Content .. 10 11 12 13 ..

Toyota Supra (1998 year). Instruction - part 12

SUPRA (U)

Checking tire pressure

c. Reinstall the filler cap.

Low tire pressure results in excessive

wear, poor handling, reduced fuel econo-

d. Remove the filler cap again and look at

my, and the possibility of blowouts from

the fluid level. If the fluid is cold, the level

overheated tires. Also, low tire pressure

should be in the ”COLD” range on the dip-

can cause poor sealing of the tire bead.

stick. Similarly, if it is hot, the fluid level

If the tire pressure is excessively low,

should be in the

”HOT” range. If the level

there is the possibility of wheel deforma-

is at

the low side of either range, add

tion and/or tire separation.

automatic transmission fluid DEXRONrII or

III to bring the level within the range.

High tire pressure produces a harsh ride,

handling problems, excessive wear at the

e. After replacing the filler cap, visually

center of the tire tread, and a greater

check the steering box case, vane pump

possibility of tire damage from road haz-

and hose connections for leaks or dam-

ards.

age.

If a tire frequently needs refilling, have it

Keep your tire pressures at the proper

CAUTION

checked by your Toyota dealer.

level.

The following instructions for checking

The recommended cold tire pressures, tire

The reservoir tank may be hot so be

tire pressure should be observed:

sizes and the vehicle capacity weight are

careful not to burn yourself.

given in Part 8. They are also on the tire

D The pressure should be checked only

pressure label as shown.

when the tires are cold. If your ve-

hicle has been parked for at least

NOTICE

You should check the tire pressures every

hours and has not been driven for

two weeks, or at least once a month. And

Avoid overfilling, or the power steer-

more than 1.5 km or 1 mile since, you

don’t forget the spare!

ing could be damaged.

will get an accurate cold tire pressure

Incorrect tire pressure can reduce tire

reading.

life and make your vehicle less safe to

D Always use a tire pressure gauge.

drive.

The appearance of a tire can be mis-

leading. Besides, tire pressures that

are even just a few pounds off can

degrade handling and ride.

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SUPRA (U)

Checking and replacing tires

D Take special care when adding air to

Your Supra has been fitted with specially

the compact spare tire. The smaller

developed tires which provide exceptional

tire size can gain pressure very quick-

dynamic performance under general road

ly. Add compressed air in small quanti-

conditions. However you may also notice

ties and check the pressure often until

that your tires will wear more rapidly and

it reaches the specified pressure.

tire grip performance will be reduced on

the snowy and/or icy roads when

D Do not bleed or reduce tire pressure

compared to standard tires. Be sure to

after driving. It is normal for the tire

have snow tires or tire chains on the

pressure to be higher after driving.

snowy and/or icy roads and drive carefully

D Never exceed the vehicle capacity

with speed appropriate for road conditions.

weight. The passenger and luggage

The effectiveness of snow tires is lost

weight should be located so that the

if the tread wears down below

4 mm

vehicle is balanced.

(0.16 in.).

D Be sure to reinstall the tire inflation

CHECKING YOUR TIRES

Check the tires regularly for damage

valve caps. Without the valve caps,

Check the tire tread for the tread wear

such as cuts, splits and cracks. If any

dirt or moisture could get into the valve

indicators. If the indicators show, re-

damage is found, consult with a techni-

core and cause air leakage. If the caps

place the tires.

cian and have the tire repaired or re-

have been lost, have new ones put on

The tires on your Toyota have built−in

placed.

as soon as possible.

tread wear indicators to help you know

Even if the damage does not appear seri-

when the tires need replacement. When

ous, a qualified technician should examine

the tread depth wears to

1.6 mm

(0.06

the damage. Objects which have pene-

in.) or less, the indicators will appear. If

trated the tire may have caused internal

you can see the indicators in two or more

damage.

adjacent grooves, the tire should be re-

Any tires which are over six years old

placed. The lower the tread, the higher

must be checked by a qualified techni-

the risk of skidding.

cian even if damage is not obvious.

Tires deteriorate with age even if they

have never or seldom been used.

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SUPRA (U)

Rotating tires

This also applies to the spare tire and

When a tire is replaced, the wheel

tires stored for future use.

should always be balanced.

REPLACING YOUR TIRES

An unbalanced wheel may affect vehicle

handling and tire life. Wheels can get out

When replacing a tire, use only the

of balance with regular use and should

same size and construction as original-

therefore be balanced occasionally.

ly installed and with the same or great-

er load capacity.

When replacing a tubeless tire, the air

valve should also be replaced with a

Using any other size or type of tire may

new one.

seriously affect handling, ride, speedome-

ter/odometer calibration, ground clearance,

and clearance between the body and tires

or snow chains.

