1998 TOYOTA TERCEL Owners Manual

65
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being dis-charged, do not leave the switch onlonger than necessary when the en-gine is not running.
Instrument panel light control
To adjust the brightness of the instru-
ment panel lights, turn the knob. Interior lightTo turn on the interior light, slide the
switch.
The interior light switch has the following
positions:
ºONºÐKeeps the light on all the time.
ºOFFºÐTurns the light off.
ºDOORºÐTurns the light on when any of
the door is opened. The light goes off
when all of the doors is closed.

66
Ty p e A
Ty p e BTo turn on the windshield wipers, move
the lever to the desired setting.
The key must be in the ºONº position.
Ty p e A Ð
Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Intermittent
Position 2Slow
Position 3Fast
Ty p e B ÐLever position
Speed setting
Position 1Slow
Position 2Fast
For a single sweep of the windshield,
push the lever up and release it.
To squirt washer fluid, pull the lever
toward you and release it.
Type A onlyÐ
If the windshield wipers are off, they will
operate a couple of times after the washer
squirts.
For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see ºAdding washer fluidº in Chapter 7- 3. In freezing weather, warm the windshield
with the defroster before using the washer.
This will help prevent the washer fluid
from freezing on your windshield, which
can block your vision.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the wind-
shield is dry. It may scratch theglass.
Windshield wipers and
washer

67
Rear window defogger
To defog or defrost the rear window,
push the switch.
The key must be in the ºONº position.
The thin heater wires on the inside of the
rear window will quickly clear the surface.
An indicator light will illuminate to indicate
the defogger is operating.
Push the switch once again to turn the
defogger off.
With timer: The system will automatically
shut off after the defogger has operated
about 15 minutes.
Make sure you turn the defogger off when
the window is clear. Leaving the defogger
on for a long time could cause the battery
to discharge, especially during stop- and-
go driving. The defogger is not designed
for drying rain water or for melting snow.
NOTICE
Without timer: To prevent the bat-
tery from discharged, turn theswitch on when the engine is run-ning.
When cleaning the inside of the
rear window, be careful not toscratch or damage the heater wires.

68

69
Part 1
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS
AND CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1- 5
Gauges, Meters and
Service reminder indicators
Fuel gauge
Engine coolant temperature gauge
Tachometer
Odometer and trip meter
Service reminder indicators and
warning buzzers
Fuel gauge
With tachometer
Without tachometer
The gauge works when the ignition
switch is on and indicates the approxi-
mate quantity of fuel remaining in the
tank.
Nearly fullÐNeedle at ºFº
Nearly emptyÐNeedle at ºEº
It is a good idea to keep the tank over
1/4 full.
This fuel gauge has a non- return type
needle which remains at the last indicated
position when the ignition switch is turned
off.
If the fuel level approaches ºEº, fill the
fuel tank as soon as possible.
On inclines or curves, due to the move-
ment of fuel in the tank, the fuel gauge
needle may fluctuate.
If the fuel tank is completely empty, the
malfunction indicator lamp comes on. Fill
the fuel tank immediately.
The indicator lamp goes off after driving
several times. If the indicator lamp does
not go off, contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible.

70
With tachometer
Without tachometerThe gauge indicates the engine coolant
temperature when the ignition switch is
on. The engine operating temperature
will vary with changes in weather and
engine load.
If the needle moves into the red zone,
your engine is too hot. If your vehicle
overheats, stop your vehicle and allow the
engine to cool.
Your vehicle may overheat during severe
operating conditions, such as:
Driving up a long hill on a hot day.
Reducing speed or stopping after high
speed driving.
Idling for a long period with the air
conditioning on in stop- and- go traffic.
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in
the engine cooling system as thismay cause the engine to overheat.
The thermostat is designed to con-
trol the flow of coolant to keep thetemperature of the engine withinthe specified operating range.
Do not continue driving with anoverheated engine. See ºIf yourvehicle overheatsº in Part 4.
Tachometer
The tachometer indicates engine speed
in thousands of rpm
( revolutions per
minute). Use it while driving to select
correct shift points and to prevent en-
gine lugging and overrevving.
Driving with the engine running too fast
causes excessive engine wear and poor
fuel economy. Remember, in most cases
the slower the engine speed, the greater
the fuel economy.
NOTICE
Do not let the indicator needle get
into the red zone. This may causesevere engine damage.
Engine coolant temperature
gauge

71
Odometer and trip meter
With tachometer
Without tachometer
These meters shows the running dis-
tance.
1. OdometerÐIt shows the total distance the vehicle has been driven.
2. Trip meterÐIt shows the distance driv- en since the last time it was set to
zero.
The black digits on white indicate tenth
of kilometers or miles.
3. Trip meter reset knobÐIt resets the trip meter to zero.
To reset the trip meter, push the knob. (a) If parking brake
is off, stop and
check.
(b) Fasten seat belts.
If the indicator or Do this.
buzzer comes on...
(d) Stop and check.
(f) Take vehicle to Toyota dealer.
(type A)
(type B)
(Indicator and buzzer)
(e) Stop and check.
Fasten front
passenger's seat
belt.
(c)
Service reminder indicators
and warning buzzers

72(g) Take vehicle to
Toyota dealer.
If the indicator or Do this.
buzzer comes on...
(h) Close all doors.
(i) Take vehicle to Toyota dealer
immediately.
(type A)
(type B)
(j) Turn off lights. Light remind- erbuzzer
(k) Remove key. Key remind-erbuzzer(a) Brake System Warning Light
This light has the following functions:
Parking brake reminder
If this light is on, make sure the parking
brake is fully released. The light should
go off.
Low brake fluid level warning
If this light comes on and stays on while
you are driving, slow down and pull off
the road. Then stop the vehicle carefully.
Remember that stopping distance and ped-
al effort may be increased. There maybe
a problem somewhere in the brake sys-
tem. Check the fluid level of the see-
through reservoir.
To make sure the parking brake has not
caused the warning light to come on,
check to see that the parking brake is
fully released.
If the brake fluid level is low...
At a safe place, test your brakes by start-
ing and stopping.
If you judge that the brakes still work
adequately, drive cautiously to your
nearest dealer or shop for repairs.
If the brakes are not working, have the
vehicle towed in for repairs. (For tow-
ing information, see Part 4.)CAUTION
It is dangerous to continue driving
normally when the brake fluid level is
low.
If the brake fluid level is correct...
Have the warning system checked by your
Toyota dealer.
(b) Driver's Seat Belt Reminder Light
and Buzzer
The light and buzzer remind you to buckle
up the driver 's seat belt.
Once the ignition key is turned to ONº or
STARTº, the reminder light flashes and
buzzer sounds if the driver 's seat belt is
not pulled out. Unless the driver starts to
pull the shoulder belt out of the retractor,
the light keeps flashing and the buzzer
stops after about 4 to 8 seconds.