1995 GMC SIERRA lights

When you drive over bumps, rocks, or other obstacles, your wheels can
leave the ground. If this happens, even with
one or two wheels, you can’t
control
the vehicle as well or at all.
Because
you will be on an unpaved surface, it’s especially important to
avoid sudden acceleration, sudden turns, or sudden braking.
In a way, off-road driving requires a different kind
of alertness from driving
on paved roads and highways. There are
no road signs, posted speed limits
or signal lights. You have to use your own good judgment about what is safe
and what isn’t.
Drinking and driving can be very dangerous on any road. And this is
certainly true for off-road driving. At the very time
you need special
alertness and driving skills, your reflexes, perceptions and judgment can be
affected by even a small amount of alcohol.
You could have a serious - or
even fatal
- accident if you drink and drive or ride with a driver who has
been drinking. (See “Drunken Driving” in the Index.)
Driving On Off-Road Hills
Off-road driving often takes you up, down, or across a hill. Driving safely
on hills requires good judgment and an understanding
of what your vehicle
can and can’t do. There are some hills that simply can’t be driven, no matter
how well built the vehicle.
A CAUTION:
Many hills are simply too steep for any vehicle, If you drive up
them, you will stall, If you drive
down them, you can’t control
your speed. If you drive across them, you will roll over. You
could be seriously injured
or killed. If you have any doubt about
the steepness, don’t drive the hill.
Approaching a Hill
When you approach a hill, you need to decide if it’s one of those hills that’s
just
too steep to climb, descend, or cross. Steepness can be hard to judge.
On
a very small hill, for example, there may be a smooth, constant incline
with only a small change in elevation where you can easily see all the way
to the top. On
a large hill, the incline may get steeper as you near the top,
but you may
not see this because the crest of the hill is hidden by bushes,
grass, or shrubs.
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Here are some other things to consider as you approach a hill.
Is there a constant incline, or does the hill get sharply steeper in places?
Is there good traction on the hillside, or will the surface cause tire
slipping?
Is there a straight path up or down the hill so you won’t have to make
0 Are there obstructions on the hill that can block your path (boulders,
turning maneuvers?
trees,
logs or ruts)?
What’s beyond the hill? Is there a cliff, an embankment, a drop-off, a
fence? Get out and walk
the hill if you don’t know. It’s the smart way
to find out.
Is the hill simply too rough? Steep hills often have ruts, gullies, troughs
and exposed rocks because they are more susceptible
to the effects of
erosion.
Driving Uphi//
Once you decide you can safely drive up the hill, you need to take some
special steps.
0 Use a low gear and get a firm grip on the steering wheel.
0 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.
1 A CAUTION:
nrning or driving across steep hills can be dangerous. You
could lose traction, slide sideways, and possibly
roll over. You
could be seriously injured or killed. When driving up hills,
always try to
go straight up.
Ease up on your speed as you approach the top of the hill.
0 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.
to oncoming traffic.
Use your headlights even during the day. They make you more visible
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Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as we get older these
differences increase.
A SO-year-old driver may require at least twice as
much
light to see the same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What
you do in the daytime can also affect your night vision. For example,
if you spend the day in bright sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses.
Your eyes will have less trouble adjusting to night. But if you’re driving,
don’t wear sunglasses at night. They may cut down on glare from
headlamps, but they also make a lot
of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded
by approaching lights. It can take a second
or two, or even several seconds, for your eyes
to readjust to the dark. When
you are faced with severe glare (as from a driver who doesn’t lower the high
beams, or
a vehicle with misaimed headlamps), slow down a little. Avoid
staring directly into the approaching lights.
Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle clean
- inside and
out. Glare at night is made much worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside
of the glass can build up
a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes lights
dazzle and flash more than clean glass would, making the pupils of your
eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlamps light
up far less of a roadway when you are
in a turn or curve. Keep your eyes moving; that way, it’s easier to pick out
dimly lighted objects. Just as your headlamps should be checked regularly
for proper aim, so should your eyes be examined regularly. Some drivers
suffer from night blindness
- the inability to see in dim light - and aren’t
even aware
of it.
