1999 TOYOTA AVALON Owners Manual

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Instrument panel light control
To adjust the brightness of the instru-
ment panel lights, turn the dial.
Front fog lights
To turn on the front fog lights, twist
the band of the headlight and turn sig-
nal switch lever. They will come on
when the headlights are turned on.
Interior light
Ty p e A
Ty p e B
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Ty p e C
To turn on the interior light, slide the
switch.
The interior light switch has the following
positions:
”ON”—Keeps the light on all the time.
”OFF”—Turns the light off.
”DOOR”—Turns the light on when any of
the door is opened. The light remains on
for some time after all of the doors are
closed.
Front personal lights
With moon roof
Without moon roof
To turn on the front personal lights,
push the switch. To turn the lights off,
push the switch once again.
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Rear personal lights
To turn on the rear personal light, push
the switch. To turn the light off, push
the switch once again.
Ignition switch light
For easy access to the ignition switch,
the ignition switch light comes on when
any of the doors are opened.
The light remains on for some time after
all the doors are closed.
Windshield wipers and washer
To turn on the windshield wipers, move
the lever to the desired setting.
The key must be in the ”ON” position.
Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Intermittent
Position 2Slow
Position 3Fast
The ”INT TIME” band lets you adjust the
wiping time interval when the wiper lever
is in the intermittent position (position 1).
Twist the band upward to increase the
time between sweeps, and downward to
decrease it.
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To squirt washer fluid, pull the lever
toward you.
If the windshield wipers are off, they will
operate a couple of times after the washer
squirts.
For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see ”Adding washer fluid” 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 the
glass.
Headlight cleaner
To spray fluid on the headlights, turn
the headlights on and push the switch.
The key must be in the ”ON” position.
Check the fluid level of the see −through
headlight cleaner tank every so often.
Use washer fluid for replenishment. For
information on adding fluid, see ”Adding
washer fluid” in Chapter 7 −3.
NOTICE
Do not turn the headlight cleaner on
with the tank empty. It may cause the
cleaner motor to overheat.
To defog or defrost the rear window,
push the switch.
The key must be in the ”ON” 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.
On some models, the heater panels in the
outside rear view mirrors will also quickly
clear the surfaces. Keep your hands off
the mirror faces when the switch is on.
Push the switch once again to turn the
defoggers off.
Rear window and outside rear
view mirror defoggers
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CAUTION
Since the mirror surfaces can get hot,
keep your hands off them when the
defogger switch is on.
The system will automatically shut off af-
ter the defogger has operated about 15
minutes.
Make sure you turn the defoggers off
when the surfaces are clear. Leaving the
defoggers on for a long time could cause
the battery to discharge, especially during
stop −and− go driving. The defoggers are
not designed for drying rain water or for
melting snow.
If the outside rear view mirror are heavily
coated with ice, use a spray de −icer be-
fore operating the switch.
NOTICE
When cleaning the inside of the rear
window, be careful not to scratch or
damage the heater wires.
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Part 1
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS—
Chapter 1 −5
Gauges, Meters and
Service reminder
indicators
 Fuel gauge
 Engine coolant temperature
gauge
 Tachometer
 Odometer and two trip meters
 Thermometer
 Service reminder indicators and
warning buzzers
Fuel gauge
The gauge works when the ignition
switch is on and indicates the approxi-
mate quantity of fuel remaining in the
tank.
Nearly full—Needle at ”F”
Nearly empty—Needle at ”E”
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 ”E” or the low
fuel level warning light comes on, 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 or the low fuel level
warning light may come on earlier than
usual.
If the fuel tank is completely empty, the mal-
function indicator lamp comes on. Fill the
fuel tank immediately.
The indicator lamp goes off after driving sev-
eral times. If the indicator lamp does not
go off, contact your Toyota dealer as soon
as possible.
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The 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 op-
erating 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.
Towing a trailer.
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in
the engine cooling system as this
may cause the engine to overheat.
The thermostat is designed to con-
trol the flow of coolant to keep the
temperature of the engine within
the specified operating range.
 Do not continue driving with an
overheated engine. See ”If your ve-
hicle overheats” 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 cause
severe engine damage.
Engine coolant temperature
gauge
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