2009 TOYOTA CAMRY Owners Manual

345
4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
■Tire inflation pressure check interval
You should check tire inflation pressure every two weeks, or at least
once a month.
Do not forget to check the spare.
■
Inspection and adjustment procedure
Tire valve
Tire pressure gauge
Remove the tire valve cap.
Press the tip of the tire pressure gauge onto the tire valve.
Read the pressure using the graduations of the gauge.
If the tire inflation pressure is not at the recommended level
adjust the pressure.
If you add too much air, pres s the center of the valve to
lower.
After completing the tire inflation pressure measurement
and adjustment, apply soapy water to the valve and check
for leakage.
Reinstall the tire valve cap.
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STEP2
STEP3
STEP4
STEP5
STEP6

346 4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
■Effects of incorrect tire inflation pressure
Driving with incorrect tire inflation pressure ma y result in the following:
●Reduced fuel efficiency
●Reduced driving comfort and tire life
●Reduced safety
●Damage to the drive train
If a tire needs frequent re filling, have it checked by your Toyota dealer.
■Instructions for checking tire inflation pressure
When checking tire inflation pressure, observe the following:
●Check only when the tires are cold.
If your vehicle has been parked for at least 3 hours and has not been
driven for more than 1 mile or 1.5 km, you will get an accurate cold
tire inflation pressure reading.
●Always use a tire pressure gauge.
The appearance of the tire can be mi sleading. In addition, tire infla-
tion pressures that are even just a few pounds off can degrade ride
and handling.
●Do not bleed or reduce tire inflation pressure after driving. It is normal
for the tire inflation pressure to be higher after driving.
●Never exceed the vehicle capacity weight.
Passengers and luggage weight should be placed so that the vehicle
is balanced.

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4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
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Maintenance and care
CAUTION
■Proper inflation is critical
to save tire performance
Keep your tires properly inflated. Otherwise, the following conditions
may occur and result in an accident causing death or serious injury.
●Excessive wear
●Uneven wear
●Poor handling
●Possibility of blowouts resulting from overheated tires
●Poor sealing of the tire bead
●Wheel deformation and/or tire separation
●A greater possibility of tire damage from road hazards
NOTICE
■When inspecting and adjusting tire inflation pressure
Be sure to reinstall the tire valve caps.
Without the valve caps, dirt or mo isture could get into the valve and
cause air leakage, which could result in an accident. If the caps have
been lost, replace them as soon as possible.

348
4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Wheels
■When replacing wheels
The wheels of your Toyota are equipped with tire pressure warning
valves and transmitters that allow the tire pressure warning system to
provide advanced warning in the event of a loss in tire inflation pressure.
Whenever wheels are replaced, the tire pressure warning valves and
transmitters must be switched over from the old wheels. (→P. 336)
If a wheel is bent, cracked or heavily corroded, it should be
replaced. Otherwise, the tire may separate from the wheel or
cause loss of handling control.
■ Wheel selection
When replacing wheels, care should be taken to ensure that
they are equivalent to those remo ved in load capacity, diameter,
rim width, and offset.
Replacement wheels are available at your Toyota dealer.
Toyota does not recommend using:
● Wheels of different sizes or types
● Used wheels
● Bent wheels that have been straightened
■ Aluminum wheel precautions
●Use only Toyota wheel nuts and wrenches designed for use
with your aluminum wheels.
● When rotating, repairing or chang ing your tires, check that the
wheel nuts are still tight afte r driving 1000 miles (1600 km).
● Be careful not to damage the aluminum wheels when using
tire chains.
● Use only Toyota genuine bala nce weights or equivalent and
use a plastic or rubber hammer when balancing your wheels.

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4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
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Maintenance and care
CAUTION
■When replacing wheels
●Do not use wheels that are a different size from those recommended in
the Owner’s Manual, as this may result in loss of handling control.
●Never use an inner tube in a leaking wheel which is designed for a
tubeless tire. Doing so may result
in an accident, causing serious
injury or death.
NOTICE
■Replacing tire pressure warning valves and transmitters
●Because tire repair or replacement may affect the tire pressure warn-
ing valves and transmitters, make sure to have tires serviced by your
Toyota dealer or other qualified service shop. In addition, make sure to
purchase your tire pressure warning valves and transmitters at your
Toyota dealer.
●Ensure that only genuine Toyota wheels are used on your vehicle.
Tire pressure warning valves and transmitters may not work properly
with non-genuine wheels.

350
4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Air conditioning filter
The air conditioning filter must be cleaned or changed regularly to
maintain air conditioning efficiency.
■ Removal method
Vehicles with smart key system: Turn the “ENGINE START
STOP” switch OFF.
Vehicles without smart key sy stem: Turn the engine switch
OFF.
Open the glove box. Slide off
the damper.
Apply pressure to the glove
box as shown to disconnect
the claws.
Remove the filter cover.
STEP1
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STEP3
STEP4

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4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
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Maintenance and care
■
Checking interval
Inspect, clean and replace the air conditioning filter according to the mainte-
nance schedule. In dusty areas or areas with heavy traffic flow, more fre-
quent cleaning or early replacement may be required. (For scheduled
maintenance information, please refer to the “Scheduled Maintenance
Guide” or “Owner’s Manual Supplement”.)
■ If air flow from the vents decreases dramatically
The filter may be clogged. Check the filter and replace if necessary.
■ Cleaning method
If the filter is dirty, clean by
blowing compressed air
through the filter from the
downward side.
Hold the air gun 2 in. (5 cm)
from the filter and blow for
approximately 2 minutes at 72
psi (500 kPa, 5.0 kgf/cm
2 or
bar).
If it is not available, have the
filter cleaned by your Toyota
dealer.
■ Replacement method
Remove the air conditioning
filter and replace it with a new
one.
The “\bUP” marks shown on
the filter should be pointing up.

352 4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the system
●When using the air conditioning system, make sure that a filter is always
installed.
● When cleaning the filter, do not clean the filter with water.