Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
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 when the three
control systems (brakes, steering and
acceleration) don’t have 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 steer and 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 possible.
The three types of skids correspond to
your Chevrolet’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 easing your
foot
off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your
foot
off the accelerator pedal and
quickly steer the way
you want the
vehicle to go.
If you start steering
quickly enough, your vehicle may
straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid
if it occurs. 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 limited.
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 slid.
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
I..
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.
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.
I24
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.
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Run your engine only as long as you
must. This saves fuel. When you run the
engine, malte 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
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.
~~
Recreational Towing
If your vehicle has a manual transaxle,
you can tow your vehicle behind
another vehicle for use at your
destination. Be sure
to use proper
towing equipment designed for
recreational towing. Follow the
instructions for the towing equipment.
Towing Your Vehicle from the Front
Tow your vehicle with all four wheels
on the ground. Follow these steps:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Turn the ignition key to OFF to
unlock the steering wheel.
OFF will
also prevent the automatic door locks
from locking.
(Neutral).
3.
Shift your manual transaxle to
N
4. Release the parking brake.
NOTICE:
Make sure that the towing speed
does not exceed
55 mph (90 lm),
or your vehicle could be badly
damaged.
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When your vehicle is being towed, have
the ignition key
off. The steering wheel
should be clamped in a straight-ahead
position, with a clamping device
designed for towing service.
Do not use
the vehicle’s steering column lock for
this. The transaxle should be in
N
(Neutral) and the parking brake
released.
Don’t have your vehicle towed
on the
front wheels, unless you must. If the
vehicle must be towed
on the front wheels,
don’t
go more than 35 mph (56 kdh)
or farther than
50 miles (80 lun) or your
transaxle will be damaged.
If these
limits must be exceeded, then the front
wheels have to be supported on a dolly.
Towing from the Front-Vehicle
Hookup
Before hooking up to a tow truck, be
sure to read all the information in
Towing Your Vehicle earlier in this
section.
1. Attach T-hook chains into the slots
in the bottom
of the floor pan, just
behind the front wheels, on both
sides.
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Problems on the Road
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.
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 a 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. The
following steps will tell you how to
use the jack and change a tire.
The equipment you’ll need
is in the
trunk
or rear area.
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Problems on the Road
Don’t use your compact spare on some
other vehicle.
And don’t mix
your compact spare or
wheel with other wheels or tires. They
won’t fit. Keep your spare and its wheel
together.
NOTICE:
Tire chains won’t fit your compact
spare. Using them will damage your
vehicle and destroy the chains too.
Don’t use tire chains on your
compact spare.
If You’re Stuck: In Sand,
Mud, Ice or Snow
What you don’t want to do when your
vehicle is stuck is to spin your wheels.
The method known as “rocking” can
help you get out when you’re stuck, but
you must use caution.
NOTICE:
Spinning your wheels can destroy
parts of your vehicle as well as the
tires.
If you spin the wheels too fast
while shifting your transaxle back
and forth, you can destroy your
transaxle.
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
fonGard gear (or with a manual
transaxle, 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
transaxle is in gear.
If that doesn’t get
you out after a few tries, you may need
to be towed out. If
you do need to be
towed out, see
Towing Your Vehicle in
the
Index.
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Here you will find information
about the care of your Chevrolet
.
This part begins with service and
fuel information. and then it shows how to check important fluid and
lubricant levels
. There is also
technical information about your
vehicle. and a section devoted to
its appearance care
.
Part 6
Service and Appearance Care
Service ........................................................................\
............................................. 154
Fuel ........................................................................\
.................................................. 154
Hood Release ........................................................................\
................................... 158
Engine Oil ........................................................................\
........................................ 162
Air Cleaner ........................................................................\
...................................... 165
Automatic Transaxle Fluid ........................................................................\
............. 167
Manual Transaxle Fluid ........................................................................\
.................. 169
Power Steering Fluid ........................................................................\
....................... i73
Windshield Washer Fluid ........................................................................\
................ 173
Brakes ........................................................................\
.............................................. 174
Engine Coolant ........................................................................\
................................ 170
Battery ........................................................................\
............................................. 176
Bulb Replacement ........................................................................\
............................ 176
Loading Your Vehicle ........................................................................\
..................... 180
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ................................................................... 179
Tires ........................................................................\
................................................. 181
Appearance Care ........................................................................\
............................. 187
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) .................................................................... 194
Add-on Electrical Equipment ........................................................................\
........ 195
Fuses 8I Circuit Breakers ........................................................................\
................ 195
Fluids 81 Lubricants ........................................................................\
........................ 199
Capacities 81 Specifications ........................................................................\
............ 198
Replacement Bulbs ........................................................................\
.......................... 200
Engine Specifications ........................................................................\
...................... 202
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts ............................................................... f!B
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Service & Appearance Care
2.21 L4 Engine CODE^)
When you open the hood, you’ll see:
1. Engine Coolant Recovery Tank
2. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir
3. Automatic Transaxle Fluid Dipstick
4. Brake Fluid Reservoir
5. Hydraulic Clutch Fluid Reservoir (if
6. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir
7. Battery
8. Air Cleaner
9. Engine Oil Dipstick, Engine Oil Fill
(if equipped)
equipped)
Cap
IO. Thermostat Housing Pressure Cap