2008 TOYOTA RAV4 Engine

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2008 RAV4 from Feb. ’08 Prod. (OM42726U)
Without electric moon roof
With electric moon roof
The personal lights operate separately
with each lens.
To turn on the light, push the lens on your
side. To turn the light off, push the lens
once again.
The personal light switch has the following
positions:
“DOOR”—Turns the lights on when any of
the side doors is opened. For details, see
“Illuminated entry system” on page 119 in
this Section.
“OFF”—Turn the lights on only when you
push the lens.
INTERIOR LIGHT CUT OFF OPERATION
To prevent the battery being discharged,
the light will automatically turn off when
the engine switch is in the “LOCK” posi-
tion and the door is left opened with the
switch at the “DOOR” position for 20 min-
utes or more.
Personal lightsLuggage compartment light

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2008 RAV4 from Feb. ’08 Prod. (OM42726U)
To turn on the luggage compartment
light, push the luggage compartment
light switch upwards. The light turn on
when the back door is opened. The
light goes off when the back door is
closed.The following lights will come on when
any of the side doors are opened. After
all the side doors are closed, the lights
remain on for about 15 seconds before
fading out.1. Engine switch light
2. Personal lights (with the “DOOR” posi- tion)
3. Interior light (with the “DOOR” position)
4. Foot lights
When any of the side doors are unlocked,
the lights will come on and remain on for
about 15 seconds before fading out.
If all the doors are closed, when the en-
gine switch is turned to the “LOCK” posi-
tion, the lights will come on and remain
on for about 15 seconds.
The duration of the lighting can be
changed. For details, ask your Toyota
dealer.
If all the doors are closed and the engine
switch is in the “ACC” position, the engine
switch light and interior light will fade out.
If all the doors are locked, all the lights
will fade out.
Illuminated entry system

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2008 RAV4 from Feb. ’08 Prod. (OM42726U)
To prevent the battery being discharged,
the lights will automatically turn off when
the key is removed and the door is left
opened for about 20 minutes.
FOOT LIGHTS
The foot lights also come on when the
engine switch is in the “ON” position with
the automatic transmission selector lever
in the “P” position. When the selector le-
ver is moved out of “P” position, the foot
lights will be dimmed.
This operation can be customized. For de-
tails, ask your Toyota dealer.
To turn on the windshield wipers, move
the lever to the desired setting.
The engine switch must be in the “ON”
position.Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Intermittentoperation
Position 2Low speedoperation
Position 3High speed operation
For a single sweep of the windshield,
push the lever up and release it. The “INT” band lets you adjust the wiping
time interval when the wiper lever is in
the intermittent position (position 1). Twist
the band upward to decrease the time
between sweeps, and downward to in-
crease it.
To squirt washer fluid, pull the lever
toward you.
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 422 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

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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.
To turn on the rear window wiper, twist
the lever knob upward.
The engine switch must be in the “ON”
position.Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Intermittentoperation
Position 2Normal operation
To squirt washer fluid on the rear window,
twist the knob upward or downward as far
as it will go (position 3 or 4). The knob
automatically returns from these positions
after you release it. The rear window wip-
er operates while the washer squirts. For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see “Adding washer fluid” on page 422 in
Section 7
−3.
NOTICE
Do not operate the rear wiper if the
rear window is dry. It may scratch the
glass.
Rear window wiper and
washer

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To deice the windshield wiper blades,
push the switch.
The engine switch must be in the “ON”
position.
The system will automatically shut off af-
ter the deicer has operated about 15 min-
utes. An indicator light will illuminate to
indicate the deicer is operating.
If further deicing is desired, simply actuate
the switch again. When the wiper blades
have deiced, push the switch once again
to turn the deicer off. Continuous use may
cause the battery to discharge, especially
during stop−and−go driving.Manual air conditioning system
Automatic air conditioning system
To defog or defrost the rear window,
push the switch.
The engine switch must be in the “ON”
position.
The thin heater wires on the inside of the
rear window will quickly clear the window
surface. An indicator light will illuminate to
indicate the defogger is operating.
On some models, the heater panels in the
outside rear view mirrors will also quickly
clear the surfaces.
Push the switch once again to turn the
defoggers off.
The system will automatically shut off af-
ter the defoggers have operated about 15
minutes.
CAUTION
On some models: Since the mirror
surfaces can get hot, do not touch
them when the switch is on.
Windshield wiper deicer Rear window and outside rear
view mirror defoggers

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OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Gauges, Meters and Service reminder indicators
Fuel gauge126
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Engine coolant temperature gauge 126
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Tachometer 127
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Odometer and two trip meters 127
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Outside temperature display 128
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Service reminder indicators and warning buzzers 129
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SECTION 1 6

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The gauge indicates the approximate
quantity of fuel remaining in the tank
when the engine switch is in the “ON”
position.
Nearly full—Needle at “F”
Nearly empty—Needle at “E”
It is a good idea to keep the tank over
1/4 full.
The needle moves when braking, acceler-
ating or making turns. This is caused by
the movement of the fuel in the tank.
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 engine switch is
in the “ON” position. The engine oper-
ating 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.
Fuel gauge
Engine coolant temperature
gauge

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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 360 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.
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