Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running (Automatic Tkansmission)
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle
is in PARK (P) and your
parking brake
is firmly set before you leave it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into the PARK (P)
position, hold the regular brake pedal down. Then, see if
you can move the shift lever away from PARK
(P)
without first pushing the button. If you can, it means
that the shift lever wasn’t fully locked into PARK
(P).
Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission)
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transmission into PARK
(P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transmission. You may find it difficult to pull the
shift lever out of PARK (P). This
is called “torque lock.”
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then
shift into PARK
(P) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat.
To find out how, see “Shifting into
PARK (P) in the Index.
When
ydu are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK
(P) before you release the parking brake.
If “torque lock” does occur, you may need to have
another vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some
of
the pressure from the transmission, so you can pull the
shift lever out
of PARK (P).
2-32
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 1 NOTICE:
Before lowering the convertible top into the
storage area, be sure there are no objects in the
way of the folded, stored top. The weight of a
stored top
on items in the storage area will cause
the convertible top back glass to break.
2. Unlock the front of the convertible top by pushing on
the smaller part of the latch, then pulling down on the
larger part of the latch. Be sure the hook on the latch
that attaches into the hole at
the windshield releases.
UP TOP
DOWN 1
3. Be sure no one or nothing is on or around the top.
Push
and hold “DOWN” or on the convertible
top switch.
The switch is below your cigarette
lighter.
The top will automatically lower into the
storage area.
2-81
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It’s the number one contributor to the
highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims every
year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive
a
vehicle:
Judgment
Muscular Coordination
Vision
Attentiveness
Police records show that almost half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result
of someone who was drinking
and driving.
In recent years, some 18,000 annual motor
vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use
of alcohol, with more than 300,000 people injured.
Many adults
-- by some estimates, nearly half the adult
population
-- choose never to drink alcohol, so they
never drive after drinking. For persons under 2
I, it’s
against the law in every
U.S. state to drink alcohol.
There
are good medical, psychological and
developmental reasons for these laws. The
obvious way to solve this highway safety problem
is for people never to drink alcohol and then drive. But
what if people do?
How much is “too much’’ if the
driver plans to drive? It’s a lot less than many might
think, Although it depends on each person and situation,
here
is some general information on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Concentration
(BAC) of someone
who is drinking depends upon four things:
How much alcohol consumed
0 The drinker’s body weight
0 The amount of food that is consumed before and
during drinking
0 The length of time it has taken the drinker to
consume the alcohol
According
to the American Medical Association, a
180-pound (82 kg) person who drinks three 12-ounce
(355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a
BAC of about 0.06 percent. The person would reach the
same
BAC by drinking three 4-ounce (120 ml) glasses
of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1 - 1/2 ounces
(45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka.
4-2
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine It’s the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if
the same person drank three double martinis
(3 ounces
or
90 ml of liquor each) within an hour, the person’s
BAC would be close to 0.12 percent. A person who
consumes food just before
or during drinking will have a
somewhat lower
BAC level. There
is a gender difference, too. Women generally have
a lower relative percentage
of body water than men.
Since alcohol is carried in body water, this means that
a
woman generally will reach a higher BAC level than a
man
of her same body weight when each has the same
number
of drinks.
The law
in many U.S. states sets the legal limit at a BAC
of 0.10 percent. In a growing number of U.S. states, and
throughout Canada, the limit is
0.08 percent. In some
other countries it’s even lower. The
BAC limit for all
commercial drivers in the
U.S. is 0.04 percent.
The
BAC will be over 0.10 percent after three to six
drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we’ve seen,
it
depends on how much alcohol is in the drinks, and how
quickly the person drinks thetn.
But the ability to drive
is affected well below a BAC of
0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills of
many people are impaired
at a BAC approaching
0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All
drivers are impaired at
BAC levels above 0.05 percent.
Statistics show that the chance of being
in a collision
increases sharply for drivers who have a
BAC of
0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of
0.06 percent has doubled his or her chance of having a
- 4-3
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
Loading Your Vehicle
can be in your vehicle. It also gives you important
information about
the number of people that can be in
your vehicle and
the total weight that you can carry.
This weight is called the Vehicle Capacity Weight and
includes the weight of all occupants, cargo, and all
nonfactory-installed options.
OCCUPANTS
VEHICLE CAP. WT.
