2005 TOYOTA tC maintenance

196
Maintenance requirements
Your Scion vehicle has been designed for
fewer maintenance requirements with long-
er service intervals to save both your time
and money. However, each regular mainte-
nance, as well as day–to–day care, is
more important than ever before to ensure
smooth, trouble–free, safe, and economical
drivings.
It is the owner ’s responsibility to make
sure the specified maintenance, including
general maintenance service, is performed.
Note that both the new vehicle and emis-
sion control system warranties specify that
proper maintenance and care must be per-
formed. See “Owner ’s Warranty Informa-
tion Booklet” for complete warranty in-
formation.
General maintenance
General maintenance items are those day–
to–day care practices that are important to
your vehicle for proper operation. It is the
owner ’s responsib ility to insure that the
general maintenance items are performed
regularly.
These checks or inspections can be done
either by yourself or a qualified technician,
or if you prefer, your Scion dealer will be
pleased to do them at a nominal cost. Scheduled maintenance
The scheduled maintenance items listed in
the “Scheduled Maintenance Guide” are
those required to be serviced at regular
intervals.
For details of your maintenance schedule,
read the “Scheduled Maintenance Guide”.
It is recommended that any replacement
parts used for maintenance or for the
repair of the emission control system
be Scion supplied.
The owner may elect to use non–Scion
supplied parts for replacement pur-
poses without invalidating the emission
control system warranty. However, use
of replacement parts which are not of
equivalent quality may impair the effec-
tiveness of the emission control sys-
tems.
You may also elect to have
maintenance, replacement, or repair of
the emission control devices and
system performed by any automotive
repair establishment or individual
without invalidating this warranty. See
“Owner ’s Warranty Information Booklet”
for complete warranty information.
Where to go for service?
Scion technicians are well–trained special-
ists and are kept up to date with the
latest service information through technical
bulletins, service tips, and in–dealership
training programs. They learn to work on
Scions before they work on your vehicle,
rather than while they are working on it.
You can be confident that your Scion deal-
er ’s service department performs the best
job to meet the maintenance requirements
on your vehicle—reliably and economically.
Your copy of the repair order is proof that
all required maintenance has been per-
formed for warranty coverage. If any prob-
lems should arise with your vehicle while
under warranty, your Scion dealer will
promptly take care of it. Again, be sure
to keep a copy of the repair order for any
service performed on your Scion.
What about do–it–yourself maintenance?
Many of the maintenance items are easy
to do yourself if you have a little mechani-
cal ability and a few basic automotive
tools. Simple instructions for how to per-
form them are presented on page 201.

197
If you are a skilled do–it–yourself
mechanic, the Scion service manuals are
recommended. Please be aware that
do–it–yourself maintenance can affect your
warranty coverage. See “Owner ’s Warranty
Information Booklet” for the details.
General maintenance
Listed below are the general maintenance
items that should be performed as fre-
quently as specified. In addition to check-
ing the items listed, if you notice any
unusual noise, smell or vibration, you
should investigate the cause or take your
vehicle to your Scion dealer or a qualified
service shop immediately. It is recom-
mended that any problem you notice be
brought to the attention of your dealer or
the qualified service shop for their advice.
CAUTION
Make these checks only with ade-
quate ventilation if you run the en-
gine.
IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT
Items listed below should be checked
from time to time, e.g. each time when
refueling.
Washer fluid
Make sure there is sufficient fluid in the
tank. See page 227 for additional informa-
tion.Engine coolant level
Make sure the coolant level is between
the “FULL” and “LOW” lines on the
see–through reservoir when the engine is
cold. See page 212 for additional informa-
tion.
Radiator, condenser, and hoses
Check that the front of the radiator and
condenser are clean and not blocked with
leaves, dirt or insects. See page 213 for
additional information.
Battery electrolyte level
Your Scion has a maintenance free bat-
tery. You do not have to add distilled wa-
ter. For longer life of the battery, however,
see page 225 for additional information.
Brake fluid level
Make sure the brake fluid level is correct.
See page 213 for additional information.
Engine oil level
Check the level on the dipstick with the
engine turned off and the vehicle parked
on a level spot. See page 210 for addi-
tional information.
Power steering fluid level
Check the level through the reservoir. The
level should be in the “HOT” or “COLD”
range depending on the fluid temperature.
See page 214 for additional information.

