2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER differential

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2003 4RUNNER from Apr. ’03 Prod. (OM 35820U)
18. Fuel filler door opener
19. “TRAC OFF” switch
20. Center differential lock switch
21. Power outlet main switch

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2003 4RUNNER from Apr. ’03 Prod. (OM 35820U)
Cruise control indicator light∗
5
Center differential lock indicator light∗3
(fourwheel drive models) Automatic transmission indicator lights
(5speed)
Traction control system off indicator light
(twowheel drive models) Vehicle stability control system off indicator light
(fourwheel drive models)
Slip indicator light
Turn signal indicator lights
Low speed fourwheel drive indicator light∗ 3
(fourwheel drive models)
Downhill assist control system indicator light
(fourwheel drive models)
Height control “OFF” indicator light
∗4
Height control indicator lights
∗1: For details, see “Service reminder indicators and warning
buzzers” on page 117 in Section 15.
∗2: If this light flashes, see “Fourwheel drive system” on page
141 in Section 16.
∗3: If this light flashes, see “Fourwheel drive system” on page
138 and on page 141 in Section 16.
∗4: If this light flashes, see “Rear height control air suspension”
on page 158 in Section 16.
∗5: If this light flashes, see “Cruise control” on page 164 in
Section 16.
Headlight high beam indicator light
Automatic transmission indicator lights
(4speed)
Fourwheel drive indicator light∗2
(multimode fourwheel drive models)

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(b) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in “How to start the engine” on page 260 in
Section 3. The transmission must be in
“P” or “N”.
When the fourwheel drive control switch
knob is in “L4” (lowspeed position, center
differential locked), the driving pattern se-
lector setting has no effect on gear shift
timing. (See “Fourwheel drive system
(fulltime fourwheel drive models)” on
page 138 in this Section for information of
the fourwheel drive control.) 2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to “D”.
When the lever is in the “D” position, the
automatic transmission system will select
the most suitable gear for running condi-
tions such as normal cruising, hill climb-
ing, hard towing, etc. Always use the “D” position for better fuel
economy and quieter driving. If the engine
coolant temperature is low or when the
fourwheel drive control switch knob is in
“L4” (lowspeed position, center differential
locked), the transmission will not shift into
the overdrive gear even in the “D” posi-
tion. (See “Fourwheel drive system (full
time fourwheel drive models)” on page
138 in this Section for information of the
fourwheel drive control.)
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and brake
pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
If the automatic locking operation linked
with the shift position is set, all the side
doors and back door are automatically
locked when the shift lever is moved out
of the “P” position with the engine running
(including ignition switch in the “ON” posi-
tion) and all the side doors and back door
are closed. For details, see “—Automatic
door locking and unlocking functions” on
page 17 in Section 12. (c) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Shift into the “4” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to fourth gear
and engine braking will be enabled.
Shift into the “3” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to third gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
stronger engine braking will be en-
abled.
Twowheel drive models 133 km/h (83 mph)
Fourwheel drive models
Fourwheel drive control switch
knob at “H4” 133 km/h (83 mph)
Fourwheel drive control switch
knob at “L4” 52 km/h (32 mph)

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(b) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in “How to start the engine” on page 260 in
Section 3. The transmission must be in
“P” or “N”.
When the multimode control switch knob
is in “L4” (lowspeed position, fourwheel
drive, center differential locked), the driv-
ing pattern selector setting has no effect
on gear shift timing. (See “Fourwheel
drive system (multimode fourwheel drive
models)” on page 141 in this Section for
information of the multimode control.) 2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to “D”.
When the lever is in the “D” position, the
automatic transmission system will select
the most suitable gear for running condi-
tions such as normal cruising, hill climb-
ing, hard towing, etc. Always use the “D” position for better fuel
economy and quieter driving. If the engine
coolant temperature is low or when the
multimode control switch knob is in “L4”
(lowspeed position, fourwheel drive,
center differential locked), the transmission
will not shift into the overdrive gear even
in the “D” position. (See “Fourwheel drive
system (multimode fourw
heel drive mod-
els)” on page 141 in this Section for in-
formation of the multimode control.)
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
If the automatic locking operation linked
with the shift position is set, all the side
doors and back door are automatically
locked when the shift lever is moved out
of the “P” position with the engine running
(including ignition switch in the “ON” posi-
tion) and all the side doors and back door
are closed. For details, see “—Automatic
door locking and unlocking functions” on
page 17 in Section 12. (c) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Shift into the “3” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to third gear.
Shift into the “2” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to second gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
stronger engine braking will be en-
abled.
Twowheel drive models 123 km/h (76 mph)
Fourwheel drive models Multimode control switch knob at
“H4” 123 km/h (76 mph)
Multimode control switch knob at
“L4” 41 km/h (25 mph)

