2002 TOYOTA TACOMA trailer

’02 Tacoma U (L/O 0109)
11 52002 MY TACOMA_U (OM35786U)
The gauge indicates the engine coolant
temperature when the ignition switch is
on. The engine operating temperature
will vary with changes in weather and
engine load.
If the needle moves into the red zone,
your engine is too hot. If your vehicle
overheats, stop your vehicle and allow the
engine to cool.
Your vehicle may overheat during severe
operating conditions, such as:
Driving up a long hill on a hot day.
Reducing speed or stopping after high
speed driving.
Idling for a long period with the air
conditioning on in stopandgo traffic.
Towing a trailer.
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in
the engine cooling system as this
may cause the engine to overheat.
The thermostat is designed to con-
trol the flow of coolant to keep the
temperature of the engine within
the specified operating range.
 Do not continue driving with an
overheated engine. See “If your ve-
hicle overheats” in Section 4.
The tachometer indicates engine speed
in thousands of rpm (revolutions per
minute). Use it while driving to select
correct shift points and to prevent en-
gine lugging and overrevving.
Driving with the engine running too fast
causes excessive engine wear and poor
fuel economy. Remember, in most cases
the slower the engine speed, the greater
the fuel economy.
NOTICE
Do not let the indicator needle get
into the red zone. This may cause
severe engine damage.
Tachometer

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(h) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly shifts up
and down between third gear and over-
drive when climbing a gentle slope, the
overdrive should be turned off. Be sure
to turn the switch on immediately after-
ward.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use overdrive.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping.
NOTICE
Do not hold the vehicle on an up-
grade with the accelerator pedal. It
can cause the transmission to over-
heat. Always use the brake pedal or
parking brake.
(i) Driving in “POWER” mode (fourwheel drive models and Pre
Runner)
In the “POWER” mode, the transmission
is shifted up and down at a higher vehicle
speed than in the “NORMAL” mode and a
more powerful acceleration is achieved. To
set the “POWER” mode, push in the driv-
ing pattern selector button. The POWER
mode indicator light comes on.
For ordinary driving, Toyota recommends
using the “NORMAL” mode to improve fuel
economy. (j) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
CAUTION
If your vehicle becomes stuck in
snow, mud, sand, etc., then you may
attempt to rock the vehicle free by
moving it forward and backward. Do
not attempt this procedure if people
or objects are anywhere near the ve-
hicle. During the rocking operation
the vehicle may suddenly move for-
ward or backward as it becomes un-
stuck, causing injury or damage to
nearby people or objects.

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1302002 MY TACOMA_U (OM35786U)
Good driving practice
If it is difficult to shift into reverse, put
the transmission in neutral, release the
clutch pedal momentarily, and then try
again.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use fifth gear.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
NOTICE
Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before shifting into reverse.
Use the front drive control lever to se-
lect the following transfer modes.
“H2” (high speed position, twowheel
drive): Lever at “H2”
Use this for normal driving on dry hard
surfaced roads. This position gives greater
economy, quietest ride and least wear.
“H4” (high speed position, fourwheel
drive): Lever at “H4”
Use this for normal driving on wet, icy or
snowcovered roads. This position pro-
vides greater traction than twowheel
drive. “N” (neutral position): Lever at “N”
No power is delivered to the wheels. The
vehicle must be stopped.
“L4” (low speed position, fourwheel
drive):
Lever at “L4”
Use this for maximum power and traction.
Use “L4” for climbing or descending steep
hills, offroad driving, and hard pulling in
sand, mud or deep snow.
The fourwheel drive indicator light comes
on when the “H4”, “N” or “L4” mode is
selected.
See “(c) Shifting procedure (lever type)”
for further instructions.
Fourwheel drive system—
(a) Front drive control
(lever type)

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1892002 MY TACOMA_U (OM35786U)
When driving offroad or in rugged
terrain, do not drive at excessive
speeds, jump, make sharp turns,
strike objects, etc. This may cause
loss of control or vehicle rollover
causing death or serious injury. You
are also risking expensive damage
to your vehicle’s suspension and
chassis.
Do not drive horizontally across
steep slopes. Driving straight up or
straight down is preferred. Your ve-
hicle (or any similar offroad ve-
hicle) can tip over sideways much
more easily than forward or back-
ward.
Drive gently and avoid high speeds.
Your vehicle does not need an elaborate
breakin. But following a few simple tips
for the first 1600 km (1000 miles) can add
to the future economy and long life of
your vehicle:
Do not drive over 88 km/h (55 mph).
Run the engine at moderate speed be-
tween 2000 and 4000 rpm.
Avoid fullthrottle starts.
Try to avoid hard stops during the first
300 km (200 miles).
Do not drive slowly with the manual
transmission in a high gear.
Do not drive for a long time at any
single speed, either fast or slow.
Do not tow a trailer during the first 800
km (500 miles).FUEL TYPE
Your new vehicle must use only un-
leaded gasoline.
To help prevent gas station mixups, your
Toyota has a smaller fuel tank opening.
The special nozzle on pumps with un-
leaded fuel will fit it, but the larger stan-
dard nozzle on pumps with leaded gas will
not.
At a minimum, the gasoline you use
should meet specifications of ASTM
D4814 in the U.S.A. and CGSB 3.5M93
in Canada.
NOTICE
Do not use leaded gasoline. Use of
leaded gasoline will cause the three
way catalytic converter to lose its ef-
fectiveness and the emission control
system to function improperly. Also,
this can increase maintenance costs.
Breakin period
Fuel

