2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER 4 wheel drive system

952000 4Runner (OM35762U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Ignition switch, Transmission and Parking brake
Ignition switch with steering lock96 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic transmission97 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Manual transmission107 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Four- wheel drive system109 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear differential look system11 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parking brake11 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cruise control11 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Clutch start cancel switch11 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 1- 6
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962000 4Runner (OM35762U)
STARTºÐStarter motor on. The key
will return to the ONº position when
released.
For starting tips, see Section 3.
ONºÐEngine on and all accessories
on.
This is the normal driving position.
ACCºÐAccessories such as the radio
operate, but the engine is off.
If you leave the key in the ACCº or
LOCKº position and open the driver's
door, a buzzer will remind you to remove
the key.
LOCKºÐEngine is off and the steering
wheel is locked. The key can be re-
moved only at this position.Vehicles with manual transmissionÐ
You must push in the key to turn the key
from ACCº to the LOCKº position.
Vehicles with automatic transmissionÐ
You must shift the selector lever into the
Pº position before turning the key from
ACCº to the LOCKº position.
Vehicles with engine immobiliser systemÐ
Once you remove the key, the engine im-
mobiliser system is automatically set. (See
Engine immobiliser systemº in Section
1- 2.)
When starting the engine, the key may
seem stuck at the LOCKº position. To
free it, first be sure the key is pushed all
the way in, and then rock the steering
wheel slightly while turning the key gently.
CAUTION
For manual transmission:
Never remove the key when the ve-
hicle is moving, as this will lock the
steering wheel and result in loss of
steering control.
NOTICE
Do not leave the key in the ONº
position if the engine is not running.
The battery will discharge and the
ignition could be damaged.
Ignition switch with steering
lock
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972000 4Runner (OM35762U)
Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of Pº position when the
brake pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in ONº position and the lock re-
lease button depressed).
(a) Selector lever
The shift position is also displayed on the
instrument cluster.
P:Parking, engine starting and
key removal
R:Reverse
N:Neutral
D:Normal driving (with overdrive on)
2:Stronger engine braking
L:Maximum engine braking
Automatic transmission

Two- wheel drive models
Selector lever
Overdrive switch
Driving pattern selector button Lock release button
To prevent misshifting
Shift while holding the lock
release button in
Shift normally With the brake pedal depressed,
shift while holding the lock release
button in. (The ignition switch must
be in ONº position.)
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1022000 4Runner (OM35762U)
Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of Pº position when the
brake pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in ONº position and the lock re-
lease button depressed).
(a) Selector lever
The shift position is also displayed on the
instrument cluster.
P:Parking, engine starting and
key removal
R:Reverse
N:Neutral
D:Normal driving (with overdrive on)
2:Stronger engine braking
L:Maximum engine braking
Automatic transmission