Driving in the Rain
Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet road you can’t stop,
accelerate or
turn as well because your tire-to-road traction isn’t as good as
on dry roads. And, if your tires don’t have much tread left, you‘ll get even
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Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can if your tires haven’t much
tread or
if the pressure in one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water
is standing on
the road. If you can see reflections from trees, telephone
poles, or other vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” the water’s surface, there
could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There just isn’t
a hard and
fast rule about hydroplaning. The best advice is
to slow down when it is
raining.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Turn on your low-beam headlights - not just your parking lights - to
help make
you more visible to others.
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following distance. And be
especially careful when you pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more
clear room ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted by road
spray.
Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See “Tires” in the Index.)
City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the amount of traffic on
them. You’ll want
to watch out for what the other drivers are doing and pay
attention to traffic signals.
Here
are ways to increase your safety in city driving:
0 Know the best way to get to where you are going. Get a city map and
plan your trip into an unknown part of the city just as you would for a
cross-country trip.
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c
Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves fuel. When you run
the engine, make
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 (or batteries) charged. You will need a well-charged battery (or
batteries) to restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on with your
headlights. Let the heater run for awhile.
If you have a diesel engine, you may have to run it at a higher speed to get
enough heat. 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.
Power Winches
If you wish to use a power winch on your vehicle, only use it when your
vehicle
is stationary or anchored.
NOTICE:
Using a power winch with the transmission in gear may damage
the transmission. When operating a power winch, always leave
the transmission in NEUTRAL
(N).
Use the regular brakes, set the parking brake, or block the wheels to keep
your vehicle
from rolling.
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You could be injured if the vehicles roll. Set the parking brake firmly
on each vehicle. Put an automatic transmission in PARK (P) or a
manual transmission in NEUTRAL (N). If you have a
four-wheel-drive vehicle, be sure the transfer case is not in NEUTRAL
(N).
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Turn off all lights that aren’t
needed, and radios. This
will avoid sparks and help save both batteries.
And it could save your radio!
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly damaged. The
repairs wouldn’t be covered by your warranty.
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. Find the positive (+) and
negative
(-) terminals on each battery.
A CAUTION:
Using a match near a battery can cause battery gas to explode.
People have been hurt doing this, and some have been blinded.
Use
a flashlight if you need more light.
Be sure the batteries have enough
water. You don’t need to add
water to the Delco Freedom@ battery (or batteries) installed in
every new
GM vehicle. But if a battery has filler caps, be sure
the right amount of fluid is there.
If it is low, add water to take
care
of that first. If you don’t, explosive gas could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you. Don’t get
it on
you.
ff you accidentally get it in your eyes or on your skin, flush
the place with water and get medical help immediately.
5. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or missing insulation. If
they do,
you could get a shock. The vehicles could be damaged, too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some basic things you should
know. Positive
(+) will go to positive (+) and negative (-) will go to
negative
(-) or a metal engine part. Don’t connect (+) to (-) or you’ll
get
a short that would damage the battery and maybe other parts, too.
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Index
A
Adding Equipment to Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle (See "Supplemental
Intlatable Restraint System (SIR)")
Air Bag (See "Supplemental Intlatable Restrain1 System (SIR)")
Air Cleaner (See "Engine-Air Cleaner")
Air Conditioning (See "HeatedAir Conditioning Controls")
Antenna
....................................................... 3-25
Readiness Light
(See "Lights")
Anti-Lock Brakes (See "Brakes")
Appearance Care
................................
Materials Chart ..............................
Arbitration Program (See "Better Business Bureau Media
Audio Systems
.................................
