1998 TOYOTA RAV4 Owners Manual

'98 Rav4.U97
Manual transmission
The shift pattern is as shown above.
Press the clutch pedal down fully while
shifting, and then release it slowly. Do not
rest your foot on the pedal while driving,
because it will cause clutch trouble. And
do not use the clutch to hold the vehicle
when stopped on an uphill grade±use the
parking brake.
Recommended shifting speeds
The transmission is fully synchronized and
upshifting or downshifting is easy.
For the best compromise between fuel
economy and vehicle performance, you
should upshift or downshift at the following
speeds:
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 accel-
eration is needed when you are cruising
below the above downshifting speeds.
Upshifting too soon or downshifting too
late will cause lugging and, possibly, ping-
ing. Regularly revving the engine to maxi-
mum speed in each gear will cause ex-
cessive engine wear and high fuel
consumption.
Maximum allowable speeds
To get on a highway or to pass slower
traffic, maximum acceleration may be nec-
essary. Make sure you observe the follow-
ing maximum allowable speeds in each
gear:
Two- wheel drive models gear km/h (mph)
1 47 ( 29)
2 95 ( 59)
3 144 ( 89)
4 198 (114) Four- wheel drive models
215/60R16 tires
gear km/h (mph)1 44 ( 27)
2 88 ( 53)
3 133 ( 83)
4 183 (114)
235/60R16 tires
gear km/h (mph)1 43 ( 26)
2 86 ( 53)
3 121 ( 75)
4 165 (102)
NOTICE
Do not downshift if you are goingfaster than the maximum allowablespeed for the next lower gear.
Good driving practice
If it is difficult to shift into reverse, put
the transmission in neutral, release the
clutch pedal momentarily, and then try
again.

'98 Rav4U
98
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain 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 completely
stopped before shifting into reverse.The center differential lock system is pro-
vided for use only when the vehicle does
not have enough traction to move itself
out of the following situations.
All front wheels or rear wheels are off
the ground or on a slippery surface.
One of the four wheels is off the
ground or on a slippery surface.
Operating precautions
If the front wheels and rear wheels are
worn unevenly, the center differential
may not lock or unlock smoothly.
Before locking the center differential,
make sure the wheels have stopped
spinning.
Unlock the center differential immedi-
ately after you finish using the center
differential lock system. An indicator
buzzer will sound while the center dif-
ferential is being unlocked.
After you have pushed the center dif-
ferential lock switch to lock and moved
the vehicle a short distance, the indica-
tor light in the instrument panel stays
on. If the light either fails to come on
or goes out, ask your Toyota dealer to
check the electrical system and the
locking mechanism.CAUTION
The center differential must be un-
locked in normal driving. Locking the
center differential will result in diffi-
cult cornering control.
NOTICE
Do not drive on a dry paved surface
with the center differential locked.This may damage the locking mecha- nism and the drive system.
Center differential lock system
(four- wheel drive models with
manual transmission)

'98 Rav4.U99
To lock the center differential:1. Press the brake pedal and stop the wheel spinning.
2. Put the front wheels in as straight- ahead a position as possible.
3. Push the center differential lock switch and check that the indicator light in the
instrument panel comes on.To unlock the center differential:
1. Put the front wheels in as straight- ahead a position as possible.
2. Push the center differential lock switch once again and check that the indicator
light in the instrument panel goes out
and that the indicator buzzer stops
sounding.
The indicator buzzer will sound while the
center differential is being unlocked. It
stops sounding when unlocking is com-
pleted.
Sometimes complete unlocking of the cen-
ter differential may take longer. If unlocking of the center differential is not
completed, check the area around you for
safety, then accelerate or decelerate, or
move the vehicle backward.
NOTICE
While the indicator buzzer is sound-
ing, do not make turns, and do notput the vehicle into a garage. This may damage the locking mechanism
and the drive system.

'98 Rav4U
100
Parking brake
Ty p e A
Ty p e B
When parking, firmly apply the parking
brake to avoid inadvertent creeping.
To set: Pull up the lever. For better hold-
ing power, first depress the brake pedal
and hold it while setting the brake.
To release: Pull up the lever slightly,
press the thumb button, and lower.
To remind you that the parking brake is
set, the parking brake reminder light in
the instrument panel remains on until you
release the parking brake.
CAUTION
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the park-
ing brake reminder light is off.
Cruise control
The cruise control allows you to cruise
the vehicle at a desired speed over 40
km/h (25 mph) even with your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained up
or down grades within the limits of engine
performance, although a slight speed
change may occur when driving up or
down the grades. On steeper h
ills, a
greater speed change will occur so it is
better to drive without the cruise control.
CAUTION
To help maintain maximum control
of your vehicle, do not use the
cruise control when driving in
heavy or varying traffic, or on slip-
pery (rainy, icy or snow- covered) or
winding roads.
Avoid vehicle speed increases when
driving downhill. If the vehicle
speed is too fast in relation to the
cruise control set speed, cancel the
cruise control then downshift the
transmission to use engine braking
to slow down.

