2004 TOYOTA MR2 SPYDER Owners Manual

2012004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
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 do−it−yourself 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 −
it −yourself 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 leave anything that may
burn easily, such as paper or rags,
in the engine compartment.
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.
Doityourself service
precautions

2022004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
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.
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.
Do not leave used oil within the
reach of children.
Dispose of used oil and filter only
in a safe and acceptable manner.
Do not dispose of used oil and fil-
ter in household trash, in sewers or
onto the ground. Call your dealer or
a service station for information
concerning recycling or disposal.
Take care when filling the brake and
clutch fluid reservoirs because
brake fluid can harm your eyes and
damage painted surfaces. If fluid
gets in your eyes, flush your eyes
with clean water.
When racing the engine, make sure
that the gear position is in the “N”
position. In case the accelerator is
operated with the gear in any other
positions, the vehicle may move, re-
sulting in an unexpected accident.
NOTICE
Remember that battery and ignition
cables carry high currents or volt-
ages. Be careful of accidentally
causing a short circuit.
Add only “Toyota Super Long Life
Coolant” or similar high quality eth-
ylene glycol based nonsilicate,
nonamine, nonnitrite, and nonbo-
rate coolant with longlife hybrid
organic acid technology to fill the
radiator. “Toyota Super Long Life
Coolant” is a mixture of 50% cool-
ant and 50% deionized water.
 If you spill some of the coolant, be
sure to wash it off with water to
prevent it from damaging the parts
or paint.
 Do not allow dirt or anything else
to fall through the spark plug holes.
 Do not pry the outer electrode of a
spark plug against the center elec-
trode.
 Use only spark plugs of the speci-
fied type. Using other types will
cause engine damage, loss of per-
formance or radio noise.
 Do not reuse iridiumtipped spark
plugs by cleaning or regapping.
 Do not drive with the air cleaner
filter removed, or excessive engine
wear could result. Also backfiring
could cause a fire in the engine
compartment.

2032004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
Be careful not to scratch the glass
surface with the wiper frame.
 When closing the engine hood or
trunk, check to see that you have
not forgotten any tools, rags, etc.
Parts and tools
Here is a list of parts and tools you will
need to perform do− it−yourself mainte-
nance. Remember all Toyota parts are de-
signed in metric sizes, so your tools must
be metric.
CHECKING THE ENGINE OIL LEVEL
Parts (if level is low):
“Toyota Genuine Motor Oil” or equiva-
lent
See page 208 in Section 7 −2 for de-
tails about engine oil selection.
Tools:
Rag or paper towel
Funnel (only for adding oil)
CHECKING THE ENGINE COOLANT
LEVEL
Parts (if level is low):
“Toyota Super Long Life Coolant” or
similar high quality ethylene glycol
based non −silicate, non −amine, non− ni-
trite, and non −borate coolant with long −
life hybrid organic acid technology.
“Toyota Super Long Life Coolant” is a
mixture of 50% coolant and 50% deion-
ized water.
Tools:
Funnel (only for adding coolant) CHECKING BRAKE FLUID
Parts (if level is low):
SAE J1703 or FMVSS No.116 DOT 3
brake fluid
Tools:
Rag or paper towel
Funnel (only for adding fluid)
CHECKING POWER STEERING FLUID
Parts (if level is low):
Toyota P.S fluid EH or equivalent
Tools:
Rag or paper towel
Funnel (only for adding fluid)
CHECKING BATTERY CONDITION
Tools:
Warm water
Baking soda
Grease
Conventional wrench (for terminal
clamp bolts)
CHECKING AND REPLACING FUSES
Parts (if replacement is necessary):
Genuine Toyota fuse or equivalent with
same amperage rating as original

