1998 Lexus LS400 automatic transmission

STARTING AND DRIVING
161 Correct use of the automatic transmission is explained in the
following parts.
(a) Normal driving
(b) Using engine braking
(c) Using the ”3”, ”2” and ”L” positions
(d) Backing up
(e) Parking
(f) Good driving practice
(g) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
(h) If you cannot shift the selector lever
(i) If the ”ECT PWR” indicator light flashes
(a) Normal driving
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1
”P” (Park) position 2
”N” (Neutral) position
1. Start the engine as instructed in ”How to start the engine” on
page 159.
The transmission must be in ”P” or ”N”. The engine will not start
in any drive position even if the ignition key is turned to ”START”.

STARTING AND DRIVING
163 5. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress the
accelerator pedal slowly for smooth starting.
In normal cruising, the vehicle will start in the first gear and
automatically shift up to the most suitable gear. On inclines, declines
or winding roads, etc., the vehicle shifts up and down automatically
according to the running conditions to obtain the suitable driving
power and engine braking.
In ”4” 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, depress the
accelerator pedal to the full throttle position. This provides more
acceleration by automatically downshifting the transmission to the
next lower gear or beyond, depending on the vehicle speed.
If engine braking is needed, such as in descending a long hill, see ”(b)
Using engine braking”.
(b) Using engine braking
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To use the braking power of the engine, downshift the transmission
in the way described below:
1
Shift into the ”4” position. The transmission will downshift to
the fourth gear and engine braking will be obtained.
When the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift
from ”D” to ”4”, engine braking will not be applied because the
cruise control is not cancelled. If you need to decrease the
vehicle speed, see page 170.
2
Shift into the ”3” position. The transmission will downshift to
the third gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes lower than
154 km/h (96 mph) and more powerful engine braking will be
obtained.

STARTING AND DRIVING
164
3
Shift into the ”2” position. The transmission will downshift to
the second gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes lower
than 104 km/h (65 mph) and more powerful engine braking
than that of ”3” position will be obtained.
4
Shift into the ”L” position. The transmission will downshift to
the first gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes lower than
18 km/h (11 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 ”3”, ”2” and ”L” positions
The ”3”, ”2” and ”L” positions are used for strong engine braking as
described previously.
With the selector lever in ”3”, ”2” or ”L”, you can start the vehicle
in motion as with the lever in ”D”.
With the selector lever in ”3” or ”2”, the vehicle will start in the first
gear and automatically shift to the third or second gear.
With the selector lever in ”L”, 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 below for your reference:
”3” 160 km/h (99 mph). . . .
”2” 104 km/h (65 mph). . . .
”L” 68 km/h (42 mph). . . .
Do not continue hill climbing or hard towing for a long time
in the ”3”, ”2” or ”L” position. This may cause severe
automatic transmission damage from overheating. To
prevent such damage, ”4” position should be used in hill
climbing or hard towing.

STARTING AND DRIVING
167
(h) If you cannot shift the selector lever
If you cannot shift the selector lever even though the brake pedal is
depressed, use the shift lock override button. For instructions, see
”If you cannot shift automatic transmission selector lever” on page
209.
(i) If the ”ECT PWR” indicator light flashes
If the ”ECT PWR” indicator light flashes, contact your Lexus dealer
as soon as possible. There may be trouble in the transmission
system.
ELECTRONIC THROTTLE
CONTROL SYSTEM
The electronic throttle control system always maintains
appropriate engine output in relation to the accelerator opening
in all driving conditions.
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1
Power mode 2
Normal mode 3
Snow mode
The electronic throttle control system has 3 modes: Normal,
Power and Snow modes.
Normal mode: For ordinary driving, Lexus recommends that you
use the normal mode to improve fuel economy.
Power mode: For more powerful acceleration and sporty driving.

STARTING AND DRIVING
168In the power mode, the ”ECT PWR” light in the instrument cluster
is on and the transmission is shifted up at higher vehicle speeds and
shifted down more responsively than is the normal mode.
To return to the normal mode, push the driving pattern selector
switch lightly on the ”SNOW” side.
Snow mode: For slippery road surfaces such as in snow. In this
mode, the spinning of the rear wheels is controlled appropriately.
When you push the driving pattern selector switch on the ”SNOW”
side, the snow mode is turned on and the ”ECT SNOW” light in the
instrument cluster comes on.
To return to the normal mode, push the driving pattern selector
switch on the ”SNOW” side again.
When you turn the ignition switch off in the snow mode, the mode
automatically changes to the normal mode.
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.
When the cruise control is on, the driving pattern of the automatic
transmission is fixed in the normal position, regardless of the
position of the selector switch.
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 snowcovered) 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.

STARTING AND DRIVING
169
Turning on the system
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To operate the cruise control, push the main switch. This turns the
system on. The indicator light in the instrument cluster shows that
you can now set your 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.
Setting at a desired speed
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The transmission must be in ”D” or ”4” before you set the cruise
control speed.
Bring the vehicle to the desired speed, press the control lever
downward in the ”SET/COAST” direction and release it. This sets
the vehicle at that speed. Now you may take your foot off the
accelerator pedal. If you need acceleration for example, when
passing depress the accelerator pedal enough for the vehicle to
exceed the set speed. When you release the accelerator pedal, the
vehicle will return to the speed set prior to the acceleration.
Cancelling the preset speed
You can cancel the preset speed by either of the following:
a. Pulling the control lever in the ”CANCEL” direction.
b. Depressing the brake pedal.

STARTING AND DRIVING
170If the vehicle speed falls below about 40 km/h (25 mph), the preset
speed will be automatically cancelled.
If the vehicle speed drops 16 km/h (10 mph) below the preset speed,
the preset speed will also automatically be cancelled.
If the preset speed automatically cancels out for other than these
reasons, have your vehicle checked by your Lexus dealer at the
earliest opportunity.
Resetting to a faster speed
Press the control lever upward in the ”RES/ACC” direction and hold
it. Release the lever when the desired speed is attained. While the
lever is held upward, the vehicle will gradually gain speed.
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 increased 1.6
km/h (1 mph) each time by pressing the control lever upward in the
”RES/ACC” direction quickly within 0.6 seconds.
However, a quicker way to reset is to accelerate the vehicle and then
press the control lever downward in the ”SET/COAST” direction.
Resetting to a slower speed
Press the control lever downward in the ”SET/COAST” 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) each time by pressing the control lever downward in
the ”SET/COAST” direction quickly within 0.6 seconds.
However, a quicker way to reset is to depress the brake pedal and
then press the control lever downward in the ”SET/COAST”
direction.
Even if you downshift the transmission from the ”D” position to ”4”
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
depressing the brake pedal, pushing the lever up in the ”RES/ACC”
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.

SECTION 4
192
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
If your engine stalls while driving 193. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If your vehicle will not start 193. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If your vehicle overheats 196. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If you have a flat tire 197. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If your vehicle needs to be towed 205. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If you cannot shift automatic transmission
selector lever 209. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If you lose your keys or lock yourself out 210. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .