2000 Lexus LS400 engine

STARTING AND DRIVING
288
HOW TO START THE ENGINE
Before cranking
1. Apply the parking brake firmly.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and accessories.
3. Put the selector lever in ºPº. If you need to restart the
engine while the vehicle is moving, put the selector lever
in ºNº. A starter safety device will prevent the starter
from operating if the selector lever is in any drive
position.
4. Depress the brake pedal and hold it to the floor until
driving off.
Starting the engine
Before starting the engine, be sure to follow the
instructions in ºBefore crankingº.
Normal starting procedure
The multiport fuel injection system/sequential multiport
fuel injection system in your engine automatically
controls the proper air±fuel mixture for starting. You can
start a cold or hot engine as follows:
1. With your foot off the accelerator pedal, crank the
engine by turning the key to ºSTARTº. Release it when
the engine starts.
2. After the engine runs for about 10 seconds, you are
ready to drive. If the weather is below freezing, let the engine warm up
for a few minutes before driving. Do not leave the vehicle
while the engine is warming up.
If the engine stalls ...
Simply restart it, using the correct procedure given in
normal starting.
If the engine will not start
See ºIf your vehicle will not startº on page 351.
NOTICE
Do not crank for more than 30 seconds at a
time. This may overheat the starter and wiringsystems.
Do not race a cold engine.
If the engine becomes difficult to start or stallsfrequently, have the engine checkedimmediately.

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291


The shift position is displayed on the instrument
cluster.
P: Parking, engine starting and key removal position
R: Reverse position
N: Neutral position
D: Normal driving position (Shifting into overdrive
possible)
4: Position for engine braking (Shifting into
overdrive not possible)
When the cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift from ºDº to º4º, engine braking will not
be applied because the cruise control is not
cancelled. For the operation to decrease the
vehicle speed, see page 308.
3, 2: Position for more powerful engine braking
L: Position for maximum engine braking Correct use of the automatic transmission is
explained in the following parts.
(a) Normal driving
(b) Using engine braking
(c) Using the º3º, º2º and ºLº positions
(d) Backing up
(e) Parking
(f) Good driving practice
(g) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
(h) If you cannot shift the selector lever

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292
(a) Normal driving
31L007b

1ºPº (Park) position 2ºNº (Neutral) position
1. Start the engine as instructed in ºHow to start the
engineº on page 288.
The transmission must be in ºPº or ºNº. The engine will
not start in any drive position even if the ignition key is
turned to ºSTARTº.

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295
31l055a

1ºDº (Drive) position 2Brake pedal
4. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift
the selector lever to ºDº.
Always use the ºDº position to improve fuel economy
and quiet driving. Only in this position, shifting into the
overdrive gear is possible. However, while the engine
coolant temperature is low, the transmission will not shift
into the overdrive gear even in the ºDº position. (See º(b)
Using engine brakingº and º(f) Good driving practiceº for
exceptions.)
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelerator pedal while
shifting.

STARTING AND DRIVING
2965. Release the parking brake and brake pedal.
Depress the accelerator pedal slowly for smooth
starting.
In normal cruising, the vehicle will start in the first gear
and automatically shift up to the most suitable gear. On
inclines, declines or winding roads, etc., the vehicle
shifts up and down automatically according to the
running conditions to obtain the suitable driving power
and engine braking.
When the lever is in the ª4º position, the automatic
transmission system will select the most suitable gear
for the running conditions such as hill climbing, hard
towing, etc.
If you need to accelerate rapidly while driving, depress
the accelerator pedal to the full throttle position. This
provides more acceleration by automatically
downshifting the transmission to the next lower gear or
beyond, depending on the vehicle speed.
If engine braking is needed, such as in descending a
long hill, see º(b) Using engine brakingº.
(b) Using engine braking

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297
31L010b
To use the braking power of the engine, downshift the
transmission in the way described below:
1Shift into the º4º position. The transmission will
downshift to the fourth gear and engine braking will
be obtained.
When the cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift from ºDº to º4º, engine braking will not be
applied because the cruise control is not cancelled.
If you need to decrease the vehicle speed, see
page 308.
2 Shift into the º3º position. The transmission will
downshift to the third gear when the vehicle speed
is or becomes lower than 154 km/h (96 mph) and
more powerful engine braking will be obtained.
3Shift into the º2º position. The transmission will
downshift to the second gear when the vehicle
speed is or becomes lower than 104 km/h (65 mph)
and more powerful engine braking than that of º3º
position will be obtained.
4Shift into the ºLº position. The transmission will
downshift to the first gear when the vehicle speed
is or becomes lower than 18 km/h (11 mph) and
maximum engine braking will be applied.

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298
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a slippery surface.
The abrupt change in engine speed could cause the
vehicle to spin or skid.
(c) Using the º3º, º2º and ºLº positions
The º3º, º2º and ºLº positions are used for strong engine\
braking as described previously.
With the selector lever in º3º, º2º or ºLº, you can start the
vehicle in motion as with the lever in ºDº.
With the selector lever in º3º or º2º, the vehicle will star\
t
in the first gear and automatically shift to the third or
second gear.
With the selector lever in ºLº, the transmission is
engaged in the first gear.NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the engine. Watch the tachometer to keep engine rpm from going intothe red zone. The approximate maximumallowable speed for each position is givenbelow for your reference:
º3º 160 km/h (99 mph) . . .
º2º 104 km/h (65 mph) . . .
ºLº 68 km/h (42 mph) . . . .
Do not continue hill climbing or hard towing for
a long time in the º3º, º2º or ºLº position. Thismay cause severe automatic transmission
damage from overheating. To prevent suchdamage, º4º position should be used in hillclimbing or hard towing.

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301
(f) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly shifts up and down
between the fourth and overdrive gears when
climbing a gentle slope, shift the selector lever to the
º4º position. Be sure to shift the selector lever to the
ºDº position after climbing the slope.
 When towing a trailer, in order to maintain efficient
engine braking and electrical charging performance,
do not use overdrive. The selector lever must be in
the º4º 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 thetransmission to overheat. Always use the brakepedal or parking brake.
(g) Rocking your vehicle if stuck