1993 CHEVROLET CAVALIER ESP

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than
day driving. One reason is that some
drivers are likely to be impaired-by
alcohol or drugs, with night vision
problems, or by fatigue.
Here are some tips on night driving.
Drive defensively. Remember, this is
the most dangerous time.
Don’t drink and drive. (See the index
under Drunken Driving for more on
this problem.)
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to
reduce the glare from headlights
behind you.
Since you can’t see as well, you may
need
to slow down and keep more
space between you and other vehicles.
It’s hard to
tell how fast the vehicle
ahead is going just by looking at its
taillights.
speed roads. Your headlights can light
up only
so much road ahead.
Slow down, especially on higher
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a
safe place and rest.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
Driving in the Rain (CONT:)
walking. Road spray can often be worse
for vision than rain, especially
if it
comes from a dirty road.
So it is wise to keep your wiping
2quipment in good shape and keep your
windshield washer tank filled. Replace
your windshield wiper inserts when they
show signs
of streaking or missing areas
on the windshield, or when strips of
rubber start to separate from the inserts.
I
Driving too fast through large water
puddles or even going through some car
washes can cause problems, too. The
water may affect your brakes. Try
to
avoid puddles. But if you can’t, try to
slow down before you
hit them.
Wet brakes can cause
accidents. They
won’t work
werl in a quick stop and may cause
pulling to one side. You could. lose
control of the vehicle.
After driving though a large
puddle
of water or a car wash,
apply your brake pedal lightly until
your
brakes work normally.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much
water can build up under your tires that
they can actually ride on the water. This
can happen if the road is wet enough
and you’re going fast enough. When
your vehicle
is hydroplaning, it has little
or
no contact with the road.
You might
not be aware of hydroplaning.
You could drive along for some time
without realizing your tires aren’t
in
constant contact with the road. You
could find out the hard way: when you
have to slow, turn, move out to pass-or
if you get hit by a gust of wind. You could
suddenly find yourself
out of control. Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But
it
can
if your tires haven’t much tread or
if the pressure in one or more is low. It
can happen if a lot of water is standing
on the road. If
you can see reflections
from trees, telephone poles, or other
vehicles, and raindrops “dimple’’ the
water’s surface, there could be
hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher
speeds. There just isn’t
a hard and fast
rule about hydroplaning. The best
advice is to slow down when
it is
raining, and be careful.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Turn on your headlights-not just your
parking lights-to help make you
more
visible to others.
Look for hard-to-see vehicles coming
from behind. You may want
to use
your headlights even
in daytime if it’s
raining hard.
Besides slowing down, allow some
extra following distance. And be
especially careful when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more
clear room ahead, and be prepared to
have your view restricted by road
spray. If
the road spray is so heavy you
are actually blinded, drop back. Don’t
pass until conditions improve. Going
more slowly is better than having an
accident.
Use your defogger if it helps.
Have good tires with proper tread
depth. (See
the Index under fires.)
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
Driving in Fog, Mist and Haze
Fog can occur with high humidity or
heavy frost. It can be
so mild that you
can see through it for several hundred
feet (meters). Or it might be
so thick
that you can see only a few
feet (meters)
ahead. It may come suddenly to an
otherwise clear road. And it can be a
major hazard.
When
you drive into a fog patch, your
visibility will be reduced quickly. The
biggest dangers are striking the vehicle
ahead or being struck by the one
behind. Try to “read” the fog density
down the road.
If the vehicle ahead
starts to become less clear or, at night, if
the taillights are harder to see, the fog is
probably thickening. Slow down to give traffic behind you a chance to slow
down.
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Everybody then has a better chance to
avoid hitting the vehicle ahead.
A patch of dense fog may extend only
for a
few feet (meters) or for miles
(kilometers); you can’t really tell while
you’re
in it. You can only treat the
situation with extreme care.
One common fog condition-sometimes
called mist or ground fog-can happen
in weather that seems perfect, especially
at night or in the early morning
in valley
and low, marshy areas.
You can be
suddenly enveloped
in thick, wet haze
that may even coat your windshield.
