1999 LEXUS SC300 Owners Manual

STARTING AND DRIVING
215
PARKING BRAKE
To set: Pull up the lever.
To release: Pull up the lever slightly, press the thumb
button, then lower the lever.
Before leaving your vehicle, firmly apply the parking brake.
CAUTION
Before driving, make sure the parking brake is fully released
and that the parking brake reminder light is off.

STARTING AND DRIVING
216
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 275.
NOTICE
 Do not crank for more than 30 seconds at a time. This
may overheat the starter and wiring systems.
 Do not race a cold engine.
 If the engine becomes difficult to start or stalls
frequently, have the engine checked immediately.

STARTING AND DRIVING
217
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION(SC400)
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. ()

STARTING AND DRIVING
218

The shift position is 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)
4: Position for engine braking (Shifting into overdrive
not possible)
When the cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift from ºDº to º4º, engine braking will not be
applied because the cruise control is not cancelled. For
the operation to decrease the vehicle speed, see page
245.
3, 2: Position for more powerful engine braking
L: Position for maximum engine braking Correct use of the automatic transmission is explained in
the following parts.
(a) Normal driving
(b) Using engine braking
(c) Using the º3º, 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

STARTING AND DRIVING
219
(a) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in ºHow to start the
engineº on page 216.
The transmission must be in ºPº or ºNº. The engine will not
start in any drive position even if the ignition key is turned to
ºSTARTº.

STARTING AND DRIVING
220
2. Set the driving pattern selector switch to the ºNormalº
position.
Your transmission has a driving pattern selector switch which
allows you to select ºPowerº, ºNormalº or ºSnowº mode to
suit your driving condition. For ordinary driving, Lexus
recommends that you use the ºNormalº position to improve
fuel economy.
3. For more powerful acceleration and sporty driving,
use the ºPowerº position.
In the ºPowerº position, the ºECT PWRº light in the
instrument cluster is on and the transmission is shifted up at
higher vehicle speeds and shifted down more responsively
than in the ºNormalº position.
For ºSnowº mode, see ºElectronic Throttle Control
Systemº on page 241.

STARTING AND DRIVING
221
4. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the
selector lever to ºDº.
Always use the ºDº position to improve fuel economy and
quiet driving. Only in this position, shifting into the overdrive
gear is possible. However, while the engine coolant
temperature is low, the transmission will not shift into the
overdrive gear even in the ºDº position. (See º(b) Using
engine brakingº and º(f) Good driving practiceº for
exceptions.)
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelerator pedal while shifting.

STARTING AND DRIVING
2225. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress
the accelerator pedal slowly for smooth starting.
In normal cruising, the vehicle will start in the first gear and
automatically shift up to the most suitable gear. On inclines,
declines or winding roads, etc., the vehicle shifts up and down
automatically according to the running conditions to obtain
the suitable driving power and engine braking.
In º4º position, the automatic transmission system will select
the most suitable gear for the running conditions such as hill
climbing, hard towing, etc.
If you need to accelerate rapidly while driving, depress the
accelerator pedal to the full throttle position. This provides
more acceleration by automatically downshifting the
transmission to the next lower gear or beyond, depending on
the vehicle speed.
If engine braking is needed, such as in descending a long hill,
see º(b) Using engine brakingº.
(b) Using engine braking