1998 TOYOTA 4RUNNER automatic transmission

4RUNNER (1998)
5VZ- FE engine.....58 km/h (36
mph) Vehicles with cruise control'When the
cruise control is being used, even if
you downshift the transmission by
turning off the overdrive switch, en-
gine braking is not applied because
the cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle
speed, see ºCruise controlº in this
chapter.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on
a slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
(c) Using 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 ve-
hicle 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 tokeep engine rpm from goinginto the red zone. The approxi-
mate maximum allowable speedfor each position is given belowfor your reference:
º2º
..........120 km/h (74 mph)
ºLº
.......... 65 km/h (40 mph)
Do not continue hill climbing or hard towing for a long time inthe º2º or ºLº position. This
may cause severe automatictransmission damage from over-heating. To prevent such dam-
age, ºDº position should beused in hill climbing or hardtowing.
(d) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the selector
lever to the ºRº position.

4RUNNER (1998)
Lock release button
To prevent misshifting
Parking, engine starting and key removal position Reverse position Neutral position Normal driving position Position for engine braking Position for stronger engine braking than that in º2º posi- tion
With the brake pedal depressed, shift while holding the lock release button in. (The ignition switch must be in ºONºposition.) Shift while holding the lock release button in. Shifting normally Overdrive switch
For selecting either a three-speed or four-speed transmission
ºONº position(Shifting into overdrive pos-sible) ºOFFº position (Shifting into overdrive notpossible)ºO/D OFFº indicator light shows the over- drive switch is inOFF position
Driving pattern selector button For selecting a driving pattern suited to existing driving conditions
ºNORMº (Normal)mode for general driving conditioning ºPWRº (Power) mode for power- ful accelerationºPWRº mode indicator light on the instrument panel shows the driving pattern selector button isin the ºPWRº mode
Vehicles with cruise control ' When the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift the trans mission by turning
off the overdrive switch, engine braking will not be applied because the cruise control is not cancelled. For ways to
decrease the vehicle speed, see ºCruise controlº in this chapter. Automatic transmission
Four- wheel drive control

4RUNNER (1998)
Your automatic transmission has a
shift lock system to minimize the pos-
sibility of incorrect operation. This
means you can only shift out of ºPº
position when the brake pedal is de-
pressed (with the ignition switch in
ºONº position and the lock release
button depressed).
(a) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in
ºHow to start the engineº in Part 3.
The transmission must be in ºPº or
ºNº.
When the front drive control lever is
in ºL4º (low- speed position, four-
wheel drive), the driving pattern selec-
tor setting has no effect on gear shift
timing. (See ºFour- wheel drive sys-
temº in this Chapter for information of
the front drive control lever.)
2. With your foot holding down the
brake pedal, shift the selector lever to
ºDº.
In ºDº position, the automatic trans-
mission system will select the most
suitable gear for running conditions
such as normal cruising, hill climbing,
hard towing, etc. Always turn the overdrive switch on
for better fuel economy and quieter
driving. If the engine coolant tempera-
ture is low or when the front drive
control lever is in ºL4º (low- speed
position, four- wheel drive), the trans-
mission will not shift into
the overdrive gear even with the over-
drive switch on. (See ºFour- wheel
drive systemº in this Chapter for in-
formation of the front drive control le-
ver.)
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accel-
erator pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and
brake pedal. Depress the accelerator
pedal slowly for smooth starting.
(b) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can down-
shift the transmission as follows:
Turn off the overdrive switch. The
ºO/D OFFº indicator light will come
on and the transmission will down-
shift to the third gear.
Shift into the º2º position. The
transmission will downshift to the
second gear when the vehicle
speed drops down to or lower than
the following speed, and more pow-
erful engine braking will be ob-
tained.
Front drive control lever in ºH2º or
ºH4º
3RZ- FE engine.....105 km/h (65
mph)
5VZ- FE engine.....114 km/h (70
mph)
Front drive control lever in ºL4º
3RZ- FE engine.....38 km/h (23
mph)
5VZ- FE engine.....41 km/h (25
mph)
Shift into the ºLº position. The
transmission will downshift to the
first gear when the vehicle speed
drops down to or lower than the
following speed, and maximum en-
gine braking will be applied.
Front drive control lever in ºH2º or
ºH4º
3RZ- FE engine.....51 km/h (31
mph)
5VZ- FE engine.....55 km/h (34
mph)

4RUNNER (1998)
Front drive control lever in ºL4º 3RZ- FE engine.....11 km/h (6
mph)
5VZ- FE engine.....12 km/h (7
mph) Vehicles with cruise control
'When the
cruise control is being used, even if
you downshift the transmission by
turning off the overdrive switch, en-
gine braking is not applied because
the cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle
speed, see Cruise control in this
chapter.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on
a slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
(c) Using the º2º and ºLº, posi-
tions
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 ve-
hicle 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.