CAUTION

Do not perform rotation of the tires,

from front to rear or from left to right,

D Do not mix radial, bias belted, or

or using the compact spare tire. Per-

bias−ply tires on your vehicle. It

forming such tire rotation may result in

can cause dangerous handling char-

the tires interfering with the body or in

acteristics, resulting in loss of con-

uneven wear of the tires, so that steer-

trol.

ability of the vehicle is impaired.

D Do not use tires or wheels other

Tires with turning direction indicator—

than the manufacturer’s recom-

The tire is a uni−directional type and can-

mended size.

not be used for tire rotation. Using the tire

on the opposite side to the designated

side will impair the tire performance.

Toyota recommends all four tires, or at

least both of the front or rear tires be

The compact spare tire—

replaced at a time as a set.

The tire is designed for temporary use

only and cannot be used for tire rotation.

See ”If you have a flat tire” in Part

4 for

tire change procedure.

167

SUPRA (U)

Installing snow tires and

chains

WHEN TO USE SNOW TIRES OR

CHAIN INSTALLATION

CHAINS

CAUTION

Install the chains on the rear tires as

Snow tires or chains are recommended

tightly as possible. Do not use tire

D Do not drive with the snow tires

when driving on snow or ice.

chains on the front tires. Retighten

incorrectly inflated.

chains after driving

0.5—1.0 km

On wet or dry roads, conventional tires

D Never drive over 120 km/h (75 mph)

(1/4—1/2 mile).

provide better traction than snow tires.

with any type of snow tires.

When installing chains on your tires, care-

SNOW TIRE SELECTION

fully follow the instructions of the chain

If you need snow tires, select the same

TIRE CHAIN SELECTION

manufacturer.

size, construction and load capacity as

Use the tire chains of correct size and

If wheel covers are used, they will be

the original tires on your Toyota.

type.

scratched by the chain band, so remove

Do not use tires other than those men-

Use SAE Class ”S” type radial tire chains

the covers before putting on the chains.

tioned above. Do not install studded tires

except radial cable chains or V−bar type

without first checking local regulations for

chains.

CAUTION

possible restrictions.

Regulations regarding the use of tire

SNOW TIRE INSTALLATION

D Do not exceed 50 km/h (30 mph) or

chains vary according to location or

Snow tires should be installed on all

type of road, so always check them

the chain manufacturer’s recom-

mended speed limit, whichever is

wheels.

before installing chains.

lower.

Installing snow tires on the rear wheels

NOTICE

D Drive carefully avoiding bumps,

only can lead to an excessive difference

in road grip capability between the front

holes, and sharp turns, which may

Do not install tire chains on the

cause the vehicle to bounce.

and rear tires which could cause loss of

255/40ZR17 tires, as this could dam-

vehicle control.

D Avoid sharp turns or locked−wheel

age the vehicle body.

When storing removed tires, you should

braking, as use of chains may ad-

versely affect vehicle handling.

store them in a cool dry place.

Mark the direction of rotation and be sure

to install them in the same direction when

replacing.

168

SUPRA (U)

Replacing wheels

WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR WHEELS

Replacement with used wheels is not rec-

NOTICE

ommended as they may have been sub-

If you have wheel damage such as

jected to rough treatment or high mileage

Do not attempt to use a tire chain on

bending, cracks or heavy corrosion, the

the compact spare tire, as it may re-

wheel should be replaced.

and could fail without warning. Also, bent

sult in damage to the vehicle as well

wheels which have been straightened may

If you fail to replace damaged wheels, the

as the tire.

have structural damage and therefore

tire may slip off the wheel or they may

should not be used. Never use an inner

cause loss of handling control.

tube in a leaking wheel which is designed

WHEEL SELECTION

for a tubeless tire.

When replacing wheels, care should be

taken to ensure that the wheels are re-

placed by ones with the same load ca-

pacity, diameter, rim width, and offset.

This must be observed on compact spare

tires, too.

Correct replacement wheels are available

at your Toyota dealer.

A wheel of a different size or type may

adversely affect handling, wheel and bear-

ing life, brake cooling, speedometer/odom-

eter calibration, stopping ability, headlight

aim, bumper height, vehicle ground clear-

ance, and tire or snow chain clearance to

the body and chassis.

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SUPRA (U)

Aluminum wheel precautions

D After driving your vehicle the first 1600

km (1000 miles), check that the wheel

nuts are tight.

D If you have repaired or changed your

tires, check that the wheel nuts are

still tight after driving

1600 km (1000

miles).

D When using tire chains, be careful not

to damage the aluminum wheels.

D Use only the Toyota wheel nuts and

wrench designed for your aluminum

wheels.

