2000 TOYOTA AVALON cooling

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Ventilation
For best results, set controls to:
ÐFor automatic operationPress in the AUTOº button .
TemperatureÐ Towards low temperature
Air intakeÐFRESH (outside air)
Air conditioningÐOFF
ÐFor manual operation
Fan speedÐ To the desired fan speed
TemperatureÐ Towards low temperature
Air intakeÐFRESH (outside air)
Air flowÐPANEL
Air conditioningÐOFF
Defogging and defrosting
ÐThe inside of the windshield
For best results, set controls to:
ÐFor automatic operation
TemperatureÐ To w a r d s high temperature
to heat; low temperature
to cool
Air intakeÐFRESH (outside air)
Air flowÐWINDSHIELD
ÐFor manual operation
Fan speedÐ To the desired fan speed
TemperatureÐ To w a r d s high temperature
to heat; low temperature
to cool
Air intakeÐFRESH (outside air)
Air flowÐWINDSHIELD
Pressing the windshield air flow button
turns on the defogging function with the
purpose of clearing the front view.
When pressing the windshield air flow but-
ton, the air intake selects FRESH auto-
matically. This is to clean up the front
view more quickly.
If you want to return the setting to RE-
CIRCULATE mode, press the air intake
selector button once again. Press the A/Cº button for dehumidified
heating or cooling. This setting clears the
front view more quickly.

On humid days, do not blow cold air
on the windshieldÐthe difference be-
tween the outside and inside tempera-
tures could make the fogging worse.
ÐThe outside of the windshield
For best results, set controls to:
ÐFor automatic operation
TemperatureÐ Towards high temperature
Air intakeÐFRESH (outside air)
Air flowÐWINDSHIELD
ÐFor manual operation
Fan speedÐ To the desired fan speed
TemperatureÐ Towards high temperature
Air intakeÐFRESH (outside air)
Air flowÐWINDSHIELD
Pressing the windshield air flow button
turns on the defrosting function with the
purpose of clearing the front view.
When pressing the windshield air flow but-
ton, the air intake selects FRESH auto-
matically. This is to clean up the front
view more quickly.
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If you want to return the setting to RE-
CIRCULATE mode, press the air intake
selector button once again.
Press the A/Cº button for dehumidified
heating or cooling. This setting clears the
front view more quickly.

To heat the vehicle interior while de-
frosting the windshield, choose
floor/windshield air flow.
Side vents
If air flow control is not satisfactory, check
the side vents. The side vents may be
opened or closed as shown.
Air conditioning filter
Automatic air conditioning system
onlyÐThis air conditioning system has
a high efficient air refiner filter which
helps eliminate dust and pollen, thereby
increasing your driving confort.
The air conditioning filter is set behind the
glove box.
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Keep your engine in good runningorder. Malfunctions in the engineelectrical system, electronic ignitionsystem/distributor ignition system
or fuel system could cause an ex-tremely high three- way catalyticconverter temperature.

If the engine becomes difficult tostart or stalls frequently, take yourvehicle in for a check- up as soon
as possible. Remember, your Toyotadealer knows your vehicle and itsthree- way catalytic converter sys-
tem best.

To ensure that the three- way cata-lytic converter and the entire emis-sion control system operate proper-ly, your vehicle must receive the
periodic inspections required by theToyota Maintenance Schedule. Forscheduled maintenance information,
refer to the separate ScheduledMaintenance Guideº or Owner'sManual Supplementº.
Engine exhaust cautions
CAUTION

Avoid inhaling the engine exhaust.
It contains carbon monoxide, which
is a colorless and odorless gas. It
can cause unconsciousness or even
death.

Make sure the exhaust system has
no holes or loose connections. The
system should be checked from
time to time. If you hit something,
or notice a change in the sound of
the exhaust, have the system
checked immediately.

Do not run the engine in a garage
or enclosed area except for the
time needed to drive the vehicle in
or out. The exhaust gases cannot
escape, making this a particularly
dangerous situation.

Do not remain for a long time in a
parked vehicle with the engine run-
ning. If it is unavoidable, however,
do so only in an unconfined area
and adjust the heating or cooling
system to force outside air into the
vehicle.

Keep the trunk lid closed while
driving. An open or unsealed trunk
lid may cause exhaust gases to be
drawn into the vehicle.

To allow proper operation of your
vehicle's ventilation system, keep
the inlet grilles in front of the wind-
shield clear of snow, leaves, or oth-
er obstructions.

If you smell exhaust fumes in the
vehicle, drive with the windows
open and the trunk lid closed. Have
the cause immediately located and
corrected.
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FUNCTIONS OF ENGINE OIL
Engine oil has the primary functions of
lubricating and cooling the inside of the
engine, and plays a major role in main-
taining the engine in proper working order.
ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION
It is normal that an engine should con-
sume some engine oil during normal
engine operation. The causes of oil
consumption in a normal engine are as
follows.

Oil is used to lubricate pistons, piston
rings and cylinders. A thin film of oil
is left on the cylinder wall when a pis-
ton moves downwards in the cylinder.
High negative pressure generated when
the vehicle is decelerating sucks some
of this oil into the combustion chamber.
This oil as well as some part of the oil
film left on the cylinder wall is burned
by the high temperature combustion
gases during the combustion process.

