1999 TOYOTA CAMRY CNG engine coolant

4
Instrument cluster overview
1. Engine coolant temperature gauge
2. Service reminder indicators and
indicator lights
3. Fuel gauge4. Speedometer
5. Odometer and two trip meters
6. Tachometer7. Trip meter reset knob
8. Low fuel level warning light

63
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
Service reminder indicators and
warning buzzers
Fuel gauge
Low fuel level
warning light
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 around 1/5 posi-
tion
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.This gauge indicates the amount of fuel
remaining in the tank is calculated from
the pressure of the natural gas and the
temperature inside the tank. The actual
amount may be slightly above or below
that indicated, depending on the outside
temperature and environment.
If the low fuel level warning light comes
on, fill the fuel tank as soon as possible.
If you continue to drive the vehicle after
the low fuel level warning light comes on,
the light will begin to blink, and at the
same time you will not be able to drive
at speeds over 80 km/h (50 mph).
NOTICE
If the low fuel warning light begins to
blink, the fuel tank will soon be
empty. Move to a safe place as soon
as possible.

64
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
operating 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

71
Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of “P” position when the
brake pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in “ON” position and the lock re-
lease button depressed).
(a) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in “How
to start the engine” in Part 3. The
transmission must be in “P” or “N”.
2. With your foot holding down the brake
pedal, shift the selector lever to “D”.
When the lever is in the “D” position, the
automatic transmission system will select
the most suitable gear for the running
conditions such as normal cruising, hill
climbing, hard towing, etc.
Always turn the overdrive switch on for
better fuel economy and quieter driving. If
the engine coolant temperature is low, the
transmission will not shift into overdrive
gear even with the overdrive switch on.
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and brake
pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
(b) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Turn off the overdrive switch. The “O/D
OFF” indicator light will come on and
the transmission will downshift to the
third gear.
Shift into the “2” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the second
gear when the vehicle speed drops
down to or lower than 106 km/h (66
mph), and more powerful engine brak-
ing will be obtained.
Shift into the “L” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the first gear
When the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than 47 km/h (29 mph), and
maximum engine braking will be ap-
plied.Vehicles with cruise control⎯When the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by turning off
the overdrive switch, engine braking is not
applied because the cruise control is not
cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see “Cruise control” in this chapter.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
(c) Using “2” and “L” positions
The “2” and “L” positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously.
With the selector lever in “2” or “L”, you
can start the vehicle in motion as with the
lever in “D”.
With the selector lever in “2”, the vehicle
will start in the first gear and automatical-
ly shift to the second gear.
With the selector lever in “L”, the trans-
mission is engaged in the first gear.

11 9
CAUTION
Before driving off, make sure that
the parking brake is fully released
and the parking brake reminder
light is off.
Do not leave your vehicle unat-
tended while the engine is running.
Do not rest your foot on the brake
pedal while driving. It can cause
dangerous overheating, needless
wear, and poor fuel economy.
To drive down a long or steep hill,
reduce your speed and downshift.
Remember, if you ride the brakes
excessively, they may overheat and
not work properly.
Be careful when accelerating, up-
shifting, downshifting or braking on
a slippery surface. Sudden accelera-
tion or engine braking could cause
the vehicle to spin or skid.
Do not drive in excess of the speed
limit. Even if the legal speed limit
permits it, do not drive over 140
km/h (85 mph) unless your vehicle
has high−speed capability tires.
Driving over 140 km/h (85 mph) may
result in tire failure, loss of control
and possible injury. Be sure to con-
sult a tire dealer to determine
whether the tires on your vehicle
are high−speed capability tires or
not before driving at such speeds.
Do not continue normal driving
when the brakes are wet. If they are
wet, your vehicle will require a
longer stopping distance, and it
may pull to one side when the
brakes are applied. Also, the park-
ing brake will not hold the vehicle
securely.
Winter driving tips
Make sure you have a proper freeze
protection of engine coolant.
Your coolant must contain ethylene−glycol
type coolant for a proper corrosion
protection of aluminum components. Use
“TOYOTA Long Life Coolant” or equivalent.
See Chapter 7−2 for details about coolant
type selection.
NOTICE
Do not use alcohol type antifreeze or
plain water alone.
When it is extremely cold, we recommend
to use 60% solution for your Toyota, to
provide protection down to about −50°C
(−58°F). Do not use more than 70% solu-
tion for better coolant performance.
Check the condition of the battery and
cables.
Cold temperatures reduce the capacity of
any battery, so it must be in top shape
to provide enough power for winter start-
ing. Chapter 7−3 tells you how to visually
inspect the battery. Your authorized Toyota
CNG dealer and most service stations will
be pleased to check the level of charge.

