1998 TOYOTA TERCEL low oil pressure

6
Indicator symbols on the instrument panel

Brake system warning light *
Driver 's Seat belt reminder light *
Discharge warning light
*
Malfunction indicator lamp *
Low oil pressure warning light *
Anti-lock brake system warning light *
(type A)
(type B)
Open door warning light *
(type A)
(type B)
SRS airbag warning light*
Overdrive- off indicator light
Headlight high beam indicator light Turn signal indicator lights
The indicators marked with
*
are service reminder indicators.
For details, see ºService reminder indicators and warning buz zerº
in Chapter 1- 5.
Front passenger's seat belt reminder light *

73
(c) Front Passenger 's Seat Belt Re-
minder Light
The light remind you to buckle up the
driver 's seat belt.
Once the ignition key is turned to ONº or
STARTº, the reminder light flashes if a
passenger sits in the front passenger seat
and the front passenger 's seat belt is not
pulled out. Unless the front passenger
starts to pull the shoulder belt out of the
retractor, the light keeps flashing.
If luggage load is placed on the front
passenger seat, depending on its weight
and how it is placed on the seat, built- in
sensors in the seat cushion may detect
the pressure, causing the reminder light to
come on.
(d) Discharge Warning Light
This light warns that the battery is being
discharged.
If it comes on while you are driving, there
is a problem somewhere in the charging
system.
The engine ignition will continue to oper-
ate, however, until the battery is dis-
charged. Turn off the air conditioning,
blower, radio,etc., and drive directly to the
nearest Toyota dealer or repair shop.
NOTICE
Do not continue driving if the engine drive belt is broken or loose.
(e) Low Oil Pressure Warning Light
This light warns that the engine oil pres-
sure is too low.
If it flickers or stays on while you are
driving, pull off the road to a safe place
and stop the engine immediately. Call a
Toyota dealer or qualified repair shop for
assistance.
The light may occasionally flicker when
the engine is idling or it may come on
briefly after a hard stop. There is no
cause for concern if it then goes out when
the engine is accelerated slightly.
The light may come on when the oil level
is extremely low. It is not designed to
indicate low oil level, and the oil level
must be checked using the level dipstick.
NOTICE
Do not drive the vehicle with the
warning light onÐeven for one block.It may ruin the engine.
(f) Malfunction Indicator Lamp
This lamp comes on in the following
cases.
a. The fuel tank is completely empty. (See
ºFuel gaugeº in Chapter 1- 5 for instruc-
tions.)
b. The fuel tank cap is not tightened se-
curely. (See ºFuel tank capº in Chapter
1- 2 for instructions.)
c. There is a problem somewhere in your
engine or automatic transmission electrical
system.
If it comes on while you are driving in
case b, have your vehicle checked/re-
paired by your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible.
(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.

'98 TERCEL (U)11 9

Keep the trunk lid closed while
driving. An open or unsealed trunk
lid may cause exhaust gases to be
drawn into the vehicle. If you must
drive with the trunk lid open to ac-
commodate a large object, close the
windows, open all the instrument
panel vents and have the heating or
cooling system deliver fresh air into
the vehicle by turning the fan to
high speed with the air intake con-
trol set at the outside air position.
To allow proper operation of your
vehicle's ventilation system, keep
the inlet grilles in front of the wind-
shield clear of snow, leaves, or oth-
er obstructions.
If you smell exhaust fumes in the
vehicle, drive with the windows
open and the trunk lid closed. Have
the cause immediately located and
corrected.
FUNCTIONS OF ENGINE OIL
Engine oil has the primary functions of
lubricating and cooling the inside of the
engine, and plays a major role in main-
taining the engine in proper working order.
ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION
It is normal that an engine should con-
sume some engine oil during normal
engine operation. The causes of oil
consumption in a normal engine are as
follows.
Oil is used to lubricate pistons, piston
rings and cylinders. A thin film of oil
is left on the cylinder wall when a pis-
ton moves downwards in the cylinder.
High negative pressure generated when
the vehicle is decelerating sucks some
of this oil into the combustion chamber.
This oil as well as some part of the oil
film left on the cylinder wall is burned
by the high temperature combustion
gases during the combustion process.
Oil is also used to lubricate the stems
of the intake valves. Some of this oil
is sucked into the combustion chamber
together with the intake air and is
burned along with the fuel. High tem-
perature exhaust gases also burn the
oil used to lubricate the exhaust valve
stems.
The amount of engine oil consumed de-
pends on the viscosity of the oil, the
quality of the oil and the conditions the
vehicle is driven under.
More oil is consumed by high- speed driv-
ing and frequent acceleration and decel-
eration.
A new engine consumes more oil, since
its pistons, piston rings and cylinder walls
have not become conditioned.
When judging the amount of oil con-
sumption, note that the oil may become
diluted and make it difficult to judge
the true level accurately.
As an example, if a vehicle is used for
repeated short trips, and consumes a nor-
mal amount of oil, the dipstick may not
show any drop in the oil level at all, even
after 1000 km (600 miles) or more. This
is because the oil is gradually becoming
diluted with fuel or moisture, making it
appear that the oil level has not changed.
Facts about engine oil
consumption