199
Tire inflation pressure
Check the pressure with a gauge ev-
ery two weeks, or at least once a
month. See page 215 for additional
information.
Tire surface and wheel nuts
Check the tires carefully for cuts,
damage or excessive wear. See page
217 for additional information. When
checking the tires, make sure no nuts
are missing, and check the nuts for
looseness. Tighten them if necessary.
Tire rotation
Rotate the tires
according to the
maintenance schedule. (For sched-
uled maintenance information, please
refer to the “Scheduled Maintenance
Guide”.) See page 219 for additional
information.
Be on the alert for changes in perfor-
mance, sounds, and visual tip–offs that
indicate service is needed. Some impor-
tant clues are as follows:
Engine missing, stumbling, or pinging
Appreciable loss of power
Strange engine noises
A fluid leak under the vehicle (however,
water dripping from the air conditioning
after use is normal.)
Change in exhaust sound (This may
indicate a dangerous carbon monoxide
leak. Drive with the windows open and
have the exhaust system checked im-
mediately.)
Flat–looking tire; excessive tire squeal
when cornering; uneven tire wear
Vehicle pulls to one side when driving
straight on a level road
Strange noises related to suspension
movement
Loss of brake effectiveness; spongy
feeling brake or clutch pedal; pedal al-
most touches floor; vehicle pulls to one
side when braking
Engine coolant temperature continually
higher than normal If you notice any of these clues, take your
vehicle to your Scion dealer as soon as
possible. It probably needs adjustment or
repair.
CAUTION
Do not continue driving with the ve-
hicle unchecked. It could result in se-
rious vehicle damage and possibly
personal injury.
Does your vehicle need
repairing?

200
Some states have vehicle emission in-
spection programs which include OBD
(On–Board Diagnostics) checks.
The OBD system monitors the operation
of the emission control system. When the
OBD system determines that a problem
exists somewhere in the emission control
system, the malfunction indicator lamp
comes on. In this case, your vehicle may
not pass the I/M test and need to be
repaired. Contact your Scion dealer to ser-
vice the vehicle.
Even if the malfunction indicator lamp
does not come on, your vehicle may not
pass the I/M test as readiness codes
have not been set in the OBD system.
Readiness codes are automatically set
during ordinary driving. However, when the
battery is disconnected or run down, the
codes are erased. Also, depending on
your driving habits, the codes may not be
completely set.
Also, if the malfunction indicator lamp had
come on recently due to temporary mal-
function such as a loose fuel tank cap,
your vehicle may not pass the I/M test. The malfunction indicator lamp will go off
after taking several driving trips, but the
error code in the OBD system will not be
cleared unless about 40 trips or more are
taken.
If your vehicle does not pass the I/M test
even the malfunction indicator lamp does
not come on, contact your Scion dealer to
prepare the vehicle for re–testing.
Emissions inspection and
maintenance (I/M) programs

201
DO–IT–YOURSELF MAINTENANCE
Introduction
Engine compartment overview202
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Fuse locations 203
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Do–it–yourself service precautions 203
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Parts and tools 205
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Positioning the jack 206
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SECTION 7– 1

203
Fuse locations
Spare fuses
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
Scion 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 205.
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:
Do–it–yourself service
precautions

209
DO–IT–YOURSELF MAINTENANCE
Engine and Chassis
Checking the engine oil level210
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Checking the engine coolant level 212
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Checking the radiator and condenser 213
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Checking brake fluid 213
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Checking power steering fluid 214
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Checking tire inflation pressure 215
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Checking and replacing tires 217
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Rotating tires 219
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Installing snow tires and chains 220
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Replacing wheels 222
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Aluminum wheel precautions 222
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SECTION 7– 2

219
CAUTION
Observe the following instruc-
tions. Otherwise, an accident
may occur resulting in death or
serious injuries.
Do not mix radial, bias belted,
or bias–ply tires on your ve-
hicle, as this may cause dan-
gerous handling characteris-
tics resulting in loss of control.
 Do not use tires other than the
manufacturer’s recommended
size, as this may cause danger-
ous handling characteristics
resulting in loss of control.
Scion recommends all four tires, or
at least both of the front or rear
tires be replaced at a time as a set.
See “If you have a flat tire” on page
172 for tire change procedure.
When a tire is replaced, the wheel
should always be balanced.
An unbalanced wheel may affect ve-
hicle handling and tire life. Wheels
can get out of balance with regular
use and should therefore be balanced
occasionally.
When replacing a tubeless tire, the
air valve should also be repl aced
w i t h a new on e.
Rotating tires
To equalize the wear and help ex-
tend tire life, Scion recommends
that you rotate your tires accord-
ing to the maintenance schedule.
(For scheduled maintenance infor-
mation, please refer to the “Sched-
uled Maintenance Guide”.) Howev-
er, the most appropriate timing for
tire rotation may vary according to
your driving habits and road sur-
face conditions.
See “If you have a flat tire” on page
172 for tire change procedure.