1998 TOYOTA AVALON Owners Manual

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Part 1
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS
AND CONTROLS—
Chapter 1 −8
Other equipment
 Clock
 Cigarette lighter and ashtray
 Glovebox
 Auxiliary box
 Cup holder
 Traction control system
 Floor mat
Clock
The digital clock indicates the time.
The key must be in the ”ACC” or ”ON”
position.
To reset the hour: Push the ”H” button.
To reset the minutes: Push the ”M” button.
If quick adjustment to a full hour is de-
sired, push the ”:00” button.
For example, if the ”:00” button is de-
pressed when the time is between
1:01—1:29, the time will change to 1:00.
If the time is between 1:30—1:59, the
time will change to 2:00. Once the electrical power source has
been disconnected from the clock, the
time is automatically set to 1:00 (one
o’clock).
When the instrument panel lights are
turned on, the brightness of the time in-
dication will be reduced.
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Cigarette lighter and ashtray
CIGARETTE LIGHTER
To use the cigarette lighter, first pull
the ashtray lid, then press in the light-
er. When it becomes heated, it automat-
ically pops out ready for use.
If the engine is not running, the key must
be in the ”ACC” position.
Do not hold the cigarette lighter pressed
in.
Use a Toyota genuine cigarette lighter or
equivalent for replacement. ASHTRAY
To use the ashtray, pull out the lid.
When finished with your cigarette, thor-
oughly extinguish it in the ashtray to pre-
vent other cigarette butts from catching
fire. After using the ashtray, push it back
in completely.
To remove the ashtray, pull the ashtray lid
and pull it out.
CAUTION
To reduce the chance of injury in
case of an accident or sudden stop
while driving, always push the ash-
tray back in completely after using.
Glovebox
To use the glovebox, do this.
To open: Pull the lever.
With the instrument panel lights on, the
glovebox light will come on when the glo-
vebox is open.
To lock: Insert the master key and turn it
clockwise.
CAUTION
To reduce the chance of injury in
case of an accident or a sudden stop,
always keep the glovebox door closed
while driving.
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Auxiliary box
To open the auxiliary box, press on the
knob and pull out the box lid.
CAUTION
To reduce the chance of injury in
case of an accident or a sudden stop,
always keep the auxiliary box closed
while driving.
The cup holder is designed for holding
cups or drink −cans securely in its
holes.
To use the cup holder, push on the lid.
CAUTION
Do not place anything else on the
cup holder, as such item may be
thrown about in the compartment
and possibly injure people in the
vehicle during sudden braking or an
accident.
To reduce the chance of injury in
case of an accident or sudden stop
while driving, keep the cup holder
retracted when it is not in use.
Cup holder
(with separate front seat)
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The cup holder is designed for holding
cups or drink −cans securely in its
holes.
To use the cup holder, open the armrest
lid, pull out the cup holder. Then close the
armrest lid.
CAUTION
Do not leave the armrest lid open,
especially when the cup holder
holds a scalding hot drink. If the lid
is forcibly pulled up, the drink may
spill over the seat occupants.
When the cup holder is in use, the
armrest lid must be securely closed
with the lock engaged.
Do not place anything else on the
cup holder, as such items may be
thrown about and possibly injure
people in the vehicle during sudden
braking or an accident.
To reduce the chance of injury in
case of an accident or sudden stop
while driving, keep the cup holder
retracted when it is not in use.
Do not left the armrest uplight
when the cup holder is pulled out.
Traction control system
Slip indicator light
”TRAC OFF” indicator/warning light
Cup holder
(with bench front seat)
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AUTOMATIC TRACTION CONTROL SYS-
TEM
The traction control system automatical-
ly helps control the spinning of the
front wheels which may occur when ac-
celerating on slippery road surfaces,
thus assisting driver to control the driv-
ing power of the front wheels. When
you turn the ignition switch on, the
traction control system always turns on
automatically, and the slip indicator
light and ”TRAC OFF” indicator/warning
light will come on. The indicator lights
will go off after about 3 seconds.
Leave the system on during ordinary
driving so that it can operate when
needed. When traction control is ap-
plied, the slip indicator light blinks.
You may hear a slight clicking noise in
the engine compartment when the engine
is started. This means that the traction
control system is in the self −check mode,
and does not indicate malfunction. When
the traction control system is operating,
you may feel vibration or noise of your
vehicle, caused by operation of brakes.
This indicates the system is functioning
properly. When getting the vehicle out of mud or
new snow, etc. the traction control system
will help operate to prevent the wheels
from spinning.
MANUAL OPERATION
You can turn off the traction control
system by pushing the ”TRAC OFF”
switch. The ”TRAC OFF” indicator/warn-
ing light will come on. Pushing the
”TRAC OFF” switch a second time
turns on the traction control system
and the ”TRAC OFF” indicator/warning
light will go off.
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CAUTION
Under certain slippery road condi-
tions, full traction of the vehicles and
power to the front wheels cannot be
maintained, even though the traction
control system is in operation. Do not
drive the vehicle under any speed or
maneuvering conditions which will
cause the vehicle to lose traction. In
situations where the road surface is
covered with ice or snow, your ve-
hicle should be fitted with snow tires
or tire chains. Always drive at on ap-
propriate and cautious pace.
Floor mat
Use a floor mat of the correct size.
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 properly
placed on the floor carpet. If the floor
mat slips and interferes with the
movement of the pedals during driv-
ing, it may cause an accident.
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Part 2
INFORMATION
BEFORE DRIVING
YOUR TOYOTA
 Break −in period
 Fuel
 Operation in foreign countries
 Three −way catalytic converter
 Engine exhaust cautions
 Facts about engine oil
consumption
 Twin ground electrode
platinum −tipped 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
Break −in period
Drive gently and avoid high speeds.
Your vehicle does not need an elaborate
break −in. But following a few simple 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 be-
tween 2000 and 4000 rpm.
Avoid full −throttle starts.
Try to avoid hard stops during the first
300 km (200 miles).
Do not drive for a long time at any
single speed, either fast or slow.
Do not tow a trailer during the first 800
km (500 miles).
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 open-
ing. 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 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 the three −
way catalytic converter to lose its ef-
fectiveness and the emission control
system to function improperly. Also,
this can increase maintenance costs.
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