'98 TERCEL (U)131
Getting more kilometers/mileage from a
liter/gallon of fuel is easyÐjust take it
easy. It will help make your vehicle last
longer, too. Here are some specific tips
on how to save money on both fuel and
repairs:
Keep your tires inflated at the cor-
rect pressure. Underinflation causes
tire wear and wastes fuel. See Chapter
7- 2 for instructions.
Do not carry unneeded weight in
your vehicle. Excess weight puts a
heavier load on the engine, causing
greater fuel consumption.
Avoid lengthy warm- up idling. Once
the engine is running smoothly, begin
driving±but gently. Remember, however,
that on cold winter days this may take
a little longer.
Accelerate slowly and smoothly.
Avoid jackrabbit starts. Get into high
gear as quickly as possible.
Avoid long engine idling. If you have
a long wait and you are not in traffic,
it is better to turn off the engine and
start again later.
Avoid engine lug or overrevving. Use
a gear position suitable for the road on
which you are travelling.
Avoid continuous speeding up and
slowing down. Stop- and- go driving
wastes fuel.
Avoid unnecessary stopping and
braking. Maintain a steady pace. Try
to time the traffic signals so you only
need to stop as little as possible or
take advantage of through streets to
avoid traffic lights. Keep a proper dis-
tance from other vehicles to avoid sud-
den braking. This will also reduce wear
on your brakes.
Avoid heavy traffic or traffic jams
whenever possible.
Do not rest your foot on the clutch
or brake pedal. This causes needless
wear, overheating and poor fuel econo-
my.
Maintain a moderate speed on high-ways. The faster you drive, the greater
the fuel consumption. By reducing your
speed, you will cut down on fuel con-
sumption.
Keep the front wheels in proper
alignment. Avoid hitting the curb and
slow down on rough roads. Improper
alignment not only causes faster tire
wear but also puts an extra load on
the engine, which, in turn, wastes fuel.
Keep the bottom of your vehicle free
from mud, etc. This not only lessens
weight but also helps prevent corro-
sion.
Keep your vehicle tuned- up and in
top shape. A dirty air cleaner, improp-
er valve clearance, dirty plugs, dirty oil
and grease, brakes not adjusted, etc.
all lower engine performance and con-
tribute to poor fuel economy. For longer
life of all parts and lower operating
costs, keep all maintenance work on
schedule, and if you often drive under
severe conditions, see that your vehicle
receives more frequent maintenance
(For schedule maintenance information,
please refer to the separate ºOwner 's
Manual Supplement/Maintenance
Scheduleº).
CAUTION
Never turn off the engine to coast
down hills. Your power steering and
brake booster will not function with-
out the engine running. Also, the
emission control system operates
properly only when the engine is run-
ning.
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer, too

'98 TERCEL (U)137
If your engine coolant temperature
gauge indicates overheating, if you ex-
perience a loss of power, or if you hear
a loud knocking or pinging noise, the
engine has probably overheated. You
should follow this procedure...
1. Pull safely off the road, stop the ve- hicle and turn on your emergency
flashers. Put the transmission in ºPº
(automatic) or neutral (manual) and ap-
ply the parking brake. Turn off the air
conditioning if it is being used.
2. If coolant or steam is boiling out of the radiator or reservoir,stop the engine.
Wait until the steam subsides before
opening the hood. If there is no coolant
boiling over or steam, leave the engine
running and make sure the electric
cooling fan is operating. If it is not,
turn the ignition off.
CAUTION
To help avoid personal injury, keep
the hood closed until there is no
steam. Escaping steam or coolant is
a sign of very high pressure.
3. Visually check to see if the engine drive belt (water pump belt) is broken
or loose. Look for obvious coolant
leaks from the radiator, hoses, and un-
der the vehicle. However, note that wa-
ter draining from the air conditioning is
normal if it has been used.
CAUTION
When the engine is running, keep
hands and clothing away from the
moving fan and engine drive belts.
4. If the engine drive belt is broken orcoolant is leaking, stop the engine im-
mediately. Call a Toyota dealer for as-
sistance.
5. If the engine drive belt is O.K. and there are no obvious leaks, check the
coolant reservoir. If it is dry, add cool-
ant to the reservoir while the engine is
running. Fill it about half full.
CAUTION
Do not attempt to remove the radiator
cap when the engine and radiator are
hot. Serious injury could result from
scalding hot fluid and steam blown
out under pressure.
6. After the engine coolant temperaturehas cooled to normal, again check the
coolant level in the reservoir. If neces-
sary, bring it up to half full again. Seri-
ous coolant loss indicates a leak in the
system. You s hould have it checked as
soon as possible at your Toyota dealer.
If your vehicle overheats

