2005 TOYOTA SOLARA Owners Manual (in English)

’05 Solara_U (L/O 0409)
121
2005 SOLARA from Sep. ’04 Prod. (OM33690U)
For easy access to the ignition switch,
the ignition switch light comes on when
any of the doors are opened or when
the ignition switch is turned to the
“LOCK” position.
Convertible—The quarter trim courtesy
light also comes on under the same situa-
tion.
The lights remain on for about 15 seconds
after both doors are closed.
When unlocking a door while both doors
are locked, the lights come on and remain
on for about 15 seconds before fading
out.
However, in the following cases, the light
goes off immediately.
Both doors are closed when the igni-
tion key is in the “ACC” or “ON” posi-
tion.
Both doors are closed and locked.
To prevent the battery from becoming dis-
charged, the light will automatically turn
off when the key is removed and the door
is left opened for 20 minutes or more.
Coupe
Convertible
Coupe—
To turn on the front personal light,
push the lens. To turn the light off,
push the lens once again.
Convertible—
To turn on the front personal light,
push the outer switch. To turn the light
off, push the switch once again.
The personal lights switch have the follow-
ing positions:
“DOOR”—Turn the lights on while any
door is opened without pushing the outer
switch. The lights go off when all the
doors are closed.
“OFF”—Turn the lights on only when you
push the outer switch.
Personal lights

’05 Solara_U (L/O 0409)
122
2005 SOLARA from Sep. ’04 Prod. (OM33690U)
ILLUMINATED ENTRY SYSTEM
(convertible)
When the switch is in the “DOOR” posi-
tion, the front personal lights come on and
remain on for about 15 seconds before
fading out in the following cases:
Open and close any of the doors.
Turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK”
position.
Unlock a door when both doors are
locked.
However, in the following cases, the lights
go off immediately.
Both doors are closed when the igni-
tion key is in the “ACC” or “ON” posi-
tion.
Both doors are closed and locked.
To prevent the battery from becoming dis-
charged, the lights will automatically turn
off when the key is removed and the door
is left opened with the switch at “DOOR”
position for 20 minutes or more.
To turn on the windshield wipers, move
the lever to the desired setting.
The key must be in the “ON” position.
Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Intermittent
Position 2Slow
Position 3Fast
Position 4Washer on
With interval adjuster: The “INT” band lets
you adjust the wiping time interval when
the wiper lever is in the intermittent posi-
tion (position 1). Twist the band upward to
increase the time between sweeps, and
downward to decrease it.
To squirt washer fluid, pull the lever
toward you (position 4).
If the windshield wipers are off, they will
operate a couple of times after the washer
squirts.
For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see “Adding washer fluid” on page 321 in
Section 7 −3.
In freezing weather, warm the windshield
with the defroster before using the washer.
This will help prevent the washer fluid
from freezing on your windshield, which
can block your vision.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the wind-
shield is dry. It may scratch the
glass.
Windshield wipers and washer

’05 Solara_U (L/O 0409)
123
2005 SOLARA from Sep. ’04 Prod. (OM33690U)
When waxing your vehicle, make sure that
the washer nozzles do not become
blocked. If a nozzle becomes blocked,
contact your Toyota dealer to have the
vehicle serviced.
NOTICE
If a nozzle becomes blocked, do not
try to clear it with a pin or other
object. The nozzle will be damaged.
With manual air conditioning controls
With automatic air conditioning controls
To defog or defrost the rear window,
push the switch.
The key must be in the “ON” position.
The thin heater wires on the inside of the
rear window will quickly clear the sur-
faces. An indicator light will illuminate to
indicate the defogger is operating.
With automatic air conditioning controls—
Heater panels in the outside rear view
mirrors will also quickly clear the sur-
faces.
Push the switch once again to turn the
defogger off.
The system will automatically shut off af-
ter the defogger has operated about 15
minutes.
CAUTION
Since the mirror surfaces can get hot
do not touch them when the defogger
switch is on.
Rear window and outside rear
view mirror defoggers

’05 Solara_U (L/O 0409)
124
2005 SOLARA from Sep. ’04 Prod. (OM33690U)
Make sure you turn the defoggers off
when the surfaces are clear. Leaving the
defoggers on for a long time could cause
the battery to discharge, especially during
stop−and− go driving. The defoggers are
not designed for drying rain water or for
melting snow.
If the outside rear view mirrors are heavi-
ly coated with ice, use a spray de −icer
before operating the switch.
NOTICE
 When cleaning the inside of the
rear window, be careful not to
scratch or damage the heater wires
or connectors.
 Convertible—When the convertible
top is lowered, keep the rear win-
dow defogger turned off to avoid
damage to the convertible top.

