Do-it-yourself maintenance - Introduction -> Do-it-yourself service precautions for Your Toyota Celica 2 Door Sixth Generation (1993-1999)

CELICA  
U
Doityourself service  
precautions  
If you perform maintenance by yourself,  
be sure to follow the correct procedure  
given in this part.  
D Be sure that the ignition is off if  
you work near the electric cooling  
fans or radiator grille. With the  
ignition on, the electric cooling fans  
will automatically start to run if the  
engine coolant temperature is high  
and/or the air conditioning is on.  
CAUTION  
D When the engine is running, keep  
hands, clothing, and tools away  
from the moving fan and engine  
You should be aware that improper or in-  
complete servicing may result in operating  
problems.  
drive  
belts.  
(Removing  
rings,  
Performing  
doityourself  
maintenance  
watches, and ties is advisable.)  
during the warranty period may affect your  
warranty coverage. Read the separate  
Toyota Warranty statement for details and  
suggestions.  
D Use eye protection whenever you  
work on or under your vehicle  
where you may be exposed to flying  
or falling material, fluid spray, etc.  
D Right after driving, the engine  
compartment—the engine, radiator,  
exhaust manifold, power steering  
fluid reservoir and spark plug  
boots, etc.—will be hot. So be care-  
ful not to touch them. Oil, fluids  
and spark plugs may also be hot.  
This part gives instructions only for those  
items that are relatively easy for an owner  
to perform. As explained in Part 6, there  
are still a number of items that must be  
done by a qualified technician with special  
tools.  
D Used engine oil contains potentially  
harmful contaminants which may  
cause skin disorders such as in-  
flammation or skin cancer, so care  
should be taken to avoid prolonged  
and repeated contact with it. To re-  
move used engine oil from your  
skin, wash thoroughly with soap  
and water.  
D If the engine is hot, do not remove  
the radiator cap or loosen the drain  
plugs to prevent burning yourself.  
For information on tools and parts for do−  
ityourself maintenance, see ”Parts and  
tools”.  
D Do not smoke, cause sparks or al-  
low open flames around fuel or the  
battery. Their fumes are flammable.  
Utmost care should be taken when work-  
ing on your vehicle to prevent accidental  
D Do not leave used oil within the  
reach of children.  
D Be extremely cautious when work-  
ing on the battery. It contains poi-  
sonous and corrosive sulfuric acid.  
injury. Here are  
a
few precautions that  
D Dispose of used oil and filter only  
in a safe and acceptable manner.  
Do not dispose of used oil and fil-  
ter in household trash, in sewers or  
onto the ground. Call your dealer or  
you should be especially careful to ob-  
serve:  
D Do not get under your vehicle with  
just the body jack supporting it. Al-  
ways use automotive jack stands or  
other solid supports.  
a
service station for information  
concerning recycling or disposal.  
168  
CELICA  
U
Parts and tools  
Here is a list of parts and tools you will  
need on performing doityourself mainte-  
nance. Remember all Toyota parts are de-  
signed in metric sizes, so your tools must  
be metric.  
NOTICE  
z Do not drive with the air cleaner  
filter removed, or excessive engine  
wear could result. Also backfiring  
could cause  
compartment.  
z Remember that battery and ignition  
cables carry high currents or volt-  
ages. Be careful of accidentally  
causing a short circuit.  
a
fire in the engine  
Checking the engine oil level  
Parts (if level is low):  
z Be careful not to scratch the glass  
surface with the wiper frame.  
z Add only demineralized or distilled  
water to fill the radiator. And if you  
spill some of the coolant, be sure  
to wash it off with water to prevent  
it from damaging the parts or paint.  
D Engine  
oil  
API  
grade  
or  
multigrade  
SH,  
SJ,  
or  
z When closing the engine hood,  
check to see that you have not for-  
gotten any tools, rags, etc.  
”EnergyConserving  
”EnergyConserving”  
II”  
ILSAC multigrade having viscosity  
proper for your climate  
z Do not allow dirt or anything else  
to fall through the spark plug holes.  
Tools:  
z Do not pry the outer electrode of a  
spark plug against the center elec-  
trode.  
D Rag or paper towel  
D Funnel (only for adding oil)  
Checking the engine coolant level  
Parts (if level is low):  
D Ethyleneglycol antifreeze  
D Demineralized or distilled water  
Tools:  
z Use only spark plugs of the speci-  
fied type. Using other types will  
cause engine damage, loss of per-  
formance or radio noise.  
z Do not reuse platinumtipped spark  
plugs by cleaning or regapping.  
D Funnel (only for adding coolant)  
Checking brake fluid  
z Do not overfill automatic transmis-  
sion fluid, or the transmission  
could be damaged.  
Parts (if level is low):  
D SAE J1703 or FMVSS No. 116 DOT 3  
brake fluid  
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