2001 TOYOTA 4RUNNER oil

’01 4Runner_U (L/O 0008)
62001 4RUNNER (OM35768U)
Indicator symbols on the instrument panel
or
Driver ’s seat belt reminder light∗
1
Low oil pressure warning light∗
1
Low fuel level warning light∗
1
Brake system warning light∗
1
Malfunction indicator lamp∗
1
Discharge warning light∗
1
Antilock brake system warning light∗
1
Automatic transmission fluid temperature
warning light∗
1
SRS warning light∗
1
Unengaged “Park” warning light∗
1
Open door warning light∗
1
Low windshield washer fluid level warning
light∗
1
Headlight high beam indicator light Turn signal indicator lights
Front passenger ’s seat belt reminder light∗
1
Vehicle skid control system and traction control
system (twowheel drive models) or active
traction control system (fourwheel drive models)
warning light
∗
1
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’01 4Runner_U (L/O 0008)
212001 4RUNNER (OM35768U)
1. Using a coin or equivalent, open the
transmitter case.2. Remove the discharged transmitter bat-
tery.3. Put new transmitter battery with posi-
tive (+) side up.
Close the transmitter case securely.
NOTICE
Make sure the positive side and
negative side of the transmitter bat-
tery should be faced correctly.
Be careful that dust or oils do not
adhere to the transmitter case.
Close the transmitter case securely.
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’01 4Runner_U (L/O 0008)
972001 4RUNNER (OM35768U)
(e) Low Oil Pressure Warning Light
This light warns that the engine oil pres-
sure is too low.
If it flickers or stays on while you are
driving, pull off the road to a safe place
and stop the engine immediately. Call a
Toyota dealer or qualified repair shop for
assistance.
The light may occasionally flicker when
the engine is idling or it may come on
briefly after a hard stop. There is no
cause for concern if it then goes out when
the engine is accelerated slightly.
The light may come on when the oil level
is extremely low. It is not designed to
indicate low oil level, and the oil level
must be checked using the level dipstick.
NOTICE
Do not drive the vehicle with the
warning light on—even for one block.
It may ruin the engine.
(f) Malfunction Indicator Lamp
This lamp comes on in the following
cases.
a. The fuel tank is completely empty.
(See “Fuel gauge” in this section for
instructions.)
b. The fuel tank cap is not tightened se-
curely. (See “Fuel tank cap” in Section
12 for instructions.)
c. There is a problem somewhere in your
engine, automatic transmission electri-
cal system or electronic throttle control
system.
If it comes on while you are driving in
case c, have your vehicle checked/re-
paired by your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible.If this lamp comes on and the engine
speed does not increase with the acceler-
ator pedal depressed down to about the
middle position, there may be a problem
somewhere in your electronic throttle con-
trol system. At this time, if you depress
the accelerator pedal more firmly and
slowly, you can drive your vehicle at low
speeds. Have your vehicle checked by
your Toyota dealer as soon as possible.
Even if the abnormality of the electronic
throttle control system is corrected during
low speed driving, the system may not be
recovered until the engine is stopped and
the ignition key is turned to “ACC” or
“LOCK” position.
(g) Low Fuel Level Warning Light
This light comes on when the fuel level
in the tank becomes nearly empty. Fill up
the tank as soon as possible.
On inclines or curves, due to the move-
ment of fuel in the tank, the low fuel level
warning light may come on earlier than
usual.
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’01 4Runner_U (L/O 0008)
1322001 4RUNNER (OM35768U)
YOUR CASSETTE PLAYER
When you insert a cassette, the exposed
tape should be to the right.
NOTICE
Do not oil any part of the player and
do not insert anything other than cas-
sette tapes into the slot, or the tape
player may be damaged.
YOUR COMPACT DISC PLAYER
When you insert a disc, gently push it in
with the label side up. (The player will
automatically eject a disc if the label side
is down.) The compact disc player will
play from track 1 through the end of the
disc. Then it will play from track 1 again.
NOTICE
Never try to disassemble or oil any
part of the compact disc player. Do
not insert anything except a compact
disc into the slot.
The player is intended for use with 12 cm
(4.7 in.) discs only.
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’01 4Runner_U (L/O 0008)
1892001 4RUNNER (OM35768U)
INFORMATION BEFORE DRIVING YOUR
TOYOTA
Offroad vehicle precautions190 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Breakin period191 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fuel191 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Operation in foreign countries193 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Threeway catalytic converter194 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine exhaust cautions195 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Facts about engine oil consumption195 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Twin ground electrode spark plugs196 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brake system197 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brake pad wear limit indicators200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Luggage stowage precautions201 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Your Toyota’s identification201 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Theft prevention labels202 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Suspension and chassis203 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Types of tires203 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 2
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’01 4Runner_U (L/O 0008)
1952001 4RUNNER (OM35768U)
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 back door and back win-
dow closed while driving. An open
or unsealed back door and back
window, 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 back door and back
window closed. Have the cause im-
mediately located and corrected.
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.
Facts about engine oil
consumption
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’01 4Runner_U (L/O 0008)
1962001 4RUNNER (OM35768U)
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 highspeed 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 that the 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 trouble
due to insufficient oil.
For detailed information on oil level check,
see “Checking the engine oil level” in Sec-
tion 72.
Your engine is fitted with twin ground
electrode spark plugs.
NOTICE
Use only twin ground electrode spark
plugs and do not adjust gaps for your
engine performance.
Twin ground electrode spark
plugs
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’01 4Runner_U (L/O 0008)
2092001 4RUNNER (OM35768U)
CAUTION
Always observe the following precau-
tions to minimize the risk of serious
personal injury or damage to your ve-
hicle:
Drive carefully when off the road.
Do not take unnecessary risks by
driving in dangerous places.
Do not grip the steering wheel
spokes when driving offroad. A
bad bump could jerk the wheel and
injure your hands. Keep both hands
and especially your thumbs on the
outside of the rim.
Always check your brakes for effec-
tiveness immediately after driving in
sand, mud, water or snow.
After driving through tall grass,
mud, rock, sand, rivers, etc., check
that there is no grass, bush, paper,
rags, stone, sand, etc. adhering or
trapped on the underbody. Clear off
any such matter from the under-
body. If the vehicle is used with
these materials trapped or adhering
to the underbody, a breakdown or
fire could occur.
In a rollover crash, an unbelted per-
son is significantly more likely to
die than a person wearing a seat
belt. Therefore, the driver and all
passengers should fasten their seat
belts whenever the vehicle is mov-
ing.
When driving offroad or in rugged
terrain, do not drive at excessive
speeds, jump, make sharp turns,
strike objects, etc. This may cause
loss of control or vehicle rollover
causing death or serious injury. You
are also risking expensive damage
to your vehicle’s suspension and
chassis.
NOTICE
If driving through water, such as
when crossing shallow streams,
first check the depth of the water
and the bottom of the river bed for
firmness. Drive slowly and avoid
deep water.
Take all necessary safety measures
to ensure that water damage to the
engine or other components does
not occur.
Water entering the engine air intake
will cause severe engine damage.
Water can wash the grease from
wheel bearings, causing rusting and
premature failure, and may also en-
ter the differentials, transmission
and transfer case, reducing the gear
oil’s lubricating qualities.
Sand and mud that has accumulated
in brake drums and around brake
discs may affect braking efficiency
and may damage brake system com-
ponents.
Always perform a maintenance in-
spection after each day of offroad
driving that has taken you through
rough terrain, sand, mud, or water.
For scheduled maintenance informa-
tion, refer to the “Scheduled Main-
tenance Guide” or “Owner’s Manual
Supplement”.
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