1998 TOYOTA RAV4 ignition

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(f) Low Fuel Level Warning Light
This light comes on when the fuel level
in the tank becomes nearly empty. Fill up
the tank as soon as possible.
On inclines or curves, due to the move-
ment of fuel in the tank, the low fuel level
warning light may come on earlier than
usual.
(g) ºABSº Warning Light
This light warns that there is a problem
somewhere in your anti- lock brake sys-
tem.
If the light comes on while you are driv-
ing, have your vehicle checked by your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible.
The light will come on when the ignition
key is turned to the ºONº position. After
a few seconds, the light will go off.
When the ºABSº warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), the
brake system operates conventionally but
anti- lock brake system is not assisting
brake performance so that the wheels can
lock- up during sudden braking or braking
on slippery road surfaces.
(h) Open Door Warning Light
This light remains on until all the doors,
back door (hardtop) and tail gate (soft-
top) are completely closed.
(i) Automatic Transmission Fluid Tem-
perature Warning Light (four- wheel
drive models)
This light warns that the automatic trans-
mission fluid temperature is too high.
If this light comes on while you are driv-
ing, slow down and pull off the road. Stop
the vehicle at a safe place and put the
selector lever in ºPº. With the engine id-
ling, wait until the light goes off. If the
light goes off, you can start the vehicle
again. If the light does not go off, call a
Toyota dealer or qualified repair shop for
assistance.
NOTICE
Continued driving with the warning light on may damage the automatictransmission.
(j) SRS Airbag Warning Light
This light will come on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the ºACCº or
ºONº position. After about 6 seconds,
the light will go off. This means the
system of the airbag and front seat belt
pretensioners are operating properly.
The warning light system monitors the air-
bag sensor assembly, seat belt pretension-
er assembly, inflators, warning light, inter-
connecting wiring, power sources.
If either of the following conditions occurs,
this indicates a malfunction somewhere in
the parts monitored by the warning light
system. Contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible to service the vehicle.
The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the ºACCº or
ºONº position or remains on.
The light comes on or flashes while
driving.
(k) Low Windshield Washer Fluid Level Warning Light (Canada)
The light warns that the windshield washer
fluid level is too low. Add washer fluid at
your earliest opportunity. (For instructions,
see ºAdding washer fluidº in Chapter 7- 3.)

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90
(l) Light Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer will sound if the head light
switch is left on and the driver's door is
opened with the key removed from the
ignition switch.
(m) Key Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer reminds you to remove the
key when you open the driver 's door with
the ignition key in the ºACCº or ºLOCKº
position.
CHECKING SERVICE REMINDER INDICA-
TORS (except the low fuel level warning
light and low windshield washer fluid
level warning light)
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Open one of the doors or tail gate (soft- top).
The open door warning light should
come on.
3. Close the door or tail gate (soft- top). The open door warning light should go
off.
4. Turn the ignition key to ºACCº. The SRS airbag warning light should
come on. It goes off after about 6 se-
conds. 5. Turn the ignition key to ºONº, but do
not start the engine.
All the service reminder indicators ex-
cept the open door warning light, SRS
airbag warning light and automatic
transmission fluid temperature warning
light should come on. The ºABSº warn-
ing light goes off after a few seconds.
6. Turn the ignition key to ºSTARTº. The automatic transmission fluid tempera-
ture warning light should come on.
If any service reminder indicator or warn-
ing buzzer does not function as described
above, either the bulb is burned out or the
circuit is in need of repair. Have it
checked by your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible.

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92
Part 1
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS±
Chapter 1- 6
Ignition switch,
Transmission
and Parking brake
Ignition switch with steering lock
Automatic transmission
Manual transmission
Center differential lock system
P ar k ing br ak e
Cruise control
ºSTARTºÐStarter motor on. The key
will return to the ºONº position when
released.
For starting tips, see Part 3.
ºONºÐEngine on and all accessories on.
This is the normal driving position.
ºACCºÐAccessories such as the radio
operate, but the engine is off.
If you leave the key in the ºACCº or
ºLOCKº position and open the driver's
door, a buzzer will remind you to remove
the key.
ºLOCKºÐEngine is off and the steering
wheel is locked. The key can be re-
moved only at this position.
You must push in the key to turn the key
from ºACCº to the ºLOCKº position. On
vehicles with an automatic transmission,
the selector lever must be in the ºPº posi-
tion before pushing the key.
When starting the engine, the key may
seem stuck at the ºLOCKº position. To
free it, first be sure the key is pushed all
the way in, and then rock the steering
wheel slightly while turning the key gently.
CAUTIONFor manual transmission:
Never remove the key when the ve-
hicle is moving, as this will lock the
steering wheel and result in loss of
steering control.
NOTICE
Do not leave the key in the ºONºposition if the engine is not running.The battery will discharge and the ignition could be damaged.
Ignition switch with steering
lock

