2008 TOYOTA tC Owners Manual (in English)

153

Oil is also used to lubricate the stems
of the intake valves. Some of this oil
is sucked into the combustion chamber
together with the intake air and is
burned along with the fuel. High tem-
perature exhaust gases also burn the
oil used to lubricate the exhaust valve
stems.
The amount of engine oil consumed de-
pends on the viscosity of the oil, the
quality of the oil and the conditions the
vehicle is driven under.
More oil is consumed by high–speed driv-
ing and frequent acceleration and decel-
eration.
A new engine consumes more oil, since
its pistons, piston rings and cylinder walls
have not become conditioned.
Oil consumption: Max. 1.0 L per 1000
km (1.1 qt./600 miles, 0.9 lmp.qt./600
miles)
When judging the amount of oil con-
sumption, note that the oil may become
diluted and make it difficult to judge
the true level accurately. As an example, if a vehicle is used for
repeated short trips, and consumes a nor-
mal amount of oil, the dipstick may not
show any drop in the oil level at all, even
after 1000 km (600 miles) or more. This
is because the oil is gradually becoming
diluted with fuel or moisture, making it
appear that the oil level has not changed.
The diluting ingredients evaporate out
when the vehicle is then driven at high
speeds, as on an express way, making it
appear that oil is excessively consumed
after driving at high speeds.
IMPORTANCE OF ENGINE OIL LEVEL
CHECK
One of the most important points in prop-
er vehicle maintenance is to keep the en-
gine oil at the optimum level so that oil
function will not be impaired. Therefore, it
is essential that the oil level be checked
regularly. Scion recommends that the oil
level be checked every time you refuel
the vehicle.
NOTICE
Failure to check the oil level regularly
could lead to serious engine trouble
due to insufficient oil.
For detailed information on oil level check,
see “Checking the engine oil level” on
page 232.

154
20T002
Your engine is fitted with iridium–tipped
spark plugs.
NOTICE
Use only iridium–tipped spark plugs.
Do not adjust gaps for engine perfor-
mance or smooth drivability.
Brake system
The tandem master cylinder brake system
is a hydraulic system with two separate
sub–systems. If either sub–system should
fail, the other will still work. However, the
pedal will be harder to press, and your
stopping distance will increase. Also, the
brake system warning light may come on.
CAUTION
Do not drive your vehicle with only a
single brake system. Have your
brakes fixed immediately.
BRAKE BOOSTER
The brake booster uses engine vacuum to
power–assist the brakes. If the engine
should quit while you are driving, you can
bring the vehicle to a stop with normal
pedal pressure. There is enough reserved
vacuum for one or two stops but no more!
CAUTION
Do not pump the brake pedal if the
engine stalls. Each push on the
pedal uses up your reserved vacu-
um.
Even if the power assist is com-
pletely lost, the brakes will still
work. But you will have to push the
pedal hard, much harder than nor-
mal. And your braking distance will
increase.
ANTI–LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM
The anti–lock brake system is designed
to automatically help prevent lock–up of
the wheels during a sudden braking or
braking on slippery road surfaces. This
assists in providing directional stab ility
and steering performance of the vehicle
under these circumstances.
Iridium–tipped spark plugs

155
Effective way to press the ABS brake
pedal:
When the anti–lock brake system func-
tion is in action, you may feel the brake
pedal pulsating and hear a noise. In this
situation, to let the anti–lock brake sys-
tem work for you, just hold the brake
pedal down more firmly. Do not pump
the brake in a panic stop. This will re-
sult in reduced braking performance.
The anti–lock brake system becomes op-
erative after the vehicle has accelerated
to a speed in excess of approximately 10
km/h (6 mph). It stops operating when the
vehicle decelerates to a speed below
approximately 5 km/h (3 mph).
Depressing the brake pedal on slippery
road surfaces such as on a manhole cov-
er, a steel plate at a construction site,
joints in a bridge, etc. on a rainy day
tends to activate the anti–lock brake sys-
tem.
You may hear a click or motor sound in
the engine compartment for a few seconds
when the engine is started or just after
the vehicle begins to move. This means
that the anti–lock brake system is in the
self–check mode, and does not indicate a
malfunction. When the anti–lock brake system is ac-
tivated, the following conditions may
occur. They do not indicate a malfunc-
tion of the system:
You may hear the anti–lock brake sys-
tem operating and feel the brake pedal
pulsating and the vibrations of the ve-
hicle body and steering wheel. You
may also hear the motor sound in the
engine compartment even after the ve-
hicle is stopped.
At the end of the anti–lock brake sys-
tem activation, the brake pedal may
move a little forward.
CAUTION
Do not overestimate the anti–lock
brake system: Although the anti–lock
brake system assists in providing ve-
hicle control, it is still important to
drive with all due care and maintain
a moderate speed and safe distance
from the vehicle in front of you, be-
cause there are limits to the vehicle
stability and effectiveness of steering
wheel operation even with the an-
ti–lock brake system on.
If tire grip performance exceeds its
capability, or if hydroplaning occurs
during high speed driving in the rain,
the anti–lock brake system does not
provide vehicle control.

