Page 179 of 262

1712004 ECHO from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM52526U)
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” on page 99.)
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”.)
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer, too
Page 187 of 262

1792004 ECHO from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM52526U)
CAUTION
When jacking, be sure to observe
the following to reduce the possi-
bility of personal injury:
Follow jacking instructions.
Do not put any part of your
body under the vehicle sup-
ported by the jack. Personal in-
j u ry may occu r.
Do not start or run the engine
while your vehicle is supported
by the jack.
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 diag-
onally opposite to the one be-
ing changed if necessary.
Make sure to set the jack prop-
erly in the jack point. Raising
the vehicle with jack improper-
ly positioned will damage the
vehicle or may allow the ve-
hicle 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
someone 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
deflated tire. Driving even a
short distance can damage a
tire and wheel beyond repair.
Page 189 of 262
1812004 ECHO from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM52526U)
NOTICE
Your ground clearance is re-
duced when the compact spare
tire is installed so avoid driving
over obstacles and drive slowly
on rough, unpaved roads and
speed bumps. Also, do not at-
tempt to go through an auto-
matic 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 familiarize yourself with
the use of the jack, each of the tools
and their storage locations.
SU41028
Turn the jack joint by hand.
To rem ov e: Tur n 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 pre-
vent it flying forward during a collision
or sudden braking.
—R eq u ired to o ls an d sp are
tire
Page 190 of 262
1822004 ECHO from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM52526U)
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
vehicle.
When storing the spare tire, put it in
place with the outer side of the wheel
facing up. Then secure the tire by re-
peating 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 op-
posite the flat tire to keep the
vehicle from rolling when it is
jacked up.
When blocking the wheel, place a
wheel block in front of one of the front
wheels or behind one of the rear
wheels.
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 orna-
ment by hand. Take due care in
handling the ornament to avoid
unexpected personal injury.
—Removing wheel ornament
(steel wheels)
Page 191 of 262
1832004 ECHO from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM52526U)
—Loosening wheel nuts
SY41012
4. Loosen all the wheel nuts.
Always loosen the wheel nuts before
raising the vehicle.
The nuts turn counterclockwise to
loosen. To get maximum leverage, fit
the wrench to the nut so that the han-
dle 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 un-
screw them about one−half turn.
CAUTION
Never use oil or grease on the
bolts or nuts. The nuts may loos-
en and the wheels may fall off,
which could cause a serious ac-
cident.
—Positioning the jack
SU41012
5. Position the jack at the correct
jack point as shown.
Make sure the jack is positioned on
a level and solid place.
Page 192 of 262
1842004 ECHO from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM52526U)
—Raising your vehicle
SY41014a
6. After making sure that no one
is in the vehicle, raise it high
enough so that the spare tire
can be installed.
Remember you will need more ground
clearance when putting on the spare
tire than when removing the flat tire.
To raise the vehicle, insert the jack
handle into the jack (it is a loose fit)
and turn it clockwise. As the jack
touches the vehicle and begins to lift,
double−check that it is properly posi-
tioned.
CAUTION
Never get under the vehicle when
the vehicle is supported by the
jack alone.
—Changing wheels
SY41015
7. Remove the wheel nuts and
change tires.
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.
Page 194 of 262

1862004 ECHO from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM52526U)
—Lowering your vehicle
SU41127
9. Lower the vehicle completely
and tighten the wheel nuts.
Turn the jack handle counterclock-
wise to lower the vehicle.
Use only the wheel nut wrench to
tighten the nuts. Do not use other
tools or any additional leverage other
than your hands, such as a hammer,
pipe or your foot. Make sure the
wrench is securely engaged over the
nut.
Tighten each nut a little at a time in
the order shown. Repeat the process
until all the nuts are tight.
CAUTION
When lowering the vehicle,
make sure all portions of your
body and all other persons
around will not be injured as
the vehicle is lowered to the
ground.
Have the wheel nuts tightened
with torque wrench to 103 N·m
(10.5 kgf·m, 76 ft·lbf), as soon
as possible after changing
wheels. Otherwise, the nuts
may loosen and the wheels
may fall off, which could cause
a serious accident.
SY41019
10.Reinstall the wheel ornament.
1. Put the wheel ornament into posi-
tion.
On some models, align the cutout
of the wheel ornament with the
valve stem as shown.
2. Press hand firmly on one side of
wheel ornament and then firmly
tap the other side around the edge
of wheel ornament with the heel
of your hand to snap into place.
—Reinstalling wheel ornament
(steel wheel)
Page 195 of 262

1872004 ECHO from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM52526U)
CAUTION
Take due care in handling the or-
nament to avoid unexpected per-
sonal injury.
—After changing wheels
11. Check the air pressure of the re-
placed tire.
Adjust the air pressure to the specifi-
cation designed in Section 8. If the
pressure is lower, drive slowly to the
nearest service station and fill to the
correct pressure.
Do not forget to reinstall the tire infla-
tion valve cap as dirt and moisture
could get into the valve core and
possibly cause air leakage. If the cap
is missing, have a new one put on as
soon as possible.
12.Restow all the tools, jack and
flat tire securely.
As soon after changing wheels as
possible, tighten the wheel nuts to the
torque specified in Section 8 with a
torque wrench and have a technician
repair the flat tire.CAUTION
Before driving, make sure all the
tools, jack and flat tire are se-
curely in place in their storage
location to reduce the possibility
of personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden braking.