2008 TOYOTA RAV4 engine overheat

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NOTICE
Do not crank for more than 30 se-
conds at a time. This may overheat
the starter and wiring systems.
 Do not race a cold engine.
 If the engine becomes difficult to
start or stalls frequently, have the
engine checked immediately.
Always slow down in gusty crosswinds.
This will allow you much better control.
Drive slowly onto curbs and, if pos-
sible, at a right angle. Avoid driving
onto high, sharp −edged objects and
other road hazards. Failure to do so
can lead to severe tire damage such
as a tire burst.
Drive slowly when passing over bumps
or travelling on a bumpy road. Other-
wise the impact could cause severe
damage to the tires and/or wheels.
When parking on a hill, turn the front
wheels until they touch the curb so
that the vehicle will not roll. Apply the
parking brake, and place the transmis-
sion in “P”. If necessary, block the
wheels.
Washing your vehicle or driving through
deep water may get the brakes wet. To
see whether they are wet, check that
there is no traffic near you, and then
press the pedal lightly. If you do not
feel a normal braking force, the brakes
are probably wet. To dry them, drive
the vehicle cautiously while lightly
pressing the brake pedal with the park-
ing brake applied. If they still do not
work safely, pull to the side of the road
and call a Toyota dealer for assistance.
CAUTION
Before driving off, make sure that
the parking brake is fully released
and the parking brake reminder
light is off.
Do not leave your vehicle unat-
tended while the engine is running.
Do not rest your foot on the brake
pedal while driving. It can cause
dangerous overheating, needless
wear, and poor fuel economy.
To drive down a long or steep hill,
reduce your speed and downshift.
Remember, if you ride the brakes
excessively, they may overheat and
not work properly.
Be careful when accelerating, up-
shifting, downshifting or braking on
a slippery surface. Sudden accelera-
tion or engine braking, could cause
the vehicle to skid or spin.
Tips for driving in various
conditions

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Because stopping distance may be in-
creased, vehicle−to −vehicle distance
should be increased when towing a
trailer. For each 16 km/h (10 mph) of
speed, allow at least one vehicle and
trailer length between you and the ve-
hicle ahead. Avoid sudden braking as
you may skid, resulting in jackknifing
and loss of control. This is especially
true on wet or slippery surfaces.
Avoid jerky starts or sudden accelera-
tion.
Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns.
The trailer could hit your vehicle in a
tight turn. Slow down before making a
turn to avoid the necessity of sudden
braking.
Backing with a trailer is difficult and
requires practice. Grip the bottom of
the steering wheel and move your hand
to the left to move the trailer to the
left. Move your hand to the right to
move the trailer to the right. (This pro-
cedure is generally opposite to that
when backing without a trailer.) Also,
just turn the steering wheel a little at
a time, avoiding sharp or prolonged
turning. Have someone guide you when
backing to reduce the risk of an acci-
dent.
Remember that when making a turn,
the trailer wheels will be closer than
the vehicle wheels to the inside of the
turn. Therefore, compensate for this by
making a larger than normal turning
radius with your vehicle.
Crosswinds and rough roads will ad-
versely affect handling of your vehicle
and trailer, causing sway. Pay attention
to the rear from time to time to pre-
pare yourself for being passed by large
trucks or buses, which may cause your
vehicle and trailer to sway. If swaying
happens, firmly grip the steering wheel
and reduce speed immediately but
gradually. Never increase speed. Steer
straight ahead. If you make no extreme
correction with the steering or brakes,
the vehicle and trailer will stabilize.
Be careful when passing other ve-
hicles. Passing requires considerable
distance. After passing a vehicle, do
not forget the length of your trailer and
be sure you have plenty of room be-
fore changing lanes.
In order to maintain engine braking effi-
ciency, do not place the transmission
in “D”.
Because of the added load of the trail-
er, your vehicle’s engine may overheat
on hot days (at temperatures over
30 C [85 F]) when going up a long or
steep grade with a trailer. If the engine
coolant temperature gauge indicates
overheating, immediately turn off the air
conditioning (if in use), pull off the road
and stop in a safe spot. Refer to “If
your vehicle overheats” on page 360 in
Section 4.
Always place wheel blocks under both
the vehicle and trailer wheels when
parking. Apply the parking brake firmly.
Put the transmission in “P”. Avoid park-
ing on a slope with a trailer, but if it
cannot be avoided, do so only after
performing the following:
1. Apply the brakes and hold.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks un- der both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release your brakes slowly until the
blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the parking brake firmly.
5. Shift into “P” and turn off the engine.

