2002 TOYOTA 4RUNNER heating

’02 4Runner_U (L/O 0108)
1982002 MY 4RUNNER_U (OM 35787U)
NOTICE
A large amount of unburned gases
flowing into the threeway catalytic
converter may cause it to overheat
and create a fire hazard. To prevent
this and other damage, observe the
following precautions:
Use only unleaded gasoline.
 Do not drive with an extremely low
fuel 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 at
idle speed for more than 20 min-
utes.
 Avoid racing the engine.
 Do not pushstart or pullstart your
vehicle.
 Do not turn off the ignition while
the vehicle is moving.
Keep your engine in good running
order. Malfunctions in the engine
electrical system, electronic ignition
system/distributor ignition system
or fuel systems could cause an ex-
tremely high threeway catalytic
converter temperature.
 If the engine becomes difficult to
start or stalls frequently, take your
vehicle in for a checkup as soon
as possible. Remember, your Toyota
dealer knows your vehicle and its
threeway catalytic converter sys-
tem best.
 To ensure that the threeway cata-
lytic converter and the entire emis-
sion control system operate proper-
ly, your vehicle must receive the
periodic inspections required by the
Toyota Maintenance Schedule. For
scheduled maintenance information,
refer to the “Scheduled Maintenance
Guide” or “Owner ’s Manual Supple-
ment”.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.
Engine exhaust cautions

’02 4Runner_U (L/O 0108)
2112002 MY 4RUNNER_U (OM 35787U)
NOTICE
Do not crank for more than 30 se-
conds 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 stalls frequently, have the
engine checked immediately.
Always slow down in gusty crosswinds.
This will allow you much better control.
Drive slowly onto curbs and, if pos-
sible, at a right angle. Avoid driving
onto high, sharpedged objects and
other road hazards. Failure to do so
can lead to severe tire damage result-
ing in tire bursts.
Drive slowly when passing over bumps
or travelling on a bumpy r oad. Other-
wise, the impact could cause severe
damage to the tires and/or wheels.
When parking on a hill, turn the front
wheels until they touch the curb so
that the vehicle will not roll. Apply the
parking brake, and place the transmis-
sion in “P”. If necessary, block the
wheels.
Washing your vehicle or driving through
deep water may get the brakes wet. To
see whether they are wet, check that
there is no traffic near you, and then
press the pedal lightly. If you do not
feel a normal braking force, the brakes
are probably wet. To dry them, drive
the vehicle cautiously while lightly
pressing the brake pedal with the park-
ing brake applied. If they still do not
work safely, pull to the side of the road
and call a Toyota dealer for assistance.
Fourwheel drive models—Toyota rec-
ommends not using fourwheel drive on
dry hardsurfaced roads, because four
wheel driving will cause unnecessary
noise and wear, and poor fuel econo-
my.
Fourwheel drive models—In cold tem-
peratures, noise may occur when driv-
ing in twowheel drive before the trans-
fer is warmed up. Therefore, first drive
in fourwheel drive until the transfer is
warmed up.
CAUTION
Before driving off, make sure that
the parking brake is fully released
and the parking brake reminder
light is off.
Do not leave your vehicle unat-
tended while the engine is running.
Do not rest your foot on the brake
pedal while driving. It can cause
dangerous overheating, needless
wear, and poor fuel economy.
Tips for driving in various
conditions

’02 4Runner_U (L/O 0108)
2202002 MY 4RUNNER_U (OM 35787U)
Crosswinds and rough roads will ad-
versely affect handling of your vehicle
and trailer, causing sway. Pay attention
to the rear from time to time to pre-
pare yourself for being passed by large
trucks or buses, which may cause your
vehicle and trailer to sway. If swaying
happens, firmly grip the steering wheel
and reduce speed immediately but
gradually. Never increase speed. Steer
straight ahead. If you make no extreme
correction with the steering or brakes,
the vehicle and trailer will stabilize.
Be careful when passing other ve-
hicles. Passing requires considerable
distance. After passing a vehicle, do
not forget the length of your trailer and
be sure you have plenty of room befo-
re changing lanes.
In order to maintain engine braking effi-
ciency, do not use overdrive.
Because of the added load of the trail-
er, your vehicle’s engine may overheat
on hot days (at temperatures over
30C [85 F]) when going up a long or
steep grade with a trailer. If the engine
coolant temperature gauge indicates
overheating, immediately turn off the air
conditioning (if in use), pull off the road
and stop in a safe spot. Refer to “If
your vehicle overheats” in Section 4.
Always place wheel blocks under both
the vehicle and trailer wheels when
parking. Apply the parking brake firmly.
Put the transmission in “P”. Avoid park-
ing on a slope with a trailer, but if it
cannot be avoided, do so only after
performing the following:
1. Apply the brakes and hold.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks un- der both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release your brakes slowly until the
blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the parking brake firmly.
5. Shift into “P” and turn off the engine. When restarting out after parking on a
slope:
1. With the transmission in “P” position, start the engine. Be sure to keep the
brake pedal depressed.
2. Shift into gear.
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal and slowly pull or back away
from the wheel blocks. Stop and apply
your brakes.
4. Have someone retrieve the blo cks.
CAUTION
Do not exceed 72 km/h (45 mph) or
the posted towing speed limit,
whichever is lower. Because insta-
bility (swaying) of a towing vehicle
trailer combination usually in-
creases as the speed increases, ex-
ceeding 72 km/h (45 mph) may
cause loss of control.

