Page 171 of 339

What can you do about highway
hypnosis? First, be aware that it can
happen.
Then here are some tips:
Make sure your vehicle is well
ventilated, with a comfortably cool
interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the
road ahead and to the sides. Check
your rearview mirrors frequently and
your instruments from time
to time.
This can help you avoid a fixed stare.
Wear good sunglasses in bright light.
Glare can cause drowsiness. But don’t
wear sunglasses at night. They will drastically reduce your overall
vision
at the very time you need all the
seeing power you have.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road
into a rest, service or parking area
and take a nap, get some exercise, or
both. For safety, treat drowsiness on
the highway as an emergency.
As in any driving situation, keep pace
with traffic and allow adequate
following distances.
--
A
Driving on steep hills or mountains is
different from driving in flat or rolling
terrain. If you drive regularly
in steep
country, or if you’re planning
to visit
there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable.
(See “Off-Road Driving’’
in the Index
for information about driving off-road.)
Keep your vehicle in good shape.
Check all fluid levels and also the
brakes, tires, cooling system and
transmission. These ‘parts can work
hard on mountain roads.
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Page 176 of 339

Your Driving and the Road
rn
You may want to put winter
emergency supplies in your vehicle.
Include an ice scraper, a small brush
or broom, a supply of windshield
washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight,
a red cloth, and a couple of reflective
warning triangles. And, if
you will be
driving under severe conditions,
include
a small bag of sand, a piece
of old carpet or
a couple of burlap
bags to help provide traction.
Be sure
you properly secure these items
in
your vehicle.
... 174
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where
your tires meet the road probably have
good traction.
However,
if there is snow or ice
between your tires and the road, you can
have a very slippery situation. You’ll
have a lot less traction or “grip” and
will need to be very careful.
t
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; OOC) 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.
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Page 178 of 339

Your Driving and the Road
.._
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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Page 184 of 339

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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Page 185 of 339

Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the
vehicle ahead as you would when
driving your vehicle without a trailer.
This can help you avoid situations that
require heavy braking and sudden turns.
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
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Page 192 of 339
Problems on the Road
I Hazard Warning fishers
Your hazard warning flashers let you
warn others. They also let police know
you have a problem. Your front and
rear turn signal lights will flash on and
off.
Press th e button in t :o mak 'our fr 'on t
and rear turn signal lights flash on and
off.
Your hazard warning flashers work no
matter what position your key is in, and
even
if the key isn't in. To turn
again.
off the flashers,
push the switch
When the hazard warning flashers are
on, your turn signals won't work.
Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can
set one up at the side
of the road about
300 feet (100 m) behind your vehicle.
ProCarManuals.com
Page 195 of 339

3. Turn off the ignition on both
vehicles. Turn
off all lights that
aren’t needed, and radios. This will
avoid sparks and help save both
batteries. And
it could save your
radio!
f you leave your radio on, it
ould be badly damaged.
Thc
?pairs wouldn’i 2 cove--? by
our warrant.
4. Open the hoods and locate the
batteries.
CA UTiON
A An electric fan can start up
- even when the engine is not
running and
can injure you. Keep
hands, clothing and tools away from any underhood electric fan.
Find the positive
(+) and negative
(-) terminals on each battery. Using
a match near
a battery
can cause battery gas to
explode. People
have been hurt
doing this, and some have been
blinded. Use a flashlight if
you
need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough
water. You don’t need to add
water to the Delco Freedom*
battery installed
in every new GM
vehicle. But if a battery has filler
caps, be sure the right amount of
fluid is there. If it is low, add
water
to take care of that first. If
you don’t, explosive gas could be
present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can
burn you. Don’t get
it on you. If
you accidentally get
it in your eyes
or on your skin, flush the place
with water and get medical help
immediately.
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Page 220 of 339
Problems on the Road
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 (or with a manual
transmission, between First
or Second
gear and Reverse), spinning the wheels
as little as possible. Release the
accelerator pedal while you shift, and
press lightly
on the accelerator pedal
when the transmission is
in gear. If that doesn’t get you
out after a few tries,
you may need to be towed out. Or, you
can use your recovery hooks. If you do
need to be towed out,
see ‘‘Towing
Your Vehicle” in the Index.
-- --
Using the Recovery Hooks
If you ever get stuck in sand, mud, ice,
or snow, your Tracker is equipped with
recovery hooks. The recovery hooks are
provided at the front and rear of your
vehicle. You may need to use them if
you’re stuck off-road and need to be
pulled to some place where you can
continue driving.
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