1994 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA engine

Your Driving and the Road
108
“I’ll be careful” isn’t the right answer.
What
if there’s an emergency, a need to
take sudden action, as when a child
darts into the street? A person with a
higher BAC might not be able to react
quickly enough to avoid the collision.
There’s something else about drinking
and driving that many people don’t
know. Medical research shows that
alcohol in a person’s system can make
crash injuries worse. That’s especially
true for brain, spinal cord and heart
injuries. That means that
if anyone who
has been drinking
- driver or
passenger
- is in a crash, the chance of
being killed or permanently disabled is
higher than
if that person had not been
drinking. And we’ve already seen that
the chance
of a crash itself is higher for
drinking drivers. You
have three systems that
make your
vehicle go where you want it
to go.
They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have
to do their work at the places where the
tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on
snow or ice, it’s easy to ask more
of
those control systems than the tires and
road can provide. That means you can
lose control of your vehicle,
Wt Is All-Wheel Drive?
All the Wheels, All the Time
Bravada has a unique system called all-
wheel drive
(AWD) . Simply stated,
AWD supplies power from the engine to
all four wheels, all the time. It works in
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all conditions-both on and off paved
surfaces, no matter
if the weather is fair
or foul.
The heart of the AWD system is the
transfer case. Here, engine power is
divided by an interaxle differential.
Under normal conditions,
it sends 65
percent of the torque to the rear axle and
the other 35 percent to the front axle.
But on a slippery surface, a viscous
clutch in the transfer case adjusts the
65/35 proportion according to need,
sending more power to the axle with
traction.
Another feature of the AWD system
that helps Bravada keep its grip is the
limited-slip rear axle. In conditions
where one rear wheel
loses traction but
the other still has some-as when one
wheel hits an icy patch or slips onto a
muddy road shoulder-this design
provides power to the wheel with
traction. And AWD is simple. It’s
always there-working.
Braking
Braking action involves perception
time
and reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the
brake pedal. That’s
perception time.
Then you have to bring up your foot
and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a
second. But that’s only an average. It
might be less with one driver and as
long as two or three seconds or more
with another. Age, physical condition,
alertness, coordination, and eyesight all
play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in
3/4 of a second,
a vehicle moving at 60 mph
(100 km/h)
travels 66 feet
(20 m). That could be a
lot
of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your
vehicle and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping
distances vary greatly with the surface
of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition of the road (wet,
dry, icy); tire tread; and the condition of
your brakes. Avoid needless heavy braking. Some
people drive in spurts
- heavy
acceleration followed by heavy braking
- rather than keeping pace with traffic.
This is a mistake. Your brakes may not
have time to cool between hard stops.
Your brakes will wear out much faster if
you
do a lot of heavy braking. If you
keep pace with the traffic and allow
realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer
brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re
driving, brake normally but don’t pump
your brakes. If you do, the pedal may
get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power
brake assist. But you will use it when
you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
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Your Driving and the Road
110
SERVICE
ENGINE
SOON ANT’- LOCK I
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your vehicle has an advanced electronic
braking system that can help you keep
it under control. When you start your
vehicle and begin to drive away, you
may hear a momentary motor or
clicking noise. This is the ABS system
testing itself. Here’s how anti-lock works.
Let’s say
the road is wet. You’re driving safely.
Suddenly an animal jumps out in front
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what
happens with
ABS.
A computer senses that the wheels are
slowing down. If one of the wheels is
about to stop rolling, the computer will
separately work the brakes at each front
wheel and at the rear wheels. The anti-
lock system can change the brake
pressure faster than any driver could.
The computer is programmed to make
the most of available tire and road
conditions. You can steer around the
obstacle while braking hard.
of
you.
As you brake, your computer keeps
receiving updates on wheel speed and
controls braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change
the time you need to get your foot up to
the brake pedal.
If you get too close to
the vehicle
in front of you, you won’t
have time to apply your brakes if that
vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always
leave enough room up ahead to stop,
even though you have anti-lock brakes.
To Use Four-wheel Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the
brake pedal down and let anti-lock
work for you. You may feel the brakes
vibrate, or you may notice some noise,
but this is normal.
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Braking in Emergencies
Use your anti-lock braking system when
you need to. With anti-lock, you can
steer and brake at the same time. In
many emergencies, steering
can help you
more than even the very best braking.
I Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist
because the engine stops or the system
is not functioning, you can steer but it
will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a
reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control”
accidents mentioned on the news
happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of
us is subject to the same laws of physics
when driving on curves. The traction of
the tires against the road surface makes
it possible for the vehicle to change its
path when you turn the front wheels. If
there’s no traction, inertia will keep the vehicle going in
the same direction. If
you’ve ever tried to steer a vehicle on
wet ice, you’ll understand this.
The traction you can get in
a curve
depends on the condition of your tires
and the road surface, the angle at which
the curve is banked, and your speed.
While you’re in a curve, speed is the one
factor you can control.
Suppose you’re steering through
a
sharp curve. Then you suddenly
accelerate. Both control systems
-
steering and acceleration - have to do
their work where the tires meet the
road. Adding the sudden acceleration
can demand too much of those places.