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When restarting out after parking on a
slope:1. With the transmission in “P” position, start the engine. Be sure to keep the
brake pedal depressed.
2. Shift into gear.
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Slowly pull or back away from
the wheel blo cks. Stop and apply your
brakes.
4. Have someone retrieve the blo cks.
CAUTION
Do not exceed 72 km/h (45 mph) or
the posted towing speed limit,
whichever is lower. Because insta-
bility (swaying) of a towing vehicle
trailer combination usually in-
creases as the speed increases, ex-
ceeding 72 km/h (45 mph) may
cause loss of control.
Slow down and downshift before
descending steep or long downhill
grades. Do not make sudden down-
shifts.
Avoid holding the brake pedal down
too long or too frequently. This
could cause the brakes to overheat
and result in reduced braking effi-
ciency.
Improving fuel economy is easy—just take
it easy. It will help make your vehicle last
longer, too. Here are some specific tips
on how to save money on both fuel and
repairs:
Keep your tires inflated at the cor-
rect pressure. Underinflation causes
tire wear and wastes fuel. See page
408 in Section 7 −2 for instructions.
Do not carry unneeded weight in
your vehicle. Excess weight puts a
heavier load on the engine, causing
greater fuel consumption.
Avoid lengthy warmup idling. Once
the engine is running smoothly, begin
driving—but gently. Remember, howev-
er, that on cold winter days this may
take a little longer.
Put the selector lever into the “D”
when engine braking is not required.
Driving with the select lever in “3”
(4 −speed) or “4” (5 −speed) will reduce
the fuel economy. (For details, see
“Automatic transmission” on page 143
or 147 in Section 1 −7.)
Accelerate slowly and smoothly.
Avoid jackrabbit starts. Get into high
gear as quickly as possible.
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer

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Avoid long engine idling. If you have
a long wait and you are not in traffic,
it is better to turn off the engine and
start again later.
Avoid engine lugging or overrev-
ving. Use a gear position suitable for
the road on which you are travelling.
Avoid continuous speeding up and
slowing down. Stop−and− go driving
wastes fuel.
Avoid unnecessary stopping and
braking. Maintain a steady pace. Try
to time the traffic signals so you only
need to stop as little as possible or
take advantage of through streets to
avoid traffic lights. Keep a proper dis-
tance from other vehicles to avoid sud-
den braking. This will also reduce wear
on your brakes.
Avoid heavy traffic or traffic jams
whenever possible.
Do not rest your foot on the brake
pedal. This causes premature wear,
overheating and poor fuel economy.
Maintain a moderate speed on high-
ways. The faster you drive, the greater
the fuel consumption. By reducing your
speed, you will cut down on fuel con-
sumption.
Keep the front wheels in proper
alignment. Avoid hitting the curb and
slow down on rough roads. Improper
alignment not only causes faster tire
wear but also puts an extra load on
the engine, which, in turn, wastes fuel.
Keep the bottom of your vehicle free
from mud, etc. This not only lessens
weight but also helps prevent corro-
sion.
Keep your vehicle tunedup and in
top shape. A dirty air cleaner, improp-
er valve clearance, dirty plugs, dirty oil
and grease,brakes not adjusted, etc. all
lower engine performance and contrib-
ute to poor fuel economy. For longer
life of all parts and lower operating
costs, keep all maintenance work on
schedule, and if you often drive under
severe conditions, see that your vehicle
receives more frequent maintenance.
(For scheduled maintenance informa-
tion, please refer to the “Scheduled
Maintenance Guide” or “Owner ’s Manu-
al Supplement”.)
CAUTION
Never turn off the engine to coast
down hills. Your power steering and
brake booster will not function with-
out the engine running. Also, the
emission control system operates
properly only when the engine is run-
ning.

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IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
In case of an emergency
If your vehicle will not start356
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If your engine stalls while driving 359
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If you cannot increase engine speed 359
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If your vehicle overheats 360
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
If you have a flat tire 361
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . .
If your vehicle becomes stuck 373
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If your vehicle needs to be towed 373
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If you cannot shift automatic transmission selector lever 378
. . . . . . . .
If you lose your keys 379
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . .
SECTION 4

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Before making these checks, make sure
you have followed the correct starting pro-
cedure given in “How to start the engine”
on page 342 in Section 3 and that you
have sufficient fuel. If your vehicle is
equipped with the engine immobilizer sys-
tem, also check whether the other keys
will start the engine. If they work, your
key may be broken. Have the key
checked at your Toyota dealer. If none of
your keys work, there may be a malfunc-
tion in the immobilizer system. Call your
Toyota dealer. (See “Keys (with engine
immobilizer system)” on page 12 in Sec-
tion 1−2.)
If the engine is not turning over or is
turning over too slowly— 1. Check that the battery terminals are tight and clean.
2. If the battery terminals are O.K., switch on the interior light.
3. If the light is out, dim or goes out when the starter is cranked, the battery
is discharged. You may try jump start-
ing. See “(c) Jump starting” on page
357 for further instructions.
If the light is O.K., but the engine still will
not start, it needs adjustment or repair.
Call a Toyota dealer or qualified repair
shop. If the engine turns over at its normal
speed but will not start—
1. Turn the engine switch to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position and try starting the
engine again.
2. If the engine will not start, the engine may be flooded because of repeated
cranking. See “(b) Starting a flooded
engine” on page 356 for further instruc-
tions.
3. If the engine still will not start, it needs adjustment or repair. Call a Toyota
dealer or qualified repair shop. If the engine will not start, your engine
may be flooded because of repeated
cranking.
If this happens, turn the engine switch to
the “START” position with the accelerator
pedal fully depressed. Keep the key and
accelerator pedal in these positions for 15
seconds and release them. Then try start-
ing the engine with your foot off the accel-
erator pedal.
If the engine does not start after 15 se-
conds of cranking, release the key, wait
a few minutes and try again.
If the engine still will not start, it needs
adjustment or repair. Call a Toyota dealer
or qualified repair shop for assistance.
NOTICE
Do not crank for more than 30 se-
conds at a time. This may overheat
the starter and wiring systems.
If your vehicle will not start—
(a) Simple checks
(b) Starting a flooded engine

