2001 TOYOTA SOLARA Owners Manual (in English)

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
2132001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
Automatic car wash
CoupeÐYour vehicle may be washed in
an automatic car wash, but remember that
the paint can be scratched by some type
of brushes, unfiltered washing water, or
the washing process itself. Scratching re-
duces paint durability and gloss, especially
on darker colors. The manager of the car
wash should be able to advise you wheth-
er the process is safe for the paint on
your vehicle.
NOTICE
Convertible: Do not run convertiblethrough automatic car washes or pos-sible damage to the convertible topmay result.
Waxing your Toyota
Polishing and waxing is recommended
to maintain the original beauty of your
Toyota's finish.
Once a month or if the vehicle surface
does not repel water well, apply wax.
1. Always wash and dry the vehicle be- fore you begin waxing, even if you are
using a combined cleaner and wax.
2. Use a good quality polish and wax. If the finish has become extremely weath-
ered, use a car±cleaning polish, fol-
lowed by a separate wax. Carefully fol-
low the manufacturer 's instructions and
precautions. Be sure to polish and wax
the chrome trim as well as the paint.
3. Wax the vehicle again when water does not bead but remains on the sur-
face in large patches.
NOTICE
Always remove the plastic bumpers if
your vehicle is re±painted and placedin a high heat paint waxing booth.High temperatures could damage the
bumpers.
Convertible top
Wash using mild soap suds, lukewarm wa-
ter and a sponge.
NOTICE
Do not use harsh or abrasive clean-ers or bleaching agents, it maydamage the top material.
Do not use water±repellents, wax or
other preservative finishes, it maystain the top material.
If further cleaning is required after using
soap and water, a mild foaming cleaner
can be used. First, rinse the top, then use
a mild foaming cleaner on the entire top.
Scrub with a small soft bristle hand±brush.
Add water as needed until the cleaner
gets soapy. Use a cloth or sponge to
remove dirt so it will not be ground into
the top. Be careful to keep any cleaner
from drying on the body paint as it may
cause streaks.
After the top has been cleaned, rinse ve-
hicle with clean water to remove all traces
of cleaner.

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
2142001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
After cleaning, always make sure the top
is completely dry before your lowered it.
Lowering the top while wet or damp may
cause interior water damage, water stains
or mildew of the top material.
C lean in g th e in t erio r
CAUTION

Vehicles with side airbags:
Be careful not to splash water or
spill liquid on the floor. This may
prevent the side airbags from acti-
vating correctly, resulting in serious
injury

Do not wash the vehicle floor with
water, or allow water to get onto
the floor when cleaning the vehicle
interior or exterior. Water may get
into audio components or other
electrical components above or un-
der the floor carpet (or mat) and
cause a malfunction; and it may
cause body corrosion.
Vinyl interior
The vinyl upholstery may be easily
cleaned with a mild soap or detergent
and water.First vacuum over the upholstery to re-
move loose dirt. Then, using a sponge or
soft cloth, apply the soap solution to the
vinyl. After allowing it to soak in for a few
minutes to loosen the dirt, remove the dirt
and wipe off the soap with a clean damp
cloth. If all the dirt do not come off, re-
peat the procedure. Commercial foaming±
type vinyl cleaners are also available
which work well. Follow the manufacturer 's
instructions.
NOTICE
Do not use solvent, thinner, gasoline
or window cleaner on the interior.
Carpets
Use a good foam±type shampoo to
clean the carpets.
Begin by vacuuming thoroughly to remove
as much dirt as possible. Several types of
foam cleaners are available; some are in
aerosol can sand others are powders or
liquids which you mix with water to pro-
duce a foam. To shampoo the carpets,
use a sponge or brush to apply the foam.
Rub in overlapping circles.

