3374-6. Driving tips
4
Driving
4RUNNER (U)
NOTICE
■To prevent water damage
Take all necessary safety measures to ensure that water damage to the
engine or other components does not occur.
● Water entering the engine air intake will cause severe engine d amage.
● Water entering the automatic transmission will cause deteriorat ion in shift
quality, locking up of your transmission accompanied by vibrati on, and ulti-
mately damage.
● Water can wash the grease from wheel bearings, causing rusting and pre-
mature failure, and may also enter the differentials, transmission and
transfer case, reducing the gear oil’s lubricating qualities.
■ When you drive through water
If driving through water, such as when crossing shallow streams , first check
the depth of the water and the bottom of the riverbed for firmn ess. Drive
slowly and avoid deep water.
■ Inspection after off-road driving
● Sand and mud that has accumulated in brake drums and around bra ke
discs may affect braking efficiency and may damage brake system compo-
nents.
● Always perform a maintenance inspection after each day of off-r oad driv-
ing that has taken you through rough terrain, sand, mud, or wat er. For
scheduled maintenance information, refer to the “Scheduled Main tenance
Guide” or “Owner’s Manual Supplement”.
391
Maintenance and care6
4RUNNER (U)6-1. Maintenance and care
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior .......... 392
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle interior ........... 395
6-2. Maintenance Maintenance requirements ................... 398
General maintenance........ 400
Emission inspection and maintenance (I/M)
programs......................... 403
6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Do-it-yourself service precautions ..................... 404
Hood ................................. 407
Engine compartment ......... 408
Tires .................................. 422
Tire inflation pressure ....... 436
Wheels .............................. 439
Air conditioning filter.......... 441
Wireless remote control/ electronic key battery ...... 443
Checking and replacing fuses ............................... 446
Light bulbs......................... 449
392
4RUNNER (U)
6-1. Maintenance and care
●Working from top to bottom, liberally apply water to the vehicl e
body, wheel wells and underside of the vehicle to remove any di rt
and dust.
● Wash the vehicle body using a sponge or soft cloth, such as a
chamois.
● For hard-to-remove marks, use car wash soap and rinse thoroughl y
with water.
● Wipe away any water.
● Wax the vehicle when the wate rproof coating deteriorates.
If water does not bead on a clean surface, apply wax when the vehicle
body is cool.
■Automatic car washes
●Fold the mirrors before washing the vehicle. Start washing from the front of
the vehicle. Make sure to extend the mirrors before driving.
● Brushes used in automatic car washes may scratch the vehicle su rface,
parts (wheel, etc.) and harm your vehicle’s paint.
● In certain automatic car washes, the roof antenna (if equipped) or rear
spoiler may interfere with machine operation. This may prevent the vehicle
from being cleaned properly or result in damage to the antenna or rear
spoiler.
■ High pressure car washes
As water may enter the cabin, do not bring the nozzle tip near the gaps
around the doors or perimeter of the windows, or spray these ar eas continu-
ously.
Cleaning and prot ecting the vehicle
exterior
Perform the following to protect the vehicle and maintain it in
prime condition:
3936-1. Maintenance and care
6
Maintenance and care
4RUNNER (U)■
Wheels and wheel ornaments
●Remove any dirt immediately by using a neutral detergent.
● Wash detergent off with water immediately after use.
● To protect the paint from damage, make sure to observe the following pre-
cautions.
• Do not use acidic, alkaline or abrasive detergent
• Do not use hard brushes
• Do not use detergent on the wheels when they are hot, such as after driv-
ing or parking in hot weather
■ Bumpers and side moldings
Do not scrub with abrasive cleaners.
■ Plated portions
If dirt cannot be remove, clean the parts as follows:
●Use a soft cloth dampened with an approximately 5% solution of neutral
detergent and water to clean the dirt off.
● Wipe the surface with a dry, soft cloth to remove any remaining moisture.
● To remove oily deposits, use alcohol wet wipes or a similar pro duct.
■ Notes for a smart key system (if equipped)
If the door handle becomes wet while the electronic key is within the effective
range, the door may lock and unlock repeatedly. In this case, f ollow the fol-
lowing correction procedures to wash the vehicle:
• Place the electronic key in a location 6 ft. (2 m) or more awa y from the vehi-
cle. (Take care to ensure that the key is not stolen.)
• Set the electronic key to battery-saving mode to disable the s mart key sys-
tem. ( P. 121)
WARNING
■When washing the vehicle
Do not apply water to the inside of the engine compartment. Doing so may
cause the electrical components etc. to catch fire.
■ Precautions regarding the exhaust pipe
Exhaust gases cause the exhaust pipe to become quite hot.
When washing the vehicle, be careful not to touch the pipe unti l it has
cooled sufficiently, as touching hot exhaust pipe can cause bur ns.
3946-1. Maintenance and care
4RUNNER (U)
NOTICE
■To prevent paint deterioration an d corrosion on the body and compo-
nents (aluminum wheels etc.)
