1999 Lexus ES300 key

STARTING AND DRIVING
257
ºSTARTº ± Starter motor on. The key will return to
the ºONº position when released.
For starting tips, see page 260.
ºONº ± Engine on and all accessories on.
This is the normal driving position.
NOTICE
Do not leave the key in the ºONº position if the
engine is not running. The battery will dischargeand the electronic ignition system/distributorignition system could be damaged.
ºACCº ± Accessories 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.

STARTING AND DRIVING
258
31E037
ºLOCKº ± Engine is off and the steering wheel is
locked. The ignition key can be removed only at this
position.
You must push in the key to turn it from ºACCº to the
ºLOCKº position. The selector lever must be put in the
ºPº position before turning the key to the ºLOCKº
position.
Once you remove the key, the engine immobiliser
system is automatically set. See ºEngine immobiliser
systemº on page 12.
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.
If, in an emergency, you must turn the engine off while
the vehicle is moving, turn the key only to ºACCº.

STARTING AND DRIVING
260
HOW TO START THE ENGINE
Before cranking
1. Apply the parking brake firmly.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and accessories.
3. Put the selector lever in ºPº. If you need to restart the
engine while the vehicle is moving, put the selector lever
in ºNº. A starter safety device will prevent the starter
from operating if the selector lever is in any drive
position.
4. Depress the brake pedal and hold it to the floor until
you are ready to drive off.
Starting the engine
Before starting the engine, be sure to follow the
instructions in ºBefore crankingº.
Normal starting procedure
The multiport fuel injection system/sequential multiport
fuel injection system in your engine automatically
controls the proper air±fuel mixture for starting. You can
start a cold or hot engine as follows:
1. With your foot off the accelerator pedal, crank the
engine by turning the key to ºSTARTº. Release it when
the engine starts.
2. After the engine runs for about 10 seconds, you are
ready to drive. If the weather is below freezing, let the engine warm up
for a few minutes before driving. Do not leave the vehicle
while the engine is warming up.
If the engine stalls ...
Simply restart it , using the correct procedure given in
normal starting.
If the engine will not start
See ºIf your vehicle will not startº on page 314.
NOTICE
Do not crank for more than 30 seconds at a
time. This may overheat the starter and wiringsystems.
Do not race a cold engine.
If the engine becomes difficult to start or stallsfrequently, have the engine checkedimmediately.

STARTING AND DRIVING
262
2Overdrive switch
For selecting either a three±speed or four±speed
transmission.
When the cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by turning off the
overdrive switch, engine braking will not be applied
because the cruise control is not cancelled. For the
operation to decrease the vehicle speed, see page
277.
3 Shift position indicator
The shift position is also displayed on the
instrument cluster.
P:Parking, engine starting and key removal
position
R: Reverse position
N: Neutral position
D: Normal driving position (Shifting into overdrive
possible)
2: Position for engine braking
L: Position for stronger engine braking than that in
º2º position Correct use of the automatic transmission is
explained in the following parts.
(a) Normal driving
(b) Using engine braking
(c) Using the º2º and ºLº positions
(d) Backing up
(e) Parking
(f) Good driving practice
(g) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
(h) If you cannot shift the selector lever out of ºPº
position

STARTING AND DRIVING
263
(a) Normal driving
31E006

1ºPº (Park) position 2ºNº (Neutral) position
1. Start the engine as instructed in ºHow to start the
engineº on page 260.
The transmission must be in ºPº or ºNº. The engine will
not start in ºRº, º2º, ºLº or ºDº position even if \
the ignition
key is turned to ºSTARTº.

STARTING AND DRIVING
275
Turning on the system
31L013
To operate the cruise control, push the main switch. This
turns the system on. The indicator light in the instrument
cluster shows that you can now set your desired cruising
speed. Another push on the switch will turn the system
completely off.
When the ignition key is turned off, the main switch is
also automatically turned off. To use the cruise control
again, push the main switch again to turn it on.
CAUTION
To avoid accidental cruise control engagement, keep
the main switch off when not using the cruise control.

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284
Vehicle skid control system failure
warning
31E047
These lights warn that when there is a problem
somewhere in the vehicle skid control system or traction
control system.
If the ºVSCº warning light and ºVSC OFFº indicator light
come on, have your vehicle checked by Lexus dealer as
soon as possible.
The lights will come on when the ignition key is turned to
ªONº, and will go off after about a few seconds.
If the ºVSCº warning light and ºVSC OFFº indicator light
come on, the vehicle skid control system and traction
control system do not work. However, as conventional
braking operates when applied, there is no problem to
continue your driving.

STARTING AND DRIVING
291
This light comes on when the ignition key is turned
to the ºONº position. After about a few seconds, the
light will go off.
If either of the following conditions occurs, this indicates
a malfunction somewhere in the parts monitored by the
warning light system. Contact your Lexus dealer as
soon as possible to service the vehicle.

The light does not come on as described above, or
remains on.
 The light comes on while driving.
Even if the anti±lock brake system should fail, the brake
system will still operate conventionally. But when the
ºABSº warning light is on (and the brake system warning
light is off), anti±lock brake system is not assisting brake
performance so that the wheels could lock up during a
sudden brake or braking on slippery road surfaces.
Have your vehicle checked by your Lexus dealer as
soon as possible.
Drum±in±disc type parking brake system
Your vehicle has a drum±in±disc type parking brake
system. This type of brake system needs
bedding±down of the brake shoes periodically or
whenever the parking brake shoes and/or drums are
replaced.
Have your Lexus dealer perform the bedding±down.