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
2152001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
Do not apply waterÐthe best results are
obtained by keeping the carpet as dry as
possible. Read the shampoo instructions
and follow them closely.
Seat belts
The seat belts may be cleaned with
mild soap and water or with
l ukewarm
water.
Use a cloth or sponge. As you are clean-
ing, check the belts for excessive wear,
fraying, or cuts.
NOTICE
Do not use dye or bleach on the
beltsÐit may weaken them.
Do not use the belts until they be-come dry.
Windows
The windows may be cleaned with any
household window cleaner.
NOTICE
When cleaning the inside of the win-
dows, be careful not to scratch ordamage the heater wires on the rearwindow.
Air conditioning control panel, car au-
dio, instrument panel,
console panel,
and switches
Use a soft damp cloth for cleaning.
Soak a clean soft cloth in water or luke-
warm water then lightly
wipe off dirt.
NOTICE
Do not use organic substances (sol-
vents, kerosene, alcohol,
gasoline,
etc.) or alkaline or acidic solutions. These chemicals can cause discol-
oring, staining or peeling of thesurface.
If you use cleaners or polishing
agents, make sure their ingredientsdo not include the substances men-tioned above.
If you use a liquid car freshener, donot spill the liquid onto the ve-
hicle's interior surfaces. It may con-tain the ingredients mentioned
a-
bove. Immediately clean any spill
using the method mentioned above.
Leather Interior
The leather upholstery may be cleaned
with neutral detergent for wool.
Remove dirt using a soft cloth dampened
with 5% solution of neutral detergent for
wool. Then thoroughly wipe off all traces
of detergent with a clean damp cloth.
After cleaning or whenever any part of the
leather gets wet, dry with a soft clean
cloth. Allow the leather to dry in a venti-
lated shaded area.
NOTICE
If a stain should fail to come outwith a neutral detergent, apply acleaner that does not contain anorganic solvent.
Never use organic substances suchas benzine, alcohol or gasoline,
or
alkaline or acid solutions for clean-
ing the leather as thesecould
cause discoloring.
Use of a nylon brush or syntheticfiber cloth, etc. may scratch thefine grained surface of the leather.

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
2162001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
Mildew may develop on soiled leath-er upholstery. Be especially carefulto avoid oil spots. Try to keep yourupholstery always clean.
Long exposure to direct sunlightmay cause the leather surface toharden and shrink. Keep your ve-
hicle in a shaded area, especially inthe summer.
The interior of your vehicle is aptto heat up on hot summer days,
so
avoid placing on the upholstery
items made of vinyl or plastic orcontaining wax as these tend tostick to leather when warm.
Improper cleaning of the leather up-holstery could result in discolor-
ation or staining.

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
2172001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
VEHICLE MAINTENANCE AND CARE
Maintenance requirements218
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General maintenance 219
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. . .
Does your vehicle need repairing? 221
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For scheduled maintenance information, please refer to the
ªScheduled Maintenance Guideº or ªOwner's Manual Supplementº.
SECTION 6

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
2182001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
Maintenance requirements
Your Toyota vehicle has been designed for
fewer maintenance requirements with long-
er service intervals to save both your time
and money. However, each regular mainte-
nance, as well as day±to±day care, is
more important than ever before to ensure
smooth, trouble±free, safe, and economical
drivings.
It is the owner 's responsibility to make
sure the specified maintenance, including
general maintenance service, is performed.
Note that both the new vehicle and emis-
sion control system warranties specify that
proper maintenance and care must be per-
formed. See ªOwner 's Warranty Informa-
tion Bookletº or ªOwner 's Manual Supple-
mentº for complete warranty information.
General maintenance
General maintenance items are those day±
to±day care practices that are important to
your vehicle for proper operation. It is the
owner 's responsibility to insure that the
general maintenance items are performed
regularly.
These checks or inspections can be done
either by yourself or a qualified technician,
or if you prefer, your Toyota dealer will be
pleased to do them at a nominal cost. Scheduled maintenance
The scheduled maintenance items listed in
the ªScheduled Maintenance Guideº or
ªOwner 's Manual Supplementº are those
required to be serviced at regular inter-
vals.
For details of your maintenance schedule,
read the ªScheduled Maintenance Guideº
or ªOwner 's Manual Supplementº.
It is recommended that any replacement
parts used for maintenance or for the
repair of the emission control system
be Toyota supplied.
The owner may elect to use non±Toyota
supplied parts for replacement pur-
poses without invalidating the emission
control system warranty. However, use
of replacement parts which are not of
equivalent quality may impair the effec-
tiveness of the emission control sys-
tems.
You may also elect to have mainte-
nance, replacement, or repair of the
emission control devices and system
performed by any automotive repair es-
tablishment or individual without invali-
dating this warranty. See ªOwner's War-
ranty Information Bookletº or ªOwner's
Manual Supplementº for complete war-
ranty information.Where to go for service?
Toyota technicians are well±trained spe-
cialists and are kept up to date with the
latest service information through technical
bulletins, service tips, and in±dealership
training programs. They learn to work on
Toyotas before they work on your vehicle,
rather than while they are working on it.
You can be confident that your Toyota
dealer 's service department performs the
best job to meet the maintenance require-
ments on your vehicleÐreliably and eco-
nomically.
Your copy of the repair order is proof that
all required maintenance has been per-
formed for warranty coverage. And if any
problems should arise with your vehicle
while under warranty, your Toyota dealer
will promptly take care of it. Again, be
sure to keep a copy of the repair order
for any service performed on your Toyota.
What about do±it±yourself maintenance?
Many of the maintenance items are easy
to do yourself if you have a little mechani-
cal ability and a few basic automotive
tools. Simple instructions for how to per-
form them are presented in Section 7.

