2002 TOYOTA MR2 SPYDER tow

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2002 MR2 (OM17493U)
SB12082
CAUTION
To prevent personal injury, do not
grasp the part shown in dark color in
the illustration.
SB12079
4. Fold the soft top slowly and house itcompletely.
Press down the soft top toward the front
from the rear and lock it. You will hear
click sound when the soft top is complete-
ly housed.
Shake the soft top up and down softly to
check whether the soft top is fixed se-
curely.
Raise both sun visors.
SB12059
Folding board
Flare
NOTICE
Do not lower the soft top while
placing a luggage which is higher
than the bottom edge of the flare
inside the luggage space. The lug-
gage may be damaged by hitting
the folding board or the improperly
folded soft top may flap in the wind
and cause an accident.
 Do not place any objects on the
folding board. Such objects may
damage the folding board or cause
an unexpected accident by moving
while the vehicle is driven.

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2002 MR2 (OM17493U)
—Air deflector
SB12060
The air deflector will reduce the wind
from the rear of the vehicle when the
vehicle is running with the soft top
lowered. Pull up to use.
NOTICE
Do not use alcohol or other solvents
for the air deflector. Because they
could damage the air deflector’s resin
material.
—Raising the soft top
SB12061
1. Lower both side windows and sunvisors. Then pull down the lock
release lever towards the front of
the vehicle and release the lock of
the soft top.
NOTICE
Always lower the sun visor when rais-
ing the soft top. The sun visor may
be damaged if the soft top is locked
with the sun visor raised.
SB12074
2. Stand outside of the vehicle and pullthe soft top out slowly holding the
part shown in dark color in the
illustration. Then move the soft top
toward the upper part of the frame
of the front window glass.
NOTICE
Lower the windows before raising the
soft top. Otherwise, the soft top may
not lock securely.

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2002 MR2 (OM17493U)
The “INT TIME” band lets you adjust the
wiping time interval when the wiper lever
is in the intermittent position (position 1).
Twist the band upward to increase the
time between sweeps, and downward to
decrease it.
To squirt washer fluid, pull the lever
toward you.
If the windshield wipers are off, they will
operate a couple of times after the washer
squirts.
For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see “Adding washer fluid” on page 203 in
Section 73.
In freezing weather, warm the windshield
with the defroster before using the washer.
This will help prevent the washer fluid
from freezing on the windshield, which can
block your vision.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the wind-
shield is dry. It may scratch the
glass.
Rear window defogger
SB14023
To defog or defrost the rear window,
push the switch.
The key must be in the “ON” position.
The thin heater wires on the inside of the
rear window will quickly clear the surface.
An indicator light will illuminate to indicate
the defogger is operating.
Push the switch once again to turn the
defogger off.
The system will automatically shut off af-
ter the defogger has operated about 15
minutes.Make sure you turn the defogger off when
the window is clear. Leaving the defogger
on for a long time could cause the battery
to discharge, especially during stopand
go driving. The defogger is not designed
for drying rain water or for melting snow.
NOTICE

When cleaning the inside of the
rear window, be careful not to
scratch or damage the heater wires
or connectors.
 When the soft top is completely
lowered, keep the rear window de-
fogger turned off to avoid damage
to the top.

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2002 MR2 (OM17493U)
INFORMATION BEFORE DRIVING YOUR
TOYOTA
Breakin period124
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Fuel 124
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Fuel pump shut off system 126
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Operation in foreign countries 126
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Threeway catalytic converter 126
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Engine exhaust cautions 127
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Facts about engine oil consumption 128
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Iridiumtipped spark plugs 129
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Brake system 129
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Brake pad wear limit indicators 132
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Luggage stowage precautions 132
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Limitedslip differential 133
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Your Toyota’s identification 133
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Theft prevention labels 134
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Suspension and chassis 135
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Types of tires 135
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SECTION 2

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When the “ABS” warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), the
antilock 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
occur, 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 “ON” posi-
tion, or remains on.
The light comes on while you are driv-
ing.
A warning light fuming on briefly during
operation does not indicate a problem.
Brake pad wear limit indicators
SB21015
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 pr ecautions
When stowing luggage or cargo in the
vehicle, observe the following:
Put luggage or cargo in the front box
or luggage space 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
Never allow anyone to ride in the
luggage space. It is not designed
for the passenger. The passenger
should ride in the seat with the
seat belt properly fastened. Severe
injuries to an unrestrained passen-
ger can occur during sudden brak-
ing or a collision.

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STARTING AND DRIVING
Before starting the engine138
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How to start the engine 138
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Tips for driving in various conditions 139
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Winter driving tips 140
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Dinghy towing 141
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Trailer towing 142
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How to save fuel and make your vehicle last longer, too 142
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SECTION 3

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Do not use your parking brake when
there is a possibility it could freeze.
When parking, put the transmission into
“S(1)” or “R” (sequential manual transmis-
sion) or into first or reverse (manual
transmission) and block the front wheels.
Do not use the parking brake, or snow or
water accumulated in and around the
parking brake mechanism may freeze,
making it hard to release.
Keep ice and snow from accumulating
under the fenders.
Ice and snow built up under your fenders
can make steering difficult. During bad
winter driving, stop and check under the
fenders occasionally.
Depending on where you are driving,
we recommend you carry some emer-
gency equipment.
Some of the things you might put in the
vehicle are tire chains, window scraper,
bag of sand or salt, flares, small shovel,
jumper cables, etc.
Dinghy towing
SB31003
Your vehicle can be dinghy towed (with
four wheels on the ground) from the
front behind a motorhome.
CAUTION
Dinghy towing requires special equip-
ment and accessories. Please refer to
your service outlet of the motorhome
manufacture for the recommended
equipment.
NOTICE
Dinghy towing does not eliminate the
possibility of damage to your vehicle.
DINGHY TOWING TIPS
Before dinghy towing, be sure to ob-
serve the following in order to reduce
the damage to your vehicle.1. Put the shift lever in “N” (sequential manual transmission) or in neutral
(manual transmission).
2. Turn the ignition switch to the “ACC” position. Make sure the audio is turned
off.
NOTICE
To avoid the locking of the steering
wheel, turn the ignition switch to the
“ACC” position.
3. Release the parking brake.
After dinghy towing, let the engine idle for
more than 3 minutes before driving the
vehicle.

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SB31004
NOTICE
Do not tow your vehicle from the
rear. This may cause serious damage
to your vehicle.
Trailer towing
SB31002
Toyota does not recommend towing a trail-
er with your MR2. It is not designed for
trailer towing.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 page
192 in 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.
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.
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer, too