1998 TOYOTA 4RUNNER steering

4RUNNER (1998)
When driving your vehicle off- road,
please observe the following precau-
tions to ensure your driving enjoyment
and to help prevent the closure of
areas to off- road vehicles.
a. Drive your vehicle only in areas
where off- road vehicles are permitted
to travel.
b. Respect private property. Get own-
er's permission before entering private
property.
c. Do not enter areas that are closed.
Honor gates, barriers and signs that
restrict travel.
d. Stay on established roads. When
conditions are wet, driving techniques
should be changed or travel delayed
to prevent damage to roads.
For owners in U.S. mainland, Hawaii
and Puerto Rico:
To obtain additional information per-
taining to driving your vehicle off-
road, consult the following organiza-
tions. State and Local Parks and Recre-
ation Departments
State Motor Vehicle Bureau
Recreational Vehicle Clubs
U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of
Land Management
CAUTION
Always observe the following pre-
cautions to minimize the risk of
serious personal injury or damage
to your vehicle: Drive carefully when off the
road. Do not take unnecessary
risks by driving in dangerous
places.
Do not grip the steering wheel
spokes when driving off- road. A
bad bump could jerk the wheel
and injure your hands. Keep
both hands and especially your
thumbs on the outside of the
rim.
Always check your brakes for
effectiveness immediately after
driving in sand, mud, water or
snow.
After driving through tall grass,
mud, rock, sand, rivers, etc.,
check that there is no grass,
bush, paper, rags, stone, sand,
etc. adhering or trapped on the
underbody. Clear off any such
matter from the underbody. If
the vehicle is used with these
materials trapped or adhering to
the underbody, a breakdown or
fire could occur.Off- road driving precaution

4RUNNER (1998)
Use a washer fluid containing an
antifreeze solution.
This product is available at your Toyo-
ta dealer and most auto parts stores.
Follow the manufacturer 's directions
for how much to mix with water.
NOTICE
Do not use engine antifreeze or any other substitute because itmay damage your vehicle's paint.
Do not use your parking brake
when there is a possibility it could
freeze.
When parking, put the transmission
into ºPº (automatic) or into first or
reverse (manual) and block the rear
wheels. Do not use the parking brake,
or snow or water accumulated in and
around the parking brake mechanism
may freeze, making it hard to release.
Keep ice and snow from accumulat-
ing under the fenders.
Ice and snow built up under your
fenders can make steering difficult.
During bad winter driving, stop and
check under the fenders occasionally. Depending on where you are driv-
ing, we recommend you carry some
emergency equipment.
Some of the things you might put in
the vehicle are tire chains, window
scraper, bag of sand or salt, flares,
small shovel, jumper cables, etc.
Trailer towing
Your vehicle is designed primarily as
a passenger- and- load- carrying ve-
hicle. Towing a trailer will have an
adverse effect on handling, perfor-
mance, braking, durability and driving
economy (fuel consumption, etc.).
Your safety and satisfaction depend
on the proper use of correct equip-
ment and cautious driving habits. For
your safety and the safety of others,
you must not overload your vehicle or
trailer. Ask your local Toyota dealer
for further details before towing.
WEIGHT LIMITS
Before towing, make sure the total
trailer weight, gross combination
weight, gross vehicle weight, gross
axle weight and trailer tongue load
are all within the limits.
The total trailer weight and tongue
load can be measured with platform
scales found at a highway weighing
station, building supply company,
trucking company, junk yard, etc.

4RUNNER (1998)
TRAILER TOWING TIPS
When towing a trailer, your vehicle
will handle differently than when
not towing. The three main causes
of vehicle- trailer accidents are driv-
er error, excessive speed and im-
proper trailer loading. Keep these in
mind when towing:
Before starting out, check operation
of the lights and all vehicle- trailer
connections. After driving a short
distance, stop and recheck the
lights and connections. Before ac-
tually towing a trailer, practice turn-
ing, stopping and backing with a
trailer in an area away from traffic
until you learn the feel.
Backing with a trailer is difficult
and requires practice. Grip the bot-
tom of the steering wheel and
move your hand to the left to move
the trailer to the left. Move your
hand to the right to move the trail-
er to the right. (This procedure is
generally opposite to that when
backing without a trailer). Also, just
turn the steering wheel a little at
a time, avoiding sharp or prolonged
turning. Have someone guide you
when backing to reduce the risk of
an accident.
Because stopping distance may be
increased, vehicle- to- vehicle dis-
tance should be increased when
towing a trailer. For each 16 km/h
(10 mph) of speed, allow at least
one vehicle and trailer length bet-
ween you and the vehicle ahead.
Avoid sudden braking as you may
skid, resulting in jackknifing and
loss of control. This is especially
true on wet or slippery surfaces.
Avoid jerky starts or sudden accel-
eration. If your vehicle has a
manual transmission, prevent ex-
cessive clutch slippage by keeping
engine rpm low and not racing the
engine. Always start out in first
gear.
Avoid jerky steering and sharp
turns. The trailer could hit your ve-
hicle in a tight turn. Slow down
before making a turn to avoid the
necessity of sudden braking.
Remember that when making a
turn, the trailer wheels will be clos-
er than the vehicle wheels to the
inside of the turn. Therefore, com-
pensate for this by making a larger
than normal turning radius with y-
our vehicle.
Crosswinds and rough roads will
adversely affect handling of your
vehicle and trailer, causing sway.
Pay attention to the rear from time
to time to prepare yourself for be-
ing passed by large trucks or
buses, which may cause your ve-
hicle and trailer to sway. If swaying
happens, firmly grip the steering
wheel and reduce speed immedi-
ately but gradually. Never increase
speed. Steer straight ahead. If you
make no extreme correction with
the steering or brakes, the vehicle
and trailer will stabilize.
Be careful when passing other ve-
hicles. Passing requires consider-
able distance. After passing a ve-
hicle, do not forget the length of
your trailer and be sure you have
plenty of room before changing
lanes.
In order to maintain engine braking
efficiency, do not use fifth gear
(manual transmission) or overdrive
(automatic transmission).

4RUNNER (1998)
Keep the bottom of your vehicle
free from mud, etc. This not only
lessens weight but also helps pre-
vent corrosion.
Keep your vehicle tuned- up and
in top shape. A dirty air cleaner,
improper valve clearance, dirty
plugs, dirty oil and grease, brakes
not adjusted, etc. all lower engine
performance and contribute to poor
fuel economy. For longer 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 vehicle receives more frequent
maintenance (For scheduled main-
tenance information, please refer to
the separate ºOwner 's Manual Sup-
plement/Maintenance Scheduleº).
CAUTION
Never turn off the engine to coast
down hills. Your power steering
and brake booster will not func-
tion without the engine running.
Also, the emission control system
operates properly only when the
engine is running.

4RUNNER (1998)
CAUTION
When making the connections, to
avoid serious injury, do not lean
over the battery or accidentally
let the jumper cables or clamps
touch anything except the correct
battery terminals or the ground.
5. Start your engine in the normal
way. After starting, run it at about
2000 rpm for several minutes with
the accelerator pedal lightly de-
pressed.
6. Carefully disconnect the cables in the exact reverse order: the nega-
tive cable and then the positive
cable.
7. Carefully dispose of the battery cover clothsÐthey may now con-
tain sulfuric acid.
8. If removed, replace all the battery vent plugs.
If the cause of your battery discharg-
ing is not apparent (for example,
lights left on), you should have it
checked. If your engine stalls while driving...
1. Reduce your speed gradually, keep- ing a straight line. Move cautiously
off the road to a safe place.
2. Turn on your emergency flashers.
3. Try starting the engine again.
If the engine will not start, see ºIf
your vehicle will not startº.
CAUTION
If the engine is not running, the
power assist for the brakes and
steering will not work so steering
and braking will be much harder
than usual.
If your vehicle overheats
If your engine coolant temperature
gauge indicates overheating, if you
experience a loss of power, or if
you hear a loud knocking or ping-
ing noise, the engine has probably
overheated. You should follow this
procedure... 1. Pull safely off the road, stop the vehicle and turn on your emergen-
cy flashers. Put the transmission in
ºPº (automatic) or neutral (manual)
and apply the parking brake. Turn
off the air conditioning if it is being
used.
2. If coolant or steam is boiling out of the radiator or reservoir, stop the
engine. Wait until the steam sub-
sides before opening the hood. If
there is no coolant boiling over or
steam, leave the engine running.
CAUTION
To help avoid personal injury,
keep the hood closed until there
is no steam. Escaping steam or
coolant is a sign of very high
pressure.
If your engine stalls while
driving