You can lose control.
Suppose you’re steering through
a
sharp curve. Then you suddenly
accelerate. Both control systems
-
steering and acceleration - have to do
their work where the tires meet the
road. Unless you have traction control
and the system is on, adding the sudden
acceleration can demand too much of
those places.
You can lose control. What
should you do if this ever
happens? Ease up on the accelerator
pedal, steer the vehicle the way you
want it to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that
you should adjust your speed. Of
course, the posted speeds are based on
good weather and road conditions.
Under less favorable conditions you’ll
want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you
approach a curve, do it before you enter
the curve, while your front wheels are
straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed
so you can
“drive” through the curve. Maintain a
reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out of the curve,
and then accelerate gently into the
straightaway.
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hur Driving and the Road
114
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 Oldsmobile’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
quicldy 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 skid.
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Your Driving and the Road
I
114
If you don’t know, you should check
with law enforcement people in the
area. Will you be
on someone’s private
land?
If so, be sure to get the necessary
permission.
Loading Your Vehicle for Off-Road
Driving
There are some important things to
remember about how to load your
vehicle.
The heaviest things should be on the
load floor and forward of your rear
axle. Put heavier items as far forward
as you can.
Be sure the load is secured properly,
so driving on the off-road terrain
doesn’t toss things around.
You’ll find other important information
in this manual. See
Vehicle Loading,
Luggage Carrier
and Tires in the Index.
Traveling to Remote Areas
It makes sense to plan your trip,
especially when going to a remote area.
Know the terrain and plan your route.
You are much less likely to get bad
surprises. Get accurate maps of trails
and terrain. Try to learn of any blocked
or closed roads.
It’s also a good idea to travel with at
least one other vehicle. If something
happens to one of them, the other can
help quickly.
Getting Familiar with Off-Road
Driving
It’s a good idea to practice in an area
that’s safe and close to home before you
go into the wilderness. Off-road driving
does require some new and different
driving skills. Here’s what we mean.
Tune your senses to different kinds of
signals. Your eyes, for example, need to
constantly sweep the terrain for
unexpected obstacles. Your ears need to
listen for unusual tire or engine sounds.
With your
arms, hands, feet, and body
you’ll need to respond to vibrations and
vehicle bounce.
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Driving Uphi//
Once you decide you can safely drive
up the hill, you need to take some
special steps.
Use a low gear and get a firm grip on
the steering wheel.
Get a smooth start up the hill and try
to maintain your speed. Don’t use
more power than you need, because
you don’t want your wheels to start
spinning or sliding.
Try to drive straight up the hill if at all
possible. If the path twists and turns,
you might want to find another route.
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 the hill to let opposing traffic
know you’re there.
Use your headlights even during the
day. They make you more visible to
oncoming traffic.
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:
Push the brake pedal to stop the
vehicle and keep it from rolling
backwards. Also, apply the parking
brake.
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) and
restart the engine. Then, shift to
reverse, release the parking brake,
and slowly back down the hill as
straight as possible in reverse.
As you are backing down the hill,
put
your left hand on the steering
wheel at the
12 o’clock position.
This way, you’ll be able to tell if
your wheels are straight and
maneuver
as you back down. It’s
best that you back down the hill
with your wheels straight rather
than in the left or right direction.
Turning the wheel too far
to the
left or right will increase the
possibility
of a rollover.
If your engine is still running, shift
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Your Driving and the Road
120
Here are some things you must not
do if you stall, or are about to stall,
when going up a hill.
Never attempt to prevent a stall by
shifting into
N (Neutral) to “rev-
up” the engine and regain forward
momentum. This won’t work. Your
vehicle will roll backwards very
quickly and you could go out of
control. Instead, apply the regular
brake to stop the vehicle. Then
apply the parking brake. Shift into
reverse, release the parking brake,
and slowly back straight down.
Never attempt to turn around if
you are about to stall when going
up a hill. If the hill is steep enough
to stall your vehicle, it’s steep
enough to cause you to roll over
if
you turn around. If you can’t make
it up the hill, you must back
straight down the hill.
Q: Suppose, after stalling, I try to back
down the hill and decide
I just
can’t do it. What should
I do?
A: Set the parking brake, put your
transmission
in P (Park), and turn off
the engine. Leave the vehicle and go get some nelp. Exit
on the uphill side
and stay clear of the path the vehicle
would take
if it rolled downhill.
Driving Downhill
When off-roading takes you downhill,
you’ll want to consider a number of
things:
How steep is the downhill? Will I be
able
to maintain vehicle control?
What’s the surface like? Smooth?
Rough? Slippery? Hard-packed dirt?
Gravel?
Are there hidden surface obstacles?
Ruts? Logs? Boulders?
What’s at the bottom of the hill? Is
there a hidden creek bank or even a
river bottom with large rocks?
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 drag can help
your brakes and they won’t have to do
all the work. Descend slowly, keeping
your vehicle under control at all times.
Q: Are there some things I should not
do when driving down a hill?
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 incline 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.
transmission in
N (Neutral). This
is called “free-wheeling.” Your
brakes will have to do all the work
and could overheat and fade.
Never go downhill with the
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