2001 TOYOTA SOLARA Owners Manual (in English)

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
1652001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
Ty p e C
The three±way catalytic converter is an
emission control device installed in the
exhaust system.
The purpose is to reduce pollutants in the
exhaust gas.
CAUTION

Keep people and combustible mate-
rials away from the exhaust pipe
while the engine is running. The
exhaust gas is very hot.

Do not drive, idle or park your ve-
hicle over anything that might burn
easily such as grass, leaves, paper
or rags.
NOTICE
A large amount of unburned gasesflowing into the three±way catalyticconverter may cause it to overheatand create a fire hazard. To prevent
this and other damage, observe thefollowing precautions:
Use only unleaded gasoline.
Do not drive with an extremely lowfuel level; running out of fuel could
cause the engine to misfire, creat-ing an excessive load on the three±way catalytic converter.
Do not allow the engine to run atidle speed for more than 20 min-
utes.
Avoid racing the engine.
Do not push±start or pull±start yourvehicle.
Do not turn off the ignition whilethe vehicle is moving.
Keep your engine in good running
order. 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 your
vehicle in for a check±up as soonas possible. Remember, your Toyotadealer knows your vehicle and its
three±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 theperiodic inspections required by theToyota Maintenance Schedule. For
scheduled maintenance information,refer to the ªScheduled MaintenanceGuideº or ªOwner 's Manual Supple-
mentº.

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
1662001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
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.
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

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
1672001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)

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 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 express way, 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 ªChecking the engine oil levelº in Sec-
tion 7±2.
Your engine is fitted with twin ground
electrode platinum±tipped spark plugs.
NOTICE
Use only twin ground electrode plati-
num±tipped spark plugs and do notadjust gaps for your engine perfor-mance.
Twin ground electrode
platinum±tipped spark plugs

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
1682001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
Brake system
The tandem master cylinder brake system
is a hydraulic system with two separate
sub±systems. If either sub±system should
fail, the other will still work. However, the
pedal will be harder to press, and your
stopping distance will be longer. Also, the
brake system warning light may come on.
CAUTION
Do not drive your vehicle with only a
single brake system. Have your
brakes fixed immediately.
BRAKE BOOSTER
The brake booster uses engine vacuum to
power±assist the brakes. If the engine
should quit while you are driving, you can
bring the vehicle to a stop with normal
pedal pressure. There is enough reserved
vacuum for one or two stopsÐbut no
more!
CAUTION

Do not pump the brake pedal if the
engine stalls. Each push on the
pedal uses up your reserved vacu-
um.

Even if the power assist is com-
pletely lost, the brakes will still
work. But you will have to push the
pedal hard, much harder than nor-
mal. And your braking distance will
be longer.
ANTI±LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (with
ªABSº warning light)
The anti±lock brake system is designed
to help prevent lock±up of the wheels
during a sudden braking or braking on
slippery road surfaces. This assists in
providing directional stability and steer-
ing performance of the vehicle under
these circumstances.
Effective way to press the ABS brake
pedal: When the anti±lock brake system
function is in action, you may feel the
brake pedal pulsating and hear a noise.
In this situation, to let the anti±lock
brake system work for you, just hold the
brake pedal down more firmly. Do not
pump the brake in a panic stop. This
will result in reduced braking performan-
ce.
The anti±lock brake system becomes op-
erative after the vehicle has accelerated
to a speed in excess of approximately 10
km/h (6 mph). It stops operating when the
vehicle decelerates to a speed below
approximately 5 km/h (3 mph).
Depressing the brake pedal on slippery
road surfaces such as on the manhole
cover, the steel plate under the construc-
tion, joints in the bridge, etc. on a rainy
day tends to activate the anti±lock brake
system.
You may hear a click or motor sound in
the engine compartment for a few seconds
when the engine is started or just after
the vehicle is started. This means that the
anti±lock brake system is in the self±
check mode, and does not indicate a mal-
function.

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
1692001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
When the anti±lock brake system is ac-
tivated, the following conditions may
occur. They do not indicate a malfunc-
tion of the system:

You may hear the anti±lock brake sys-
tem operating and feel the brake pedal
pulsating and the vibrations of the ve-
hicle body and steering wheel. You
may also hear the motor sound in the
engine compartment even after the ve-
hicle is stopped.