'98 Rav4.U101
TURNING ON THE SYSTEM
To operate the cruise control, push the
ºCRUISE ON- OFFº switch. This turns the
system on. The indicator light in the
instrument panel shows that you can now
set the vehicle at a desired cruising
speed. Another push will turn the system
completely off.
CAUTION
To avoid accidental cruise control en-
gagement, keep the ºCRUISE ON-
OFFº switch off when not using the
cruise control.
SETTING AT A DESIRED SPEED
On vehicles with automatic transmission,
the transmission must be in ºDº before
you set the cruise control speed.
Bring your vehicle to the desired speed,
push the lever down in the ºSET/COASTº
direction and release it. This sets the ve-
hicle at that speed. If the speed is not
satisfactory, tap the lever up for a faster
speed, or tap it down for a slower speed.
Each tap changes the set speed by 1.6
km/h (1.0 mph). You can now take your
foot off the accelerator pedal. If you need accelerationÐfor example,
when passingÐdepress the accelerator
pedal enough for the vehicle to exceed
the set speed. When you release it, the
vehicle will return to the speed set prior
to the acceleration.
CAUTION
For manual transmission:
While driving with the cruise control
on, do not shift to neutral without de-
pressing the clutch pedal, as this
may cause engine racing or overrev-
ving.
CANCELLING THE PRESET SPEED
You can cancel the preset speed by:
a. Pulling the lever in the ºCANCELº
direction and releasing it.
b. Depressing the brake pedal.
c. Depressing the clutch pedal (manual
transmission).
If the vehicle speed falls below about 40
km/h (25 mph), the preset speed will auto-
matically cancel out.
If the vehicle speed drops 16 km/h (10
mph) below the preset speed, the preset
speed will also automatically cancel out.

'98 Rav4U
102
If the preset speed automatically cancels
out other than for the above cases or, if
the indicator light flashes several times,
the cruise control may be malfunctioning.
In such cases, have your vehicle checked
by your Toyota dealer at the earliest op-
portunity.
RESETTING AT A FASTER SPEED
Push the lever up in the ºRES/ACCº direc-
tion and hold it. Release the lever when
the desired speed is attained. While the
lever is held up, the vehicle will gradually
gain speed.
However, a faster way to reset is to ac-
celerate the vehicle and then push the
lever down in the ºSET/COASTº direction.
RESETTING AT A SLOWER SPEED
Push the lever down in the ºSET/COASTº
direction and hold it. Release the lever
when the desired speed is attained. While
the lever is held down, the vehicle speed
will gradually decrease.
However, a faster way to reset is to de-
press the brake pedal and then push the
lever down in the ºSET/COASTº direction.
On vehicles with automatic transmission,
even if you turn off the overdrive switch
with the cruise control on, engine braking
will not be applied because the cruise
control is not cancelled. To decrease the
vehicle speed, reset to a slower speed
with the cruise control lever or depress
the brake pedal. If you use the brake
pedal, cruise control is cancelled.
RESUMING THE PRESET SPEED
If the preset speed is cancelled by pu
lling
the control lever or by depressing the
brake pedal or clutch pedal, pushing the
lever up in the ºRES/ACCº direction will
restore the speed set prior to cancellation.
However, once the vehicle speed falls be-
low about 40 km/h (25 mph), the preset
speed will not be resumed.
CRUISE CONTROL FAILURE WARNING
If the ºCRUISEº indicator light in the
instrument cluster flashes when using the
cruise control, press the ºCRUISE ON-
OFFº button to turn the system off and
then press it again to turn it on. If any of the following conditions then oc-
curs, there is some trouble in the cruise
control system.
The indicator light does not come on.
The indicator light flashes again.
The indicator light goes out after it
comes on.
If this is the case, contact your Toyota
dealer and have your vehicle inspected.

'98 Rav4.U103

'98 Rav4U
104
Part 1
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1- 7
Car audio system
and Air conditioning system
Car audio system
Reference
Using your audio system:
some basics
Using your audio system:
controls and features
Car audio system operating hints
Air conditioning system
Controls
Air flow selector settings
Operating tips
Instrument panel vents
Type 1: AMF M ETR radio/cassette player/
compact disc auto changer controller
Type 2: AMF M ETR radio/compact disc
player/compact disc auto changer controller Car audio systemÐ
ÐReference