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Fourwheel drive control switch knob
Center differential lock switch
Use the fourwheel drive control switch
knob and center differential lock switch
to select the transfer and center differ-
ential modes.
The “H4” and “L4” positions of the four
wheel drive control switch knob provide
either lock or unlock mode of the center
differential depending on the center differ-
ential lock switch position.
Use the center differential lock system if
your wheels get stuck in a ditch, or when
you are driving on a slippery or bumpy
surface. When the center differential is
locked, the vehicle stability control system
is automatically turned off and the center
differential lock and “VSC OFF” indicator
lights come on because the function that
controls engine performance interferes
with the process of freeing your wheels.NOTICE
As soon as the center differential lock
switch is turned on, the “VSC OFF”
indicator light comes on. After the
wheels are out of the ditch or off the
slippery or bumpy surface, turn the
center differential lock switch off.
Make sure that the center differential
lock indicator light and vehicle stabil-
ity control system off indicator light
turn off.
“H4” (high speed position, center differ-
ential unlocked): Fourwheel drive control
switch knob at “H4”, center differential
lock switch left out
Use this for normal driving on all types of
roads, from dry hardsurfaced roads to
wet, icy or snowcovered roads. This
position gives greater economy, quietest
ride, least wear and better vehicle control.
“H4” (high speed position, center differ-
ential locked): Fourwheel drive control
switch knob at “H4”, center differential
lock switch pushed in
Use this for greater traction when you
experience a loss of power, such as
wheel slipping, in the center differential
unlock mode.
Fourwheel drive system (fulltime
fourwheel drive models)—
(a) Fourwheel drive control

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“L4” (low speed position, center differ-
ential unlocked): Fourwheel drive control
switch knob at “L4”, center differential lock
switch left out
The “4LO” (low speed fourwheel drive)
indicator light comes on when the “L4”
mode is selected.
Use this for maximum power and traction.
Use this for climbing or descending steep
hills, offroad driving, and hard pulling in
sand or mud.
In this mode, the braking feeling that oc-
curs when the wheels are negotiating a
sharp corner is further reduced than in the
“L4” (low position, center differential
locked) mode.
“L4” (low speed position, center differ-
ential locked): Fourwheel drive control
switch knob at “L4”, center differential lock
switch pushed in
The “4LO” (low speed fourwheel drive)
indicator light comes on when the “L4”
mode is selected. Use this for maximum power and traction.
Use this for hard pulling in situations the
vehicle cannot negotiate even in the “L4”
(low speed position, center differential un-
locked) mode. Also, using this mode when
driving down steep offroad inclines will
help contribute to increased vehicle stabil-
ity.
The indicator light tells when the differen-
tial lock is engaged. Note that the differ-
ential is not still locked as long as the
indicator light remains off.
When the operation is not completed, the
indicator blinks. If the indicator light does
not go off when you push out the center
differential lock switch, drive straight
ahead while accelerating or decelerating,
or drive in reverse.
If the center differential lock system op-
eration is not completed within 5 seconds
while the cruise control system is set,
cancel the cruise control system. To can-
cel the cruise control system, see “Cruise
control” on page 164 in Section 16.
If the indicator blinks even if doing so,
contact your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible. There may be a trouble in the
center differential lock system.
See “(b) Shifting procedure” for further in-
structions.Advice for driving on slippery roads in
“L4” (low speed position) mode
If the fourwheel drive control switch knob
is in the “L4” and the automatic transmis-
sion selector lever is in the “2” or “3”
when you drive in steep offroad areas,
the output of the brake can be controlled
effectively by the active traction control
system, which assists the driver to control
the driving power of 4 wheels.
Use the “L” position of the automatic
transmission selector lever for maximum
power and traction when your wheels get
stuck or when you drive down a steep
incline. In the following cases, the output
of the brake can be controlled by the
active traction control system if the engine
speed is under 3000 rpm (normally engine
speed is under 3000 rpm when the wheels
get unstuck).
The fourwheel drive control switch
knob in the “L4” position and the auto-
matic transmission selector lever in the
“L” position
The fourwheel drive control switch
knob in the “L4” position and the auto-
matic transmission selector lever in the
“D”, “4”, “3” or “2” with the transmis-
sion downshifting to first gear