4RUNNER (1998)
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the
engine. Watch the tachometer tokeep engine rpm from goinginto the red zone. The approxi-
mate maximum allowable speedfor each position is given abovefor your reference:
Front drive control lever inºH2º or ºH4º
3RZ- FE engine º2º.....................111km/h (68
mph)
ºLº...................... 60km/h (37
mph)
5VZ- FE engine º2º.....................1 18km/h (73
mph)
ºLº...................... 64km/h (40
mph)
Front drive control lever in ºL4º
3RZ- FE engine º2º...................... 43km/h (26
mph) ºLº...................... 23km/h (14
mph)
5VZ- FE engine º2º...................... 46km/h (28
mph)
ºLº...................... 25km/h (15
mph)
Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time inthe º2º or ºLº position. Thismay cause severe automatic
transmission damage from over-heating. To prevent such dam-age, ºDº position should be
used in hill climbing or hardtowing.
(d) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the selector
lever to the ºRº position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the
vehicle is moving.
(e) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Pull the parking brake lever fully to securely apply the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down, shift the selector lever to
the ºPº position.

4RUNNER (1998)
SETTING AT A DESIRED SPEED
On vehicles with automatic transmis-
sion, the transmission must be in ºDº
before you set the cruise control
speed.
Bring your vehicle to the desired
speed, push the lever down in the
ºSET/COASTº direction and release it.
This sets the vehicle at that speed. If
the speed is not satisfactory, tap the
lever up for a faster speed, or tap it
down for a slower speed. Each tap
changes the set speed by 1.6 km/h
(1.0 mph). You can now take your foot
off the accelerator pedal. If you need accelerationÐfor example,
when passingÐdepress the accelera-
tor pedal enough for the vehicle to
exceed the set speed. When you re-
lease it, the vehicle will return to the
speed set prior to the acceleration.
CAUTION
For manual transmission:
While driving with the cruise con-
trol on, do not shift to neutral
without depressing the clutch
pedal, as this may cause engine
racing or overrevving.
CANCELLING THE PRESET SPEED
You can cancel the preset speed by:a. Pulling the lever in the ºCANCELº
direction and releasing it.
b. Depressing the brake pedal.
c. Depressing the clutch pedal (manu- al transmission).
If the vehicle speed falls below about
40 km/h (25 mph), the preset speed
will automatically cancel out.
If the vehicle speed drops 16 km/h
(10 mph) below the preset speed, the
preset speed will also automatically
cancel out.

4RUNNER (1998)
To crank the engine without de-
pressing the clutch pedal, push the
switch with the ignition on.
The switch stays on as long as the
ignition is on. And it will automatically
turn off when the ignition is off.
This switch cancels the clutch start
system, which is desi gned to keep the
starter motor from operating if the
clutch pedal is not depressed all the
way down.
The switch allows the vehicle to be
driven out of difficult situations by
cranking the engine with the clutch engaged. Never use the switch for normal en-
gine starting. Be sure to follow the
starting procedure instructed in ºHow
to start the engineº in Part 3.
Clutch start cancel switch
(four- wheel drive models wi
manual transmission)

4RUNNER (1998)
Part 3
STARTING AND
DRIVING
Before starting the engine
How to start the engine
Tips for driving in various
conditions
Off- road driving precautions
Winter driving tips
Tr ailer towing
How to save fuel and make
your
vehicle last longer, too
Before starting the engine
1. Check the area around the vehicle before entering it.
2. Adjust seat position, seatback angle, seat cushion angle, head re-
straint height and steering wheel
angle.
3. Adjust inside and outside rear view mirrors.
4. Lock all doors.
5. Fasten seat belts. 1. Apply the parking brake firmly.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and ac-
cessories.
3. Manual transmission: Press the
clutch pedal to the floor and shift
the transmission into neutral. Hold
the clutch pedal to the floor until
the engine is started. A starter
safety device will prevent the start-
er from operating if the clutch ped-
al is not fully depressed.
Automatic transmission: Put the
selector lever in ºPº. If you need to
restart the engine while the vehicle
is moving, put the selector lever in
ºNº. A starter safety device will pre-
vent the starter from operating if the
selector lever is in any drive position.
4. Automatic transmission only: De-
press the brake pedal and hold it
to the floor until driving off.
How to start the engineÐ
(a) Before cranking