1998 TOYOTA 4RUNNER four wheel drive

4RUNNER (1998)
*
1
: For details, see ºService reminder indicators and warning
buzzersº in Chapter 1-5.
* 2
: If this light flashes, see ºCruise controlº in Chapter 1-6.
Cruise control indicator light *
2
Driving pattern
(ºPOWERº
mode)
indicator
light
Four- wheel drive indicator light
Rear differential lock indicator light
Automatic transmission indicator light

4RUNNER (1998)
Part 1
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS
AND CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1- 6
Ignition switch,
Transmission
and Parking brake
Ignition switch with steering
lock
Automatic transmission
Manual transmission
Four- wheel drive system
Rear differential look system

P ar k ing br ak e
Cruise control
Clutch start cancel switch
Ignition switch with steering lock

4RUNNER (1998)
Lock release button
To prevent misshifting Parking, engine starting and key removal position Reverse position Neutral position Position for engine braking
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 Normal driving position Position for stronger engine braking than that in º2º posi- tion
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 acceleration
ºPWRº 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
Two- wheel drive models

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)
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.

4RUNNER (1998)
Good driving practice
If it is difficult to shift into reverse,
put the transmission in neutral, re-
lease the clutch pedal momentarily,
and then try again.
When towing a trailer, in order to
maintain engine braking efficiency,
do not use the fifth gear.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on
a slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
NOTICE
Make sure the vehicle is com-
pletely stopped before shiftinginto reverse.
Four- wheel drive systemÐ
(a) Front drive control (lev
type)

4RUNNER (1998)
Use the front drive control lever to
select the following transfer modes.
ºH2º (high speed position, two-
wheel drive): Lever at ºH2º
Use this for normal driving on dry
hardsurfaced roads. This position
gives greater economy, quietest ride
and least wear.
ºH4º (high speed position, four-
wheel drive): Lever at ºH4º
Use this for normal driving on wet, icy
or snow- covered roads. This position
provides greater traction than two-
wheel drive. ºNº (neutral position):
Lever at ºNº
No power is delivered to the wheels.
The vehicle must be stopped.
ºL4º (low speed position, four-
wheel drive): Lever at ºL4º
Use this for maximum power and trac-
tion. Use ºL4º for climbing or des-
cending steep h ills, off- road driving,
and hard pulling in s and, mud or deep
snow.
The four- wheel drive indicator light
comes on when the ºH4º, ºNº or ºL4º
mode is selected.
See º(c) Shifting procedure (lever
type)º for further instructions. (a) Front drive control
(lever/button type)