1993 GMC SIERRA stop start

you know they’re working. If you are familiar. with this section, you should not
be alarmed when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or is _a problem with one of your
vehicle’s functions. Often gages and warning lights work together
to let you
know when there’s a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on when yo\
u are driving, or when one of the gages shows there may be a probl\
em, check the
section that tells you what to do about it. Please follow the\
manual’s advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly-and even dangerous.
So please get to
know your warning lights and gages. They’re a big help.
Brake System. Warning Light
BRAKE
. , K2325
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into two parts. If ,one‘ part
isn’t working, the other part can still work and stop you. \
For good braking,
though, you need both- systems working well.
Your vehicle also has rear-wheel antilock brakes.
If the warning light goes on,
there could be a brake problem with either your regular or rear wheel antilock
brakes, or both. Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on as you start the vehicle.
If it doesn’t come on
then, have
it fixed so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
This light
will also come on when you set your parking brake, and will stay
on
if your parking brake doesn’t release fully. If it stays on after your parking
brake is fully released,
it means you may ‘have a brake problem. If the light
comes on while driving, pull
off the road and stop carefully. You may notice
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Your Driving and the Road
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive defens\
ively. Please start with a very important safety device in your vehicle: Buckle up,
(See “Safety Belts” in the Index.)
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.” On\
city streets, rural
roads, or freeways, it means “always expect the unexpected.’’
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to be carel\
ess and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Expect children to dash out from behind parked cars, often fol\
lowed by other
children. Expect occupants in parked cars to open doors into traffic. Watch for
movement
in parked cars-someone may be about to open a door,
Expect other drivers to run stop signs when you are on a through street, Be
ready to brake
if necessary as you go through intersections. You may not
have to use the brake, but
if you do, you will be ready,
If you’re driving through a shopping center parking lot where there are
well-marked lanes, directional arrows, and designated parking are\
as, expect
some drivers to ignore all these markings and dash straight to\
ward one part
of the lot.
Pedestrians can be careless. Watch for them. In general, you must give way
to pedestrians even
if you know you have the right of way.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of accidents. Yet they are
common. Allow enough following distance.
It’s the best defensive driving
maneuver, in both city and rural driving. You never know when the vehicle in
front of you is going to brake or turn suddenly.
Here’s a final bit of information about defensive driving. The most dangerous
time for driving in the
US. is very early on Sunday morning. In fact, GM
Research studies show that the most and the least dangerous times for
driving, every week, fall on the same day. That day is Sunday. The most
dangerous time is Sunday
3 a.m. to 4 a.m. The safest time is Sunday from
10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Driving the same distance on a Sunday at 3 a.m. isn’t
just a little more dangerous than it
is at 10 a.m. It’s about 134 times more
dangerous.
That leads to the next part.
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Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane highway is a
potentially dangerous move, since the passing vehicle occupies t\
he same lane
as oncoming traffic for several seconds.
A miscalculation, an error in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger can suddenly put the
passing driver face to face with the worst of all traffic accidents-the head-on
collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
e
e
e
e
e
“Drive ahead.” Look down the road, to the sides, and to crossroads for
situations that might affect your passing patterns.
If you have any doubt
whatsoever about making a successful pass, wait for a better t\
ime.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings, and lines. If you \
can see a
sign up ahead that might indicate a turn or an intersection, delay your
pass.
A broken center line usually indicates it’s all right to pass
(providing the road ahead is clear). Never cross a solid line on your side
of the lane or a double solid line, even
if the road seems empty of
approaching traffic.
If you suspect that the driver of the vehicle you want to pass isn’t aware
of your presence, tap the horn a couple of times before passing.
Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass while you’re
awaiting an opportunity. For one thing, following too closely r\
educes your
area of vision, especially
if you’re following a larger vehicle. Also, you
won’t have adequate space
if the vehicle ahead suddenly slows or stops.
Keep back a reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up, start
to accelerate
but stay in the right lane and don’t get too close. Time your move
so
you will be increasing speed as the time comes to move into the other
lane.
If the way is clear to pass, you will have a “running start” that
more than makes up for the distance you would lose by droppin\
g back.
