1999 TOYOTA TACOMA battery

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CAUTION
When the engine is running, keep
hands, clothing, and tools away
from the moving fan and engine
drive belts. (Removing rings,
watches, and ties is advisable.)
Right after driving, the engine
compartmentÐthe engine, radiator,
exhaust manifold, power steering
fluid reservoir and spark plug
boots, etc.Ðwill be hot. So be care-
ful not to touch them. Oil, fluids
and spark plugs may also be hot.
If the engine is hot, do not remove
the radiator cap or loosen the drain
plugs to prevent burning yourself.
Do not smoke, cause sparks or al-
low open flames around fuel or the
battery. Their fumes are flammable.
Be extremely cautious when work-
ing on the battery. It contains poi-
sonous and corrosive sulfuric acid.
Do not get under your vehicle with
just the body jack supporting it. Al-
ways use automotive jack stands or
other solid supports.
Use eye protection whenever you
work on or under your vehicle
where you may be exposed to flying
or falling material, fluid spray, etc.
Used engine oil contains potentially
harmful contaminants which may
cause skin disorders such as in-
flammation or skin cancer, so care
should be taken to avoid prolonged
and repeated contact with it. To re-
move used engine oil from your
skin, wash thoroughly with soap
and water.
Do not leave used oil within the
reach of children.
Dispose of used oil and filter only
in a safe and acceptable manner.
Do not dispose of used oil and fil-
ter in household trash, in sewers or
onto the ground. Call your dealer or
a service station for information
concerning recycling or disposal.NOTICE
Remember that battery and ignition
cables carry high currents or volt-ages. Be careful of accidentallycausing a short circuit.
Add only demineralized or distilled water to fill the radiator. And if youspill some of the coolant, be sure
to wash it off with water to preventit from damaging the parts or paint.
Do not allow dirt or anything elseto fall through the spark plug holes.
Do not pry the outer electrode of a
spark plug against the center elec-trode.
Use only spark plugs of the speci-fied type. Using other types willcause engine damage, loss of per-
formance or radio noise.
Do not overfill automatic transmis-sion fluid, or the transmissioncould be damaged.
Do not drive with the air cleaner
filter removed, or excessive enginewear could result. Also backfiringcould cause a fire in the engine
compartment.

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Be careful not to scratch the glass
surface with the wiper frame.
When closing the engine hood,check to see that you have not for-
gotten any tools, rags, etc.
Parts and tools
Here is a list of parts and tools you will
need on performing do- it- yourself mainte-
nance. Remember all Toyota parts are de-
signed in metric sizes, so your tools must
be metric.
Checking the engine oil level
Parts (if level is low):
Engine oil API grade SJ,
ºEnergy- Conservingº or ILSAC
multigrade having viscosity proper for
your climate
Tools: Rag or paper towel
Funnel (only for adding oil)
Checking the engine coolant level
Parts (if level is low): ºToyota Long Life Coolantº or equiva-
lent
See Chapter 7- 2 for details about cool-
ant type selection.
Demineralized or distilled water
Tools:
Funnel (only for adding coolant) Checking brake fluid
Parts (if level is low):
SAE J1703 or FMVSS No.116 DOT 3
brake fluid
Tools:
Rag or paper towel
Funnel (only for adding fluid)
Checking power steering fluid
Parts (if level is low): Automatic transmission fluid DEXRON II
or III
Tools: Rag or paper towel
Funnel (only for adding fluid)
Checking battery condition
Tools: Warm water
Baking soda
Grease
Conventional wrench (for terminal
clamp bolts)

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Part 7
DO- IT- YOURSELF
MAINTENANCEÐ
Chapter 7- 3
Electrical components
Checking battery condition
Battery recharging precautions
Checking and replacing fuses
Adding washer fluid
Replacing light bulbs
CAUTION
BATTERY PRECAUTIONS
The battery produces flammable and
explosive hydrogen gas.
Do not cause a spark from the bat-
tery with tools.
Do not smoke or light a match near
the battery.
The electrolyte contains poisonous
and corrosive sulfuric acid. Avoid contact with eyes, skin or
clothes.
Never ingest electrolyte.
Wear protective safety glasses when
working near the battery.
Keep children away from the bat-
tery.
EMERGENCY MEASURES If electrolyte gets in your eyes,
flush your eyes with clean water
immediately and get immediate
medical attention. If possible, con-
tinue to apply water with a sponge
or cloth while en route to the medi-
cal office.
If electrolyte gets on your skin,
thoroughly wash the contact area. If
you feel pain or burning, get medi-
cal attention immediately.
If electrolyte gets on your clothes,
there is a possibility of its soaking
through to your skin, so immediate-
ly take off the exposed clothing and
follow the procedure above, if nec-
essary.
If you happen to swallow electro-
lyte, drink a large quantity of water
or milk. Follow with milk of magne-
sia, beaten raw egg or vegetable
oil. Then go immediately for emer-
gency help.
Checking battery c onditionÐ
ÐPrecautions

