TOYOTA PREVIA 91-97 REPAIR MANUAL

1-50 GENERAL INFORMATION AND MAINTENANCE

All tires made since 1968 have built-in tread wear indicator bars tat
show up as 1 /2 in. (13mm) wide smooth bands across the tire when'i6 in.
(1.5mm) of tread remains. The appearance of tread wear indicators njneans
that the tires should be replaced, in fact, many states have laws prohibiting
the use of tires with less than this amount of tread.
You can check your own tread depth with an inexpensive gauge pr
by using a Lincoln head penny. Slip the Lincoln penny (with Linco h's
head upside-down) into several tread grooves. If you can see the tqp of
Lincoln's head in 2 adjacent grooves, the tire has less than Vie in. i
(1.5mm) tread left and should be replaced. You can measure snow ires
in the same manner by using the "tails" side of the Lincoln penny. If you
can see the top of the Lincoln memorial, it's time to replace the sn<
tire(s).

CARE OF SPECIAL WHEELS

If you have invested money in magnesium, aluminum alloy or sport
wheels, special precautions should be taken to make sure your investment
is not wasted and that your special wheels look good for the life of the vehi-
cle.
Special wheels are easily damaged and/or scratched. Occasional
check the rims for cracking, impact damage or air leaks. If any of thise are
found, replace the wheel. But in order to prevent this type of damag:i and
the costly replacement of a special wheel, observe the following precau-
tions:

• Use extra care not to damage the wheels during removal, installation,
  balancing, etc. After removal of the wheels from the vehicle, place th|:im on
  a mat or other protective surface. If they are to be stored for any lengjth of
  time, support them on strips of wood. Never store tires and wheels upright;
  the tread may develop flat spots.


• When driving, watch for hazards; it doesn't take much to crack ^ wheel.


• When washing, use a mild soap or non-abrasive dish detergent
  (keeping in mind that detergent tends to remove wax). Avoid cleansers with
  abrasives or the use of hard brushes. There are many cleaners and p
  for special wheels.


• If possible, remove the wheels during the winter. Salt and sand
  for snow removal can severely damage the finish of a wheel.


• Make certain the recommended lug nut torque is never exceeds

FLUIDS AND LUBRICANTS

Fluid Disposal

Used fluids such as engine oil, transmission fluid, antifreeze and

fluid are hazardous wastes and must be disposed of properly. Before

ing any fluids, consult with your local authorities; in many areas wa;

etc. is being accepted as a part of recycling programs. A number of:

stations and auto parts stores are also accepting waste fluids for rec;

Be sure of the recycling center's policies before draining any fluid

many will not accept different fluids that have been mixed together.

Fuel and Engine Oil Recommendations

» See Figures 143,144 and 145

OIL

lishes

used

dor

fake

drain-

eoil,

race

:ling.

as

The SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) grade number indicates the
viscosity of the engine oil; its resistance to flow at a given temperatuie. The
lower the SAE grade number, the lighter the oil. For example, the mailio-
grade oils begin with SAE 5 weight, which is a thin light oil, and con|inue
in viscosity up to SAE 80 or 90 weight, which are heavy gear lubricants.
These oils are also known as "straight weight", meaning they are of a single
viscosity, and do not vary with engine temperature.
Multi-viscosity oils offer the important advantage of being adaptable to
temperature extremes. These oils have designations such as 10W-4QJ 20W-
50, etc. The "10W-40" means that in winter (the "W" in the designatic n) the

the wheel may crack. Never use snow chains on special wheels; severe

scratching will occur.

Maintenance Lights

RESETTING

I See Figure 142

After changing the oil, regardless of whether the oil change light is on or

not, always push in the oil change indicator system knob in order to reset

the system.

1. Remove the cover from the combination meter.


2. Reset the system by pushing the knob with a thin object such as a
   pin tip.

w/o Tachometer

Fig. 142 Oil change reminder light reset knob locations

oil acts like a thin 10 weight oil, allowing the engine to spin easily when

cold and offering rapid lubrication. Once the engine has warmed up, how-

ever, the oil acts like a straight 40 weight, maintaining good lubrication and

protection for the engine's internal components. A 20W-50 oii would there-

Recommended viscosity (SAE):

I

IOW-30 >

5W-30 |

I

°C-29 -IS -7 4 16 27 38

°F-20 0 20 40 6O 80 IOO

Temperature range anticipated before next oil

change

Fig. 143 Oil viscosity chart—2TZ-FE