................ 6-67
................. 6-75
. tion")
.................. 3-6
Care of Your Cassette Player and Tapes ............................ 3-24
Care_of Compact Discs
......................................... 3-25
ETR: AM-FM Stereo Audio Cassette System
....................... 3-9
ETRf AM-FM Stereo Audio Cassette ATC System
.................. 3-11
ETR'?' AM-FM Stereo Audio Compact Disc ATC System ............. 3-16
Rcmote Cassette Player
...................................... 3-22
ETR&AM-FM Stereo Audio System
............................... 3-7
THEFTLOCK Theft Deterrent Feature
........................ 3- 14. 3-20
Understanding Radio Reception .................................. 3-23
Automatic Transmission (See "Tnlnsmission")
Axle LockingRea r
................................................. 2-27
Front (See "Four-Wheel Drive")
Rear
........................................................ 6-32
B
Battery ........................................................ 6-47
Belts (See "Safety Belts")
Better Business Bureau Mediation
.................................... 8-3
Blizzard (See "Driving-If You're Caught
in a Blizzard")
Brakes Adjustment
.................................................. 6-45
Anti-Lock (ABS)
.............................................. 4-6
Anti-Lock Warning Light (See "Lights")
Hydro-Boost Brake System
..................................... 6-41
Master Cylinder .............................................. 6-42
Parking
..................................................... 2-27
PedalTravel
................................................. 644
Propshaft Parking Brake Burnish Procedure
........................ 2-28
Replacingparts
............................................... 6-45
System Warning Light (See *'Lights")
To Check Brake Fluid .......................................... 6-43
Trailer (.See "Trailer-Brakes")
Transmission Shift Interlock
(BTSI) ............................... 2-20
Wear
....................................................... 6-44
WhattoAdd
................................................. 643
Braking ......................................................... 4-5
In Emergencies ................................................ 4-7
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Cruise Control (Option) ........................................... 2-43
OnHills
..................................................... 2-47
Passing Another Vehicle
........................................ 2-46
To Erase Speed Memory
........................................ 2-48
ToGetOutOf ................................................ 2-47
ToIncreaseSpeed
............................................. 2-45
ToReduceSpeed
.............................................. 2-46
ToResume
.................................................. 2-45
ToSet ...................................................... 2-44
Customer Assistance for the Hearing or Speech Impaired
................. 8-3
Customer Assistance Information
.................................... 8-1
Customer Satisfaction Procedure ..................................... 8-1
Daytime Running Lamps (See “Lamps-Daytime Running Lamps”)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) Indicator Light (See “Lights”)
Diesel Fuel Requirements and Fuel System (See “Fuel-Diesel”)
Differential (See “Axle”) Doors
.......................................................... 2-3
Locks
........................................................ 2-5
PowerDoorLocks
............................................. 2-6
SideDoors
.................................................... 2-3
Drive Axle (See
“Axle”)
Driving AtNight
.................................................... 4-23
City
........................................................ 4-26
Defensive
.................................................... 4-1
Freeway ..................................................... 4-27
HillandMountainRoads
....................................... 4-29
Highway Hypnosis
............................................ 4-28
If You’re Caught in a Blizzard
................................... 4-33
OnGrades
................................................... 447
SnoworIce
.................................................. 4-31
In Snow (Diesel Engines) ....................................... 2-14
IntheRain
................................................... 4-24
LossofControl
............................................... 4-11
Nightvision
................................................. 4-24
Off-Road Driving with Your Four-wheel Drive Vehicle
.............. 4-12
After Off-Road Driving
...................................... 4-23
Before
You Go Off-Roading .................................. 4-12
Passing
..................................................... 4-10
Through Deep Standing Water ................................... 2-14
Winter ...................................................... 4-31
DrunkenDriving ................................................. 4-2
Electrical System
Engine Add-on Equipment
........................................... 6-78
Adding
Coolant-Diesel Engine .................................. 5-20
Adding Coolant-Gasoline Engine ........................... 5-13. 5-16
Aircleaner .................................................. 6-26
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