And
if something happens to cause you to cancel your pass, you need
only slow down and drop back again and wait for another oppor\
tunity.
If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait your turn. But
take care that someone isn’t trying to pass you as you pull out to pass
the slow vehicle. Remember to glance over your shoulder and check the
blind spot.
Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and start your \
left lane
change signal before moving out of the right lane
to pass. When you
are far enough ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal and move \
back into
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Your Driving and the Road
the right lane. (Remember that your right outside mirror is c\
onvex. The
vehicle you just passed may seem to be farther away from you \
than
it
really is).
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on two-lane roads.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly. Even though the
Reconsider before passing the next vehicle.
brake lights are not flashing, it may be slowing down
or starting to turn.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the following driver to get ahead
of you. Perhaps you can ease a little
to the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what happens whe\
n the three
control systems (brakes, steering and acceleration) don’t ha\
ve enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steel+-, arid constantly seek an
escape route
or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle. Defensive drivers avoid
most skids by taking reasonable care suited
to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But skids are always possib\
le.
The three types
of skids correspond to your vehicle’s three control systems.
In the braking skid your wheels aren’t rolling. In the steering
or cornering
skid, too much speed
or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and lose
cornering force. And in the acceleration skid too much throttle\
causes the
driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best handled by ea\
sing your
foot
off the accelerator pedal. If your vehicle starts to slide (as when you turn
a corner on a wet, snow-
or ice-covered road), ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal as soon as you feel the vehicle start to sl\
ide. Quickly steer
the way you want the vehicle
to go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle
will straighten out. As it does, straighten the front wheels.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice, gravel, or other material
is on the road.
For safety, you’ll want to slow down and adjust your driving to
these conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery surfaces because
stopping distance will be longer and vehicle control more limit\
ed.
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 slid\
e. You
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Your Driving and the Road
A Turning or driving across steep hills can be dangerous. You could
lose traction, slide sideways, and possibly roll over. You could be
seriously injured or
I 'I' ?d. When driving up hills, always try to go
I straight up.
Ease up on your speed as you approach the top of the hill.
Attach a flag to the vehicle to make you more visible to approaching
traffic on trails or hills.
Sound the horn as you approach the top of hill to let opposing traffic
know you're there.
Use your headlights even during the day. They make you more visible to
oncoming traffic.
I A Driving to the top (crest) of a hill at full speed can muse an
accident.
There could be a drop-off, embankment, cliff, or even
another vehicle. You buld be seriously injured or killed. .As you near
the
top of a hill, slow down and stay alert. I
Q: What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or is about to stall, and I can't
make it
up the hill?
A: If this happens, there are some things you should do, and there are some
things
you must not do. First, here's what you should do:
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0
Push the brake pedal to stop the vehicle and keep it from rolling
backwards.
Also, apply the parking brake.
If your engine is still running, shift the transmission into reverse, release
the parking brake, and slowly back down the hill in reverse.
If your engine has stopped running, you'll need to restart it. With the
brake pedal depressed and the parking brake still applied, shift the
transmission to
P (Park) (or, shift to N (Neutral) if your vehicle has a
manual transmission) and restart the engine. Then, shift to Reverse,
release the parking brake, and slowly back down the hill in reverse.
As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand on the ste\
ering
wheel at the
12 o'clock position. This way, you'll be able to tell if your
wheels are straight or turned to the left or right as you back down.
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Your Driving and the Road
If you decide you can go down a hill safely, then try to keep your vehicle
headed straight down, and use a low gear. This way, engine dr\
ag can help
your brakes and they won’t have to do
all the work. Descend slowly, keeping
your vehicle under control at all times.
CAUTION
A Heavy braking when going down a hill can cause your brakes to
overheat and fade. This could cause
loss of control and a serious ‘
accident. Apply the brakes lightly when descending a hill and use a
low gear to keep vehicle speed under
control.
Q: Are there some things I should not do when driving down a hili?
A: Yes! These are important because if you ignore them you could lose
control and have a serious accident.
When driving downhill, avoid turns that take you across the in\
cline of the
hill.