● Wash the vehicle immediately in the following cases:
• After driving near the sea coast
• After driving on salted roads
• If coal tar or tree sap is present on the paint surface
• If dead insects, insect droppings or bird droppings are presen t on the
paint surface
• After driving in an area contaminated with soot, oily smoke, mine dust, iron powder or chemical substances
• If the vehicle becomes heavily soiled with dust or mud
• If liquids such as benzene and gasoline are spilled on the pai nt surface
● If the paint is chipped or scratched, have it repaired immediat ely.
● To prevent the wheels from corroding, remove any dirt and store in a place
with low humidity when storing the wheels.
■ Cleaning the exterior lights
● Wash carefully. Do not use organic substances or scrub with a h ard brush.
This may damage the surfaces of the lights.
● Do not apply wax to the surfaces of the lights.
Wax may cause damage to the lenses.
■ High pressure car washes
● Vehicles with rear view monitor system: When washing the vehicl e, do not
apply intensive bursts of water to the camera or camera area. D oing so
may result in the camera malfunctioning.
● Do not spray water directly on the radar which is equipped behind the
emblem. Otherwise it may cause the device to be damaged.
● Do not bring the nozzle tip close to boots (rubber or resin man ufactured
cover), connectors or the following parts. The parts may be dam aged if
they come into contact with high-pressure water.
• Traction related parts
• Steering parts
• Suspension parts
• Brake parts
● Keep the cleaning nozzle at least 11.9 in. (30 cm) away from th e vehicle
body. Otherwise resin section, such as moldings and bumpers, ma y be
deformed and damaged. Also, do not continuously hold the nozzle in the
same place.
● Do not spray the lower part of the windshield continuously. If water enters
the air conditioning system intake located near the lower part of the wind-
shield, the air conditioning system may not operate correctly.
● Do not wash the underside of the vehicle using a high pressure car
washer.
4016-2. Maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
4RUNNER (U)
Vehicle interior
ItemsCheck points
Accelerator pedal• The accelerator pedal should move smoothly(without uneven pedal effort or catching).
Automatic transmis-
sion “Park” mecha-
nism• When parked on a slope and the shift lever is in P,is the vehicle securely stopped?
Brake pedal
• Does the brake pedal move smoothly?
• Does the brake pedal have appropriate clearancefrom the floor? ( P. 527)
• Does the brake pedal have the correct amount of
free play? ( P. 527)
Brakes
• The vehicle should not pull to one side when the
brakes are applied.
• The brakes should work effectively.
• The brake pedal should not feel spongy.
• The brake pedal should not get too close to the floor when the brakes are applied.
Head restraints• Do the head restraints move smoothly and locksecurely?
Indicators/buzzers• Do the indicators and buzzers function properly?
Lights • Do all the lights come on?
Parking brake
• Does the parking brake pedal move smoothly?
• When parked on a slope and the parking brake is
on, is the vehicle securely stopped?
Seat belts• Do the seat belts operate smoothly?
• The seat belts should not be damaged.
Seats• Do the seat controls operate properly?
Steering wheel
• Does the steering wheel rotate smoothly?
• Does the steering wheel have the correct amountof free play?
• There should not be any strange sounds coming
from the steering wheel.
4026-2. Maintenance
4RUNNER (U)
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors• Do the doors operate smoothly?
Engine hood• Does the engine hood lock system work properly?
Fluid leaks• There should not be any signs of fluid leakageafter the vehicle has been parked.
Tires
• Is the tire inflation pressure correct?
• The tires should not be damaged or excessively
worn.
• Have the tires been rotated according to the maintenance schedule?
• The wheel nuts should not be loose.
Windshield wipers/
rear window wiper
• The wiper blades should not show any signs of cracking, splitting, wear, contamination or defor-
mation.
• The wiper blades should clear the windshield/rear
window without streaking or skipping.
WARNING
■If the engine is running
Turn the engine off and ensure that there is adequate ventilati on before per-
forming maintenance checks.
4256-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
4RUNNER (U)
◆Installing tire pressure warning valve and transmitters
When replacing the tires or wheels, the tire pressure warning v alve
and transmitters must be install ed to the wheels which will be
installed to the vehicle.
When new tire pressure warning valve and transmitters are
installed, new ID codes must be registered in the tire pressure
warning computer and the tire pressure warning system must be
initialized. ( P. 426)
◆Initializing the tire pressure warning system
■The tire pressure warning system must be initialized in the fol-
lowing circumstances:
● When the tire inflation pressure is changed such as when chang-
ing traveling speed or load weight.
● When the tire inflation pressure is changed such as when the ti re
size is changed.
● When rotating the tires.
● After performing the transmitter ID code registration procedure .
( P. 426)
When the tire pressure warning sy stem is initialized, the current tire
inflation pressure is set as the benchmark pressure.
■How to initialize the tire pressure warning system
Park the vehicle in a safe place and turn the engine switch off .
The initialization procedure cannot be started while the vehicle is
moving.
Adjust the tire inflation pressure to the specified cold tire i nflation
pressure level. ( P. 528)
Make sure to adjust the tire pre ssure to the specified cold tire infla-
tion pressure level. The tire pressure warning system will oper ate
based on this pr essure level.
Start the engine. ( P. 209, 212)
Select on the multi-information display using the meter con-
trol switches on the steering wheel. ( P. 9 6 )
Select “Vehicle Settings” and then press and hold .
Select “TPWS” and then press .
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