slight speed change may
occur when driving up or down a gradient, within the limits of engine
performance. On steeper hills, a great speed change will occur so it is better
to drive without the cruise control.
CAUTION
To help maintain maximum control of your vehicle, do not
use the cruise control when driving in heavy or varying
traffic, or on slippery (rainy, icy or snow±covered) or
winding roads.
 Avoid vehicle speed increases when driving downhill. If the
vehicle speed is too fast in relation to the cruise control set
speed, cancel the cruise control then downshift the
transmission to use engine braking to slow down.
Turning on the system
31L013
To operate the cruise control, push the main switch. This turns the syste\
m on.
The indicator light in the instrument cluster shows that you can now set yo\
ur
desired cruising speed. Another push on the switch will turn the system
completely off.
When the ignition key is turned off, the main switch is also automatically
turned off. To use the cruise control again, push the main switch again to turn
it on.
CAUTION
To avoid accidental cruise control engagement, keep the main
switch off when not using the cruise control.

STARTING AND DRIVING
146
Resetting to a slower speed
Press the control lever downward in the ºSET/COASTº direction and hold \
it.
Release the lever when the desired speed is attained. While the lever is held
downward, the vehicle speed will gradually decrease.
When the difference between the actual vehicle speed and the set speed is less
than 5 km/h (3 mph), the set speed can be lowered 1.6 km/h (1 mph) e\
ach time
by pressing the control lever downward in the ºSET/COASTº direction
quickly.
However, a quicker way to reset is to depress the brake pedal and then press
the control lever downward in the ºSET/COASTº direction.
Even if you turn off the overdrive switch with the cruise control on, engine
braking will not be applied because the cruise control is not cancelled. To
decrease the vehicle speed, reset to a slower speed with the cruise control lever\
or depress the brake pedal. If you use the brake pedal, cruise control \
is
cancelled.
Resuming the preset speed
If the preset speed is cancelled by pulling the control lever or by depr\
essing
the brake pedal, pushing the lever up in the ºRES/ACCº direction will\
restore
the speed set prior to cancellation. However, once the vehicle speed falls
below about 40 km/h (25 mph), the preset speed will not be resumed.
Cruise control failure warning
If the ºCRUISEº indicator light in the instrument cluster flashes fi\
ve times and
then goes out when using the cruise control, it means that there is trouble in
the cruise control system. Contact your Lexus dealer.
ELECTRONIC MODULATED SUSPENSION
This electronic modulated suspension adjusts the damping effect on the
shock absorbers with the control switch. Select one of the 4 modes which
is suited to the driving conditions with the control switch to provide good
riding comfort and stability.
31E012±2
1 For sporty type driving such as on winding mountain roads and high
speed driving
2For moderate high speed driving
3For ordinary driving such as in the city traffic
4For driving on a bumpy road

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148
BRAKE SYSTEM
The tandem master cylinder brake system is a hydraulic system with two
separate sub±systems. If either sub±system should fail, the other will still
work. However, 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 t\
wo
stops but no more!
CAUTION
Do not pump the brake pedal if the engine stalls. Each push
on the pedal uses up your vacuum reserve.
 Even if the power assist is completely lost, the brakes will
still work. But you will have to push the pedal hard ± much
harder than normal. And your braking distance will be
longer.
Anti±lock brake system
The anti±lock brake system is designed to automatically help prevent
lock±up of the wheels during a sudden brake or braking on slippery road
surfaces. This assists in providing directional stability and steering
performance of the vehicle under these circumstances.
The anti±lock brake system becomes operative 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 approximately 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.
Effective way to press the ABS 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 f\
or you, just
hold the brake pedal down more firmly. Do not pump the brake. This will
result in reduced braking performance.
The brake pedal pulsation caused by the anti±lock brake system may indic\
ate
hazardous road surface conditions. Although the anti±lock brake system
assists in providing vehicle control, it is still important to drive with all due
care, because the anti±lock brake system cannot overcome the laws of physic\
s
that act on your vehicle:
 Braking capability is dependent on tire friction with the road surface.