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If your engine coolant temperature
gauge indicates overheating, if you ex-
perience a loss of power, or if you hear
a loud knocking or pinging noise, the
engine has probably overheated. You
should follow this procedure...1. Pull safely off the road, stop the ve- hicle and turn on your emergency
flashers. Put the transmission in “P”
and apply the parking brake. Turn off
the air conditioning if it is being used.
2. If coolant or steam is boiling out of the radiator or reservoir, stop the engine.
Wait until the steam subsides before
opening the hood. If there is no coolant
boiling over or steam, leave the engine
running and make sure the electric
cooling fan is operating. If it is not,
turn the engine off.
CAUTION
To help avoid personal injury, keep
the hood closed until there is no
steam. Escaping steam or coolant is
a sign of very high pressure.
3. Look for obvious coolant leaks from theradiator, hoses, and under the vehicle.
However, note that water draining from
the air conditioning is normal if it has
been used.
CAUTION
When the engine is running, keep
hands and clothing away from the
moving fan and engine drive belts.
4. If the coolant is leaking, stop the en-gine immediately. Call a Toyota dealer
for assistance.
5. If there are no obvious leaks, check the coolant reservoir. If it is dry, add
coolant to the reservoir while the en-
gine is running. Fill it about half full.
For the coolant type, see “Coolant type
selection” on page 406 in Section 7 −2.
CAUTION
Do not attempt to remove the coolant
reservoir cap when the engine and
radiator are hot. Serious injury could
result from scalding hot fluid and
steam blown out under pressure.
6. After the engine coolant temperature
has cooled to normal, again check the
coolant level in the reservoir. If neces-
sary, bring it up to half full again. Seri-
ous coolant loss indicates a leak in the
system. You s hould have it checked as
soon as possible at your Toyota dealer.
If your vehicle overheats

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Console boxRear 293 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Controls, Instrument panel 2,8 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Controls, overhead console 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Controls, steering switches 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cooling system
Coolant level 406 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine overheating 360 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Radiator and reservoir 406 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Radiator cap 360 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Winter driving tips 346 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Corrosion prevention 382 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cruise control 168 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cup holder
Front 294 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear 294 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
D
Defogger
Outside rear view mirror 122 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear window 122
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dimmer switch, Headlight 114
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dinghy towing 347
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Directional signals 114
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Do −it−yourself maintenance
Parts and tools 400
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Service precautions 399
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Does your vehicle need repairing? 393 . . . . .
Doors
Back door 26
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Side doors 22
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Downhill assist control system 158
. . . . . . . . .
Driver ’s seat belt reminder buzzer 129 . . . . . .
Driver ’s seat belt reminder light 129 . . . . . . . . Driving
Automatic transmission 143,147
. . . . . . . . .
Driving tips 342
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Driving in the rain 344
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Driving tips
Driving in the rain 344
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Driving tips in various conditions 343 . . . . .
Driving with an automatic transmission 143,147
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Economical driving 353
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Good driving practice 143,147
. . . . . . . . . . .
Winter driving tips 346
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
During
Break −in 309
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DVD player 194
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
E
Economical driving
Saving money on both fuel and repairs 353 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Electric moon roof 30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Electric power steering system 320 . . . . . . . .
Electric power steering system warning light 129 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Electrical system
Battery 418,420 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fuse locations 398 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fuses 420 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Emergency flasher switch 116 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Emergency, In case of
Blown fuse 420 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Emergency flasher switch 116 . . . . . . . . . . .
Flat tire 361 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . If you cannot increase
engine speed 359 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If you cannot shift automatic transmission selector lever 378 . . . . . . . .
If you lose your keys 379 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If your engine stalls while driving 359 . . . . .
If your vehicle becomes stuck 373 . . . . . . .
If your vehicle needs to be towed 373 . . . . .
If your vehicle will not start 356 . . . . . . . . . .
Jump starting 357 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overheating 360 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Towing 373 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance (I/M) programs 394 . . . . . . . . .
Engine
Before starting the engine 342 . . . . . . . . . . .
Checking the coolant level 406 . . . . . . . . . .
Emission control device 312 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine compartment 396 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exhaust gas caution 313 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hood release 27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Identification number 322 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Oil consumption 314 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Oil level 404 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overheating 360 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Starting procedure 342 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Three −way catalytic converters 312 . . . . . .
Engine coolant
Temperature gauge 126 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Winter driving tips 346 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine coolant temperature gauge 126 . . . . .
Engine immobilizer system 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine oil
Winter driving tips 346 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .