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)
CAUTION
While the vehicle is moving, nev-
er attempt to move the selector
lever into ºPº position under any
circumstances. Serious mechani-
cal damage and loss of vehicle
control may result.
(f) Good driving practice
If the transmission is repeatedly
upshifted and downshifted between
third gear and overdrive when
climbing a gentle slope, the over-
drive switch should be turned off.
Be sure to turn the switch on im-
mediately afterward.
When towing a trailer, in order to
maintain engine braking efficiency,
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 pe-dal. It can cause the transmissionto overheat. Always use the brake
pedal or parking brake.
(g) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
CAUTION
To rock your vehicle if it becomes
stuck in snow, mud, sand, etc.,
first check that there are no ob-
jects or people around the ve-
hicle. During the rocking opera-
tion the vehicle may suddenly
move forward or backward as it
becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people or
objects.
NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe
the following precautions to pre-vent damage to the transmissionand other parts.
Do not depress the accelerator
pedal while shifting the selectorlever or before the transmissionis completely shifted to forward
or reverse gear.
Do not race the engine andavoid spinning the wheels.
If your vehicle remains stuck af-ter rocking the vehicle several
times, consider other ways suchas towing.
(h) Driving in ºPWRº(Power) mode
In the ºPWRº mode, the transmission
is shifted up and down at a higher
vehicle speed than in the
ºNORMº(Normal) mode and a more
powerful acceleration is achieved. To
set the ºPWRº mode, push in the driv-
ing pattern selector button. The ºPWRº
mode indicator light comes on.
For ordinary driving, Toyota recom-
mends using the ºNORMº mode to im-
prove fuel economy.
4RUNNER (1998)
Upshifting gear km/h (mph)
1 to 2 24 (15)
2 to 3 40 (25)/58 (36) *
3 to 4 64 (40)/72 (45) *
4 to 5 72 (45)/85 (53) *
Downshifting gear km/h (mph)
2 to 1 24 (15)
3 to 2 40 (25)
4 to 3 64 (40)
5 to 4 72 (45)
* : Applicable under heavy acceleration
conditions.
5VZ- FE engine gear km/h (mph)
1 to 2 or 2 to 1 24 (15)
2 to 3 or 3 to 2 40 (25)
3 to 4 or 4 to 3 64 (40)
4 to 5 or 5 to 4 72 (45) Downshift to the appropriate gear if
acceleration is needed when you are
cruising below the above downshifting
speeds.
Upshifting too soon or downshifting
too late will cause lugging and, possi-
bly, pinging. Regularly revving the en-
gine to maximum speed in each gear
will cause excessive engine wear and
high fuel consumption.
Maximum allowable speeds
To get on a highway or to pass slow-
er traffic, maximum acceleration may
be necessary. Make sure you observe
the following maximum allowable
speeds in each gear:
Two- wheel drive models
gear km/h (mph)1 48 ( 29)
2 90 ( 55)
3 139 ( 86)
4 165 (102)
Four- wheel drive models
3RZ- FE engine gear km/h (mph)
ºH2º and ºH4º ºL4º1 45 ( 28) 17 (11)
2 84 ( 52) 32 (20)
3 130 ( 81) 50 (31)
4 165 (102) 64 (39) 5VZ- FE engine
gear km/h (mph)
ºH2º and ºH4º ºL4º
1 48 ( 29) 18 (11)
2 89 ( 55) 34 (21)
3 127 ( 79) 49 (31)
4 165 (102) 64 (39)
NOTICE
Do not downshift if you are going
faster than the maximum allow-able speed for the next lowergear.