2003 TOYOTA MR2 SPYDER Owners Manual

722003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
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
To prevent the battery from being
discharged, turn the switch off
when the engine is not running.
 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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732003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Gauges, Meters and Service reminder indicators
Fuel gauge74
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Engine coolant temperature gauge 74
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Tachometer 75
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Odometer and two trip meters 75
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Service reminder indicators and warning buzzers 77
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SECTION 1 6

742003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
Fuel gauge
SB15009a
Low fuel level
warning light
The gauge indicates the approximate
quantity of the fuel remaining in the
tank when the ignition switch is on.
Nearly full—Needle at “F”
Nearly empty—Needle at “E”
It is a good idea to keep the tank over
1/4 full.
The needle moves when braking, acceler-
ating or making turns. This is cause by
the movement of the fuel in the tank.
If the fuel level approaches “E” or the low
fuel level warning light comes on, fill the
fuel tank as soon as possible.On inclines or curves, due to the move-
ment of fuel in the tank, the fuel gauge
needle may fluctuate or the low fuel level
warning light may come on earlier than
usual.
If the fuel tank is completely empty, the
malfunction indicator lamp comes on. Fill
the fuel tank immediately.
The indicator lamp goes off after driving
several times. If the indicator lamp does
not go off, contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible.
SB15007a
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 to the “H” position,
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.
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Engine coolant temperature
gauge

752003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
If the engine coolant temperature gauge
needle is not displayed, there may be a
problem in the system. In this case, con-
tact your Toyota dealer as soon as pos-
sible.
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
vehicle overheats” on page 166 in
Section 4.
Tachometer
SB15008
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.
Odometer and two trip meters
SB15005
This meter displays the odometer and
two trip meters.
1. Odometer—Shows the total distance the vehicle has been driven.
2. Two trip meters—Show two different distances independently driven since
the last time each trip meter was set
to zero.
You can use one trip meter to calculate
the fuel economy and the other to
measure the distance on each trip. All
trip meter data is cancelled if the elec-
trical power source is disconnected.
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762003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
3. Trip meter reset knob—Resets the twotrip meters to zero, and also change
the meter display.
To change the meter display, quickly
push and release the knob. The meter
display changes in the order from the
odometer to trip meter A to trip meter
B, then back to the odometer each
time you push.
To reset the trip meter A to zero, dis-
play the trip meter A reading, then
push and hold the knob until the meter
is set to zero. The same process can
be applied for resetting the trip meter
B.
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772003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
Service reminder indicators and warning buzzers
If the indicator or buzzer comes on...Do this.
(a)If parking brake is off, stop immediately and contact Toyota dealer.
(b)Fasten driver ’s seat belt.
(c)Fasten passenger ’s seat belt.
(d)Stop and check.
(e)Stop and check.
(f)Take vehicle to Toyota dealer.
(g)Low fuel level warning lightFill up tank. (See “Fuel gauge” on page 74 in this Section.)
(h)Take vehicle to Toyota dealer immediately. If the vehicle cannot be driven, contact your
Toyota dealer.
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782003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
If the indicator or buzzer comes on...Do this.
(i)Take vehicle to Toyota dealer.
(j)Close both the doors.
(k)Take vehicle to Toyota dealer immediately.
(l)Take vehicle to Toyota dealer.
(m)Key reminder buzzerRemove key.
(n)Light reminder buzzerTurn off lights.
(o)Warning function of the
sequential manual transmissionSee “Sequential manual transmission” on page 85 in Section 16.
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792003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
(a) Brake System Warning Light
This light comes on in the following cases
when the ignition key is in the “ON” posi-
tion.
When the parking brake is applied...
When the brake fluid level is low...
CAUTION
It is dangerous to continue driving
normally when the brake fluid level is
low.
Have your vehicle checked at your
Toyota dealer in the following case:
The light does not come on even if the
parking brake is applied when the igni-
tion key is in the “ON” position.
CAUTION
If the light does not turn off even
after the parking brake is released
while the engine is running, immedi-
ately stop your vehicle at a safe
place and contact your Toyota dealer.
In this case, the brakes may not work
properly and your stopping distance
will become longer. Depress the brake
pedal firmly and bring the vehicle to
an immediate stop.
(b) Driver’s Seat Belt Reminder Lightand Buzzer
This light and buzzer remind you to
buckle up the driver’s seat belt.
Once the ignition key is turned to “ON” or
“START”, the reminder light flashes and
buzzer sounds if the driver ’s seat belt is
not fastened. Unless the driver fastens the
belt, the light keeps flashing and the
buzzer stops after about 4 to 8 seconds. (c) Passenger ’s Seat Belt Reminder
Light
This light reminds you to buckle up the
passenger ’s seat belt.
Once the ignition key is turned to “ON” or
“START”, the reminder light flashes if a
passenger sits in the passenger seat and
does not fasten the seat belt. Unless the
passenger fastens the belt, the light stays
flashing. However, if a passenger uses an
additional seat cushion, the light may not
flash even when the seat belt is not
buckled up.
If luggage or other load is placed on the
passenger seat, depending on its weight
and how it is placed on the seat, builtin
sensors in the seat cushion may detect
the pressure, causing the reminder light to
come on.
(d) Discharge Warning Light
This light warns that the battery is being
discharged.
If it comes on while you are driving, there
is a problem somewhere in the charging
system.
The engine ignition will continue to oper-
ate, however, until the battery is dis-
charged. Turn off the air conditioning,
blower, radio, etc., and drive directly to
the nearest Toyota dealer or repair shop.
03 07.07