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Check the condition of the battery and
cables.
Cold temperatures reduce the capacity of
any battery, so it must be in top shape to
provide enough power for winter starting.
Section 7−3 tells you how to visually in-
spect the battery. Your Toyota dealer and
most service stations will be pleased to
check the level of charge.
Make sure the engine oil viscosity is
suitable for the cold weather.
See page 357 in Section 7 −2 for recom-
mended viscosity. Leaving a heavy sum-
mer oil in your vehicle during winter
months may cause harder starting. If you
are not sure about which oil to use, call
your Toyota dealer—they will be pleased
to help.
Keep the door locks from freezing.
Squirt lock de −icer or glycerine into the
locks to keep them from freezing.
Use a washer fluid containing an anti-
freeze solution.
This product is available at your Toyota
dealer and most auto parts stores. Follow
the manufacturer ’s directions for how
much to mix with water.NOTICE
Do not use engine antifreeze or any
other substitute because it may dam-
age your vehicle’s paint.
Do not use your parking brake when
there is a possibility it could freeze.
When parking, put the transmission into
“P” and block the rear wheels. Do not use
the parking brake, or snow or water accu-
mulated in and around the parking brake
mechanism may freeze, making it hard to
release.
Keep ice and snow from accumulating
under the fenders.
Ice and snow built up under your fenders
can make steering difficult. During bad
winter driving, stop and check under the
fenders occasionally.
Depending on where you are driving,
we recommend you carry some emer-
gency equipment.
Some of the things you might put in the
vehicle are tire chains, window scraper,
bag of sand or salt, flares, small shovel,
jumper cables, etc.
Your vehicle is not designed to be
dinghy towed (with four wheels on the
ground) behind a motorhome.
NOTICE
Do not tow your vehicle with four
wheels on the ground. This may
cause serious damage to your vehicle.
Dinghy towing
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NOTICE
With key cylinder type ignition
switch—Do not crank for more than
30 seconds at a time. This may over-
heat the starter and wiring systems.
To avoid serious personal injury and
damage to your vehicle which might re-
sult from battery explosion, acid burns,
electrical burns, or damaged electronic
components, these instructions must be
followed precisely.
If you are unsure about how to follow this
procedure, we strongly recommend that
you seek the help of a competent me-
chanic or towing service.
CAUTION
Batteries contain sulfuric acid
which is poisonous and corrosive.
Wear protective safety glasses when
jump starting, and avoid spilling
acid on your skin, clothing, or ve-
hicle.
If you should accidentally get acid
on yourself or in your eyes, remove
any contaminated clothing and flush
the affected area with water im-
mediately. Then get immediate medi-
cal attention. If possible, continue
to apply water with a sponge or
cloth while en route to the medical
office.
The gas normally produced by a
battery will explode if a flame or
spark is brought near. Use only
standardized jumper cables and do
not smoke or light a match while
jump starting.
NOTICE
The battery used for boosting must
be 12 V. Do not jump start unless you
are sure that the booster battery is
correct.
(c) Jump starting
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JUMP STARTING PROCEDURE1. If the booster battery is installed in another vehicle, make sure the vehicles
are not touching. Turn off all unneces-
sary lights and accessories.
When boosting, use the battery of
matching or higher quality. Any other
battery may be difficult to jump start
with.
If jump starting is difficult, charge the
battery for several minutes.
2. If required, remove all the vent plugs from the booster and discharged batter-
ies. Lay a cloth over the open vents
on the batteries. (This helps reduce the
explosion hazard, personal injuries and
burns.)
3. If the engine in the vehicle with the booster battery is not running, start it
and let it run for a few minutes. During
jump starting, run the engine at about
2000 rpm with the accelerator pedal
lightly depressed.
Booster
battery
Discharged battery
Positive terminal
(“+” mark)
Jumper cable
Positive
terminal
(“+” mark)
4. Make the cable connections in the or-
der a, b, c, d.
a. Connect the clamp of the positive
(red) jumper cable to the positive (+)
terminal on the discharged battery.
b. Connect the clamp at the other end
of the positive (red) jumper cable to
the positive (+) terminal on the booster
battery.
Jumper cable
Booster
battery
Negative terminal
(“−
” mark)
Discharged battery
c. Connect the clamp of the negative
(black) jumper cable to the negative
(
− ) terminal on the booster battery.
d. Connect the clamp at the other end
of the negative (black) jumper cable to
a solid, stationary, unpainted, metallic
point of the vehicle with the discharged
battery.
The recommended connecting point is
shown in the following illustration:
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Connecting point
Do not connect the cable to or near
any part that moves when the engine
is cranked.
CAUTION
When making the connections, to
avoid serious injury, do not lean over
the battery or accidentally let the
jumper cables or clamps touch any-
thing except the correct battery termi-
nals or the ground.
5. With smart key system—Charge thedischarged battery with the jumper
cables connected for approximately 5
minutes. At this time, run the engine in
the vehicle with the booster battery at
about 2000 rpm with the accelerator
pedal lightly depressed.
6. Start your engine in the normal way. After starting, run it at about 2000 rpm
for several minutes with the accelerator
pedal lightly depressed.
7. Carefully disconnect the cables in the exact reverse order: the negative cable
and then the positive cable.
8. Carefully dispose of the battery cover cloths—they may now contain sulfuric
acid.
9. If removed, replace all the battery vent plugs.
With smart key system—The engine may
not restart even after battery charging or
replacement. If this happens, see “(d)
Starting the engine after a battery dis-
charge” described below.
If the cause of your battery discharging is
not apparent (for example, lights left on),
you should have it checked at your Toyota
dealer. If the first start attempt is not success-
ful...
Check that the clamp on the jumper
cables are tight. Recharge the discharged
battery with the jumper cables connected
for several minutes and restart your en-
gine in the normal way.
If the another attempt is not successful,
the battery may be depleted. Have it ch-
ecked at your Toyota dealer.