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Your Driving and the Road
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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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Problems on the Road
5. Check that the jumper cables don’t
have loose or missing insulation.
If
they do, you could get a shock. The
vehicles could be damaged, too.
Before you connect
the cables, here
are some things you should
know.
Positive (+) will go to positive (+)
and negative (-) will go to negative
(-) or a metal engine part. Don’t
connect
(+) to (-) or you’ll get a
short that would damage the battery
and maybe other parts, too.
Fans or other moving engine
parts can injure you badly.
-eep your hands away from
moving parts once the engines are
running.
6. Connect the red positive (+) cable to
the positive
(+) terminal of the
vehicle with the dead battery. Use a
remote positive
(+) terminal if the
vehicle has one.
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7. Don’t let the other end touch metal.
Connect
it to the positive (+)
terminal of the good battery. Use a
remote positive
(+) terminal if the
vehicle has one.
8. Now connect the black negative (-)
cable to the good battery’s negative
( -) terminal.
Don’t let the other end touch
anything
until the next step. The
other end
of the negative cable
doesn’t go to the dead battery. It
goes
to a heavy unpainted metal
part on the engine
of the vehicle
with the dead battery.
L
P
9. Attach the cable at least 18 inches
(45 cm) away from the dead
battery, but not near engine parts
that move. The electrical
connection is just as good there, but
the chance
of sparks getting back to
the battery
is much less.
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Problems on the Road
10. Now start the vehicle with the good
battery and
run the engine for
awhile.
dead battery.
If it won't start after a few tries, it
probably needs service.
11. Try to start the vehicle with the
I
I-
12. Remove the cables in reverse order
to prevent electrical shorting. Take
care that they don't touch each
other or any other metal.
A. Heavy Metal Engine Part
B. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
r
L
Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a GM dealer or a
professional towing service tow your
Geo. The usual towing equipment is
a
sling-type (A) or a wheel-lift (B) or car
carrier
(C) tow truck.
If your vehicle has been changed or
modified since it was factory-new by
adding aftermarket items like fog lamps,
aero skirting, or special tires and
wheels, these instructions and
illustrations may not be correct.
Before you
do anything, turn on the
hazard warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
A dolly must be used when towing
from the front.
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