2003 TOYOTA MR2 SPYDER maintenance

1912003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
VEHICLE MAINTENANCE AND CARE
Vehicle maintenance and care
Maintenance requirements192
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General maintenance 193
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Does your vehicle need repairing? 195
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Emissions Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) programs 195
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For scheduled maintenance information, please refer to the
“Scheduled Maintenance Guide” or “Owner’s Manual Supplement”.
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SECTION 6

1922003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
Maintenance requirements
Your Toyota vehicle has been designed for
fewer maintenance requirements with lon-
ger service intervals to save both your
time and money. However, each regular
maintenance, as well as daytoday care,
is more important than ever before to en-
sure smooth, troublefree, safe, and eco-
nomical drivings.
It is the owner ’s responsibility to make
sure the specified maintenance, including
general maintenance service, is performed.
Note that both the new vehicle and
emission control system warranties specify
that proper maintenance and care must be
performed. See “Owner ’s Warranty
Information Booklet” or “Owner ’s Manual
Supplement” for complete warranty
information.
General maintenance
General maintenance items are those day
today care practices that are important to
your vehicle for proper operation. It is the
owner ’s responsibility to insure that the
general maintenance items are performed
regularly.
These checks or inspections can be done
either by yourself or a qualified technician,
or if you prefer, your Toyota dealer will be
pleased to do them at a nominal cost.Scheduled maintenance
The scheduled maintenance items listed in
the “Scheduled Maintenance Guide” or
“Owner ’s Manual Supplement” are those
required to be serviced at regular inter-
vals.
For details of your maintenance schedule,
read the “Scheduled Maintenance Guide”
or “Owner ’s Manual Supplement”.
It is recommend that only genuine
Toyota parts be used for maintenance
or for the repair of the emission
control system.
The owner may elect to use nonToyota
supplied parts for replacement pur-
poses without invalidating the emission
control system warranty. However, use
of replacement parts which are not of
equivalent quality may impair the effec-
tiveness of the emission control sys-
tems.
You may also elect to have
maintenance, replacement, or repair of
the emission control devices and
system performed by any automotive
repair establishment or individual
without invalidating this warranty. See
“Owner ’s Warranty Information Booklet”
or “Owner ’s Manual Supplement” for
complete warranty information.Where to go for service?
Toyota technicians are welltrained spe-
cialists and are kept up to date with the
latest service information through technical
bulletins, service tips and indealership
training programs. They learn to work on
Toyotas before they work on your vehicle,
rather than while they are working on it.
You can be confident that your Toyota
dealer ’s service department performs the
best job to meet the maintenance require-
ments on your vehicle—reliably and eco-
nomically.
Your copy of the repair order is proof that
all required maintenance has been per-
formed for warranty coverage. If any prob-
lems should arise with your vehicle while
under warranty, your Toyota dealer will
promptly take care of it. Again, be sure
to keep a copy of the repair order for any
service performed on your Toyota.
What about doityourself maintenance?
Many of the maintenance items are easy
to do yourself if you have a little mechani-
cal ability and a few basic automotive
tools. Simple instructions for how to per-
form them are presented in Section 7.
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1932003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
If you are a skilled doityourself
mechanic, the Toyota service manuals are
recommended. Please be aware that
doityourself maintenance can affect your
warranty coverage. See “Owner ’s Warranty
Information Booklet” or “Owner ’s Manual
Supplement” for the details.
General maintenance
Listed below are the general maintenance
items that should be performed as fre-
quently as specified. In addition to check-
ing the items listed, if you notice any
unusual noise, smell or vibration, you
should investigate the cause or take your
vehicle to your Toyota dealer or a quali-
fied service shop immediately. It is recom-
mended that any problem you notice be
brought to the attention of your dealer or
the qualified service shop for their advice.
CAUTION
Make these checks only with ade-
quate ventilation if you run the en-
gine.
IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT
Items listed below should be checked
from time to time, e.g. each time when
refueling.
Washer fluid
Make sure there is sufficient fluid in the
tank. See page 225 in Section 73 for
additional information.Engine coolant level
Make sure the coolant level is between
the “FULL” and “LOW” lines on the see
through reservoir when the engine is cold.
See page 208 in Section 72 for addition-
al information.
Radiator, condenser and hoses
Check that the front of the radiator and
condenser are clean and not blocked with
leaves, dirt, or insects. See page 209 in
Section 72 for additional information.
Battery electrolyte level
Make sure the electrolyte level of all bat-
tery cells is between upper and lower lev-
el lines on the case. Add only distilled
water when replenishing. See page 222 in
Section 73 for additional information.
Brake fluid level
Make sure the brake fluid level is correct.
See page 209 in Section 72 for addition-
al information.
Engine oil level
Check the level by the dipstick with the
engine turned off and the vehicle parked
on a level spot. See page 206 in Section
72 for additional information.
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1952003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
Be on the alert for changes in perfor-
mance, sounds, and visual tipoffs that
indicate service is needed. Some impor-
tant clues are as follows:
Engine missing, stumbling, or pinging
Appreciable loss of power
Strange engine noises
A leak under the vehicle (however, wa-
ter dripping from the air conditioning
after use is normal.)
Change in exhaust sound (This may
indicate a dangerous carbon monoxide
leak. Drive with the windows open and
have the exhaust system checked im-
mediately.)
Flatlooking tire; excessive tire squeal
when cornering; uneven tire wear
Vehicle pulls to one side when driving
straight on a level road
Strange noises related to suspension
movement
Loss of brake effectiveness; spongy
feeling brake or clutch pedal; pedal al-
most touches floor; vehicle pulls to one
side when braking
Engine coolant temperature continually
higher than normalIf you notice any of these clues, take your
vehicle to your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible. It probably needs adjustment or
repair.
CAUTION
Do not continue driving with the ve-
hicle unchecked. It could result in se-
rious vehicle damage and possibly
personal injury.
Some states have vehicle emission in-
spection programs which include OBD
(OnBoard Diagnostics) che
cks.
The OBD system monitors the operation
of the emission control system. When the
OBD system determines that a problem
exists somewhere in the emission control
system, the malfunction indicator lamp
comes on. In this case, your vehicle may
not pass the I/M test and need to be
repaired. Contact your Toyota dealer to
service the vehicle.
Even if the malfunction indicator lamp
does not come on, your vehicle may not
pass the I/M test as readiness codes
have not been set in the OBD system.
Readiness codes are automatically set
during ordinary driving. However, when the
battery is disconnected or run down, the
codes are erased. Also, depending on
your driving habits, the codes may not be
completely set.
Also, if the malfunction indicator lamp had
come on recently due to temporary mal-
function such as a loose fuel tank cap,
your vehicle may not pass the I/M test.
03 07.07
Does your vehicle need
repairing? Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance (I/M) programs

