Do-It-Yourself Service Precautions - Toyota 2002 MR2 Spyder Owner's Manual

Do–it–yourself service
precautions
If you perform maintenance by yourself,
be sure to follow the correct procedure
given in this section.
You should be aware that improper or in-
complete servicing may result in operating
problems.
Performing do–it–yourself maintenance
during the warranty period may affect your
warranty coverage. Read the separate
Toyota Warranty statement for details and
suggestions.
This section gives instructions only for
those items that are relatively easy for an
owner to perform. As explained in Section
6, there are still a number of items that
must be done by a qualified technician
with special tools.
For information on tools and parts for do–
it–yourself maintenance, see "Parts and
tools" on page 186.
Utmost care should be taken when work-
ing on your vehicle to prevent accidental
injury. Here are a few precautions that
you should be especially careful to ob-
serve:
02 MY MR2 SMT(U) L/O 0108
CAUTION
D
When the engine is running, keep
hands, clothing, and tools away
from the moving fan and engine
drive belts. (Removing
watches, and ties is advisable.)
D
Right after driving, the engine
compartment and trunk room—the
engine, radiator, exhaust manifold,
power steering fluid reservoir and
spark plug boots, etc.—will be hot.
So be careful not to touch them.
Oil, fluids and spark plugs may also
be hot.
D
If the engine is hot, do not remove
the coolant reservoir cap or air re-
lease valve or loosen the drain
plugs to prevent burning yourself.
D
Do not smoke, cause sparks or al-
low open flames around fuel or the
battery. Their fumes are flammable.
D
Do not get under your vehicle with
just the body jack supporting it. Al-
ways use automotive jack stands or
other solid supports.
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
rings, engine coolant temperature is high
and/or the air conditioning is on.
D
Use eye protection whenever you
work on or under
where you may be exposed to flying
or falling material, fluid spray, etc.
D
Be extremely cautious when work-
ing on the battery. It contains poi-
sonous and corrosive sulfuric acid.
D
Warning: Battery posts, terminals
and related accessories contain lead
and lead compounds,
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and
harm. Wash hands after handling
D
Used engine oil contains potentially
harmful contaminants
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.
01 06 12
your vehicle
chemicals
reproductive
which may
185