1993 CHEVROLET TRACKER Owners Manual

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-lock” in
the Index.
Allow greater following distance on any
slippery road.
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.
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.
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Your Driving and the Road
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176
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.
A
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 was 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
from the wind. This will help keep
co out. Run your engine only as long as you
must. This saves fuel. When
you run the
engine, make it go a little faster than
just idle. That is, push the accelerator
slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat
that you get and it keeps the battery
charged. You will
need a well-charged
battery to restart the vehicle, and
possibly for signaling later on with your
headlights.
Let the heater run for
awhile.
Then, shut the engine off and close the
window almost all the way to preserve
the heat.
Start the engine again and
repeat this only when you feel really
uncomfortable from the cold. But do it
as little as possible. Preserve the fuel as
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long as you can. To help keep warm,
you can get out of the vehicle and do
some fairly vigorous exercises every
half hour
or so until help comes.
If You’re Stuck in Deep Snow
This manual explains how to get the
vehicle out of deep snow without
damaging it. See “Rocking
Your
Vehicle” in the Index.
rn Towing a Trailer
Pulling a trailer improperly can
damage your vehicle and result in
costly repairs not covered by you
warranty.
To pull a trailer
correctly, follow the advice in this
section.
I
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Your Driving and the Road
Your Geo can tow a trailer. To identify
what the vehicle trailering capacity is for
your vehicle, you should read the
information
in “Weight of the Trailer”
that appears later in
this section. But
trailering is different than just driving
your vehicle by itself. Trailering means
changes in handling, durability, and fuel
economy. Successful, safe trailering
takes correct equipment, and it has to be
used properly.
That’s the reason for this section.
In it
are many time-tested, important
trailering tips and safety rules. Many of
these are important for your safety and
that of your passengers.
So please read
this section carefully before you pull a
trailer.
9 178
Load-pulling components such as the
engine, transmission, wheel assemblies,
and tires are forced to work harder
against the drag
of the added weight.
The engine is required to operate at
relatively higher speeds and under
greater loads, generating extra heat.
What’s more, the trailer adds
considerably to wind resistance,
increasing the pulling requirements.
All
of that means changes in:
Handling
Durability
Fuel economy
If You Do Decide to Pull a Trailer
If you do, here are some important
points.
There are many different laws having
to do with trailering. Make sure your
rig will be legal, not only where you
live but also where you’ll be driving.
A good source for this information
can be state or provincial police.
Consider using a sway control.
You can ask a hitch dealer about sway
controls.
Don’t tow a trailer at all during the
first
500 miles (800 km) your new
vehicle is driven. Your engine, axle
or other parts could be damaged.
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Then, during the first 500 miles
(800 km) that you tow a trailer, don’t
drive over
50 mph (80 h/h) and
don’t make starts at full throttle. This
helps your engine and other parts
of
your vehicle wear in at the heavier
loads.
Three important considerations have
to
do with weight:
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than
1,500
pounds (680 kg). But even that can be
too heavy. It depends on
how you plan to
use
your rig. For example, speed,
altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how much your
vehicle
is used to pull a trailer are all
important. And, it can also depend on
any special equipment that you have
on your vehicle.
You can ask your dealer for our
trailering information
or advice, or
write
us at: Customer
Assistance Department
Chevrolet/Geo
P.O. Box 7047
Troy, MI 48007
In Canada, write to:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Assistance Center
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L1H 8P7
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Your Driving and the Road
L
Weight of the Trailer Tongue
... 180
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is
an important weight to measure
because
it affects the total gross
weight of your vehicle. The gross
vehicle weight (GVW) includes the
curb weight of the vehicle, any cargo
you may carry in it, and the people
who will be riding in the vehicle. And
if
you will tow a trailer, you must add
the tongue load to
the GVW because
your vehicle will be carrying that
weight, too. See “Loading Your
Vehicle’’ in the Index for more
information about your vehicle’s
maximum load capacity. The trailer
tongue (A) should weigh
10%
of the total loaded trailer weight
(B). After you’ve loaded your trailer,
weigh the trailer and then the tongue,
separately, to see if the weights are
proper. If they aren’t, you may be
able to get them right simply by
moving some items around in the
trailer.
Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s
Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are
inflated to the limit for cold tires.
You’ll
find these numbers on the
Certification label at the rear edge of
the driver’s door (or see “Tire Loading”
in the Index). Then be sure
you won’t go over the GVW limit for
your vehicle.
Hitches
It’s important to have the correct hitch
equipment. Crosswinds, large trucks
going by, and rough roads are a few
reasons why you’ll need the right hitch.
Here are some rules to follow:
Will you have to make any holes in
the body of your vehicle when
you
install a trailer hitch? If you do, then
be sure to seal
the holes later when
you remove the hitch. If you don’t
seal them, deadly carbon monoxide
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(CO) from your exhaust can get into
your vehicle (see “Carbon
Monoxide’’
in the Index). Dirt and
water can, too.
The bumpers on your vehicle are not
intended for hitches.
Do not attach
rental hitches or other bumper-type
hitches to them. Use only a
frame-mounted hitch that does
not
attach to the bumper.
Safety Chains
You should always attach chains
between your vehicle and your trailer.
Cross the safety chains under the tongue
of
the trailer so that the tongue will not
drop to
the road if it becomes separated
from
the hitch. Instructions about safety
chains may be provided by
the hitch
manufacturer or by the trailer
manufacturer. Follow
the manufacturer’s
recommendation for attaching safety
chains. Always leave just enough slack
so you can turn with your rig. And,
never allow safety chains to drag
on the
ground.
Trailer Brakes
If your trailer weighs more than 1,000
pounds (450 kg) loaded, then it needs its
own brakes
- and they must be
adequate. Be sure
to read and follow the
instructions for the trailer brakes
so
you’ll be able to install, adjust and
maintain them properly.
Don’t tap into your vehicle’s brake
system if the trailer’s brake system
will use more than
0.02 cubic inch
(0.3 cc) of fluid from your vehicle’s
master cylinder. If
it does, both
braking systems won’t work well.
You could even lose your brakes.
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Your Driving and the Road
Will the trailer brake parts take
3,000 psi (20 650 kPa) of pressure? If
not, the trailer brake system must not
be used with your vehicle.
If everything checks out this far, then
make the brake fluid tap at the port
on the master cylinder that sends fluid
to the rear brakes. But don’t use
copper tubing
for this. If you do, it
will bend and finally break off. Use
steel brake tubing.
88. 182
Driving With a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount
of experience. Before setting out
for the open road, you’ll want to get to
know your rig. Acquaint yourself with
the feel of handling and braking with the
added weight
of the trailer. And always
keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and
not nearly
so responsive as your vehicle
is by itself. Before you
start, check
the trailer hitch
and platform, safety chains, electrical
connector, lights, tires and mirror
adjustment. If the trailer has electric
brakes, start your vehicle and trailer
moving and then apply the trailer brake
controller by hand to be sure the brakes
are working. This lets you check your
electrical connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to
be sure that the load is secure, and that
the lights and any trailer brakes are still
working.
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