1998 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Owners Manual

4RUNNER (1998)
If the floor mat has a hole, then it is
designed for use with a locking clip.
Fix the floor mat and locking clip into
the hole in the floor carpet.
CAUTION
Make sure the floor mat is prop-
erly placed on the floor carpet. If
the floor mat slips and interferes
with the movement of the pedals
during driving, it may cause an
accident.

4RUNNER (1998)
Part 2
INFORMATION
BEFORE DRIVING
YOUR TOYOTA
Off- road vehicle precautions
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 identification
Theft prevention labels
Suspension and chassis
Types of tires
InformationOff- road vehicle precaution

4RUNNER (1998)
This vehicle is one of the class of
vehicles which have higher ground
clearance and narrower tread in
relation to the height of their center
of gravity to make them capable of
performing in a wide variety of off-
road applications. Specific design
characteristics give it a higher cen-
ter of gravity than ordinary cars. An
advantage of the higher ground
clearance is a better view of the
road allowing you to anticipate
problems. It is not designed for
cornering at the same speeds as
conventional two- wheel drive ve-
hicles any more than low- slung
sports cars are designed to perform
satisfactorily under off- road condi-
tions.

4RUNNER (1998)
CAUTION
Always observe the following pre-
cautions to minimize the risk of
serious personal injury or damage
to your vehicle: Avoid sharp turns or abrupt ma-
neuvers, if at all possible. As
with other vehicles of this type,
failure to operate this vehicle
correctly may result in loss of
control or vehicle rollover.
Avoid loading any items on the
roof that will make the center
of gravity even higher.
Always slow down in gusty
crosswinds. Because of its high
center of gravity, your vehicle
is more sensitive to side winds
than an ordinary passenger car.
Slowing down will allow you to
have much better control.
Do not drive horizontally across
steep slopes. Driving straight
up or straight down is pre-
ferred. Your vehicle (or any sim-
ilar off- road vehicle) can tip
over sideways much more easi-
ly than forward or backward.When driving off- road or in
rugged terrain, do not drive at
excessive speeds, jump the ve-
hicle, or strike objects, etc.
This may cause loss of control
or vehicle rollover. You are also
risking expensive damage to y-
our vehicle's suspension and
chassis.
Break- in period
Drive gently and avoid high speeds.
Your vehicle does not need an elabo-
rate break- in. But following a few sim-
ple 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
between 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 manu-
al transmission in a high gear.
Do not drive for a long time at any
single speed, either fast or slow.
Do not tow a trailer during the first
800km (500miles).

4RUNNER (1998)
Fuel
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 opening. The special nozzle on
pumps with unleaded fuel will fit it,
but the larger standard nozzle on
pumps with leaded gas will not.
At a minimum, the gasoline you use
should meet the specifications of
ASTM D4814 in the U.S.A. and CGSB
3.5- M93 in Canada.
NOTICE
Do not use leaded gasoline. Use of leaded gasoline will cause thethree- way catalytic converter to
lose its effectiveness and the
emission control system to func-tion improperly. Also, this can in-crease maintenance costs.
OCTANE RATING
Select Octane Rating 87 (Research
Octane Number 91) or higher.
Use of unleaded gasoline with an oc-
tane rating or research octane number
lower than stated above will cause
persistent heavy knocking. If it is se-
vere, this will lead to engine damage.
If your engine knocks...
If you detect heavy knocking even
when using the recommended fuel, or
if you hear steady knocking while
holding a steady speed on level
roads, consult your Toyota dealer.
However, now and then, you may no-
tice light knocking for a short time
while accelerating or driving up hills.
This is no need of concern.
GASOLINES CONTAINING DETER-
GENT ADDITIVES
Toyota recommends use of gaso-
lines that contain detergent addi-
tives to avoid build- up of engine
deposits.
For further details, ask your Toyota
dealer or a local gasoline retailer. IMPROVED GASOLINES
The American Automobile Manufac-
turers Association (AAMA) has de-
veloped a specification of improved
gasolines. The AAMA specification
offers optimal fuel information for
better vehicle performance and bet-
ter protection of your engine.
Toyota recommends the use of gaso-
lines that meet the AAMA specifica-
tion, if available, for improved drive-
ability and emission control system.
GASOLINES CONTAINING MTBE
Gasolines that contain MTBE (Meth-
yl Tertiary- Butyl Ether) are available
in the market. If you use a gasoline
mixed with MTBE, make certain that
it does not contain more than 15%
of MTBE.
If the use of gasolines containing
MTBE causes poor driveability and/or
poor fuel economy, you should discon-
tinue the use of fuels containingMTBE.

