4RUNNER (1998)
Your automatic transmission has a
shift lock system to minimize the pos-
sibility of incorrect operation. This
means you can only shift out of ”P”
position when the brake pedal is de-
pressed (with the ignition switch in
”ON” position and the lock release
button depressed).
(a) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in
”How to start the engine” in Part 3.
The transmission must be in ”P” or
”N”.
When the front drive control lever is
in ”L4” (low- speed position, four-
wheel drive), the driving pattern selec-
tor setting has no effect on gear shift
timing. (See ”Four- wheel drive sys-
tem” in this Chapter for information of
the front drive control lever.)
2. With your foot holding down the
brake pedal, shift the selector lever to
”D”.
In ”D” position, the automatic trans-
mission system will select the most
suitable gear for running conditions
such as normal cruising, hill climbing,
hard towing, etc.
Always turn the overdrive switch on
for better fuel economy and quieter
driving. If the engine coolant tempera-
ture is low or when the front drive
control lever is in ”L4” (low- speed
position, four- wheel drive), the trans-
mission will not shift into
the overdrive gear even with the over-
drive switch on. (See ”Four- wheel
drive system” in this Chapter for in-
formation of the front drive control le-
ver.)
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accel-
erator pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and
brake pedal. Depress the accelerator
pedal slowly for smooth starting.
(b) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can down-
shift the transmission as follows:
Turn off the overdrive switch. The
”O/D OFF” indicator light will come
on and the transmission will down-
shift to the third gear.
Shift into the ”2” position. The
transmission will downshift to the
second gear when the vehicle
speed drops down to or lower than
the following speed, and more pow-
erful engine braking will be ob-
tained.
Front drive control lever in ”H2” or
”H4”
3RZ-FE engine.....105 km/h (65
mph)
5VZ-FE engine.....114 km/h (70
mph)
Front drive control lever in ”L4”
3RZ-FE engine.....38 km/h (23
mph)
5VZ-FE engine.....41 km/h (25
mph)
Shift into the ”L” position. The
transmission will downshift to the
first gear when the vehicle speed
drops down to or lower than the
following speed, and maximum en-
gine braking will be applied.
Front drive control lever in ”H2” or
”H4”
3RZ-FE engine.....51 km/h (31
mph)
5VZ-FE engine.....55 km/h (34
mph)