TIRE-LOADING INFORMATION
FRT.
CTR. RR. TOTAL LBS. KG
MAX. LOADING & GVWR SAME AS VEHICLE
CAPACITY WEIGHT XXX COLD TIRE
TIRE SIZE SPEED PRESSURE
RTG PSliKPa
FRT.
RR.
SPA.
IF TIRES ARE HOT. ADD 4PSIi28KPa
SEE OWNER‘S MANUAL FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
MFDBYGENERALMOTORSCORP
DATE GVWR GAWR FRT GAWR
RR
THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL APPLI-
CABLE U.S. FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE
SAFETY, BUMPER, AND THEFT PREVENTION
STANDARDS
IN EFFECT ON THE DATE OF
MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE.
Two labels on your vehicle show how much weight it
may properly carry. The Tire-Loading Information label
found
on the rear edge of the driver’s door tells you the
proper size, speed rating and recommended inflation
pressures for the tires
on your vehicle. It also gives you
important information about the number of people that The other label,
is the
Certification label, found on the
rear edge of the driver’s door. It tells you the gross
weight capacity of your vehicle, called the GVWR
(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). The GVWR includes
the weight
of the vehicle, all occupants, fuel and cargo.
Never exceed the GVWR for your vehicle, or the Gross
4-29
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Axle Weight Rating GAWR for either the front or
rear axle.
And,
if you do have a heavy load, you should spread
it out. Don’t carry more than
100 pounds (45 kg) in
your rear area.
If you put things inside your vehicle--like suitcases,
tools, packages or anything else--they
will go as fast as
the vehicle goes. If you have to stop or turn quickly, or
if there is a crash, they’ll keep going.
4-30
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Towing a Trailer
NOTICE:
Pulling a trailer improperly can damage your
vehicle and result in costly repairs not covered
by
your warranty. To pull a trailer correctly, follow
the advice in this part, and see your Chevrolet
dealer for important information about towing a
trailer with your vehicle.
Your car can tow a trailer if it is equipped with the
proper trailer towing equipment. To identify what the
vehicle trailering capacity is for your vehicle,
you
should read the information in “Weight of the Trailer”
that appears later
in this section. But trailering is
different than just driving your vehicle by itself.
Trailering means changes in handling, durability, and
fuel economy. Successful, safe trailering takes correct
equipment, and
it has to be used properly.
That’s the reason for this part. In
it are many
time-tested, important trailering tips and safety rules.
Many of these are important for your safety and that
of
your passengers. So please read this section carefully
before you pull a trailer.
Load-pulling components such as the engine,
transmission, rear axle, wheel assemblies, and tires are
forced to work harder against the drag
of the added
weight. The engine
is required to operate at relatively
higher speeds and under greater loads, generating extra
heat. What’s more, the trailer adds considerably
to wind
resistance, increasing the pulling requirements.
4-31
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points.
0 There are many different laws, including speed limit
restrictions, having to do with trailering. Make sure
your rig will be legal, not only where
you live but
also where
you’ll be driving. A good source for this
information can be state or provincial police.
0 Consider using a sway control.
You can ask a hitch dealer about sway controls.
0
0
a
Don’t tow a trailer at all during the first 1000 miles
(1 600 km) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle or other parts could be damaged.
Then, during the first
500 miles (800 km) that you
tow a trailer, don’t drive over
50 mph (80 kmh) and
don’t make starts at full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts
of your vehicle wear in at the
heavier loads.
Obey speed limit restrictions when towing a trailer.
Don’t drive faster than
the maximum posted speed
for trailers (or
no more than 55 mph (90 kdh)) to
save wear on your vehicle’s parts. Three
important considerations
have to do with weight:
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It should never weigh more than
1,500 pounds (680 kg)
under normal driving conditions. It should never weight
weigh more than 1,000 pounds
(450 kg) when driven on
long grades at high ambient temperatures. But even that
can be too heavy.
It depends on how
you plan to use your rig. For
example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how much your vehicle is used to pull a
trailer are all important. And, it can also depend on any
special equipment that
you have on your vehicle.
You can ask your dealer for our trailering information or
advice, or
you can write us at:
Chevrolet Motor Division Customer Assistance Department
P.O. Box 7047
Troy, MI 48007-7047 In Canada, write to:
General Motors
of Canada Limited
Customer Assistance Center
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L1H 8P7