At the end of the anti±lock brake sys-
tem activation, the brake pedal may
move a little forward.
CAUTION
Do not overestimate the anti±lock
brake system: Although the anti±lock
brake system assists in providing ve-
hicle control, it is still important to
drive with all due care and maintain
a moderate speed and safe distance
from the vehicle in front of you, be-
cause there are limits to the vehicle
stability and effectiveness of steering
wheel operation even with the anti±
lock brake system on.
If tires grip performance exceeds its
capability, or if hydroplaning occurs
during high speed driving in the rain,
the anti±lock brake system does not
provide vehicle control.
Anti±lock brake system is not de-
signed to shorten the stopping dis-
tance: Always drive at the moderate
speed and maintain a safe distance
from the vehicle in front of you.
Compared with vehicles without an
anti±lock brake system, your vehicle
may require a longer stopping dis-
tance in the following cases:

Driving on rough, gravel or snow±
covered roads.

Driving with tire chains installed.

Driving over the steps such as the
joints on the road.

Driving on roads where the road
surface is pitted or has other differ-
ences in surface height.
Install all 4 tires of specified size at
appropriate pressure: The anti±lock
brake system detects vehicle speeds
using the speed sensors for respec-
tive wheels' turning speeds. The use
of tires other than specified may fail
to detect the accurate turning speed
resulting in a longer stopping dis-
tance.

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
1702001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
Ty p e A
Ty p e B
ªABSº warning light
The light comes on when the ignition key
is turned to the ªONº position. If the anti±
lock brake system works properly, the
light turns off after a few seconds. There-
after, if the system malfunctions, the light
comes on again.
When the ªABSº warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), the
anti±lock brake system and the traction
control system do not operate, but the
brake system still operates conventionally.
When the ªABSº warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), the
anti±lock brake system does not operate
so that the wheels could lock up during
a sudden braking or braking on slippery
road surfaces.
If either of the following conditions
occurs, this indicates a malfunction
somewhere in the parts monitored by
the warning light system. Contact your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible to
service the vehicle.

The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the ªONº posi-
tion, or remains on.

The light comes on while you are driv-
ing.A warning light turning on briefly during
operation does not indicate a problem.
DRUM±IN±DISC TYPE PARKING BRAKE
SYSTEM (coupe with 1MZ±FE engine
and convertible)
Your vehicle has a drum±in±disc type
parking brake system. This type of brake
system n
eeds bedding±down of the brake
shoes periodically or whenever the parking
brake shoes and/or drums are replaced.
Have your Toyota dealer perform the bed-
ding±down.

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
1712001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
Brake pad wear limit indicators
The brake pad wear limit indicators on
your disc brakes give a warning noise
when the brake pads are worn to where
replacement is required.
If you hear a squealing or scraping noise
while driving, have the brake pads
checked and replaced by your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible. Expensive ro-
tor damage can result if the pads are not
replaced when necessary.
Luggage stowage precautions
When stowing luggage or cargo in the
vehicle, observe the following:

Put luggage or cargo in the trunk when
at all possible. Be sure all items are
secured in place.

Be careful to keep the vehicle bal-
anced. Locating the weight as far for-
ward as possible helps maintain bal-
ance.

For better fuel economy, do not carry
unneeded weight.
CAUTION

To prevent luggage or packages
from sliding forward during braking,
do not stack anything in the en-
larged trunk. Keep luggage or pack-
ages low, as close to the floor as
possible.

Never allow anyone to ride in the
enlarged trunk. It is not designed
for passengers. They should ride in
their seats with their seat belts
properly fastened. Otherwise, they
are much more likely to suffer seri-
ous bodily injury, in the event of
sudden braking or a collision.

Do not place anything on the pack-
age tray behind the rear seatback.
Such items may be thrown about
and possibly injure people in the
vehicle during sudden braking or an
accident.

Do not drive with objects left on
top of the instrument panel. They
may interfere with the driver's field
of view. Or they may move during
sharp vehicle acceleration or turn-
ing, and impair the driver's control
of the vehicle. In an accident they
may injure the vehicle occupants.
NOTICE
Do not load the vehicle beyond the
vehicle capacity weight specified inSection 8.

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
1722001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
The vehicle identification number (VIN)
is the legal identifier for your vehicle.
This number is on the left top of the
instrument panel, and can be seen
through the windshield from outside.
This is the primary identification number
for your Toyota. It is used in registering
the ownership of your vehicle.The vehicle identification number (VIN) is
also on the Certification Label.
ÐEngine number
5S±FE engine
1MZ±FE engine
Your Toyota's identificationÐ
ÐVehicle identification
number