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ÐChecking battery exterior
Ground cable
Terminals
Hold- down
clamp
Check the battery for corroded or loose
terminal connections, cracks, or loose
hold- down clamp.
a. If the battery is corroded, wash it off
with a solution of warm water and baking
soda. Coat the outside of the terminals
with grease to prevent further corrosion.
b. If the terminal connections are loose,
tighten their clamp nutsÐbut do not over-
tighten.
c. Tighten the hold- down clamp only
enough to keep the battery firmly in place.
Overtightening may damage the battery
case.
NOTICE
Be sure the engine and all accesso- ries are off before performing main-tenance.
When checking the battery, remove
the ground cable from the negativeterminal (º- º mark) first and rein-stall it last.
Be careful not to cause a short cir- cuit with tools.
Take care no solution gets into thebattery when washing it.
ÐChecking battery fluid
Ty p e A
Ty p e B Red
White Clear or
Dark
Green
Blue light yellow
CHECKING BY THE HYDROMETER
Check the battery condition by the
hydrometer color. Hydrometer color
ConditionTy p e ATy p e BCondition
GREENBLUEGood
DARKWHITECharging necessary. Have
battery checked by your
Toyota dealer.
CLEAR or
LIGHT
YELLOWREDHave battery checked by
your Toyota dealer.

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Battery recharging precautions
During recharging, the battery is pro-
ducing hydrogen gas.
Therefore, before recharging:
1. If recharging with the battery installed on the vehicle, be sure to disconnect
the ground cable.
2. Be sure the power switch on the re- charger is off when connecting the
charger cables to the battery and when
disconnecting them.
CAUTION
Always charge the battery in an un-
confined area. Do not charge the
battery in a garage or closed room
where there is not sufficient ventila-
tion.
Only do a slow charge (5A or less).
Charging at a quicker rate is dan-
gerous. The battery may explode,
causing personal injuries.
NOTICE
Never recharge the battery while the
engine is running. Also, be sure allaccessories are turned off.
Checking and replacing fuses
Blown
Blown
Blown
Good
Good
Good
Ty p e A
Ty p e B
Ty p e C
If the headlights or other electrical
components do not work, check the
fuses. If any of the fuses are blown,
they must be replaced.
See ºFuse locationsº in Chapter 7- 1 for
locations of the fuses.
Turn the ignition switch and inoperative
component off. Pull a suspected fuse
straight out and check it.
Determine which fuse may be causing the
problem. The lid of the fuse box shows
the name of the circuit for each fuse. See
Part 8 of this manual for the functions
controlled by each circuit.

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ENGINE LUBRICATION
Oil capacity (drain and ref
ill), L (qt., Imp.
qt.):
Two- wheel drive models except Pre Runner2RZ- FE engine With filter 5.5 (5.8, 4.8)
Without filter 4.8 (5.0, 4.2)
5VZ- FE engine With filter 5.4 (5.7, 4.8)
Without filter 5.1 (5.4, 4.5)
Four- wheel drive models and Pre Runner
3RZ- FE engine With filter 5.4 (5.7, 4.8)
Without filter 4.7 (5.0, 4.1)
5VZ- FE engine With filter 5.2 (5.5, 4.6)
Without filter 4.9 (5.2, 4.3)
Oil grade: API grade SJ, ºEnergy- Conservingº or
ILSAC multigrade engine oil is recom-
mended. Recommended oil viscosity (SAE):
COOLING SYSTEM
Total capacity, L (qt., Imp. qt.):
Two- wheel drive models except Pre Runner
With manual transmission2RZ- FE engine 8.0 (8.5, 7.0)
5VZ- FE engine 9.7 (10.3, 8.5)
With automatic transmission 2RZ- FE engine 7.8 (8.2, 6.9)
5VZ- FE engine 9.5 (10.0, 8.4) Four- wheel drive models and Pre Runner
With manual transmission3RZ- FE engine 8.3 (8.8, 7.3)
5VZ- FE engine 10.1 (10.7, 8.9)
With automatic transmission 3RZ- FE engine 8.2 (8.7, 7.2)
5VZ- FE engine 10.0 (10.5, 8.8)
Coolant type: ºToyota Long Life Coolantº or equivalent
With ethylene- glycol type coolant for a
proper corrosion protection of aluminum
components
Do not use alcohol type antifreeze or plain
water alone.
BATTERY
Open voltage *
at 20 5C (68 5F):
12.6Ð12.8 V Fully charged
12.2Ð12.4 V Half charged
11.8Ð12.0 V Discharged
* : Voltage that is checked 20 minutes after
the key is removed with all the lights
turned off
Charging rates: 5 A max.