2005 TOYOTA RAV4 tow

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If towing is necessary, we recommend
you to have it done by your Toyota
dealer or a commercial tow truck ser-
vice. In consultation with them, have
your vehicle towed using either (a) or
(b).
Only when you cannot receive a towing
service from a Toyota dealer or com-
mercial tow truck service, tow your ve-
hicle carefully in accordance with the
instructions given in ÐEmergency tow-
ingº on page 260 in this Section.
Proper equipment will help ensure that
your vehicle is not damaged while being
towed. Commercial operators are generally
aware of the state/provincial and local
laws pertaining to towing.
Your vehicle can be damaged if it is
towed incorrectly. Although most operators
know the correct procedure, it is possible
to make a mistake. To avoid damage to
your vehicle, make sure the following pre-
cautions are observed. If necessary, show
this page to the tow truck driver.TOWING PRECAUTIONS:
Use a safety chain system for all towing,
and abide by the state/provincial and local
laws. The wheels and axle on the ground
must be in good condition. If they are
damaged, use a towing dolly.
Two- wheel drive modelsÐ
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck
From frontÐ
Release the parking brake.
NOTICE
When lifting wheels, take care to en-
sure adequate ground clearance fortowing at the opposite end of theraised vehicle. Otherwise, the bumper
and/or underbody of the towed vehiclewill be damaged during towing.
From rearÐ

Manual transmission:
We recommend using a towing dolly
under the front wheels. If you do not
use a towing dolly, place the ignition
key in the ACCº position and put the
transmission in neutral.
NOTICE
Do not tow with the key removed or
in the LOCKº position when towingfrom the rear without a towing dolly.The steering lock mechanism is not
strong enough to hold the frontwheels straight.

Automatic transmission:
Use a towing dolly under the front
wheels.
NOTICE
Never tow a vehicle with an automatic
transmission from the rear with thefront wheels on the ground, as thismay cause serious damage to the
transmission.
(b) Using flat bed truck
Four- wheel drive modelsÐ
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck
Use a towing dolly under the wheels not
lifted by the truck.
(b) Using flat bed truck

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(c) Towing with sling type truck
All modelsÐ
(c) Towing with sling type truck
NOTICE
Do not tow with sling type truck, ei-
ther from the front or rear. This maycause body damage.
Front
Rear
If towing is necessary, we recommend
you to have it done by your Toyota
dealer or a commercial tow truck ser-
vice.
If towing service is not available in an
emergency, your vehicle may be tempo-
rarily towed by a cable or chain se-
cured to the emergency towing eyelets
under the front of the vehicle or the
left emergency towing eyelet under the
rear of the vehicle. Use extreme caution
when towing vehicle.
Vehicles with an automatic transmis-
sion, use only the front towing eyelet
when towing your vehicle.
NOTICE

Only use specified towing eyelet;
otherwise your vehicle may be dam-aged.

Vehicles with an automatic trans-
mission, never tow a vehicle fromthe rear with four wheels on theground. This may cause serious
damage to the transmission.
ÐEmergency towing

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A driver must be in the vehicle to steer
it and operate the brakes.
Towing in this manner may be done only
on hard- surfaced roads for a short dis-
tance and at low speeds. Also, the
wheels, axles, drive train, steering and
brakes must all be in good condition.
CAUTION
Use extreme caution when towing ve-
hicles. Avoid sudden starts or erratic
driving maneuvers which would place
excessive stress on the emergency
towing eyelet and towing cable or
chain. The eyelet and towing cable or
chain may break and cause serious
injury or damage.
NOTICE
Use only a cable or chain specificallyintended for use in towing vehicles.Securely fasten the cable or chain tothe towing eyelet provided.
Before towing, release the parking brake
and put the transmission in neutral (manu-
al) or Nº (automatic). The key must be
in ACCº (engine off) or ONº (engine run-
ning).
CAUTION
If the engine is not running, the pow-
er assist for the brakes and steering
will not work so steering and braking
will be much harder than usual.

Before emergency towing, check that
the eyelet is not broken or damaged
and that the installation bolts are not
loose.

Fasten the towing cable or chain se-
curely to the eyelet.

Do not jerk the eyelet. Apply steady
and even force.

To avoid damaging the eyelet, do not
pull from the side or at a vertical
angle. Always pull straight ahead.
ÐEmergency towing eyelet
precautions

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CAUTION
If the emergency towing eyelet is
used to get out when your vehicle
becomes struck in mud, sand or oth-
er condition from which the vehicle
cannot be driven out under its own
power, make sure to observe the pre-
cautions mentioned below. Otherwise,
excessive stress will be put on the
eyelet and the towing cable or chain
may break, causing serious injury or
damage.

If the towing vehicle can hardly
move, do not forcibly continue the
towing. Contact your Toyota dealer
or a commercial tow truck service
for assistance.

Tow the vehicle as straight ahead
as possible.

Keep away from the vehicle during
towing.
The following methods are effective to get
out when your vehicle is struck in mud,
sand or other condition from which the
vehicle cannot be driven out under its own
power. Use extreme caution when towing
vehicles. In addition, keep away from the
vehicles and towing cable or chain when
towing.

Remove the soil and sand in the front
and the back of the tires.