A hill that’s not too steep to drive down may be too steep to drive
across. You could
roll over if you don’t drive straight down.
Never go downhill with the transmission in N (Neutral), or with the clutch
pedal depressed in a manual shift. This is called “free-whee\
ling,” Your
brakes will have
to do all the work and could overheat and fade.
Avoid braking so hard that you lock the wheels when going downhill. If
your front wheels are locked, you can’t steer your vehicle. \
If your wheels
lock up during downhill braking, you may feel the vehicle star\
ting to slide
sideways.
To regain your direction, just ease off the brakes and steer to
keep the front of the vehicle pointing straight downhill.
Q: Am I likely to stall when going downhill?
A: It’s much more likely to happen going uphill. But if it happens going
downhill, here’s what to do.
Stop your vehicle by applying the regular brakes. Apply the pa\
rking
brake.
Shift to P (Park) (or to Neutral with the manual transmission) and, while
still braking, restart the engine.
Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake, and drive straight
down.
If the engine won’t start, get out and get help.
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Your Driving and the Road
Stalling on an Incline
If your vehicle stalls when you’re crossing an incline, be sure you (and your
passengers) get out on the uphill side, even
if the door there is harder to
open. If you get out on the downhill side and the vehicle starts to roll over,
you’ll be right in its path.
If you have to walk down the slope, stay out of the path the vehicle will take
if ‘it does roll over.
AM440002
I CAUTION
A Getting out on the downhill (low) side of a vehicle stopped across an
incline is dangerous. If the vehicle rolls over, you could be \
crushed
or killed. Always get out on the uphill (high) side
of the vehicle and
I stay well clear of the rollover path.
Driving In Mud, Sand, Snow, Or Ice
When you drive in mud, snow or sand, your wheels won’t get good traction.
You can’t accelerate as quickly, turning
is more difficult, and you’ll need
longer braking distances.
It’s best
to use a low gear when you’re in mud-the deeper the mud, the
lower the gear. In really deep mud, the. idea is to keep you\
r vehicle moving
so you don’t get stuck.
When you drive
on sand, you’ll sense a change in wheel traction. But it will
depend upon how loosely packed the sand is. On loosely packed \
sand (as
on beaches or sand dunes) your tires will tend to sink into the sand. This
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has an effect on steering, accelerating, and braking. You may want to reduce
the air pressure in your tires slightly when driving on sand. \
This will improve
traction.
Hard packed snow and ice offer the worst tire traction. On th\
ese surfaces, it’s
very easy to lose control. On wet ice, for example, the tract\
ion
is so poor
that you will have difficulty accelerating. And
if you do get moving, poor
steering and difficult braking can cause you to slide out of control.
I A Driving on frozen lakes, ponds or rivers can be dangerous. I
Underwater springs, currents under the ice, or sudden thaws can
weaken the ice. Your vehicle could fall through the ice and you and
your passengers could drown. Drive your vehicle on
safe surfaces
on
I y.
.
Driving In Water
Light rain causes no special off-road driving problems. But hea\
vy rain can
mean flash flooding, and flood waters demand extreme caution.
Find out how deep the water is before you drive through
it. If it’s deep
enough to cover your wheel hubs, axles, or exhaust pipe, don’\
t try it-you
probably won’t get through. Also, water that deep can damage\
your axle and
other vehicle parts.
If the water isn’t too deep, then drive through it slowly. At fast speeds, water
splashes on your ignition system and your vehicle can stall. S\
talling can also
occur
if you get your tailpipe under water. And, as long as your tailp\
ipe is
under water, you’ll never be able to start your engine. Whe\
n you go through
water, remember that when your brakes get wet, it may take you longer to
stop.
Driving through rushing water can be dangerous. Deep water can \
sweep your vehicle downstream and you and your passengers could\

drown.
If it’s only inches deep, it can still wash away the ground
from under your tires, and you could lose traction and roll t\
he vehicle
over. Don’t drive throuah rushina water. I
If you have a diesel engine, see “Driving Through Water (Diese\
l Engines)” in
the Index for more information on driving through water.
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