1972003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
DOITYOURSELF MAINTENANCE
Introduction
Engine compartment overview198
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Trunk room overview 199
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Fuse locations 200
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Doityourself service precautions 201
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Parts and tools 203
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Positioning the jack 204
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03 07.07
SECTION 7 1

2012003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
If you perform maintenance by yourself,
be sure to follow the correct procedure
given in this Section.
You should be aware that improper or in-
complete servicing may result in operating
problems.
Performing doityourself maintenance
during the warranty period may affect your
warranty coverage. Read the separate
Toyota Warranty statement for details and
suggestions.
This section gives instructions only for
those items that are relatively easy for an
owner to perform. As explained in Section
6, there are still a number of items that
must be done by a qualified technician
with special tools.
For information on tools and parts for do
ityourself maintenance, see “Parts and
tools” on page 203.
Utmost care should be taken when work-
ing on your vehicle to prevent accidental
injury. Here are a few precautions that
you should be especially careful to ob-
serve:CAUTION
When the engine is running, keep
hands, clothing, and tools away
from the moving fan and engine
drive belts. (Removing rings,
watches, and ties is advisable.)
Right after driving, the engine
compartment and trunk room—the
engine, radiator, exhaust manifold,
power steering fluid reservoir and
spark plug boots, etc.—will be hot.
So be careful not to touch them.
Oil, fluids and spark plugs may also
be hot.
If the engine is hot, do not remove
the coolant reservoir cap or air re-
lease valve or loosen the drain
plugs to prevent burning yourself.
Do not smoke, cause sparks or al-
low open flames around fuel or the
battery. Their fumes are flammable.
Do not get under your vehicle with
just the body jack supporting it. Al-
ways use automotive jack stands or
other solid supports.
Be sure that the ignition is off if
you work near the electric cooling
fans or radiator grille. With the
ignition on, the electric cooling fans
will automatically start to run if the
engine coolant temperature is high
and/or the air conditioning is on.
Use eye protection whenever you
work on or under your vehicle
where you may be exposed to flying
or falling material, fluid spray, etc.
Be extremely cautious when work-
ing on the battery. It contains poi-
sonous and corrosive sulfuric acid.
Warning: Battery posts, terminals
and related accessories contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and reproductive
harm. Wash hands after handling
Used engine oil contains potentially
harmful contaminants which may
cause skin disorders such as in-
flammation or skin cancer, so care
should be taken to avoid prolonged
and repeated contact with it. To re-
move used engine oil from your
skin, wash thoroughly with soap
and water.
03 07.07
Doityourself service
precautions

2052003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
DOITYOURSELF MAINTENANCE
Engine and Chassis
Checking the engine oil level206
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Checking the engine coolant level 208
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Checking the radiator and condenser 209
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Checking brake fluid 209
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Checking power steering fluid 210
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Checking tire inflation pressure 211
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Checking and replacing tires 213
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Rotating tires 216
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Installing snow tires and chains 217
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Replacing wheels 218
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Aluminum wheel precautions 219
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03 07.07
SECTION 7 2

2212003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
DOITYOURSELF MAINTENANCE
Electrical components
Checking battery condition222
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Battery recharging precautions 223
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Checking and replacing fuses 224
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Adding washer fluid 225
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Replacing light bulbs 226
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03 07.07
SECTION 7 3