Four- wheel drive control
Selector lever
Lock release button
To prevent misshifting
Shift while holding the lock
release button in
Shift normally With the brake pedal depressed,
shift while holding the lock release
button in. (The ignition switch must
be in ONº position.)
Overdrive switch
Driving pattern selector button
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1032000 4Runner (OM35762U)
(b) Overdrive switch
You can select either a third gear (with
overdrive off) or fourth gear (with over-
drive on) by pushing this switch.
To turn the overdrive off, push the switch.
The O/D OFFº indicator light should come
on. To turn the overdrive on again, push
the switch again. The O/D OFFº indicator
light should go off.
Always drive your vehicle with the over-
drive on for better fuel economy and
quieter driving.
If the engine is turned off when the over-
drive is off and restarted, the overdrive
will be on automatically.Vehicles with cruise controlÐWhen the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by pushing and
releasing the overdrive switch, engine
braking will not be applied because the
cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see Cruise controlº in this section.
(c) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in How
to start the engineº in Section 3. The
transmission must be in Pº or Nº.
When the front drive control lever is in
L4º (low- speed position, four- wheel
drive), the driving pattern selector setting
has no effect on gear shift timing. (See
Four- wheel drive systemº in this section
for information of the front drive control
lever.)
2. With your foot holding down the brake
pedal, shift the selector lever to Dº.
When the lever is in the Dº position, the
automatic transmission system will select
the most suitable gear for running condi-
tions such as normal cruising, hill climb-
ing, hard towing, etc.Always turn the overdrive on for better
fuel economy and quieter driving. If the
engine coolant temperature is low or when
the front drive control lever is in L4º
(low- speed position, four- wheel drive), the
transmission will not shift into
the overdrive gear even with the overdrive
on. (See Four- wheel drive systemº in this
section for information of the front drive
control lever.)
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.
(d) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Push the overdrive switch. The O/D
OFFº indicator light will come on and
the transmission will downshift to the
third gear.
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1092000 4Runner (OM35762U)
Use the front drive control lever to se-
lect the following transfer modes.
H2º (high speed position, two- wheel
drive): Lever at H2º
Use this for normal driving on dry hard-
surfaced roads. This position gives greater
economy, quietest ride and least wear.
H4º (high speed position, four- wheel
drive): Lever at H4º
Use this for normal driving on wet, icy or
snow- covered roads. This position pro-
vides greater traction than two- wheel
drive.
Nº (neutral position): Lever at Nº
No power is delivered to the wheels. The
vehicle must be stopped.L4º (low speed position, four- wheel
drive): Lever at L4º
Use this for maximum power and traction.
Use L4º for climbing or descending steep
hills, off- road driving, and hard pulling in
sand, mud or deep snow.
The four- wheel drive indicator light comes
on when the H4º, Nº or L4º mode is
selected.
See (c) Shifting procedure (lever type)º
for further instructions.
H2º mode
H4º mode
H4Lº, L4Lº or Nº mode
Four- wheel drive systemÐ
(a) Front drive control
(lever type)(a) Front drive control
(lever/button type)
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11 32000 4Runner (OM35762U)
NOTICE
Do not drive on a dry paved surface
in H4Lº mode. This may damage the
locking mechanism and the drive sys-
tem.
To shift from H4Lº to H2´H4º move
the front drive control lever.
This can be done at any vehicle speed.
If the indicator light flashes when you shift
the transfer into H2´H4º, drive straight
ahead while accelerating or decelerating,
or drive in reverse.
SHIFTING BETWEEN H4Lº AND L4Lº
To shift from H4Lº to L4Lº, stop the
vehicle and put the transmission in Nº.
With your foot holding down the brake
pedal, move the front drive control lever.
NOTICE
Do not drive on a dry paved surface
in H4Lº or L4Lº mode. This may
damage the locking mechanism and
the drive system.
To shift from L4Lº to H4Lº, stop the
vehicle and put the transmission in Nº.
With your foot holding down the brake
pedal, move the front drive control lever.
NOTICE
Do not drive on a dry paved surface
in H4Lº or L4Lº mode. This may
damage the locking mechanism and
the drive system.
Rear differential lock system
The rear differential lock system is pro-
vided for use only when wheel spinning
occurs in a ditch or on a slippery or
ragged surface.
This differential lock system is effective in
case one of the rear wheels is spinning.
Before using the rear differential lock sys-
tem, first shift the front drive control into
L4º (lever type) or L4Lº (lever/button
type) to see if it works. If this has no
effect, additionally use the rear differential
lock system.
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11 42000 4Runner (OM35762U)
CAUTION
Do not use the rear differential lock
in the conditions other than above.
Large steering effort and careful cor-
nering control will be required.
To lock the rear differential, push the
switch.
Be sure to stop the wheels before locking
the differential.
Vehicles with manual transmissionÐFor
easy locking, depress the clutch pedal,
push the lock switch and slowly release
the clutch pedal.
The indicator light will blink when the
switch is turned on. Wait a few seconds
for the system to complete operation. Af-
ter the differential is locked, the light will
stop blinking and remain on.The anti- lock brake system does not oper-
ate when the rear differential is locked. It
is normal operation for the ABSº warning
light to be on at this time.
CAUTION
Do not lock the differential until the
wheels have stopped spinning.
Otherwise, the vehicle may move in
an unexpected direction when the
differential lock is engaged, result-
ing in an accident. This may also
lead to possible damage to differen-
tial lock component parts.
Do not drive over 8 km/h (5 mph)
when the differential is locked.
To unlock the differential, push the
switch once again.
Unlock the differential as soon as the ve-
hicle moves out.
For easy unlocking, slightly turn the steer-
ing wheel in either direction while the ve-
hicle is in motion.
When the differential lock is disengaged,
the indicator light will go out.
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