4RUNNER (1998)
Only when you cannot receive a
towing service from a Toyota dealer
or commercial tow truck service,
tow your vehicle carefully in accor-
dance with the instructions given in
ºÐEmergency towingº in this Part.
Proper equipment will help ensure that
your vehicle is not damaged while be-
ing towed. Commercial operators are
generally aware of the state/provincial
and local laws pertaining to towing.
Your vehicle can be damaged if it is
towed incorrectly. Although most oper-
ators know the correct procedure, it is
possible to make a mistake. To avoid
damage to your vehicle, make sure
the following few precautions are ob-
served. If necessary, show this page
to the tow truck driver. TOWING PRECAUTIONS:
Use a safety chain system for all tow-
ing, and abide by the state/provincial
and local laws. The wheels and axle
on the ground must be in good condi-
tion. If they are damaged, use a tow-
ing dolly.
Two- wheel drive modelsÐ
(a) Towing with wheel lift type
truck
From frontÐ Manual transmission:
We recommend using a towing dolly
under the rear wheels. If you do not
use a towing dolly, release the park-
ing brake and put the transmission
in neutral.
Automatic transmission:
Use a towing dolly under the rear
wheels.
NOTICE
Never tow a vehicle with an auto-
matic transmission from the frontwith the rear wheels on theground, as this may cause serious
damage to the transmission.
From rearÐ Place the ignition key in
the ºACCº position.
NOTICE
When lifting wheels, take care
to ensure adequate groundclearance for towing at the op-posite end of the raised vehicle.
Otherwise, the bumper and/orunderbody of the towed vehiclewill be damaged during towing.
Do not tow with the key re-moved or in the ºLOCKº posi-tion, as the steering lock mech-
anism is not strong enough tohold the front wheels straight
while towing.
(b) Using flat bed truck

4RUNNER (1998)
Four-wheel drive modelsÐ
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck From frontÐ
Manual transmission:
We recommend using a towing dol-
ly under the rear wheels. If you do
not use a towing dolly, release the
parking brake, put the transmission
in neutral and the transfer in ºH2º.
Automatic transmission:
Use a towing dolly under the rear
wheels.
NOTICE
Never tow a vehicle with an auto-
matic transmission from the frontwith the rear wheels on the
ground, as this may cause serious
damage to the transmission.
From rearÐ We recommend using a
towing dolly under the front wheels. If
you do not use a towing dolly, place
the ignition key in the ºACCº position,
put the transmission in neutral and the
transfer in ºH2º.
NOTICE
Do not tow with the key removed
or in the ºLOCKº position whentowing from the rear without atowing dolly. The steering lock
mechanism is not strong enoughto hold the front wheels straight.
(b) Using flat bed truck

4RUNNER (1998)
If towing is necessary, we recom-
mend you to have it done by your
Toyota dealer or a commercial tow
truck service.
If towing service is not available in
an emergency, your vehicle may be
temporarily towed by a cable or
chain secured to the emergency
towing hook. Use extreme caution
when towing vehicles.
A driver must be in the vehicle to
steer it and operate the brakes.
Towing in this manner may be done
only on hard- surfaced roads for a
short distance and at low speeds.
Also, the wheels, axles, drive train,
steering and brakes must all be in
good condition.
CAUTION
Use extreme caution when towing
vehicles. Avoid sudden starts or
erratic driving maneuvers which
would place excessive stress on
the emergency towing hook and
towing cable or chain. The hook
and towing cable or chain may
break and cause serious injury or damage.
NOTICE
Use only a cable or chain specifi-
cally intended for use in towingvehicles. Securely fasten the cableor chain to the towing hook pro-
vided.
Before towing, release the parking
brake and put the transmission in neu-
tral (manual) or ºNº (automatic) and
the transfer in ºH2º (four- wheel drive
models). The key must be in ºACCº
(engine off) or ºONº (engine running).