’02 Tacoma U (L/O 0109)
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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. Have the cause immediately
located and corrected.
Toyota does not recommend occu-
pying the rear cargo area when it
is fitted with a slidein camper,
camper shell or other type cover
while the engine is running. This
caution applies to both driving and
stopped or parked situations with
the engine running. Particular care
should be taken to prevent exhaust
gases from entering camper bodies,
trailers or other enclosures on or
around your vehicle. If exhaust
fumes are detected, open all win-
dows and thoroughly ventilate the
area.
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.
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 highspeed 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 expressway, making it
appear that oil is excessively consumed
after driving at high speeds.
Facts about engine oil
consumption

’02 Tacoma U (L/O 0109)
2032002 MY TACOMA_U (OM35786U)
STARTING AND DRIVING
Before starting the engine204
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How to start the engine 204
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Tips for driving in various conditions 205
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Offroad driving precautions 206
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Winter driving tips 208
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Dinghy towing 209
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Trailer towing 209
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How to save fuel and make your vehicle last longer 215
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SECTION 3

’02 Tacoma U (L/O 0109)
2092002 MY TACOMA_U (OM35786U)
Do not use your parking brake when
there is a possibility it could freeze.
When parking, put the transmission into
“P” (automatic) or into first or reverse
(manual) 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.
Your vehicle is not designed to be
dinghy towed (with four wheels on the
ground) behind a motorhome.
NOTICE
Do not tow your vehicle with four
wheels on the ground. This may
cause serious damage to your vehicle.
Your vehicle is designed primarily as a
passengerandloadcarrying vehicle. Tow-
ing a trailer will have an adverse effect on
handling, performance, braking, durability
and driving economy (fuel consumption,
etc.). Your safety and satisfaction depend
on the proper use of correct equipment
and cautious driving habits. For your safe-
ty and the safety of others, you must not
overload your vehicle or trailer. Ask your
local Toyota dealer for further details be-
fore towing.
WEIGHT LIMITS
Before towing, make sure the total trail-
er weight, gross combination weight,
gross vehicle weight, gross axle weight
and trailer tongue load are all within
the limits.
The total trailer weight and tongue load
can be measured with platform scales
found at a highway weighing station, build-
ing supply company, trucking company,
junk yard, etc.
Dinghy towing Trailer towing

’02 Tacoma U (L/O 0109)
2102002 MY TACOMA_U (OM35786U)
CAUTION
The maximum gross trailer weight
(trailer weight plus cargo weight)
must never exceed the following.Twowheel drive models except
Pre Runner2RZFE and 5VZFE engines 1587 kg (3500 lb.)
Fourwheel drive models and Pre
Runner 3RZFE engine
1587 kg (3500 lb.)
5VZFE engine Without towing package
1587 kg (3500 lb.)
With towing package
2721 kg (6000 lb.)
If towing a trailer and cargo weigh-
ing over 907 kg (2000 lb.), it is
necessary to use a sway control
device with sufficient capacity. The
combination of the gross trailer
weight added to the total weight of
the vehicle, occupants and vehicle
cargo must never exceed a total of
the following.
Twowheel drive models except Pre
Runner 2RZFE engine 3035 kg (6700 lb.)
5VZFE engine 3080 kg (6800 lb.)
Fourwheel drive models and Pre
Runner 3RZFE engine 3355 kg (7400 lb.)
5VZFE engine Without towing package 3401 kg (7500 lb.)
With towing package 4535 kg (10000 lb.)
Exceeding the maximum weight of
the trailer, the vehicle, or the ve-
hicle and trailer combination, can
cause an accident resulting in seri-
ous personal injuries.
Trailer hitch assemblies have differ-
ent weight capacities established by
the hitch manufacturer. Even though
the vehicle may be physically capa-
ble of towing a higher weight, the
operator must determine the maxi-
mum weight rating of the particular
hitch assembly and never exceed
the maximum weight rating speci-
fied for the trailerhitch. Exceeding
the maximum weight rating set by
the trailer hitch manufacturer can
cause an accident resulting in seri-
ous personal injuries.