’02 4Runner_U (L/O 0108)
2212002 MY 4RUNNER_U (OM 35787U)
Slow down and downshift before
descending steep or long downhill
grades. Do not make sudden down-
shifts.
Avoid holding the brake pedal down
too long or too frequently. This
could cause the brakes to overheat
and result in reduced braking effi-
ciency.
Improving fuel economy is easy—just take
it easy. It will help make your vehicle last
longer, too. Here are some specific tips
on how to save money on both fuel and
repairs:
Keep your tires inflated at the cor-
rect pressure. Underinflation causes
tire wear and wastes fuel. See Section
72 for instructions.
Do not carry unneeded weight in
your vehicle. Excess weight puts a
heavier load on the engine, causing
greater fuel consumption.
Avoid lengthy warmup idling. Once
the engine is running smoothly, begin
driving—but gently. Remember, howev-
er, that on cold winter days this may
take a little longer.
Keep the automatic transmission
overdrive turned on when engine
braking is not required. Driving with
the overdrive off will reduce the fuel
economy. (For details, see “Automatic
transmission” in Section 16.)
Accelerate slowly and smoothly.
Avoid jackrabbit starts. Get into high
gear as quickly as possible.
Avoid long engine idling. If you have
a long wait and you are not in traffic,
it is better to turn off the engine and
start again later.
Avoid engine lugging or overrev-
ving. Use a gear position suitable for
the road on which you are travelling.
Avoid continuous speeding up and
slowing down. Stopandgo driving
wastes fuel.
Avoid unnecessary stopping and
braking. Maintain a steady pace. Try
to time the traffic signals so you only
need to stop as little as possible or
take advantage of through streets to
avoid traffic lights. Keep a proper dis-
tance from other vehicles to avoid sud-
den braking. This will also reduce wear
on your brakes.
Avoid heavy traffic or traffic jams
whenever possible.
Do not rest your foot on the brake
pedal. This causes premature wear,
overheating and poor fuel economy.
Maintain a moderate speed on high-
ways. The faster you drive, the greater
the fuel consumption. By reducing your
speed, you will cut down on fuel con-
sumption.
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer

’02 4Runner_U (L/O 0108)
2282002 MY 4RUNNER_U (OM 35787U)
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 “P”
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.
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.
3. Visually check to see if the enginedrive belt (fan belt) is broken or loose.
Look for obvious coolant leaks from the
radiator, hoses, and under the vehicle.
However, note that water draining from
the air conditioning is normal if it has
been used.
CAUTION
When the engine is running, keep
hands and clothing away from the
moving fan and engine drive belts.
4. If the engine drive belt is broken or thecoolant is leaking, stop the engine im-
mediately. Call a Toyota dealer for as-
sistance.
5. If the engine drive belt is O.K. and there are no obvious leaks, you may
help the engine cool down more quickly
by running it at about 1500 rpm for a
few minutes with the accelerator pedal
lightly depressed.
6. Check the coolant reservoir. If it is dry, add coolant to the reservoir while the
engine is running. Fill it about half full.
CAUTION
Do not attempt to remove the radiator
cap when the engine and radiator are
hot. Serious injury could result from
scalding hot fluid and steam blown
out under pressure.
7. After the engine coolant temperaturehas cooled to normal, again check the
coolant level in the reservoir. If neces-
sary, bring it up to half full again. Seri-
ous coolant loss indicates a leak in the
system. You s hould have it checked as
soon as possible at your Toyota dealer.
If your vehicle overheats