1999 TOYOTA COROLLA overheating

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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 ºToyota Long
Life Coolantº 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 -505C
(- 585F). 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 Toyota dealer
and most service stations will be pleased
to check the level of charge.
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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 fifth gear (manual
transmission) or overdrive (automatic
transmission).

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 ºIf
your vehicle overheatsº 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 ºPº (automatic)
or in first or reverse (manual). Avoid
parking on a slope with a trailer, but
if it cannot be avoided, do so only
after performing the following:
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Avoid continuous speeding up and
slowing down. Stop- and- go driving
wastes fuel.

Avoid unnecessary stopping and
braking. Maintain a steady pace. Try
to time the traffic signals so you only
need to stop as little as possible or
take advantage of through streets to
avoid traffic lights. Keep a proper dis-
tance from other vehicles to avoid sud-
den braking. This will also reduce wear
on your brakes.

Avoid heavy traffic or traffic jams
whenever possible.

Do not rest your foot on the clutch
or brake pedal. This causes needless
wear, overheating and poor fuel econo-
my.

Maintain a moderate speed on high-
ways. The faster you drive,the greater
the fuel consumption. By reducing your
speed, you will cut down on fuel con-
sumption.

Keep the front wheels in proper
alignment. Avoid hitting the curb and
slow down on rough roads. Improper
alignment not only causes faster tire
wear but also puts an extra load on
the engine, which, in turn, wastes fuel.

Keep the bottom of your vehicle free
from mud, etc. This not only lessens
weight but also helps prevent corro-
sion.

Keep your vehicle tuned- up and in
top shape. A dirty air cleaner, improp-
er valve clearance, dirty plugs, dirty oil
and grease,brakes not adjusted, etc. all
lower engine performance and contrib-
ute to poor fuel economy. For longer
life of all parts and lower operating
costs, keep all maintenance work on
schedule, and if you often drive under
severe conditions, see that your vehicle
receives more frequent maintenance.
(For scheduled maintenance informa-
tion, please refer to the separate
ºScheduled Maintenance Guideº or
ºOwner 's Manual Supplementº.
CAUTION
Never turn off the engine to coast
down hills. Your power steering and
brake booster will not function with-
out the engine running. Also, the
emission control system operates
properly only when the engine is run-
ning.
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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 ºPº
(automatic) or neutral (manual) and ap-
ply 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 a Toyota 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 Toyota dealer.
If your vehicle overheats
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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 and the lock re-
lease button depressed).
(a) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in ºHow
to start the engineº in Part 3. The
transmission must be in ºPº or ºNº.
2. With your foot holding down the brake
pedal, shift the selector lever to ºDº.
In ºDº position, the automatic transmission
system will select the most suitable gear
for different running conditions such as
normal cruising, hill climbing, hard towing,
etc.
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 brakingTo use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Shift into the º2º position when the
vehicle speed is lower than 93 km/h
(58 mph). The transmission will down-
shift to the second gear and more en-
gine braking will be obtained.
Shift into the ºLº position when the
vehicle speed is lower than 37 km/h
(23 mph). The transmission will down-
shift to the first gear and maximum
engine braking will be applied.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
(c) Using the º2º and ºLº position
The º2º and ºLº positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously.
With the selector lever in º2º or ºLº, you
can start the vehicle in motion as with the
lever in ºDº.
With the selector lever in º2º, the vehicle
will start in the first gear and automatical-
ly shift to the second gear.With the selector lever in ºLº, the trans-
mission is engaged in the first gear.
NOTICE

Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to keep
engine rpm from going into the red
zone. The approximate maximum al-
lowable speed for each position is
given below for your reference:
º2º.................126 km/h (78 mph)
ºLº................ 70 km/h (43 mph)

Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the
º2º or ºLº position. This may cause
severe automatic transmission dam-
age from overheating. To prevent
such damage, ºDº position should
be used in hill climbing or hard
towing.
(d) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with
your foot, shift the selector lever to the
ºRº position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the ve-
hicle is moving.
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NOTICE

Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to keep
engine rpm from going into the red
zone. The approximate maximum al-
lowable speed for each position is
given below for your reference:
º2º
.................118 km/ h ( 73 mph)
ºLº
..................65 km/h (40 mph)

Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the
º2º or ºLº position. This may cause
severe automatic transmission dam-
age from overheating. To prevent
such damage, ºDº position should
be used in hill climbing or hard
towing.
(d) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with
your foot, shift the selector lever to the
ºRº position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the ve-
hicle is moving.
(e) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Pull the parking brake lever up fully to
securely apply the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down,
shift the selector lever to the ºPº posi-
tion.
CAUTION
While the vehicle is moving, never
attempt to move the selector lever
into ºPº position under any circum-
stances. Serious mechanical damage
and loss of vehicle control may re-
sult.
(f) Good driving practice
If the transmission is repeatedly up-
shifted and downshifted between the
third gear and overdrive when climbing
a gentle slope, the overdrive switch
should be turned off. Be sure to turn
the switch on immediately afterward.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use overdrive.
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 up-
grade with the accelerator pedal. It
can cause the transmission to over-
heat. Always use the brake pedal or
parking brake.
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