Place a stone or wood under the tires.
If you cannot shift the selector lever
out of Pº position to other positions
even though the brake pedal is de-
pressed, use the shift lock override but-
ton as follows:1. Turn the ignition key to LOCKº position. Make sure the parking
brake is applied.
2. Pry up the cover with a flat- bladed screwdriver or equivalent.
ÐTips for towing a stuck
vehicle If you cannot shift automatic
transmission selector lever

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Aluminum wheels: Use only a mild soap
or neutral detergent.
Plastic bumpers: Wash carefully. Do not
scrub with abrasive cleaners. The bumper
faces are soft.
Road tar: Remove with turpentine or
cleaners that are marked safe for painted
surfaces.
NOTICE
Do not use organic substances (gaso-line, kerosene, benzine or strong sol-vents), which may be toxic or causedamage.
3. Rinse thoroughlyÐdried soap can
cause streaking. In hot weather you
may need to rinse each section right
after you wash it.
4. To prevent water spots, dry the vehicle using a clean soft cotton towel. Do not
rub or press hardÐyou might scratch
the paint. Automatic car wash
Your vehicle may be washed in an auto-
matic car wash, but remember that the
paint can be scratched by some types of
brushes, unfiltered washing water, or the
washing process itself. Scratching reduces
paint durability and gloss, especially on
darker colors. The manager of the car
wash should be able to advise you wheth-
er the process is safe for the paint on
your vehicle.
NOTICE
To prevent damage to the antenna,
make sure it is removed before driv-ing your Toyota through an automaticcar wash.
Waxing your Toyota
Polishing and waxing is recommended
to maintain the original beauty of your
Toyota's finish.
Apply wax once a month or if the vehicle
surface does not repel water well.
1. Always wash and dry the vehicle be- fore you begin waxing, even if you are
using a combined cleaner and wax.
2. Use a good quality polish and wax. If the finish has become extremely weath-
ered, use a car- cleaning polish, fol-
lowed by a separate wax. Carefully fol-
low the manufacturer 's instructions and
precautions. Be sure to polish and wax
the chrome trim as well as the paint.
3. Wax the vehicle again when water does not bead but remains on the sur-
face in large patches.
NOTICE
Always remove the plastic bumpers if
your vehicle is re- painted and placedin a high heat paint waxing booth.High temperatures could damage the
bumpers.

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Do not allow dirt or anything elseto fall through the spark plug holes.

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 iridium- tipped sparkplugs by cleaning or regapping.

Do not overfill automatic transmis-
sion fluid, or the transmissioncould be damaged.

Do not drive with the air cleanerfilter removed, or excessive enginewear could result. Also backfiring
could cause a fire in the enginecompartment.

Be careful not to scratch the glasssurface with the wiper frame.

When closing the engine hood,
check to see that you have not for-gotten any tools, rags, etc.
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 Oilº or equiva-
lent
See page 286 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 Coolantº 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 Coolantº is a
mixture of 50% coolant and 50% deion-
ized water (for the U.S.A.) or 55%
coolant and 45% deionized water (for
Canada). 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):

Automatic transmission fluid DEXRON II
or III
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)
Parts and tools

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*1: Unladen vehicle*2: With steel wheel spare tire and half
spare tire cover
*3: With aluminum wheel spare tire and
half spare tire cover
*4: With full spare tire cover*5: With over fender*6: Two- wheel drive models*7: Four- wheel drive models*8: With roof rails*9: With automatic transmission*10: With manual transmission
Dimensions and weights
Overall length mm (in.)
Overall width mm (in.)
Overall height
*1mm (in.)
Wheelbase mm (in.)
Front tread mm (in.)
Rear tread mm (in.)
Vehicle capacity
weight (occupants
+ luggage) kg (lb.) 215/70R16 tires 235/60R16 tires
4205 (165.6)
4210 (165.7)
* 2
4215 (165.9)*3
4255 (167.5)*4
4220 (166.1)
4225 (166.3)*3
4255 (167.5)*4
1735 (68.3)
1785 (70.3)*51785 (70.3)
1670 (65.7)
1705 (67.1)
*8
2490 (98.0) 2490 (98.0)
1505 (59.3)
* 7
1510 (59.4)*61525 (60.0)
1495 (58.9)
* 7
1500 (59.1)*61520 (59.8)
345 (761)
* 7, 9
375 (826)*7, 10
417 (919)*6, 9
447 (985)*6, 10
345 (761)*7, 9
375 (826)*7, 10
417 (919)*6, 9
447 (985)*6, 10
1670 (65.7)*6
1680 (66.1)*7
1705 (67.1)*6, 8
1715 (67.5)*7, 8
Towing capacity (trailer
weight + cargo weight)
kg (lb.)680 (1500) 680 (1500)

'05 Rav4_U (L/O 0409)
2005 RAV4 from Sep. '04 Prod. (OM42570U)
Publication No. OM42570U
Part No. 01999-42570
Printed in Japan 01-0409-00
I
Quick index

If a service reminder indicator or warning buzzer comes on 109 . . . . . . . .

If your vehicle will not start 242 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\
. .

If your engine stalls while driving 246 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If your vehicle overheats 246 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\
. . . . .

If you have a flat tire 247 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\
. . . . . . . .

If your vehicle needs to be towed 258 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tips for driving during break- in period 199 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

How to start the engine 228 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\
. . . . . .

General maintenance 273 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\
. . . . . . . . .

Complete index NO TAG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\
. . . . . . . . . .
Gas station information
Fuel type:
UNLEADED gasoline, Octane Rating 87 (Research Octane Number 91)
or higher
See page 199 for detailed information.
Fuel tank capacity:
56 L (14.8 gal., 12.3 Imp. gal.)
Engine oil:
API grade SL Energy- Conservingº or ILSAC multigrade engine oil is
recommended.
See page 287 for detailed information.
Tire information: See pages 291 through 298.
Tire inflation pressure: See page 316.
U-3