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2003 4RUNNER from Apr. ’03 Prod. (OM 35820U)
Multimode control switch knob
Center differential lock switch
Use the multimode control switch
knob and center differential lock switch
to select the transfer and center differ-
ential modes.
The “H4” and “L4” positions of the multi
mode control switch knob provide either
lock or unlock mode of the center differen-
tial depending on the center differential
lock switch position. Use the center differential lock system if
your wheels get stuck in a ditch, or when
you are driving on a slippery or bumpy
surface. When the center differential is
locked, the vehicle stability control system
is automatically turned off and the center
differential lock and “VSC OFF” indicator
lights come on because the function that
controls engine performance interferes
with the process of freeing your wheels.
NOTICE
As soon as the center differential lock
switch is turned on, the “VSC OFF”
indicator light comes on. After the
wheels are out of the ditch or off the
slippery or bumpy surface, turn the
center differential lock switch off.
Make sure that the center differential
lock indicator light and vehicle stabil-
ity control system off indicator light
turn off.
Fourwheel drive system
(multimode fourwheel drive
models)—
(a) Multimode control

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“H2” (high speed position, twowheel
drive, center differential unlocked): Mul-
timode control switch knob at “H2”, cen-
ter differential lock switch left out
Use this for normal driving on dry hard
surfaced roads. This position gives greater
economy, quietest ride, least wear and
better vehicle control.
“H4” (high speed position, fourwheel
drive, center differential unlocked): Mul-
timode control switch knob at “H4”, cen-
ter differential lock switch left out
The fourwheel drive indicator light comes
on when the “H4” mode is selected.
Use this for normal driving on all types of
roads, from dry hardsurfaced roads to
wet, icy or snowcovered roads. This
position provides greater traction than
twowheel drive.
“H4” (high speed position, fourwheel
drive, center differential locked): Multi
mode control switch knob at “H4”, center
differential lock switch pushed in
The fourwheel drive indicator light comes
on when the “H4” mode is selected.
Use this for greater traction when you
experience a loss of power, such as
wheel slipping, in the center differential
unlock mode. “L4” (low speed position, fourwheel
drive, center differential unlocked):
Mul-
timode control switch knob at “L4”, cen-
ter differential lock switch left out
The fourwheel drive and “4LO” (low
speed fourwheel drive) indicator lights
come on when the “L4” mode is selected.
Use this for maximum power and traction.
Use this for climbing or descending steep
hills, offroad driving, and hard pulling in
sand or mud.
In this mode, the braking feeling that oc-
curs when the wheels are negotiating a
sharp corner is further reduced than in the
“L4” (low speed position, fourwheel drive,
center differential locked) mode.
“L4” (low speed position, fourwheel
drive, center differential locked): Multi
mode control switch knob at “L4”, center
differential lock switch pushed in
The fourwheel drive and “4LO” (low
speed fourwheel drive) indicator lights
come on when the “L4” mode is selected. Use this for maximum power and traction.
Use this for hard pulling in situations the
vehicle cannot negotiate even in the “L4”
(low speed position, fourwheel drive, cen-
ter differential unlocked) mode. Also, using
this mode when driving down steep off
road inclines will help contribute to in-
creased vehicle stability.
The indicator light tells when the differen-
tial lock is engaged. Note that the differ-
ential is not still locked as long as the
indicator light remains off.
When the operation is not completed, the
indicator blinks. If the indicator light does
not go off when you push out the center
differential lock switch, drive straight
ahead while accelerating or decelerating,
or drive in reverse.
If the center differential lock system op-
eration is not completed within 5 seconds
while the cruise control system is set,
cancel the cruise control system. To can-
cel the cruise control system, see “Cruise
control” on page 164 in Section 16.
If the indicator blinks even if doing so,
contact your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible. There may be a trouble in the
center differential lock system.
See “(c) Shifting procedure” for further in-
structions.