Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best handled by easing your
foot
off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide (as when you turn a corner on a wet, snow-
or ice-covered road), ease your foot off the accelerator pedal as soon as
you
feel the vehicle start to slide. Quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to go.
If you start steering quickly enough, your vehicle will
straighten out. As it does, straighten the front wheels.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice, gravel, or other
material is on the road. For safety, you’ll want to slow down and adjust
your driving to these conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and vehicle control
more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try your best to avoid
sudden steering, acceleration,
or braking (including engine braking by
shifting to
a lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to
slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery until your vehicle is
skidding. Learn to recognize warning clues
-- such as enough water, ice or
packed snow
on the road to make a “mirrored surface” -- and slow down
when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock braking system
(ABS) helps avoid only the
braking skid. Steer the way you want to go.
DIWTNG AT NIGHT
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine What’s the worst time for this? “Wet ice.” Very cold snow or ice can be
slick and hard
to drive on. But wet ice can be even more trouble because
it may offer the least traction
of all. You can get “wet ice” when it’s about
freezing
(32*F; O°C) and freezing rain begins to fall. Try to avoid driving
on wet ice until salt and sand crews can get there.
Whatever the condition
-- smooth ice, packed, blowing or loose snow --
drive with caution. Accelerate gently. Try not to break the fragile traction.
If you accelerate too fast, the drive wheels will spin and polish the surface
under the tires even more.
Your anti-lock brakes improve your ability to make a hard stop on a
slippery road. Even though you have the anti-lock braking system, you’ll
want to begm stopping sooner than you would on
dry pavement. See
“’Anti-lock” in the Index.
0 Allow greater following distance on any slippery road.
0 Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine until you hit a spot
that’s covered with ice. On an otherwise clear road, ice patches may
appear in shaded areas where the sun can’t reach: around clumps
of
trees, behind buildings, or under bridges. Sometimes the surface of a
curve
or an overpass may remain icy when the surrounding roads are
clear.
If you see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake before you are on
it. Try not to brake while you’re actually on the ice, and avoid sudden
steering maneuvers.
208
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up ahead when you’re towing a trailer.
And, because you’re a good deal longer, you’ll need
to go much farther
beyond the passed vehicle before you can return to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand. Then, to move the
trailer to the left, just move that hand to the left.
To move the trailer to
the right, move your hand to
the right. Always back up slowly and, if
possible, have someone guide you.
Making Turns
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns than normal. Do
this so your trailer won’t strike soft shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees, or
other objects. Avoid jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well
in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have a different turn signal
flasher and extra wiring. The green arrows on your instrument panel will
flash whenever
you signal a turn or lane change. Properly hooked up, the
trailer lights will also flash, telling other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows on your instrument panel will
flash for turns
even if the bulbs on the trailer are burned out. Thus, you
may think drivers behind you are seeing your signal when they are not.
It’s important to check occasionally to be sure the trailer bulbs are still
working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start down a long or
steep downgrade.
If you don’t shift down, you might have to use your
brakes
so much that they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your speed to around
45
mph (70 km/h) or less to reduce the possibility of engine and transaxle
overheating.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine r
I
I
r- 1-
i-
i-
1
A CAUTION:
To help avoid injury to you or others:
0
0
0
0
0
0
Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is being towed.
Never tow faster than safe or posted speeds.
Never tow with damaged parts not fully secured.
Never get under your vehicle after it has been lifted by the
tow truck.
Always use separate safety chains on each side when towing a
vehicle.
Never use
“J” hooks. Use T-hooks instead.
When your vehicle is being towed, have the ignition key off. The steering
wheel should be clamped in
a straight-ahead position, with a clamping
device designed for towing service.
Do not use the vehicle’s steering
column lock for this. The transaxle should be in Neutral and the parking
-
F brake released.
Don’t have your vehicle towed on the front wheels, unless you must.
If
the vehicle must be towed on the front wheels, don’t go more than 55
mph (88 km/h) or farther than 500 miles (804 lun) or your transaxle will
be damaged.
If these limits must be exceeded, then the front wheels have
to. be supported on a dolly.
c
m
IC
229
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 4. Put the cap back on
the coolant surge
tank.
5. Start the engine and as the engine runs the coolant will circulate
through the cooling system. Any air that was introduced while adding
coolant will purge itself and rise to the top of the surge tank.
If the
“ENGINE COOLANT LOW” message does not appear on the
Driver Information Center, coolant is at the proper
fill level. If an
“ENGINE COOLANT LOW” message does appear, repeat steps
1
through 4 or see your dealer.
IFA TIRE GOES FLAT
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out7’ while you’re driving, especially if you
maintain
your tires properly. If air goes out of a tire, it’s much more likely
to leak out slowly. But if you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a
few tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire
will create a drag that pulls the vehicle
toward that side. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal and grip the
steering wheel firmly. Steer to maintain lane position, then gently brake
to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like
a skid and may require
the same correction you’d use in a skid. In any rear blowout, remove your
foot from the accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by steering the
way you want the vehicle
to go. It may be very bumpy and noisy, but you can
still steer. Gently brake to
a stop, well off the road if possible.
If your tire goes flat, the next section shows how to use your jacking
equipment to change a flat tire safely.
246
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can explode and you
or others could be injured. And, the transaxle or other parts of
the vehicle can overheat. That could cause an engine
compartment fire or other damage. When you’re stuck, spin the
wheels as little as possible. Don’t spin the wheels above
35 mph
(55 km/h) as shown on the speedometer.
-3pannmg your
H ; can destroy parts of your v( cle as well
I as the tires. If you spin the wheels too fast while shifting your
transaxle back and forth, you can destroy your transarj
.
Rocking your vehicle to get it out:
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will clear the area
around your front wheels. Then shift back and forth between
“R’
(Reverse) and a forward gear, spinning the wheels as little as possible.
Release the accelerator pedal while you shift, and press lightly on the
accelerator pedal when the transaxle is in gear.
If that doesn’t get you out
after
a few tries, you may need to be towed out. If you do need to be
towed out, see “Towing
Your Vehicle” in the Index.
257
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Front Suspension
Your fully independent front suspension is a combination strut and spring
design.
The frame is isolated from the body with six rubber mounts.
Rubber bushings are used at
the lower control arm pivots. Thc upper end
of the strut is isolated by a rubber mount which contains a bearing to
allow
for wheel turning. The Road Sensing Suspension on the 4.6 Liter
(Northstar) and the Speed Sensing Suspension on
4.9 Liter will
automatically controls the damping rate of the struts.
The lower end of the steering knuckle pivots on a ball joint riveted to the
control arm. The ball joint is connected to the steering knuckle
with a
castellated
nut and cotter pin.
342
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Sensing suspension on the Eldorado. These systems control the damping
forces in the shock absorbers and struts, in response to various road and
driving conditions. The systems are capable
of making these damping
changes extremely fast.
A computer receives inputs from vertical acceleration sensors, wheel to
body position sensors, vehicle speed sensor, lift and dive signals. This
computer evaluates the inputs from these sensors, to control the damping\
of each of the struts and shocks independently to provide varied levels of
suspension control.
The system also has the capability
of providing Speed Sensitive Steering
control.
This system changes your steering effort based on your vehicle
speed.
Speed Sensitive Steering
This system varies the amount of steering effort proportionate to your
vehicle speed. Steering is easier at
a lower speed for increased
maneuverability and parking ease.
As your vehicle speed increases, the
steering effort is also increased to provide a manual like steering feel for
maximum control and enhanced vehicle stability.
344