'98 TERCEL (U)171
Part 7
DO- IT- YOURSELF
MAINTENANCE±
Chapter 7- 2
Engine and Chassis
Checking the engine oil level
Checking the engine coolant level
Checking brake fluid
Checking power steering fluid
Checking tire pressure
Checking and replacing tires
Rotating tires
Installing snow tires and chains
Replacing wheels
Checking the engine oil level
Low level Full level
Add oil O.K. Too full
With the engine at operating tempera-
ture and turned off, check the oil level
on the dipstick. 1. To get a true reading, the vehicle should be on a level spot. After turning
off the engine, wait a few minutes for
the oil to drain back into the bottom of
the engine.
2. Pull out the dipstick, and wipe it clean with a rag.
3. Reinsert the dipstick±push it in as far as it will go, or the reading will not be
correct.
4. Pull the dipstick out and look at the oil level on the end. If the oil level is below or only slightly
above the low level, add engine oil of
the same type as already in the engine.
Remove the oil filler cap and add engine
oil in small quantities at a time, checking
the dipstick.
The approximate quantity of oil needed to
fill between the low level and the full level
on the dipstick is indicated below for ref-
erence.
When the level reaches within the correct
range, install the f
iller cap hand- tight.
Oil quantity, L (qt., lmp. qt.):
1.3 (1.4, 1.1)
NOTICE
Avoid overfilling, or the enginecould be damaged.
Check the oil level on the dipstickonce again after adding the oil.

'98 TERCEL (U)193
BATTERY

Maintenance type battery
Specific gravity reading at 20 C(68 F):
1.250Ð1.290 Fully charged
1.160Ð1.200 Half charged
1.060Ð1.100 Discharged

Non−maintenance battery Open voltage *
at 20 C (68 F):
12.6 VÐ12.8 V Fully charged
12.2 VÐ12.4 V Half charged
11.8 VÐ12.0 V Discharged
* : Voltage that is checked 20 minutes after
the key is removed with all the lights
turned off
Charging rates: Non−maintenance battery 5 A max .
Maintenance type battery
Quick charge 15 A max.
Slow charge 5 A max.
CLUTCH
Pedal freeplay, mm (in.): 5Ð15 (0.2Ð0.6)
Fluid type: SAE J1703 or FMVSS No.116 DOT 3 MANUAL TRANSAXLE
Oil capacity, L (qt., Imp. qt.):
1.9 (2.0, 1.7)
Oil type: Gear oil API GL- 4 or GL- 5
Recommended oil viscosity: SAE 75W- 90
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE
3- speed type automatic transmission Automatic transmission Fluid capacity (drain and ref ill),
L (qt., Imp. qt.):
Up to 2.5 (2.6, 2.2)
Diffarencial Fluid capacity, L (qt., Imp. qt.): 1.4 (1.5, 1.2)
4- speed type automatic transmission Fluid capacity (drain and ref ill),
L (qt., Imp. qt.): Up to 3.1 (3.3, 2.7)
Fluid type: Automatic transmission fluid D- II or DEXRON III (DEXRON II) BRAKES
Minimum pedal clearance when depressed
with the pressure of 490 N (50 kgf, 110 lbf)
with the engine running, mm (in.):
With anti- lock brake system 55 (2.2)
Without anti- lock brake system
60 (2.4)
Pedal freeplay, mm (in.): 1Ð6 (0.04Ð0.24)
Pad wear limit, in. (mm): 1.0 (0.04)
Lining wear limit, in. (mm): 1.0 (0.04)
Parking brake adjustment when pulled with
the force of 196 N (20 kgf, 44 lbf): 5Ð8 clicks
Fluid type: SAE J1703 or FMVSS No.116 DOT 3
STEERING
Wheel freeplay: Less than 30 mm (1.2 in.)
Power steering fluid type: Automatic transmission fluid DEXRON II or III