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Automatic transmission
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 position
With the brake pedal depressed, shift while holding the lock release button in.(The ignition switch must be in ºONºposition.)
Shift while holding the lockrelease button in Shift normally Driving pattern selector button For selecting a driving patternsuited to existing driving conditions
ºNORMALº (Normal)mode for generaldriving conditions ºPOWERº (Power)mode for powerful acceleration ºPOWERº mode indicatorlight on the instrument panelshows the driving pattern selector button is in theºPOWERº mode
Overdrive switch
ON position(Shifting into overdrive possible) OFF position(Shifting intooverdrive notpossible)ºO/D OFFº indicator light(Shows the overdriveswitch is in OFF position)
For selecting either a three-speed or Four-speed transmission
Vehicles with cruise control 'When the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift the transmis sion by turning off the overdrive
switch, engine braking will not be applied because the cruise cont rol is not cancelled. For ways to decrease the vehicle speed, see
ºCruise controlº in this chapter.

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94
Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of ºPº position when the
brake pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in ºONº position and the lock re-
lease 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.
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to ºDº.
In ºDº position, the automatic transmission
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 temperature is low, the
transmission will not shift into the over-
drive gear even with the overdrive switch on.
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor 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 downshift
the transmission as follows: Turn off the overdrive switch. The ºO/D
OFFº indicator light will come on and
the transmission will downshift to the
third gear.
Shift into the º2º position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the second
gear when the vehicle speed drops
down to or lower than the following
speed, and more powerful engine brak-
ing will be obtained.
Two- wheel drive models 110 km/h (68 mph)
Four- wheel drive models 215/70R16 tires 100 km/h (62 mph)
235/60R16 tires 97 km/h (60 mph)
Shift into the ºLº position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
maximum engine braking will be ap-
plied.
Two- wheel drive models 50 km/h (31 mph)
Four- wheel drive models 215/70R16 tires 44 km/h (27 mph)
235/60R16 tires 42 km/h (26 mph)
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
(c) Using the º2º and ºLº positions
The º2º and ºLº positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously.
With the selector lever in º2º or ºLº, you
can start the vehicle in motion as with the
lever in ºDº.

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This section describes some of the basic
features on Toyota audio systems. Some
information may not pertain to your sys-
tem.
Your audio system works when the ignition
key is in the ºACCº or ºONº position.
TURNING THE SYSTEM ON AND OFF
Push ºVOL/PWRº or ºPWR/VOLº to turn
the audio system on and off.
Push ºAMº, ºFMº, ºAM
F Mº, ºTAPEº or
ºCDº to turn on that function without push-
ing ºVOL/PWRº or ºPWR/VOLº.
You can turn on each player by inserting
a cassette tape or compact disc.
You can turn off each player by ejecting
the cassette tape or compact disc. If the
audio system was previously off, then the
entire audio system will be turned off
when you eject the cassette tape or com-
pact disc. If another function was pre-
viously playing, it will come on again.
SWITCHING BETWEEN FUNCTIONS
Push ºAM
F Mº or ºTAPEº if the system is
already on but you want to switch from
one function to another. TONE AND BALANCE
For details about your system's tone and
balance controls, see the description of
your own system.
Tone
How good an audio program sounds to
you is largely determined by the mix of
the treble and bass levels. In fact, differ-
ent kinds of music and vocal programs
usually sound better with different mixes
of treble and bass.
Balance
A good balance of the left and right stereo
channels and of the front and rear sound
levels is also important.
Keep in mind that if you are listening to
a stereo recording or broadcast, changing
the right/left balance will increase the vol-
ume of one group of sounds while de-
creasing the volume of another.
YOUR RADIO ANTENNA
To lower a manual antenna, carefully push
it down.
NOTICE
To prevent damage to the antenna,
make sure it is retracted before driv-ing your Toyota through an automatic car wash.
YOUR CASSETTE PLAYER
When you insert a cassette, the exposed
tape should be to the right.
NOTICE
Do not oil any part of the player and
do not insert anything other than cas-sette tapes into the slot, or the tape player may be damaged.
ÐUsing your audio system:
some basics