2042004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
ADDING WASHER FLUID
Parts:
Water
Washer fluid containing antifreeze
(for winter use)
Tools:
Funnel
REPLACING LIGHT BULBS
Parts:
Bulb with same number and wattage
rating as original (See charts in
“Replacing light bulbs—” on page 228
in Section 7− 3.)
Tools:
Screwdriver
Positioning the jack
SB71008
Front of vehicle
When jacking up your vehicle with the
jack, position the jack correctly as
shown in the illustration.
Jack position
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front—Front crossmember
Rear—Rear engine mounting bracket
Support position and
Pantograph jack position
. . . . .
CAUTION
When jacking, be sure to observe the
following to reduce the possibility of
personal injury:
Follow jacking instructions.
Do not put any part of your body
under the vehicle supported by a
jack. Personal injury may occur.
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 reverse.
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 vehicle support stands.

2052004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
Do not raise the vehicle with some-
one in the vehicle.
When raising the vehicle, do not
place any objects on top of or un-
derneath the jack.
NOTICE
Make sure to place the jack correctly,
or your vehicle may be damaged.

2072004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
DOITYOURSELF MAINTENANCE
Engine and Chassis
Checking the engine oil level208
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Checking the engine coolant level 210
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Checking the radiator and condenser 211
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Checking brake fluid 211
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . .
Checking power steering fluid 212
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Checking tire inflation pressure 213
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Checking and replacing tires 215
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rotating tires 218
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . . .
Installing snow tires and chains 219
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Replacing wheels 220
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . .
Aluminum wheel precautions 221
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 7 2

2082004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
Checking the engine oil level
SB72010
Low levelFull level
Add oil O.K.
To o f u l l
With the engine at operating tempera-
ture and turned off, check the oil level
on the dipstick.
1. To get a correct reading, the vehicle should be on level ground. After turning
off the engine, wait a few minutes for
the oil to drain back into the bottom of
the engine.
2. Pull the dipstick out, hold a rag under the end and wipe it clean.
3. Reinsert the dipstick—push it in as far as it will go, or the reading will not be
correct.
4. Pull the dipstick out and look at the oil level while holding a rag under the
end.
CAUTION
Be careful not to touch the hot ex-
haust manifold.
NOTICE
Be careful not to drop engine oil on
the vehicle components.
If the oil level is below or only slightly
above the low level, add engine oil of
the same type as already in the engine.
Remove the oil filler cap and add engine
oil in small quantities at a time, checking
the dipstick. We recommend that you use
a funnel when adding oil.
The approximate quantity of oil needed to
raise the level between low and full on the
dipstick is indicated below for reference.
When the level reaches within the correct
range, install the filler cap hand− tight.
Oil quantity, L (qt., lmp. qt.): 1.3 (1.4, 1.1)
NOTICE
 Be careful not to spill engine oil on
the vehicle components.
 Avoid overfilling, or the engine
could be damaged.
 Check the oil level on the dipstick
once again after adding the oil.
ENGINE OIL SELECTION
“Toyota Genuine Motor Oil” is used in
your Toyota vehicle. Use Toyota approved
“Toyota Genuine Motor Oil” or equivalent
to satisfy the following grade and viscos-
ity.
Oil grade:
API grade SL “Energy −Conserving” or
ILSAC multigrade engine oil.

2092004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
Recommended viscosity:SAE 5W −30
OIL008
Outside temperature
SAE 5W30 is the best choice for good
fuel economy, and good starting in cold
weather.
If SAE 5W30 oil is not available, SAE
10W30 oil may be used. However, it
should be replaced with SAE 5W30 at
the next oil change.
SOIL13
API service symbol
ILSAC certification mark
Oil identification marks
Either or both API registered marks are
added to some oil containers to help
you select the oil you should use.
The API Service Symbol is located any-
where on the outside of the container.
The top portion of the label shows the oil
quality by API (American Petroleum
Institute) designations such as SL. The
center portion of the label shows the SAE
viscosity grade such as SAE 5W −30.
“Energy −Conserving” shown in the lower
portion, indicates that the oil has
fuel −saving capabilities.
The ILSAC (International Lubricant Stan-
dardization and Approval Committee) Certi-
fication Mark is displayed on the front of
the container.