You
can often spot these fog patches or mist
layers with your headlights. But
sometimes they can be waiting for
you
as you come over a hill or dip into a
shallow valley. Start your windshield
wipers and washer to help clear
accumulated road dirt. Slow down
carefully.
Tips on Driving in Fog
If you get caught in fog, turn your
headlights on low beam, even in
daytime. You’ll see-and be
seen-better.
Don’t use your high beams. The light
will bounce
off the water droplets that
make up fog and reflect back at you.
Use your defogger. In high humidity,
even a light buildup of moisture
on the
inside
of the glass will cut down on your
already limited visibility. Run your
windshield wipers and washer
occasionally. Moisture can build up
on
the outside glass, and what seems to be
fog may actually be moisture on the
outside of your windshield.
Treat dense fog as an emergency. Try to
find a place
to pull off the road. Of
course you want to respect another’s
property, but you might need to put

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine something between you and moving
vehicles-space, trees, telephone poles,
a private driveway, anything that
removes you from other traffic.
zf visibility is near zero and you must
stop but are unsure whether you are
away from the road, turn your lights on,
start your hazard warning flashers, and
sound your horn at intervals or when
you hear approaching traffic.
Pass other vehicles in fog only if you
can see far enough ahead to pass safely.
Even then, be prepared to delay your
pass if you suspect the
fog is worse up
ahead. If other vehicles try to pass
you,
make it easy for them.
City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city
streets is the amount
of traffic on them.
You’ll want to watch out for what the
other drivers are doing and pay attention
to traffic signals.
Here are ways to increase your safety in
city driving:
Know the best way to get to where you
are going. Try not to drive around
trying to pick out a familiar street or
landmark. Get a city map and plan
your trip into an unknown part
of the
city just as
you would for a cross-
country trip.
Try to use the freeways that rim and
crisscross most large cities. You’ll save
time and energy. (See the next section,
Freeway Driving.)
Treat a green light as a warning
signal.
A traffic light is there because
the corner is busy enough to need it.
When
a light turns green, and just
before you
start to move, check both
ways for vehicles that have not cleared
the intersection or may be running the
red light.
remember that
they are for ideal road,
weather and visibility conditions. You
may need to drive below the posted
limit
in bad weather or when visibility
is especially poor.
clear
of intersections when you see or
hear emergency vehicles.
Obey all posted speed limits. But
Pull to the right (with care) and stop
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If You’re Caught in a Blizzard
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 on 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.
I
A a
-C L Snow can trap exhaust gases
L 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 was in your
vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base of your vehicle,
especially any that is bloclng 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 from
the wind. This
will help keep CO
out.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Problems on the Road
Zf a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out”
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.
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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.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and
wheel damage by driving slowly to a
level place.
Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Service & Appearance Care
Fuel (CONTI
What about gasoline with blending
materials that contain oxygen, such
as
MTBE or alcohol?
MTBE is “methyl tertiary-butyl
ether?
Fuel that is no more than 15 %
MTBE is fine for your vehicle.
Ethanol is ethyl or grain alcohol.
Properly-blended fuel that is
no more
than
10% ethanol is fine for your
vehicle.
Methanol is methyl or wood alcohol.
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Fuel that is more than 5 %
methanol is bad for your vehicle.
Don’t use it.
It can corrode metal
parts in your fuel system and also
damage plastic and rubber
parts.
That damage wouldn’t be covered
under
your warranty. And even at
5 % or less, there must be
“cosolvents” and corrosion
preventers in th he1 to :lp avoid
these problems.
- -
Gasolines for Cleaner Air
Your use of gasoline with detergent
additives will help prevent deposits from
forming
in your engine and fuel system.
That helps keep your engine
in tune and
your emission control system working
properly. It’s good for your vehicle, and
you’ll be doing your part for cleaner air.
Many gasolines are now blended
with
materials called oxygenates. General
Motors recommends that you use
gasolines with these blending materials,
such as MTBE and ethanol. By doing
so, you can help clean the air, especially
in those parts of the country that have
high carbon monoxide levels.