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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 rear 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.
SU31002
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.
SU31003
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.
2003 ECHO from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM52481U)
Dinghy towing
(with automatic transmission) Dinghy towing
(with manual transmission)
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156
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 neutral.
2. Turn the ignition switch to the “ACC” position. Make sure the audio is turned
off and any item is not plugged into
the power outlet.
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.
SU31004
NOTICE
Do not tow your vehicle from the
rear. This may cause serious damage
to your vehicle.
Trailer towing
SU31001
Toyota does not recommend towing a trail-
er with your Echo. It is not designed for
trailer towing.
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157
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
7 2 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 warm up 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.
Always keep the automatic transmis-
sion overdrive turned on. Driving with
the overdrive off will reduce the fuel
economy. (For details, see “Automatic
transmission” in Section 1 6.)
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 over rev-
ving. Use a gear position suitable for
the road on which you are travelling.
Avoid continuous speeding up and
slowing down. Stop and go 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 clutch
or brake pedal. This causes needless
wear, overheating and poor fuel econo-
my.
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.
Keep the front wheels in proper
alignment. Avoid hitting the curb and
slow down on rough roads. Improper
alignment not only causes faster tire
wear but also puts an extra load on
the engine, which, in turn, wastes fuel.
Keep the bottom of your vehicle free
from mud, etc. This not only lessens
weight but also helps prevent corro-
sion.
Keep your vehicle tuned up and in
top shape. A dirty air cleaner,
improper valve clearance, dirty plugs,
dirty oil and grease,brakes not
adjusted, etc. all lower engine
performance and contribute to poor fuel
economy. For longer life of all parts
and lower operating costs, keep all
maintenance work on schedule, and if
you often drive under severe
conditions, see that your vehicle
receives more frequent maintenance.
(For scheduled maintenance
information, please refer to the
“Scheduled Maintenance Guide” or
“Owner ’s Manual Supplement”.)
2003 ECHO from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM52481U)
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer, too
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165
Stop the vehicle on a level firm
ground, firmly set the parking brake
and put the transmission in “P”
(automatic) or reverse (manual).
Block the wheel diagonally opposite
to the one being changed if neces-
sary.
Make sure to set the jack properly
in the jack point. Raising the ve-
hicle with jack improperly posi-
tioned will damage the vehicle or
may allow the vehicle to fall off the
jack and cause personal injury.
Never get under the vehicle when
the vehicle is supported by the jack
alone.
Use the jack only for lifting your
vehicle during wheel changing.
Do not raise the vehicle with some-
one in the vehicle.
When raising the vehicle, do not
put an object on or under the jack.
Raise the vehicle only high enough
to remove and change the tire.
NOTICE
Do not continue driving with a de-
flated tire. Driving even a short dis-
tance can damage a tire and wheel
beyond repair.
SU41031
Compact spare tire
The compact spare tire is designed for
temporary emergency use only.
The compact spare tire is identified by the
distinctive wording “TEMPORARY USE
ONLY” molded into the side wall of the
tire.
To keep the compact spare tire noticeable,
do not hide the wheel by a wheel cover
or such.
The compact spare tire saves space in
your luggage compartment, and its lighter
weight helps to improve fuel economy and
permits easier installation in case of a flat
tire.
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166
The compact spare tire can be used many
times, if necessary. It has tread life of up
to 4800 km (3000 miles) depending on
road conditions and your driving habits.
When tread wear indicators appear on the
tire, replace the tire.
See also the tire section in Section 7 2
for details on the tread wear indicators
and other service information.
CAUTION
The compact spare tire was de-
signed especially for your Toyota.
Do not use it on any other vehicle.
Do not use more than one compact
spare tire at the same time.
The pressure for the compact spare
tire must be 420 kpa (4.2 kgf/cm2 or
bar, 60 psi).
Do not exceed 80 km/h (50 mph)
when driving with the compact
spare tire.
The standard tire should be re-
paired and replaced as soon as
possible.
Avoid sudden acceleration, sudden
deceleration and sharp turns with
the compact spare tire.
NOTICE
Your ground clearance is reduced
when the compact spare tire is
installed so avoid driving over ob-
stacles and drive slowly on rough,
unpaved roads and speed bumps.
Also, do not attempt to go through an
automatic car wash as the vehicle
may get caught, resulting in damage.SM41004
1. Get the required tools and spare tire.
Vehicles with compact spare tire 1. Jack handle
2. Wheel nut wrench
3. Jack
4. Spare tire
To prepare yourself for an emergency, you
should fam iliarize yourself with the use of
the jack, each of the tools and their stor-
age locations.
2003 ECHO from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM52481U)
—R eq u ired to o ls an d sp are
tire
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167
SU41028
Turn the jack joint by hand.
To remove: Turn the joint in direction 1
until the jack is free.
To store: Turn the joint in direction 2 until
the jack is firmly secured to prevent it
flying forward during a collision or sudden
braking.
SU41052
To remove the spare tire:
1. Remove the spare tire cover.
2. Loosen the bolt and remove it.
Then take the spare tire out of the ve-
hicle.
When storing the spare tire, put it in place
with the outer side of the wheel facing up.
Then secure the tire by repeating the
above removal steps in reverse order to
prevent it from flying forward during a
collision or sudden braking.
—Blocking the wheel
SU41008
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 in front of one of the front wheels
or behind one of the rear wheels.
2003 ECHO from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM52481U)
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168
SY41010
3. Remove the wheel ornament.
Pry off the wheel ornament, using the
beveled end of the wheel nut wrench as
shown.
CAUTION
Do not try to pull off the ornament by
hand. Take due care in handling the
ornament to avoid unexpected person-
al injury.
—Loosening wheel nuts
SY41012
4. Loosen all the wheel nuts.
Always loosen the wheel nuts before rais-
ing the vehicle.
The nuts turn 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. Grasp 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 one half turn.
CAUTION
Never use oil or grease on the bolts
or nuts. The nuts may loosen and the
wheels may fall off, which could
cause a serious accident.
2003 ECHO from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM52481U)
—Removing wheel ornament
(steel wheels)
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170
—Changing wheels
SY41015
7. 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.
SY41016
Before putting on wheels, remove any cor-
rosion on the mounting surfaces with a
wire brush or such. Installation of wheels
without good metal to metal contact at the
mounting surface can cause wheel nuts to
loosen and eventually cause a wheel to
come off while driving.
—Reinstalling wheel nuts
SY41017
8. Reinstall all the wheel nuts finger tight.
Reinstall the wheel nuts (tapered end in-
ward) and tighten them as much as you
can by hand. Press back on the tire and
see if you can tighten them more.
2003 ECHO from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM52481U)