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
2192001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
If you are a skilled do±it±yourself mechan-
ic, the Toyota service manuals are recom-
mended. Please be aware that do±it±your-
self maintenance can affect your warranty
coverage. See ªOwner 's Warranty Informa-
tion Bookletº or ªOwner 's Manual Supple-
mentº for the details.
General maintenance
Listed below are the general maintenance
items that should be performed as fre-
quently as specified. In addition to check-
ing the items listed, if you notice any
unusual noise, smell or vibration, you
should investigate the cause or take your
vehicle to your Toyota dealer or a quali-
fied service shop immediately. It is recom-
mended that any problem you notice be
brought to the attention of your dealer or
the qualified service shop for their advice.
CAUTION
Make these checks only where ade-
quate ventilation can be obtained if
you run the engine.
OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE
Items listed below should be performed
from time to time, unless otherwise
specified.
Tire pressure
Check the pressure with a gauge every
two weeks, or at least once a month. See
Section 7±2 for additional information.Tire surface and wheel nuts
Check the tires carefully for cuts, damage
or excessive wear. See Section 7±2 for
additional information. When checking the
tires, make sure no nuts are missing, and
check the nuts for looseness. Tighten
them if necessary.
Tire rotation
Rotate the tires according to the mainte-
nance schedule. (For scheduled mainte-
nance information, please refer to the sep-
arate ªScheduled Maintenance Guideº or
ªOwner 's Manual Supplementº.) See Sec-
tion 7±2 for additional information.
Fluid leaks
Check underneath for leaking fuel, oil, wa-
ter or other fluid after the vehicle has
been parked for a while. If you smell fuel
fumes or notice any leak, have the cause
found and corrected immediately.
Doors and engine hood
Check that all doors including trunk lid
operate smoothly and all latches lock se-
curely. Make sure the engine hood sec-
ondary latch secures the hood from open-
ing when the primary latch is released.
INSIDE THE VEHICLE
Items listed below should be checked
regularly, e.g. while performing periodic
services, cleaning the vehicle, etc.

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
2202001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
Lights
Make sure the headlights, stop lights, tail
lights, turn signal lights, and other lights
are all working. Check headlight aim.
Service reminder indicators and warning
buzzers
Check that all service reminder indicators
and warning buzzers function properly.
Steering wheel
Be alert for changes in steering condition,
such as hard steering or strange noise.
Seats
Check that all front seat controls such as
seat adjusters, seatback recliner, etc. op-
erate smoothly and that all latches lock
securely in any position. Check that the
head restraints move up and down
smoothly and that the locks hold securely
in any latched position. For folding±down
rear seatbacks, check that the latches
lock securely.
Seat belts
Check that the seat belt system such as
buckles, retractors and anchors operate
properly and smoothly. Make sure that the
belt webbings not cut, frayed, worn or
damaged.Accelerator pedal
Check the pedal for smooth operation and
uneven pedal effort or catching.
Clutch pedal
Check the pedal for smooth operation.
Brake pedal
Check the pedal for smooth operation and
that the pedal has the proper clearance.
Check the brake booster function.
Brakes
At a safe place, check that the brakes do
not pull to one side when applied.
Parking brake
Check that the lever has the proper travel
and that, on a safe incline, your vehicle
is held securely with only the parking
brake applied.
Automatic transmission ªParkº mecha-
nism
Check the lock release button of the se-
lector lever for proper and smooth opera-
tion. On a safe incline, check that your
vehicle is held securely with the selector
lever in ªPº position and all brakes re-
leased.
IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT
Items listed below should be checked
from time to time, e.g. each time when
refueling.
Washer fluid
Make sure there is sufficient fluid in the
tank. See Section 7±3 for additional in-
formation.
Engine coolant level
Make sure the coolant level is between
the ªFULLº and ªLOWº lines on the see±
through reservoir when the engine is cold.
See Section 7±2 for additional information.
Battery electrolyte level
Your Toyota has a maintenance free bat-
tery. You do not have to add distilled wa-
ter. For longer life of the battery, however,
see Section 7±3 for additional information.
Brake fluid level
Make sure the brake fluid level is correct.
See Section 7±2 for additional information.
Engine oil level
Check the level on the dipstick with the
engine turned off and the vehicle parked
on a level spot. See Section 7±2 for addi-
tional information.