Oil is also used to lubricate the stems
of the intake valves. Some of this oil
is sucked into the combustion chamber
together with the intake air and is
burned along with the fuel. High tem-
perature exhaust gases also burn the
oil used to lubricate the exhaust valve
stems.
The amount of engine oil consumed de-
pends on the viscosity of the oil, the
quality of the oil and the conditions the
vehicle is driven under.
More oil is consumed by high- speed driv-
ing and frequent acceleration and decel-
eration.
A new engine consumes more oil, since
its pistons, piston rings and cylinder walls
have not become conditioned.
When judging the amount of oil con-
sumption, note the that oil may become
diluted and make it difficult to judge
the true level accurately.
As an example, if a vehicle is used for
repeated short trips, and consumes a nor-
mal amount of oil, the dipstick may not
show any drop in the oil level at all, even
after 1000 km (600 miles) or more. This
is because the oil is gradually becoming
diluted with fuel or moisture, making it
appear that the oil level has not changed. The diluting ingredients evaporate out
when the vehicle is then driven at high
speeds, as on an expressway, making it
appear that oil is excessively consumed
after driving at high speeds.
IMPORTANCE OF ENGINE OIL LEVEL
CHECK
One of the most important points in prop-
er vehicle maintenance is to keep the en-
gine oil at the optimum level so that oil
function will not be impaired. Therefore, it
is essential that the oil level be checked
regularly. Toyota recommends that the oil
level be checked every time you refuel
the vehicle.
NOTICE
Failure to check the oil level regularly
could lead to serious engine troubledue to insufficient oil.
For detailed information on oil level check,
see Checking the engine oil levelº in Sec-
tion 7- 2.
Facts about engine oil
consumption
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5. Start your engine in the normal way.After starting, run it at about 2000 rpm
for several minutes with the accelerator
pedal lightly depressed.
6. Carefully disconnect the cables in the exact reverse order: the negative cable
and then the positive cable.
7. Carefully dispose of the battery cover clothsÐthey may now contain sulfuric
acid.
8. If removed, replace all the battery vent plugs.
If the cause of your battery discharging is
not apparent (for example, lights left on),
you should have it checked. If your engine stalls while driving...
1. Reduce your speed gradually, keeping a straight line. Move cautiously off the
road to a safe place.
2. Turn on your emergency flashers.
3. Try starting the engine again.
If the engine will not start, see If your
vehicle will not startº.
CAUTION
If the engine is not running, the pow-
er assist for the brakes and steering
will not work so steering and braking
will be much harder than usual.
If your vehicle overheats
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 Pº
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.
If your engine stalls while
driving
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1. Engine coolant reservoir
2. Power steering fluid reservoir
3. Engine oil level dipstick
4. Engine oil filler cap
5. Brake fluid reservoir
6. Fuse blocks
7. Battery
8. Electric cooling fans
9. Windshield washer fluid tank
Engine compartment overview
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If you perform maintenance by yourself,
be sure to follow the correct procedure
given in this section.
You should be aware that improper or in-
complete servicing may result in operating
problems.
Performing do- it- yourself maintenance
during the warranty period may affect your
warranty coverage. Read the separate
Toyota Warranty statement for details and
suggestions.
This section gives instructions only for
those items that are relatively easy for an
owner to perform. As explained in Section
6, there are still a number of items that
must be done by a qualified technician
with special tools.
For information on tools and parts for do-
it- yourself maintenance, see Parts and
toolsº.
Utmost care should be taken when work-
ing on your vehicle to prevent accidental
injury. Here are a few precautions that
you should be especially careful to ob-
serve: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 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.

Be sure that the ignition is off if
you work near the electric cooling
fans or radiator grille. With the
ignition on, the electric cooling fans
will automatically start to run if the
engine coolant temperature is high
and/or the air conditioning is on.

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- it- yourself service
precautions
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API service symbol
ILSAC certification mark
Oil identification marks
Either or both API registered marks are
added to some oil containers to help
you select the oil you should use.
The API Service Symbol is located any-
where on the outside of the container.
The top portion of the label shows the oil
quality by API (American Petroleum Insti-
tute) designations such as SJ. The center
portion of the label shows the SAE viscos-
ity grade such as SAE 5W- 30. Energy-
Conservingº shown in the lower portion,
indicates that the oil has fuel- saving ca-
pabilities.
The ILSAC (International Lubricant Stan-
dardization and Approval Committee) Certi-
fication Mark is displayed on the front of
the container.Look at the see- through coolant reser-
voir when the engine is cold. The cool-
ant level is satisfactory if it is between
the FULLº and LOWº lines on the
reservoir. If the level is low, add ethyl-
ene- glycol type coolant for a proper
corrosion protection of aluminum com-
ponents.
The coolant level in the reservoir will vary
with engine temperature. However, if the
level is on or below the LOWº line, add
coolant. Bring the level up to the FULLº
line.
Always use ethylene- glycol type coolant
for a proper corrosion protection of alumi-
num components. See information in the
next column.
If the coolant level drops within a short
time after replenishing, there may be a
leak in the system. Visually check the
radiator, hoses, radiator cap and drain
cock and water pump.
If you can find no leak, have your Toyota
dealer test the cap pressure and check
for leaks in the cooling system.
Checking the engine coolant
level
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