Page 221 of 386

Your Driving and the Road
1
AN480018
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, 0°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 begin
stopping sooner than you would on dry pavement. See “Anti-lo\
ck” in the
Index.
Allow greater following distances on any slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine until you hi\
t 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 cl\
umps 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.
4-54
Page 222 of 386

t
If You’re Caught in a Blizzard
I-
.
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be in a serious situation. You
should probably stay with your vehicle unless you know for sure that you are
near help and you can hike through the snow, Here are
some things to do to
summon help and keep yourself and your passengers safe: Turn o\
n your
hazard flashers. Tie a red cloth to your vehicle
to alert police that you’ve
been stopped by the snow. Put on extra clothing or wrap
a blanket around
you.
If you have no blankets or extra clothing, make body insulators from
newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor mats-anything you
can wrap around
yourself
or tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
You
can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle. This can cause\
deadly
CO (carbon monoxide) gas to get inside. CO could overcome
you and kill you. You can’t see
it or smell it, so you might not know
it is in your vehicle. Clear away
snow from around the base of your
vehicle, especially any that is blocking your exhaust pipe. And check
around again from time to time
to be sure snow doesn’t collect there.
Open
a window just a little on the side of the vehicle that’s away
I from the wind. This will help keep CO out.
4-55
Page 231 of 386
Yiiur Driving and the Road
mailer Wiring Harness
Power Winches
See “Trailer Wiring Harness” in the Index.
If you wish to use a power winch on your vehicle, only use it when your
vehicle
is stationary or anchored.
transmission may be damaged.
Use the regular brakes, set the parking brake or block the wh\
eels to keep
your vehicle from rolling.
4-64
Page 238 of 386

Tiwing Your Vehicle
Try to have a GM dealer or a professional towing service tow your vehicle.
They can provide the right equipment and know how to tow
it without
damage.
If your vehicle has been changed since it was factory-new, by adding things
like fog lamps, aero skirting,
or special tires and wheels, these things could
be damaged during towing.
Before you
do anything, turn on the hazard warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle has rear-wheel drive, or that it has the four-wheel drive
option.
The make, model, and year of your vehicle.
Whether you can move the shift lever for the transmission and \
transfer
If there was an accident, what was damaged.
case,
if you have one.
CAUTION I
To help avoid
injury to you or others:
A 9 Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is being towed.
e Never tow faster than safe or posted speeds.
e 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.
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 transmission and transfer case,
if you have one, should be in
Neutral and the parking brake released.
If you have a two-wheel drive vehicle, don’t have your vehicle \
towed on the
rear wheels, unless you must.
If the vehicle must be towed on the rear
wheels, don’t
go more than 35 mph (56 kmlh) or farther than 50 miles (80
km) or your transmission will be damaged. If these limits must be exceeded,
then the rear drive wheels have to be supported on a dolly.
5-7
Page 249 of 386
K2122
First open the tire cover, if you have one. Turn the wing nut counterclockwise
and take it, and the adapter, off the bolt. Take the tire out of the vehicle and
remove the
tire cover.
Jack and Tools
. .-
PO287
If your wagon model has a jack cover, lift the tab up to release the cover,
then take
it off.
Page 250 of 386
K2135
If your utility model has a jack cover, turn the wing nut counterclockwise to
take it off, then take the cover off.
". .. .
K214
To take the jack out, turn the wing nut counterclockwise and take it and the
retainer
off. Take the jack and storage box out and take the tools out of the
box.
Your vehicle may have a pair
of emergency gloves secured to the jack. You
can use them when changing the tire, or during other emergency situations.
Remember to replace them with the jack,
so you will have them handy if
needed later.
5-1 9
Page 252 of 386
-4
1
K2521
Attach the jack handle (and jack handle extensions, if needed) to the jack.
With the
UP marking on the ratchet facing you, rotate the ratchet clockwise.
That
will lift the jack head a little. Before raising the vehicle, do the following
things.
Put
your spare tire near the flat tire.
Remove the wheel trim.
1 K2367
If there is a wheel cover, remove it by using the flat end of the socket. Pry
along the edge
of the wheel cover until it comes off. Be careful; the rim
edges may be sharp. Don't try to remove
it with your bare hands.
5-21
Page 255 of 386
NOTICE
- 'sing your vehicle with the jack improperly positioned will damage the
dehicle
or may allow the vehicle to fall off the jack. Be sure to fit the jack
ift head into the proper location before raising your vehicle.
Front Rear
-r-
1
'1
PO288
Raise the vehicle by rotating the ratchet clockwise. Make sure \
the UP
marking faces you. Use the jack handle extensions if the flat \
tire is on the
rear
of the vehicle. Raise the vehicle far enough off the ground so there is
enough room for the spare tire
to fit.