1998 TOYOTA AVALON Owners Manual

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Part 7
DO −IT −YOURSELF
MAINTENANCE—
Chapter 7 −3
Electrical components
 Checking battery condition
 Battery recharging precautions
 Checking and replacing fuses
 Adding washer fluid
 Replacing light bulbs
CAUTION
BATTERY PRECAUTIONS
The battery produces flammable and
explosive hydrogen gas.
Do not cause a spark from the bat-
tery with tools.
Do not smoke or light a match near
the battery.
The electrolyte contains poisonous
and corrosive sulfuric acid.
Avoid contact with eyes, skin or
clothes.
Never ingest electrolyte.
Wear protective safety glasses when
working near the battery.
Keep children away from the bat-
tery.
EMERGENCY MEASURES
If electrolyte gets in your eyes,
flush your eyes with clean water
immediately and get immediate
medical attention. If possible, con-
tinue to apply water with a sponge
or cloth while en route to the medi-
cal office.
If electrolyte gets on your skin,
thoroughly wash the contact area. If
you feel pain or burning, get medi-
cal attention immediately.
If electrolyte gets on your clothes,
there is a possibility of its soaking
through to your skin, so immediate-
ly take off the exposed clothing and
follow the procedure above, if nec-
essary.
If you happen to swallow electro-
lyte, drink a large quantity of water
or milk. Follow with milk of magne-
sia, beaten raw egg or vegetable
oil. Then go immediately for emer-
gency help.
Checking battery c ondition—
—Precautions
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—Checking battery exterior
Terminals
Ground cable
Hold −down
clamp
Check the battery for corroded or loose
terminal connections, cracks, or loose
hold −down clamp.
a. If the battery is corroded, wash it off with a solution of warm water and bak-
ing soda. Coat the outside of the termi-
nals with grease to prevent further cor-
rosion.
b. If the terminal connections are loose, tighten their clamp nuts—but do not
overtighten.
c. Tighten the hold −down clamp only
enough to keep the battery firmly in
place. Overtightening may damage the
battery case.
NOTICE
 Be sure the engine and all accesso-
ries are off before performing main-
tenance.
 When checking the battery, remove
the ground cable from the negative
terminal (”—” mark) first and rein-
stall it last.
 Be careful not to cause a short cir-
cuit with tools.
 Take care no solution gets into the
battery when washing it.
—Checking battery fluid
Ty p e A
Green Dark Clear or
light yellow
Ty p e B Blue White Red
CHECKING BY THE HYDROMETER
Check the battery condition by the
hydrometer color.
Hydrometer colorConditionTy p e ATy p e B
GREENBLUEGood
DARKWHITECharging necessary. Have
battery checked by your
Toyota dealer.
CLEAR or
LIGHT
YELLOWREDHave battery checked by
your Toyota dealer.
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Battery recharging precautions
During recharging, the battery is pro-
ducing hydrogen gas.
Therefore, before recharging:
1. If recharging with the battery installed on the vehicle, be sure to disconnect
the ground cable.
2. Be sure the power switch on the re- charger is off when connecting the
charger cables to the battery and when
disconnecting them.
CAUTION
Always charge the battery in an un-
confined area. Do not charge the
battery in a garage or closed room
where there is not sufficient ventila-
tion.
Only do a slow charge (5A or less).
Charging at a quicker rate is dan-
gerous. The battery may explode,
causing personal injuries.
NOTICE
Never recharge the battery while the
engine is running. Also, be sure all
accessories are turned off.
Checking and replacing fuses
Ty p e A
Ty p e B
Ty p e C Good
Blown
Good Blown
Blown
Good
If the headlights or other electrical
components do not work, check the
fuses. If any of the fuses are blown,
they must be replaced.
See ”Fuse locations” in Chapter 7
−1 for
locations of the fuses.
Turn the ignition switch and inoperative
component off. Pull a suspected fuse
straight out and check it.
Determine which fuse may be causing the
problem. The lid of the fuse box shows
the name of the circuit for each fuse. See
Part 8 of this manual for the functions
controlled by each circuit.
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Type A fuses can be pulled out by the
pull −out tool. The location of the pull −out
tool is shown in the illustration.
If you are not sure whether the fuse has
blown, try replacing the suspected fuse
with one that you know is good.
If the fuse has blown, push a new fuse
into the clip.
Only install a fuse with the amperage rat-
ing designated on the fuse box lid.
If you do not have a spare fuse, in an
emergency you can pull out the ”TEL”,
”RAD NO.1” or ”A.C” fuse, which may be
dispensable for normal driving, and use it
if its amperage rating is the same.
If you cannot use one of the same amper-
age, use one that is lower, but as close
as possible to the rating. If the amperage
is lower than that specified, the fuse
might blow out again but this does not
indicate anything wrong. Be sure to get
the correct fuse as soon as possible and
return the substitute to its original clip.
It is a good idea to purchase a set of
spare fuses and keep them in your ve-
hicle for emergencies. If the new fuse immediately blows out,
there is a problem with the electrical sys-
tem. Have your Toyota dealer correct it as
soon as possible.
CAUTION
Never use a fuse with a higher am-
perage rating, or any other object, in
place of a fuse. This may cause ex-
tensive damage and possibly a fire.
Adding washer fluid
If any washer does not work, the wash-
er tank may be empty. Add washer
fluid.
You may use plain water as washer fluid.
However, in cold areas where tempera-
tures range below freezing point, use
washer fluid containing antifreeze. This
product is available at your Toyota 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 it may dam-
age your vehicle’s paint.
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Replacing light bulbs—
The following illustrations show how to
gain access to the bulbs. When replacing
a bulb, make sure the ignition switch and
light switch are off. Use bulbs with the
wattage ratings given in the table.
CAUTION
Halogen bulbs have pressurized gas
inside and require special handling.
They can burst or shatter if scratched
or dropped. Hold a bulb only by its
plastic or metal case. Do not touch
the glass part of a bulb with bare
hands.
NOTICE
Only use a bulb of the listed type.
Light bulbsBulb
No.WTy p e
Headlights
(low beam)900651A
Headlights
(high beam)900560B
Front fog lights—55C
Parking and front turn
signaol lights3157 NA27/8E
Rear turn signal lights744021E
Stop and tail lights744321/5E
Rear side marker lights1683.8E
Back −up lights92118E
License plate lights1685E
High mounted
stop light92118E
Interior light—8F
Front personal lights—8D
Rear personal lights—8D
Glovebox light—1.2E
Door courtesy lights1945E
Trunk light—3F
A: HB4 halogen bulbs
B: HB3 halogen bulbs
C: H3 halogen bulbs
D: Single end bulbs
E: Wedge base bulbs
F: Double end bulbs
—Headlights
1. Unplug the connector while depress-
ing the lock release.
If the connector is tight, wiggle it.
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2. Turn the bulb and remove it.3. Install a new bulb and the connector
into the mounting hole.
Aiming is not necessary after replacing
the bulb. When aiming adjustment is nec-
essary, contact your Toyota dealer.
—Front fog lights
1. Remove the bolts and clips, take out the engine under cover.
Remove and install the cover clips as shown
in the following illustration.
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Removing cover clips
Installing cover clips
2. Turn the cover counterclockwise and
remove it.3. Disconnect the cords.
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