156
Anti–lock brake system is not de-
signed to shorten the stopping dis-
tance: Always drive at a moderate
speed and maintain a safe distance
from the vehicle in front of you.
Compared with vehicles without an
anti–lock brake system, your vehicle
may require a longer stopping dis-
tance in the following cases:
Driving on rough, gravel or
snow–covered roads.
Driving with tire chains installed.
Driving over the steps such as the
joints on the road.
Driving on roads where the road
surface is pitted or has other differ-
ences in surface height.
Install all 4 tires of specified size at
appropriate pressure: The anti–lock
brake system detects vehicle speeds
using the speed sensors for respec-
tive wheels’ turning speeds. The use
of tires other than specified may fail
to detect the accurate turning speed
resulting in a longer stopping dis-
tance.
“ABS” warning light
This light comes on when the ignition
key is turned to the “ON” position. If
the anti–lock brake system works prop-
erly, the light turns off after a few sec-
onds. Thereafter, if the system malfunc-
tions, the light comes on again.
When the “ABS” warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), the
anti–lock brake system does not operate,
but the brake system still operates con-
ventionally. When the “ABS” warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), the
anti–lock brake system does not operate
so that the wheels could lock up during
a sudden braking or braking on slippery
road surfaces.
If any of the following conditions oc-
curs, this indicates a malfunction some-
where in the components monitored by
the warning light system. Contact your
Scion dealer as soon as possible to
service the vehicle.
When the ignition key is turned to the
“ON” position, the light does not come
on or remains on.
The light comes on while you are driv-
ing.
A warning light turning on briefly during
operation does not indicate a problem.

157
CAUTION
If the “ABS” warning light remains on
together with the brake system warn-
ing light, immediately stop your ve-
hicle at a safe place and contact your
Scion dealer.
In this case, not only the anti–lock
brake system will fail but also the
vehicle will become extremely unsta-
ble during braking.
DRUM–IN–DISC TYPE PARKING BRAKE
SYSTEM
Your vehicle has a drum–in–disc type
parking brake system. This type of brake
system needs bedding–down of the brake
shoes periodically or whenever the parking
brake shoes and/or drums are replaced.
Have your Scion dealer perform the bed-
ding–down.
Brake pad wear limit indicators
The brake pad wear limit indicators on
your disc brakes give a warning noise
when the brake pads are worn to where
replacement is required.
If you hear a squealing or scraping noise
while driving, have the brake pads
checked and replaced by your Scion deal-
er as soon as possible. Expensive rotor
damage can result if the pads are not
replaced when necessary.The vehicle identification number (VIN)
is the legal identifier for your vehicle.
This number is on the left top of the
instrument panel, and can be seen
through the windshield from outside.
This is the primary identification number
for your Scion. It is used in registering
the ownership of your vehicle.
Your Scion’s identification—
—Vehicle identification
number

158
The vehicle identification number (VIN) is
also on the Certification Label.
—Engine number
20T006
The engine number is stamped on the
engine block as shown.
Theft prevention labels
Your new vehicle carries theft preven-
tion labels which are approximately 56
mm (2.20 in.) by 16 mm (0.63 in.).
The purpose of these labels is to reduce
the incidence of vehicle thefts by facilitat-
ing the tracing and recovery of parts from
stolen vehicles. The label is designed so
that once it is applied to a surface, any
attempt to remove it will result in destroy-
ing the integrity of the label. Transferring
these labels intact from one part to anoth-
er will be impossible.
NOTICE
You should not attempt to remove the
theft prevention labels as it may vio-
late certain state or federal laws.

159
Suspension and chassis
CAUTION
Do not modify the suspension/chassis
with lift kits, spacers, springs, etc. It
can cause dangerous handling charac-
teristics, resulting in loss of control.

160This illustration indicates typical tire
symbols.
1. Tire size— For details, see “Tire
size” on page 164.
2. DOT and Tire Identification Number (TIN)— For details, see
“DOT and Tire Identification Num-
ber (TIN)” on page 163.
3. Location of treadwear indica- tors— For details, see “Checking
and replacing tires” on page 239.
4. Tire ply composition and materi- als— Plies mean a layer of rub-
ber–coated parallel cords. Cords
mean the strands forming the plies
in the tire.
5. Summer tire or all season tire— An all season tire has “M+S”
on the sidewall. The tire not
marked with “M+S” is a summer
tire. For details, see “Types of
tires” on page 178.
6. Radial tires or bias–ply tires— A
radial tire has “radial” on the side-
wall. A tire not marked with “radial”
is a bias–ply tire.
Tire information—
—Tire symbols (Standard tire)
20T015