2006 TOYOTA AVALON Owners Manual

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To squirt washer fluid, pull the lever
toward you (position 5).
After the washer operates, the wipers op-
erate three times in low operation, pause
for several seconds, and then operate
once more. This occurs only if the wiper
switch is in the “OFF” or “INT” position.
The interval between the 3 wipes and the
final wipe depends on the vehicle speed.
The final sweep does not occur if the
vehicle speed exceeds 170 km/h (106
mph).
The final wipe (after a pause of several
seconds) prevents the washer fluid from
dripping. The final wipe can be set to
occur after a three second pause, or can
be deactivated. For details, ask your
Toyota dealer.
For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see “Adding washer fluid” on page 369 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
or may damage wiper blades.
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.
Automatic control adjuster
To turn on the windshield wipers, move
the lever to the desired setting.
The ignition switch must be set at ON.
Lever position
Operation
Position 1Automatic operation
Position 2Low speed operation
Position 3High speed operation
Position 4Single sweep operation
Position 5Washer on
Windshield wipers and washer
(raindrop detection type)

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Automatic operation (position 1)
The wiper speed is determined by the
amount of raindrops and sunlight detected
by the automatic wiper control sensor.
The automatic wiper control sensor is on
the inside of the windshield as shown
above.
If you feel that the operation of the auto-
matic wiper control is too fast or too slow,
twist the automatic control adjuster in the
“− ” direction to lower sensitivity, and “+”
direction to boost the sensitivity. Even if the wiper lever is in the position
1, the system will switch to intermittent
operations in the following conditions:
When the windshield gets extremely
cold (at less than
−10 C [14 F])
When the system malfunctions
However, when the windshield gets ex-
tremely hot (at more than 90 C [194 F]),
the wipers do not operate even if the
wiper lever is in the position 1.
As soon as the vehicle starts to move,
the wiper will operate once to clear the
driver’s front view if it is set to “INT”.
CAUTION
Be careful not to get your fingers
caught between the wipers and wind-
shield.
When the wiper lever is in the posi-
tion 1 with the ignition switch on, the
wipers could operate automatically in
the following cases:
If you touch the upper center of the
windshield adjacent to the sensor.
If you wipe the upper center of the
windshield (adjacent to which the
sensor is located) with a towel or
other object.
If the windshield vibrates.
If you touch the sensor.
NOTICE
Do not apply detergent to or wet the
automatic wiper control sensor when
cleaning the inside of the windshield.

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To squirt washer fluid, pull the lever
toward you (position 5).
After the washer operates, the wipers op-
erate three times in low operation, pause
for several seconds, and then operate
once more. This occurs only if the wiper
switch is in the “OFF” or “INT” position.
The interval between the 3 wipes and the
final wipe depends on the vehicle speed.
The final sweep does not occur if the
vehicle speed exceeds 170 km/h (106
mph).
The final wipe (after a pause of several
seconds) prevents the washer fluid from
dripping. The final wipe can be set to
occur after a three second pause, or can
be deactivated. For details, ask your
Toyota dealer.
For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see “Adding washer fluid” on page 369 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
or may damage wiper blades.
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.Ty p e A
Ty p e B
Rear window and outside rear
view mirror defoggers

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To defog or defrost the rear window,
push the switch.
The ignition switch must be set at ON.
The thin heater wires on the inside of the
rear window will quickly clear the surface.
An indicator light will illuminate to indicate
the defogger is operating.
Type B only—The heater panels in the
outside rear view mirrors will also quickly
clear the surfaces. Keep your hands off
the mirror faces when the switch is on.
Push the switch once again to turn the
defoggers off.
The system will automatically shut off af-
ter the defogger has operated about 15
minutes.
CAUTION
Type B only—Since the mirror sur-
faces can get hot, do not touch them
when the defogger switch is on.
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.
Type B only—If the outside rear view mir-
rors are heavily 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 connec-
tors.

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OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Gauges, Meters and Service reminder indicators
Fuel gauge142
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. . . . . . . . . . .
Engine coolant temperature gauge 142
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Tachometer 143
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Odometer and two trip meters 143
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Service reminder indicators and warning buzzers 145
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SECTION 1 6

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Low fuel level
warning light
The gauge indicates the approximate
quantity of fuel remaining in the tank
when the ignition switch is set at ON.
Nearly full—Needle at “F”
Nearly empty—Needle at “E”
It is a good idea to keep the tank over
1/4 full.
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.
Fuel gauge
Engine coolant temperature
gauge

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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.
Towing a trailer.
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 312 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 set at 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

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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 button. 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 button until the meter is
set to zero. The same process can be
applied for resetting the trip meter B.