D When balancing your wheels, use only

Toyota balance weights or equivalent

and a plastic or rubber hammer.

D As with any wheel, periodically check

your aluminum wheels for damage. If

damaged, replace immediately.

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SUPRA (U)

Checking battery condition—

—Precautions

Part 7

DO−IT−YOURSELF

CAUTION

D If electrolyte gets on your skin,

thoroughly wash the contact area. If

MAINTENANCE—

BATTERY PRECAUTIONS

you feel pain or burning, get medi-

cal attention immediately.

The battery produces flammable and

Chapter 7−3

explosive hydrogen gas.

D If electrolyte gets on your clothes,

there is a possibility of its soaking

D Do not cause a spark from the bat-

Electrical components

through to your skin, so immediate-

tery with tools.

ly take off the exposed clothing and

D Do not smoke or light a match near

D Checking battery condition

follow the procedure above, if nec-

the battery.

essary.

D Battery recharging precautions

The electrolyte contains poisonous

D If you happen to swallow electro-

D Checking and replacing fuses

and corrosive sulfuric acid.

lyte, drink a large quantity of water

D Adding washer fluid

D Avoid contact with eyes, skin or

or milk. Follow with milk of magne-

clothes.

sia, beaten raw egg or vegetable

D Checking the headlight aim

oil. Then go immediately for emer-

D Never ingest electrolyte.

gency help.

D Replacing light bulbs

D Wear protective safety glasses when

working near the battery.

D Keep children away from the bat-

tery.

EMERGENCY MEASURES

D If electrolyte gets in your eyes,

flush your eyes with clean water

immediately and get immediate

medical attention. If possible, con-

tinue to apply water with a sponge

or cloth while en route to the medi-

cal office.

171

SUPRA (U)

—Checking battery exterior

—Checking battery fluid

NOTICE

z Be sure the engine and all accesso-

ries are off before performing main-

tenance.

z When checking the battery, remove

the ground cable from the negative

terminal

(”-” mark) first and rein-

stall it last.

z Be careful not to cause a short cir-

cuit with tools.

z Take care no solution gets into the

battery when washing it.

Check the battery for corroded or loose

CHECKING BY THE HYDROMETER

terminal connections, cracks, or loose

Check the battery condition by the

hold−down clamp.

hydrometer color.

a. If the battery is corroded, wash it off

Hydrometer color

with a solution of warm water and baking

Condition

soda. Coat the outside of the terminals

Type A

Type B

with grease to prevent further corrosion.

GREEN

BLUE

Good

b. If the terminal connections are loose,

Charging necessary. Have

DARK

WHITE

battery checked by your

tighten their clamp nuts—but do not over-

Toyota dealer.

tighten.

CLEAR or

Have battery checked by

c. Tighten the hold−down clamp only

LIGHT

RED

your Toyota dealer.

enough to keep the battery firmly in place.

YELLOW

Overtightening may damage the battery

case.

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SUPRA (U)

Battery recharging precautions

Checking and replacing fuses

During recharging, the battery is pro-

NOTICE

ducing hydrogen gas.

Therefore, before recharging:

Never recharge the battery while the

engine is running. Also, be sure all

1. If recharging with the battery installed

accessories are turned off.

on the vehicle, be sure to disconnect

the ground cable.

2. Be sure the power switch on the re-

charger is off when connecting the

charger cables to the battery and when

disconnecting them.

CAUTION

D Always charge the battery in an un-

confined area. Do not charge the

battery in a garage or closed room

where there is not sufficient ventila-

tion.

D Only do a slow charge (5A or less).

Charging at a quicker rate is dan-

gerous. The battery may explode,

causing personal injuries.

173

SUPRA (U)

If you are not sure whether the fuse has

blown, try replacing the suspected fuse

CAUTION

with one that you know is good.

Never use a fuse with a higher am-

If the fuse has blown, push a new fuse

perage rating, or any other object, in

into the clip.

place of a fuse. This may cause ex-

Only install a fuse with the amperage rat-

tensive damage and possibly a fire.

ing designated on the fuse box lid.

If you do not have a spare fuse, in an

emergency you can pull out the

”RAD

NO.2”, ”DOME” or ”HTR” fuse, which may

be dispensable for normal driving, and use

it if its amperage rating is the same.

If you cannot use one of the same amper-

If the headlights or other electrical

age, use one that is lower, but as close

components do not work, check the

as possible to, the rating. If the amperage

fuses. If any of the fuses are blown,

is lower than that specified, the fuse

they must be replaced.

might blow out again but this does not

See ”Fuse locations” in Chapter

7−1 for

indicate anything wrong. Be sure to get

locations of the fuses.

the correct fuse as soon as possible and

return the substitute to its original clip.

