1999 LEXUS SC300 Owners Manual

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239
(f) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly upshifts and downshifts
between the fourth and overdrive gears when climbing a
gentle slope, shift the selector lever to the º3º position. Be
sure to shift the selector lever to the ºDº position after
climbing the slope.
 When towing a trailer, in order to maintain ef ficient engine
braking and electrical charging performance, do not use
overdrive. The selector lever must be in the º3º position.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal while stopped with
the engine running. This prevents the vehicle from creeping.
NOTICE
Do not hold the vehicle on an upgrade with the
accelerator pedal. This can cause the transmission to
overheat. Always use the brake pedal or parking brake.
(g) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
CAUTION
If your vehicle becomes stuck in snow, mud, sand, etc., then
you may attempt to rock the vehicle free by moving it forward
and backward. Do not attempt this procedure if people or
objects are anywhere near the vehicle. During the rocking
operation the vehicle may suddenly move forward or back as
it becomes un±stuck, causing injury or damage to nearby
people or objects.

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240
NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe the following
precautions to prevent damage to the transmission and
other parts.
Do not depress the accelerator pedal while shifting the
selector lever or before the transmission is completely
shifted to forward or reverse gear.
 Do not race the engine and avoid spinning the wheels.
 If your vehicle remains stuck after rocking the vehicle
several times, consider other ways such as towing.
(h) If you cannot shift the selector lever
If you cannot shift the selector lever even though the brake
pedal is depressed, use the shift lock override button. For
instructions, see ºIf you cannot shift automatic transmission
selector leverº on page 306.

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241
ELECTRONIC THROTTLECONTROL SYSTEM
The electronic throttle control system always maintains
appropriate engine output in relation to the accelerator
opening in all driving conditions.
The electronic throttle control system has 3 modes:
Normal, Power and Snow modes.
Normal mode: For ordinary driving, Lexus recommends
that you use the normal mode to improve fuel economy.
Power mode: For more powerful acceleration and sporty
driving.

STARTING AND DRIVING
242In the power mode, 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 normal mode.
To return to the normal mode, push the driving pattern
selector switch lightly on the ºSNOWº side.
Snow mode: For slippery road surfaces such as in snow. In
this mode, the spinning of the rear wheels is controlled
appropriately.
When you push the driving pattern selector switch on the
ºSNOWº side, the snow mode is turned on and the ºECT
SNOWº light in the instrument cluster comes on.
To return to the normal mode, push the driving pattern
selector switch on the ºSNOWº side again.
When you turn the ignition switch off in the snow mode, the
mode automatically changes to the normal mode.
CRUISE CONTROL
The cruise control allows you to cruise the vehicle at a
desired
speed over 40 km/h (25 mph) with your foot off the
accelerator pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained although a slight speed
change may occur when driving up or down a gradient, within
the limits of engine performance. On steeper hills, a great
speed change will occur so it is better to drive without the
cruise control.
When the cruise control is on, the driving pattern of the
automatic transmission is fixed in the normal position,
regardless of the position of the selector switch.
CAUTION
 To help maintain maximum control of your vehicle, do not
use the cruise control when driving in heavy or varying
traffic, or on slippery (rainy, icy or snow±covered) or
winding roads.
 Avoid vehicle speed increases when driving downhill. If the
vehicle speed is too fast in relation to the cruise control set
speed, cancel the cruise control then downshift the
transmission to use engine braking to slow down.

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243
Turning on the system
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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244
Setting at a desired speed
The transmission must be in ºDº before you set the cruise
control speed.
Bring the vehicle to the desired speed, press the control lever
downward in the ºSET/COASTº direction and release it.
This sets the vehicle at that speed. Now you may take your
foot off the accelerator pedal. If you need acceleration ± for
example, when passing ± depress the accelerator pedal
enough for the vehicle to exceed the set speed. When you
release the accelerator pedal, the vehicle will return to the
speed set prior to the acceleration.
Cancelling the preset speed
You can cancel the preset speed by any of the following:
a. Pulling the control lever in the ºCANCELº direction.
b. Depressing the brake pedal.

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245
If the vehicle speed falls below about 40 km/h (25 mph), the
preset speed will be automatically cancelled.
If the vehicle speed drops 16 km/h (10 mph) below the preset
speed, the preset speed will also automatically be cancelled.
If the preset speed automatically cancels out for other than
these reasons, have your vehicle checked by your Lexus
dealer at the earliest opportunity.
Resetting to a faster speed
Press the control lever upward in the ºRES/ACCº direction
and hold it. Release the lever when the desired speed is
attained. While the lever is held upward, the vehicle will
gradually gain speed.
When
the difference between the actual vehicle speed and the
set speed is less than 5 km/h (3 mph), the set speed can be
increased 1.6 km/h (1 mph) each time by pressing the control
lever upward in the ºRES/ACCº direction quickly within 0.6
seconds.
However, a quicker way to reset is to accelerate the vehicle
and then press the control lever downward in the
ºSET/COASTº direction.
Resetting to a slower speed
Press the control lever downward in the ºSET/COASTº
direction and hold it. Release the lever when the desired
speed is attained. While the lever is held downward, the
vehicle speed will gradually decrease. When
the difference between the actual vehicle speed and the
set speed is less than 5 km/h (3 mph), the set speed can be
lowered 1.6 km/h (1 mph) each time by pressing the control
lever downward in the ºSET/COASTº direction quickly
within 0.6 seconds.
However, a quicker way to reset is to depress the brake pedal
and then press the control lever downward in the
ºSET/COASTº direction.
Even if you downshift the transmission from ºDº to º4º
(SC400) or from ºDº to º3º (SC300) with the cruise control
on, engine braking will not be applied because the cruise
control is not cancelled. To decrease the vehicle speed, reset
to a slower speed with the cruise control lever or depress the
brake pedal. If you use the brake pedal, cruise control is
cancelled.
Resuming the preset speed
If the preset speed is cancelled by pulling the control lever or
by depressing the brake pedal, pushing the lever up in the
ºRES/ACCº direction will restore the speed set prior to
cancellation. However, once the vehicle speed falls below
about 40 km/h (25 mph), the preset speed will not be resumed.
Cruise control failure warning
If the ºCRUISEº indicator light in the instrument cluster
flashes five times and then goes out when using the cruise
control, it means that there is trouble in the cruise control
system. Contact your Lexus dealer.

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TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM
The traction control system automatically helps control
the spinning of the rear wheels which may occur when
accelerating on slippery road surfaces, thus assisting
driver to control the driving power of the rear wheels.
When you turn the ignition switch on, this system always
turns on. Leave the system on during ordinary driving so
that it can operate when needed. When traction control
is applied, the slip indicator blinks.