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1 2 3 4 5 6 (Preset buttons)
These buttons are used to preset and
tune in radio stations.
To preset a station to a button: Tune in
the desired station (see ºTUNEº button).
Push and hold down the button until you
hear a beep
'this will set the station to
the button. The button number will appear
on the display.
To tune in to a preset station: Push the
button for the station you want. The but-
ton number and station frequency will ap-
pear on the display.
These systems can store one AM and two
FM stations for each button (The display
will show ºAMº, ºFM1º or ºFM2º when you
push ºAMº or ºFMº).
(Eject button)
Push this button to eject a cassette.
After you turn the ignition to ºLOCKº, you
will be able to eject a cassette but you
will not be able to reinsert it.
(Reverse/Fast forward buttons)
Cassette Player
Push the fast forward button to fast for-
ward a cassette tape. ºFFº will appear on
the display. Push the reverse button to
rewind a tape. ºREWº will appear on the
display.
To stop the tape while it is fast forward-
ing, push the fast forward button or
ºTAPEº; to stop the tape while it is re-
winding, push the reverse button or
ºTAPEº.
If a tape side rewinds completely, the cas-
sette player will stop and then play that
same side. If a tape fast forwards com-
pletely, the cassette player will play the
other side of the tape, using the auto- re-
verse feature.
Compact Disc Player
If you want to fast forward or reverse
through a compact disc track, push and
hold in the fast forward or reverse button.
When you release the button, the compact
disc player will resume playing. AM
Push ºAMº to switch the AM band. ºAMº
will appear on the display.
If the audio system is off, you can turn
on the radio by pushing ºAMº. Also, push
ºAMº to switch from cassette or compact
disc operation to radio operation.
AUDIO CONTROL / MODE
Manual tone adjustment functionÐ
This knob is used to adjust the tone
manually.
For low- pitch tone adjustment, push
ºAUDIO CONTROL / MODEº repeatedly
until ºBASº appears on the display. Then
turn the knob to suit your preference.
The display will show the range from
ºBAS -5º to ºBAS 5º.
For high- pitch tone adjustment, push
ºAUDIO CONTROL / MODEº repeatedly
until ºTREº appears on the display. Then
turn the knob to suit your preference.
The display will show the range from
ºTRE -5º to ºTRE 5º.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 (Preset buttons)
These buttons are used to preset and
tune in radio stations.
To preset a station to a button: Tune in
the desired station (see ºTUNEº button).
Push and hold down the button until you
hear a beep
'this will set the station to
the button. The button number will appear
on the display.
To tune in to a preset station: Push the
button for the station you want. The but-
ton number and station frequency will ap-
pear on the display.
These systems can store one AM and two
FM stations for each button (The display
will show ºAMº, ºFM1º or ºFM2º when you
push ºAM´FMº).
(Eject button)
Push this button to eject a compact disc.
After you turn the ignition to ºLOCKº, you
will be able to eject a disc but you will
not be able to reinsert it.
(Reverse/Fast forward buttons)
If you want to fast forward or reverse
through a compact disc track, push and
hold in the fast forward or reverse button.
When you release the button, the compact
disc player will resume playing. AM
FM
Push ºAM
F Mº to switch between the AM
and FM bands. ºAMº, ºFM1º or ºFM2º will
appear on the display. These systems al-
low you to set twelve FM stations, two for
each button.
If the audio system is off, you can turn
on the radio by pushing ºAM
FMº. Also,
push ºAM
F Mº to switch from compact
disc operation to radio operation.
AUDIO CONTROL / MODE
Manual tone adjustment functionÐ
This knob is used to adjust the tone
manually.
For low- pitch tone adjustment, push
ºAUDIO CONTROL / MODEº repeatedly
until ºBASº appears on the display. Then
turn the knob to suit your preference.
The display will show the range from
ºBAS -5º to ºBAS 5º. For high- pitch tone adjustment, push
ºAUDIO CONTROL / MODEº repeatedly
until ºTREº appears on the display. Then
turn the knob to suit your preference.
The display will show the range from
ºTRE -5º to ºTRE 5º.
Sound balance adjustment functionÐ
This knob is also to adjust the sound
balance between the front and rear, and
the right and left speakers.
For front/rear adjustment, push ºAUDIO
CONTROL / MODEº repeatedly until ºFAdº
appears on the display. Then turn the
knob to adjust the front/rear balance.
The display will show the range from ºFAd
F7º to ºFAd R7º.
For left/right adjustment, push ºAUDIO
CONTROL / MODEº repeatedly until ºBALº
appears on the display. Then turn the
knob to adjust the left/right balance.
The display will show the range from ºBAL
L7º to ºBAL R7º.