Turn the ignition switch and inoperative

component off. Pull a suspected fuse

It is a good idea to purchase a set of

straight out and check it.

spare fuses and keep them in your ve-

hicle for emergencies.

Determine which fuse may be causing the

problem. The lid of the fuse box shows

If the new fuse immediately blows out,

the name of the circuit for each fuse. See

there is a problem with the electrical sys-

Part

8 of this manual for the functions

tem. Have your Toyota dealer correct it as

controlled by each circuit.

soon as possible.

Type A fuses can be pulled out by the

pull−out tool.

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SUPRA (U)

Adding washer fluid

Checking the headlight aim

If any washer does not work, the wash-

er tank may be empty. Add washer

fluid.

You may use plain water as washer fluid.

However, in cold areas where tempera-

tures range below freezing point, use

washer fluid containing antifreeze. This

product is available at your Toyota dealer

and most auto parts stores. Follow the

manufacturer’s directions for how much to

mix with water.

NOTICE

Do not use engine antifreeze or any

Before checking the headlight aim:

To check the headlight aim, check the

other substitute because it may dam-

vertical and horizontal gauges.

1. Be sure that the body around the head-

age your vehicle’s paint.

light is not deformed.

1. Look at the beam angle gauge (vertical

movement). The bubble of the gauge

2. Park the vehicle on a level spot.

should not deviate from the center of

3. The driver gets into the driver’s seat

the gauge by more than two marks on

and puts the vehicle in a state ready-

either side of the gauge.

ing for a driving

(with a full tank).

4. Bounce the vehicle several times.

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SUPRA (U)

Replacing light bulbs—

The following illustrations show how to

Bulb

Light bulbs

Type

gain access to the bulbs. When replacing

No.

a bulb, make sure the ignition switch and

Headlight

9006

light switch are off. Use bulbs with the

(low beam)

wattage ratings given in the table.

Headlight

9005

(high beam)

CAUTION

Front fog lights

⎯

Parking lights

⎯

Halogen bulbs have pressurized gas

Front turn signal lights

7440

inside and require special handling.

They can burst or shatter if scratched

Front side marker lights

194

3.8

or dropped. Hold a bulb only by its

Rear side marker lights

194

3.8

plastic or metal case. Do not touch

Rear turn signal lights

7440

the glass part of a bulb with bare

Stop and tail lights

7443

21/5

2. Look at the beam angle gauge

(hori-

hands.

Back−up lights

7440

zontal movement). The ”0” mark should

License plate light

—

not deviate by more than one mark on

either side of the gauge.

NOTICE

Interior lights

—

Glovebox light

—

1.2

If the error is over the value specified

Only use a bulb of the listed type.

above, take the vehicle to your Toyota

Luggage compartment

—

light

dealer to adjust the headlight aim.

A: HB4 halogen bulbs

B: HB3 halogen bulbs

C: H3 halogen bulbs

D: Single end bulbs

E: Wedge base bulbs

F: Double end bulbs

176

SUPRA (U)

—Headlights (low beam)

1. Open the hood.

2. Unplug the connector while depress-

3. Turn the bulb clockwise and remove

ing the lock release.

it. Install a new bulb, turn it counter-

RIGHT SIDE HEADLIGHT: Release the

clockwise, then plug in the connec-

clips of the air cleaner and remove the

If the connector is tight, wiggle it.

tor.

air cleaner cover.

To install a bulb, align the tab of the bulb

socket with the cutouts of the mounting

hole.

RIGHT SIDE HEADLIGHT: Install the air

cleaner cover securely.

Aiming is not necessary after replacing

the bulb. When aiming adjustment is nec-

essary, contact your Toyota dealer.

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SUPRA (U)

—Headlights (high beam)

1. Open the hood.

2. Unplug the connector while depress-

3. Turn the bulb counterclockwise and

ing the lock release.

remove it. Install a new bulb, turn it

RIGHT SIDE HEADLIGHT: Release the

clockwise, then plug in the connec-

clips of the air cleaner and remove the

If the connector is tight, wiggle it.

tor.

air cleaner cover.

To install a bulb, align the tab of the bulb

socket with the cutouts of the mounting

hole.

RIGHT SIDE HEADLIGHT: Install the air

cleaner cover securely.

Aiming is not necessary after replacing

the bulb. When aiming adjustment is nec-

essary, contact your Toyota dealer.

178

SUPRA (U)

—Front fog lights

1. Open the hood.

2. Turn the cover counterclockwise and

3. Disconnect the cords.

remove it.

RIGHT SIDE HEADLIGHT: Release the

clips of the air cleaner and remove the

air cleaner cover.

179

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