124
Backing with a trailer is difficult and
requires practice. Grip the bottom of
the steering wheel and move your hand
to the left to move the trailer to the
left. Move your hand to the right to
move the trailer to the right. (This pro-
cedure is generally opposite to that
when backing without a trailer). Also,
just turn the steering wheel a little at
a time, avoiding sharp or prolonged
turning. Have someone guide you when
backing to reduce the risk of an acci-
dent.
Because stopping distance may be in-
creased, vehicle−to−vehicle distance
should be increased when towing a
trailer. For each 16 km/h (10 mph) of
speed, allow at least one vehicle and
trailer length between you and the ve-
hicle ahead. Avoid sudden braking as
you may skid, resulting in jackknifing
and loss of control. This is especially
true on wet or slippery surfaces.
Avoid jerky starts or sudden accelera-
tion. If your vehicle has a manual
transmission, prevent excessive clutch
slippage by keeping engine rpm low
and not racing the engine. Always start
out in first gear.
Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns.
The trailer could hit your vehicle in a
tight turn. Slow down before making a
turn to avoid the necessity of sudden
braking.
Remember that when making a turn,
the trailer wheels will be closer than
the vehicle wheels to the inside of the
turn. Therefore, compensate for this by
making a larger than normal turning
radius with your vehicle.
Crosswinds and rough roads will ad-
versely affect handling of your vehicle
and trailer, causing sway. Pay attention
to the rear from time to time to pre-
pare yourself for being passed by large
trucks or buses, which may cause your
vehicle and trailer to sway. If swaying
happens, firmly grip the steering wheel
and reduce speed immediately but
gradually. Never increase speed. Steer
straight ahead. If you make no extreme
correction with the steering or brakes,
the vehicle and trailer will stabilize.
Be careful when passing other ve-
hicles. Passing requires considerable
distance. After passing a vehicle, do
not forget the length of your trailer and
be sure you have plenty of room be-
fore changing lanes.
In order to maintain engine braking effi-
ciency do not use overdrive.
Because of the added load of the trail-
er, your vehicle’s engine may overheat
on hot days (at temperatures over
30C [85F]) when going up a long or
steep grade with a trailer. If the engine
coolant temperature gauge indicates
overheating, immediately turn off the air
conditioning (if in use), pull off the road
and stop in a safe spot. Refer to “If
your vehicle overheats” in Part 4 of
this manual.
Always place wheel blocks under both
the vehicle and trailer wheels when
parking. Apply the parking brake firmly.
Put the transmission in “P”. Avoid park-
ing on a slope with a trailer, but if it
cannot be avoided, do so only after
performing the following:

131
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 “P”
and apply 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. Look for obvious coolant leaks from the
radiator, hoses,and under the vehicle.
However, note that water 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 coolant is leaking, stop the en-
gine immediately. Call your authorized
Toyota CNG dealer for assistance.
5. If there are no obvious leaks, check
the coolant reservoir. If it is dry, add
coolant to the reservoir while the en-
gine 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 temperature
has 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 should have it checked as
soon as possible at your authorized
Toyota CNG dealer.
If your vehicle overheats

154
IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT
Items listed below should be checked
from time to time, e.g. each time when
refueling.
Washer fluid
Make sure there is sufficient fluid in the
tank. See Chapter 7−3 for additional in-
formation.
Engine coolant level
Make sure the coolant level is between
the “FULL” and “LOW” lines on the see−
through reservoir when the engine is cold.
See Chapter 7−2 for additional information.
Battery electrolyte level
Make sure the electrolyte level of all bat-
tery cells is between upper and lower lev-
el lines on the case. Add only distilled
water when replenishing. See Chapter 7−3
for additional information.
Brake fluid level
Make sure the brake fluid level is correct.
See Chapter 7−2 for additional information.
Engine oil level
Check the level on the dipstick with the
engine turned off and the vehicle parked
on a level spot. See Chapter 7−2 for addi-
tional information.Power steering fluid level
Check the level through the reservoir. The
level should be in the “HOT” or “COLD”
range depending on the fluid temperature.
See Chapter 7−2 for additional information.
Exhaust system
If you notice any change in the sound of
the exhaust or smell exhaust fumes, have
the cause located and corrected immedi-
ately. (See engine exhaust cautions in
Part 2.)Be on the alert for changes in perfor-
mance, sounds, and visual tip−offs that
indicate service is needed. Some impor-
tant clues are as follows:
Engine missing, stumbling, or pinging
Appreciable loss of power
Strange engine noises
A leak under the vehicle (however, wa-
ter dripping from the air conditioning
after use is normal.)
Change in exhaust sound (This may
indicate a dangerous carbon monoxide
leak. Drive with the windows open and
have the exhaust system checked im-
mediately.)
Flat−looking tire; excessive tire squeal
when cornering; uneven tire wear
Vehicle pulls to one side when driving
straight on a level road
Strange noises related to suspension
movement
Loss of brake effectiveness; spongy
feeling brake; pedal almost touches
floor; vehicle pulls to one side when
braking
Engine coolant temperature continually
higher than normal
Does your vehicle need
repairing?