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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply of windshield
washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight,
a red cloth, and a couple
of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will be
driving under severe conditions, include a small bag of sand, a piece of old
carpet
or a couple of burlap bags to help provide traction. Be sure you
properly secure these items in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet the road probably have
good traction.
However, if there is snow
or ice between your tires and the road, you can
have a very slippery situation. You’ll have a lot less traction or “grip” and
will need to be very careful.
What’s the worst time for this? “Wet ice.” Very cold snow or ice can
be
slick and hard to drive on. But wet ice can be even more trouble because it
may offer the least traction
of all. You can get “wet ice” when it’s about
freezing
(32 OF; OOC) and freezing rain begins to fall. Try to avoid driving
on wet ice until salt and sand crews can get there.
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start down a long or steep
downgrade. If you don’t shift down, you might have to use your brakes
so
much that they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade,
shift down and reduce your speed to around 45 mph
(70 km/h) to reduce the possibility of engine and transmission overheating.
When towing at high altitude on steep uphill grades, consider the following:
Engine coolant will boil at a lower temperature than at normal altitudes. If
you
turn your engine off immediately after towing at high altitude on steep
uphill grades, your vehicle may show signs similar to engine overheating.
To avoid this, let the engine run while parked (preferably on level ground)
with the automatic transmission in PARK
(P) (or the manual transmission
out of gear and the parking brake applied) for
a few minutes before turning
the engine
off. If you do get the overheat warning, see “Engine
Overheating” in the Index.
Parking on Hi//s
You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer attached, on a hill. If
something goes wrong, your rig could start to move. People can be injured,
and both your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into PARK (P) yet, or into
gear for a manual transmission. When parking uphill,
turn your wheels
away from the curb. When parking downhill,
turn your wheels into the
curb.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the regular brakes until the
chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking brake, and then
shift into PARK
(P), or REVERSE (R) for a manual transmission.
5. If you have a four-wheeldrive vehicle with a manual transfer case
shift lever, be sure the transfer case is
in a drive gear - not in
NEUTRAL (N).
6. Release the parking brake.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Problems on the Road
Section
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road.
Hazard Warning Flashers
Your hazard warning
flashers let
you warn
others. They also let
police know
you have
a problem. Your front
and rear turn signal
lamps will flash on
1 and off.
..@ . I
1
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Page 185 of 354
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Push the button on top
of the steering column
all the way down
to
make your front and
rear turn signal lights
flash on and
off. Your
hazard warning
flashers work
no
matter what position
your key is
in, and
even if the key isn’t
in.
To turn off the flashers, push the button until the first click and release.
When the hazard warning flashers are on, your turn signals won’t work. The
flashers will stop if you step on the brake.
Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can set one up at the side of the road
about
300 feet (100 m) behind your vehicle.
Jump Starting
If your battery has run down, you may want to use another vehicle and some
jumper cables to start your vehicle. But please follow the steps below to do
it safely.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 10. Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run the engine for a
while.
11. Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery. If it won’t start after a few
tries make sure all connections are good.
If it still won’t start, it
probably needs service.
12. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent electrical shorting. Take
care that they don’t touch each other or
any other metal.
Remove Cables In This Order:
2 3 1. Heavy Metal
Engine Part
2. Good Battery (-)
3. Good Battery (+)
4. Dead Batten (+)
Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a GM dealer or a professional towing service tow your vehicle.
They can provide the right equipment and know how to tow it without
damage.
If your vehicle has been changed since it was factory-new
by adding things
like fog lamps, aero skirting,
or special tires and wheels, these things could
be damaged during towing.
Before you do anything, turn on the hazard warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
0 Whether your vehicle has rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.
The make, model, and year of your vehicle.
0 Whether you can move the shift lever for the transmission and shift the
transfer case, if you have one.
0 If there was an accident, what was damaged.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If your engine catches fire because you keep driving with no
coolant, your vehicle can be badly damaged. The costly repairs \
would not be covered by your warranty.
If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no steam, the problem may
not be too serious. Sometimes the engine can get a little too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer. See “Driving on Grades’’ in the Index.
If you get the overheat warning with
no sign of steam, try this for a minute
or
so:
1. If you have an air conditioner, turn it off.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan speed and open the
window as necessary.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N); otherwise, shift to the
highest gear while driving
- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (0) or
DRIVE
(D) for automatic transmissions.
If
you no longer have the overheat warning, you can drive. Just to be safe,
drive slower for about
ten minutes. If the warning doesn’t come back on,
you can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your vehicle right away.
If there’s still no sign of steam, push
the accelerator until the engine speed is
about twice as fast as normal idle speed. Bring the engine speed back to
normal idle speed after two or three minutes. Now see
if the warning stops.
But then, if
you still have the warning, turn ofSthe engine and get everyone
out of the vehicle until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service help right away.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When the coolant in the coolant recovery tank is at ADD, start your vehicle.
If the overheat warning continues, there's one more thing you can try. You
can add the proper coolant mix directly to the radiator, but be sure the
cooling system is cool before you do it.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
A. Flat Tire
B. Blocked Tire
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