2001 Lexus IS300 Electrical Components / LEXUS 2001 IS300 OWNER'S MANUAL (OM53437)

STARTING AND DRIVING
164
IGNITION SWITCH WITH STEERINGLOCK
SS31002
ºSTARTº ± Starter motor on. The key will return to the
ºONº position when released.
For starting tips, see page 165.
ºONº ± Engine on and all accessories on.
This is the normal driving position.
NOTICE
Do not leave the key in the ºONº position if the engine
is not running. The battery will discharge and theelectronic ignition system could be damaged.
ºACCº ± Accessories such as the radio operate, but the
engine is off. If you leave the key in the ºACCº or ºLOCKº position and open
the driver's door, a buzzer will remind you to remove the key.*
NOTE: *The volume or interval of beep sound can be
changed. Ask your Lexus dealer for details.
SS31003
ºLOCKº ± Engine is off and the steering wheel is locked.
The ignition key can be removed only at this position.
To turn the key from ºACCº to the ºLOCKº position you must put\
the transmission selector lever in the ºPº position and you must
push in the key.
Once you remove the key, the engine immobiliser system is
automatically set. See ºEngine immobiliser systemº on page
10.
When starting the engine, the key may seem stuck at the
ºLOCKº 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.
If, in an emergency, you must turn the engine off while the
vehicle is moving, turn the key only to ºACCº.

STARTING AND DRIVING
165
PARKING BRAKE
SV31017
To set: Pull up the lever. For better holding power, first
depress the brake pedal and hold it while setting the
parking brake.
To release: Pull up the lever slightly (1) , press the lock
release button (2), and lower (3).
To remind you that the parking brake is set, the parking brake
reminder light in the instrument panel remains on until you
release the parking brake.
CAUTION
Before driving, make sure the parking brake is fully
released and that the parking brake reminder light is off.
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.

STARTING AND DRIVING
166If 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 198.
NOTICE
Do not crank for more than 30 seconds at a time. This
may overheat the starter and wiring systems.
Do not race a cold engine.
If the engine becomes difficult to start or stallsfrequently, have the engine checked immediately.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
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. ( )
SV31020

STARTING AND DRIVING
167


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)
M: Position for manual shifting up or downshifting
When the cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift from ºDº to ºMº, engine braking will not be
enabled because the cruise control is not cancelled. For
the operation to decrease the vehicle speed, see page
179.
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) Driving in M mode
(c) Using engine braking
(d) Using the º3º, º2º and ºLº positions
(e) Backing up
(f) Parking
(g) Good driving practice
(h) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
(i) If you cannot shift the selector lever
(j) If the ºECT PWRº indicator light flashes

STARTING AND DRIVING
168
(a) Normal driving
SV31021

1ºPº (Park) position 2ºNº (Neutral) position
1. Start the engine as instructed in ºHow to start the
engineº on page 165.
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.
SS31019

1Power position 2Normal position
3Snow position
2. Set the driving pattern selector switch to the ºNormalº
position.
Your transmission has a driving pattern selector switch which
allows you to select ºPowerº, ºNormalº or ºSnowº mode \
to suit
your driving condition. For ordinary driving, Lexus
recommends that you use the ºNormalº position to improve fuel
economy.
3. For more powerful acceleration and sporty driving, use
the ºPowerº position.
In the ºPowerº position, the ºECT PWRº light in the instrument\
cluster is on and the transmission is shifted up at higher vehicle
speeds and shifted down more responsively than in the
ºNormalº position.
For ºSnowº mode, see ºElectronic Throttle Control
Systemº on page 176.

STARTING AND DRIVING
169
SV31022

1Brake pedal 2ºDº (Drive) position
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(c) Using engine brakingº and\
º(g)
Good driving practiceº for exceptions.)
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelerator pedal while
shifting.
5. 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 r oads, 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 º3º 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.

STARTING AND DRIVING
170
(b) Driving in M mode
If the change lever is shifted to M position, the shift range
position can be switched over between D and 2 using the
shift switch on the steering wheel instead of operating the
change lever. The first shift range position is on D when
the change lever is shifted to M position.
SV31024

1ºMº position
When the selector lever is put in the ºMº position, the M MODE
indicator is shown on the instrument cluster.
SV31028

2Downshifting on the front, Upshifting on the rear
5: Fifth range The most suitable gear is selected automatically
between first and fifth gears according to the vehicle
speed or the running condition.
4: Forth range The most suitable gear is selected automatically
between first and fourth gears according to the vehicle
speed or the running condition.

STARTING AND DRIVING
171
3: Third range
The most suitable gear is selected automatically
between first and third gears according to the vehicle
speed or the running condition.
Slight engine braking will be obtained on a downhill
road.
Smooth running with less shifting will be obtained on an
uphill.
2: Second range First or second gear will be selected automatically
according to the vehicle speed or the running condition.
This range is used in the case that the engine braking is
necessary.
The gear position being used is shown on the instrument
cluster.
Each time you push the switch located on the front of the
steering wheel, the transmission downshifts (from º5º) to º4º\
,
º3º and then º2º.
When you push the switch located on the back of the steering
wheel, the transmission upshifts to º3º, º4º and then º5º\
.
For the precautions on each position, see the description on
the next page. Warning tone sounds twice in any of the following cases:

You attempt to downshift the transmission when it is not
possible to downshift due to the high vehicle speed.
 You attempt to downshift from º2º position.
 You attempt to upshift from º5º position.
If the ºMº indicator flashes, there is a problem somewhere
in the system. In this case, it should be noted that you
cannot downshift or upshift the transmission using the
switches on the steering wheel. Consult with your Lexus
dealer as soon as possible. The transmission works
exactly in the same way as when you put the selector lever
in the ºDº position.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a slippery surface.
The abrupt change in engine speed could cause the
vehicle to spin or skid.