2002 TOYOTA RAV4 Owners Manual

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
1922002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
To remove the spare tire on the back
door:1. Remove the spare tire cover.
Full spare tire cover—Unhook the latch
handle which is on the bottom of the cov-
er. Pull up the cover by grasping the
clearances on both sides between the
cover and latch handle base.
Half spare tire cover—Pry off the center
cover and loose the nut with wheel nut
wrench, then remove the spare tire cover.
2. Turn the holddown nuts counterclock- wise with the wheel nut wrench and
remove them.
When storing the spare tire, put it in place
and secure it to prevent it from flying
forward during a collision or s udden brak-
ing.2. Block the wheel diagonally opposite the flat tire to keep the vehicle from
rolling when it is j acked up.
When blocking the wheel, place a wheel
block from the front for the front wheels
or from the rear for the rear wheels.
—Blocking the wheel

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
1932002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
3. Loosen all the wheel nuts.
Always loosen the wheel nuts before rais-
ing the vehicle.
Turn the wheel nuts counterclockwise to
loosen. To get maximum leverage, fit the
wrench to the nut so that the handle is
on the right side, as shown above. Grab
the wrench near the end of the handle
and pull up on the handle. Be careful that
the wrench does not slip off the nut.
Do not remove the nuts yet—just unscrew
them about onehalf turn.4. Position the jack at the following jack points.
1 Front suspension cross member rear mounting
2 Rear suspension arm
Make sure the jack is positioned on a
level and solid place.5. After making sure that no one is in the vehicle, raise it high enough so
that the spare tire can be installed.
Remember you will need more ground
clearance when putting on the spare tire
than when removing the flat tire.
To raise the vehicle, insert the jack handle
into the jack (it is a loose fit) and turn it
clockwise. As the jack touches the vehicle
and begins to lift, doublecheck that it is
properly positioned.
—Loosening wheel nuts —Positioning the jack—Raising your vehicle

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
1942002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
CAUTION
Never get under the vehicle when the
vehicle is supported by the jack
alone.
6. Remove the wheel nuts and changetires.
Lift the flat tire straight off and put it
aside.
Roll the spare wheel into position and
align the holes in the wheel with the bolts.
Then lift up the wheel and get at least the
top bolt started through its hole. Wiggle
the tire and press it back over the other
bolts.Before putting on wheels, remove any cor-
rosion on the mounting surfaces with a
wire brush or such. Installation of wheels
without good metaltometal contact at the
mounting surface can cause wheel nuts to
loosen and eventually cause a wheel to
come off while driving. Therefore after the
first 1600 km (1000 miles), check to see
that the wheel nuts are tight.
—Changing wheels

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
1952002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
7. Reinstall all the wheel nuts fingertight.
Reinstall the wheel nuts (tapered end in-
ward) and tighten them as much as you
can by hand. Press back on the tire back
and see if you can tighten them more.8. Lower the vehicle completely and tighten the wheel nuts.
Turn the jack handle counterclockwise to
lower the vehicle.
Use only the wheel nut wrench and turn
it clockwise to tighten the nuts. Do not
use other tools or any additional leverage
other than your hands, such as a hammer,
pipe or your foot. Make sure the wrench
is securely engaged over the nut.
Tighten each nut a little at a time in the
order shown. Repeat the process until all
the nuts are tight.
CAUTION
When lowering the vehicle, make sure
all portions of your body and all oth-
er persons around will not be injured
as the vehicle is lowered to the
ground.
—Reinstalling wheel nuts —Lowering your vehicle

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
1962002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
9. Install the flat tire and spare tirecover on the back door.
CAUTION
Make sure flat tire and spare tire cov-
er are securely in place in their stor-
age location to reduce the possibility
of personal injury during a collision
or sudden braking.
Install the full spare tire cover by the
following procedure:
Guides
1. Insert the hooks under the guides tothe upper slots and lower the cover.
—Stowing flat tire

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
1972002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
2. Push both sides of the cover and setthe cover by hooking the 4 inside pro-
trusions.
Check that the 2 hooks and 4 protrusions
are securely attached.3. Lock the latch handle which is on the bottom of the cover.
Check that the cover is securely in place. 10. Check the air pressure of the re-
placed tire.
Adjust the air pressure to the specification
designated on page 257 in Section 8. If
the pressure is lower, drive slowly to the
nearest service station and fill to the cor-
rect pressure.
Do not forget to reinstall the tire inflation
valve cap as dirt and moisture could get
into the valve core and possibly cause air
leakage. If the cap is missing, have a new
one put on as soon as possible.
11. Restow all the tools and jack secure- ly.
As soon after changing wheels as pos-
sible, tighten the wheel nuts to the torque
specified on page 257 in Section 8 with
a torque wrench. Have a technician repair
the flat tire.
CAUTION
Before driving, make sure all the
tools and jack are securely in place
in their storage location to reduce the
possibility of personal injury during a
collision or sudden braking.
—After changing wheels

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
1982002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck——From front
—From rear
(b) Using flat bed truck
Twowheel drive models(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck— —From front
—From rear
(b) Using flat bed truck
Fourwheel drive modelsIf towing is necessary, we recommend
you to have it done by your Toyota
dealer or a commercial tow truck ser-
vice. In consultation with them, have
your vehicle towed using either (a) or
(b).
Only when you cannot receive a towing
service from a Toyota dealer or com-
mercial tow truck service, tow your ve-
hicle carefully in accordance with the
instructions given in “—Emergency tow-
ing” on page 200 in this section.
Proper equipment will help ensure that
your vehicle is not damaged while being
towed. Commercial operators are generally
aware of the state/provincial and local
laws pertaining to towing.
Your vehicle can be damaged if it is
towed incorrectly. Although most operators
know the correct procedure, it is possible
to make a mistake. To avoid damage to
your vehicle, make sure the following pre-
cautions are observed. If necessary, show
this page to the tow truck driver.
If your vehicle needs to be
towed—

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
1992002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
TOWING PRECAUTIONS:
Use a safety chain system for all towing,
and abide by the state/provincial and local
laws. The wheels and axle on the ground
must be in good condition. If they are
damaged, use a towing dolly.
Twowheel drive models—
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck
From front—Release the parking brake.
NOTICE
When lifting wheels, take care to en-
sure adequate ground clearance for
towing at the opposite end of the
raised vehicle. Otherwise, the bumper
and/or underbody of the towed vehicle
will be damaged during towing.
From rear—
Manual transmission:
We recommend using a towing dolly
under the front wheels. If you do not
use a towing dolly, place the ignition
key in the “ACC” position and put the
transmission in neutral.
NOTICE
Do not tow with the key removed or
in the “LOCK” position when towing
from the rear without a towing dolly.
The steering lock mechanism is not
strong enough to hold the front
wheels straight.
Automatic transmission:
Use a towing dolly under the front
wheels.
NOTICE
Never tow a vehicle with an automatic
transmission from the rear with the
front wheels on the ground, as this
may cause serious damage to the
transmission.
(b) Using flat bed truck
Fourwheel drive models—
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck
Use a towing dolly under the wheels not
lifted by the truck.
(b) Using flat bed truck
(c) Towing with sling type
truck
All models—
(c) Towing with sling type truck
NOTICE
Do not tow with sling type truck, ei-
ther from the front or rear. This may
cause body damage.