2004 TOYOTA AVALON oil

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Your responsibility formaintenance
It is the owner ’s responsibility to make sure that the speci-
fied maintenance is performed. Section 6 gives details of
these maintenance requirements. Also included in Section
6 is general maintenance. For scheduled maintenance in-
formation, please refer to the “Scheduled Maintenance
Guide” or “Owner ’s Manual Supplement”.
Important health and safety
information about your Toyota
CAUTION
WARNING: Engine exhaust, some of its constitu- ents, and a wide variety of automobile compo-
nents contain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and birth de-
fects and other reproductive harm. In addition,
oils, fuels and fluids contained in vehicles as
well as waste produced by component wear con-
tain or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth defects or
other reproductive harm.
Battery posts, terminals and related accessories contain lead and lead compounds. Wash your
hands after handling. Used engine oil contains
chemicals that have caused cancer in laboratory
animals. Always protect your skin by washing
thoroughly with soap and water.

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Brake system warning light∗1
Driver ’s seat belt reminder light∗1
Discharge warning light∗1
Malfunction indicator lamp∗1
Low engine oil pressure warning light∗1
or
Low fuel level warning light
∗1
Antilock brake system warning light∗1or
Open door warning light∗1
Rear light failure warning light∗1
SRS warning light∗1
Low windshield washer fluid level warning
light∗1
Front outside passenger ’s seat belt reminder
light∗1
Vehicle stability control system and traction
control system warning light∗1
Headlight high beam indicator light
Indicator symbols on the instrument panel

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2. Remove the discharged transmitter bat-tery by ballpoint pen. Insert the tip of
ballpoint pen at the guide groove and
lift as shown in the above illustration.
NOTICE
Do not bend the terminals.
3. Put in a new transmitter battery withpositive (+) side up.
Close the transmitter case securely.
NOTICE
 Make sure the positive side and
negative side of the transmitter bat-
tery are faced correctly.
 Do not replace the battery with wet
hands. Water may cause unexpected
rust.
 Do not touch or move any compo-
nents inside the transmitter, or it
may interfere with proper operation.
Be careful not to bend the electrode
when inserting the transmitter bat-
tery and that dust or oils do not
adhere to the transmitter case.
 Close the transmitter case securely.
After replacing the battery, check that the
transmitter operates properly. If the trans-
mitter still does not operate properly, con-
tact your Toyota dealer.

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(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.
NOTICE
Do not continue driving if the engine
drive belt is broken or loose.
(e) Low Engine Oil Pressure WarningLight
This light warns that the engine oil pres-
sure is too low.
If it flickers or stays on while you are
driving, pull off the road to a safe place
and stop the engine immediately. Call a
Toyota dealer or qualified repair shop for
assistance. The light may occasionally flicker when
the engine is idling or it may come on
briefly after a hard stop. There is no
cause for concern if it then goes out when
the engine is accelerated slightly.
The light may come on when the oil level
is extremely low. It is not designed to
indicate low oil level, and the oil level
must be checked using the level dipstick.
NOTICE
Do not drive the vehicle with the
warning light on—even for one block.
It may ruin the engine.
(f) Malfunction Indicator Lamp
This lamp comes on when the ignition
key is turned to the “ON” position and
goes off after the engine starts. This
means that the warning light system is
operating properly.
If the lamp remains on, or the lamp
comes on while driving, first check the
followings.
Empty fuel tank
If the fuel tank is empty, refuel immedi-
ately.
Loose fuel tank cap
If the fuel tank cap is loose, securely
tighten it.
These cases are temporary malfunctions.
The malfunction indicator lamp will go off
after taking several driving trips.
If the lamp does not go off even after
several trips, contact your Toyota dealer
as soon as possible.
If the fuel tank is not empty or the fuel
tank cap is not loose...
There is a problem somewhere in the
engine, emission control system, auto-
matic transmission electrical system or
warning light system itself.
Contact your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible to service the vehicle.
Emissions Inspection and Maintenance
(I/M) programs
Your vehicle may not pass a state
emission inspection if the malfunction
indicator lamp remains on. Contact your
Toyota dealer to check your vehicle’s
emission control system and OBD
(OnBoard Diagnostics) system before
taking your vehicle for the inspection.
For details, see “Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance (I/M) programs” in Section 6.

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TONE AND BALANCE
For details about your system’s tone and
balance controls, see the description of
your own system.
Tone
How good an audio program sounds to
you is largely determined by the mix of
the treble, midrange, and bass levels. In
fact, different kinds of music and vocal
programs usually sound better with differ-
ent mixes of treble, midrange and bass.
Balance
A good balance of the left and right stereo
channels and of the front and rear sound
levels is also important.
Keep in mind that if you are listening to
a stereo recording or broadcast, changing
the right/left balance will increase the vol-
ume of one group of sounds while de-
creasing the volume of another.YOUR RADIO ANTENNA
Your vehicle has an antenna printed on
the inside of the rear window.
NOTICE
Attaching the film (especially conduc-
tive or metallic type) on the rear win-
dow will noticeably reduce the sensi-
tivity of the radio.
YOUR CASSETTE PLAYER
When you insert a cassette, the exposed
tape should face to the right.
NOTICE
Do not oil any part of the player and
do not insert anything other than cas-
sette tapes into the slot, or the tape
player may be damaged.
YOUR COMPACT DISC PLAYER (type 1)
When you insert a disc, gently push it in
with the label side up. (The player will
automatically eject a disc if the label side
is down.) The compact disc player will
play from track 1 through the end of the
disc. Then it will play from track 1 again.
NOTICE
Never try to disassemble or oil any
part of the compact disc player. Do
not insert anything other than com-
pact discs into the slot.
The player is intended for use with 12 cm
(4.7 in.) discs only.

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YOUR COMPACT DISC CHANGER (type
2)
When you insert a disc, push the “LOAD”
button and gently push the disc in with
the label side up. (The player will auto-
matically eject a disc if the label side is
down.) The compact disc changer will play
from track 1 through the end of the disc.
Then it will play from track 1 of the next
disc.
The changer is intended for use with 12
cm (4.7 in.) discs only.
NOTICE
Do not stack up two discs for in-
sertion, or it will cause damage to
the compact disc changer. Insert
only one compact disc into slot at
a ti me.
 Never try to disassemble or oil any
part of the compact disc player. Do
not insert anything other than com-
pact discs into the slot.

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INFORMATION BEFORE DRIVING YOUR
TOYOTA
Information before driving your Toyota
Breakin period213
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Fuel 213
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Operation in foreign countries 215
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Threeway catalytic converters 215
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Engine exhaust cautions 216
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Facts about engine oil consumption 217
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Iridiumtipped spark plugs 218
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Brake system 219
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Brake pad wear limit indicators 222
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Your Toyota’s identification 222
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Theft prevention labels 223
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Suspension and chassis 224
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Tire information 225
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Vehicle load limits 233
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Cargo and luggage 234
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Types of tires 236
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SECTION 2

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Keep the trunk lid closed while
driving. An open or unsealed trunk
lid may cause exhaust gases to be
drawn into the vehicle.
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 and the trunk lid closed. Have
the cause immediately located and
corrected.
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.
Oil consumption: Max. 1.0 L per 1000
km (1.1 qt./600 miles, 0.9 lmp. qt./600
miles)
When judging the amount of oil con-
sumption, note the that oil may become
diluted and make it difficult to judge
the true level accurately.
Facts about engine oil
consumption