’05 Solara_U (L/O 0409)
125
2005 SOLARA from Sep. ’04 Prod. (OM33690U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Gauges, Meters and Service reminder indicators
Fuel gauge126
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\
. . . . . . . . . . .
Engine coolant temperature gauge 126
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tachometer 127
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Odometer and two trip meters 127
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Service reminder indicators and warning buzzers 129
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 1 6

’05 Solara_U (L/O 0409)
126
2005 SOLARA from Sep. ’04 Prod. (OM33690U)
The gauge indicates the approximate
quantity of fuel remaining in the tank
when the ignition switch is on.
Nearly full—Needle at “F”
Nearly empty—Needle at “E”
It is a good idea to keep the tank over
1/4 full.
The gauge remains on for about 10 min-
utes after the ignition switch is off.
If the fuel level approaches “E” or the low
fuel level warning light comes on, fill the
fuel tank as soon as possible.On inclines or curves, due to the move-
ment of fuel in the tank, the fuel gauge
needle may fluctuate or the low fuel level
warning light may come on earlier than
usual.
If the fuel tank is completely empty, the
malfunction indicator lamp comes on. Fill
the fuel tank immediately.
The indicator lamp goes off after driving
several times. If the indicator lamp does
not go off, contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible.The gauge indicates the engine coolant
temperature when the ignition switch is
on. The engine operating temperature
will vary with changes in weather and
engine load.
If the needle moves into the red zone,
your engine is too hot. If your vehicle
overheats, stop your vehicle and allow the
engine to cool.
Your vehicle may overheat during severe
operating conditions, such as:
Driving up a long hill on a hot day.
Reducing speed or stopping after high
speed driving.
Idling for a long period with the air
conditioning on in stop
−and− go traffic.
Fuel gauge Engine coolant temperature
gauge

’05 Solara_U (L/O 0409)
127
2005 SOLARA from Sep. ’04 Prod. (OM33690U)
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in
the engine cooling system as this
may cause the engine to overheat.
The thermostat is designed to con-
trol the flow of coolant to keep the
temperature of the engine within
the specified operating range.
 Do not continue driving with an
overheated engine. See “If your ve-
hicle overheats” on page 262 in
Section 4.
The tachometer indicates engine speed
in thousands of rpm (revolutions per
minute). Use it while driving to select
correct shift points and to prevent en-
gine lugging and overrevving.
Driving with the engine running too fast
causes excessive engine wear and poor
fuel economy. Remember, in most cases
the slower the engine speed, the greater
the fuel economy.
NOTICE
Do not let the indicator needle get
into the red zone. This may cause
severe engine damage.
This meter displays the odometer and
two trip meters when the ignition
switch is on.
1. Odometer—Shows the total distance the vehicle has been driven.
2. Two trip meters—Show two different distances independently driven since
the last time each trip meter was set
to zero.
You can use one trip meter to calculate
the fuel economy and the other to
measure the distance on each trip. All
trip meter data is cancelled if the elec-
trical power source is disconnected.
Tachometer Odometer and two trip meters

’05 Solara_U (L/O 0409)
128
2005 SOLARA from Sep. ’04 Prod. (OM33690U)
3. Trip meter reset knob—Resets the twotrip meters to zero, and also change
the meter display.
To change the meter display, quickly
push and release the knob. The meter
display changes in the order from the
odometer to trip meter A to trip meter
B, then back to the odometer each
time you push.
To reset the trip meter A to zero, dis-
play the meter A reading, then push
and hold the knob until the meter is
set to zero. The same process can be
applied for resetting the trip meter B.
This display remains on for about 10 min-
utes after the ignition switch is off.