4RUNNER (1998)
GASOLINES CONTAINING MMT
Some gasolines contain an
octane- enhancing additive called
MMT (methylcyclopentadienyl
manganese tricarbonyl).
Toyota does not recommend the use
of gasolines that contain MMT. If fuels
containing MMT are used, your emis-
sion control system may be adversely
affected. The Malfunction Indicator
Lamp on the instrument cluster may
come on. If this happens, contact your
Toyota dealer for service.
GASOLINES CONTAINING ALCOHOL
If you use gasohol in your Toyota,
be sure that it is unleaded, has an
octane rating no lower than 87 and
does not contain more than 10%
ethanol.
Gasohol is a mixture of gasoline and
ethanol.
Toyota does not recommend the use
of gasolines containing methanol. If
you use gasoline containing methanol,
use only gasoline meeting the require-
ments above and also containing less
than 5% methanol with cosolvents and
corrosion inhibitors for methanol.NOTICE
Do not use gasohol other than
stated above. It will cause fuelsystem damage or vehicle per-formance problems.
If driveab ility problems occur
(poor hot starting, vaporizing, engine knock, etc.), discontinue
the use.
Take care not to spill gasoholduring refueling. Gasohol maycause paint damage.
FUEL TANK CAPACITY
70 L (18.5 gal., 15.4 Imp. gal.) Operation in foreign coun-
tries
If you plan to drive your Toyota in
another country...
First,
comply with the vehicle registra-
tion laws.Second, confirm the availability of the
correct fuel (unleaded and minimum
octane number).

4RUNNER (1998)
Three- way catalytic convert- er
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
materials away from the exhaust
pipe while the engine is run-
ning. The exhaust gas is very
hot.
Do not drive, idle or park your
vehicle over anything that might
burn easily such as grass,
leaves, paper or rags.

4RUNNER (1998)
NOTICE
A large amount of unburned
gases flowing into the three- waycatalytic converter may cause itto overheat and create a fire haz-
ard. To prevent this and otherdamage, observe the followingprecautions:
Use only unleaded gasoline.
Do not drive with an extremely
low fuel level; running out offuel could cause the engine to misfire, creating an excessive
load on the three- way catalyticconverter.
Do not allow the engine to runat idle speed for more than 20 minutes.
Avoid racing the engine.
Do not push- start or pull- start
your vehicle.
Do not turn off the ignitionwhile the vehicle is moving.
Keep your engine in good run-
ning order. Malfunctions in theengine electrical system, elec-tronic ignition system/distribu-
tor ignition system or fuel sys-tems could cause an extremelyhigh three- way catalytic con-
verter temperature.
If the engine becomes difficultto start or stalls frequently,
take your vehicle in for acheck- up as soon as possible.
Remember, your Toyota dealer
knows your vehicle and itsthree- way catalytic converter
system best.
To ensure that the three- waycatalytic converter and the en-
tire emission control system op-erate properly, your vehiclemust receive the periodic in-
spections required by the Toyo-ta Maintenance Schedule. For scheduled maintenance informa-
tion, refer to the separateºOwner 's Manual Supplement/Maintenance Scheduleº.
Engine exhaust cautions
CAUTION
Avoid inhaling the engine ex-
haust. It contains carbon mon-
oxide, which is a colorless and
odorless gas. It can cause un-
consciousness or even death.
Make sure the exhaust system
has no holes or loose connec-
tions. The system should be
checked from time to time. If
you hit something, or notice a
change in the sound of the ex-
haust, have the system checked
immediately.
Do not run the engine in a ga-
rage or enclosed area except
for the time needed to drive the
vehicle in or out. The exhaust
gases cannot escape, making
this a particularly dangerous
situation.
Do not remain for a long time
in a parked vehicle with the en-
gine running. If it is unavoid-
able, however, do so only in an
unconfined area and adjust the
heating or cooling system to
force outside air into the ve-
hicle.