1996 CHEVROLET CAVALIER Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway
hypnosis”? Or is it just plain falling asleep at the
wheel? Call it highway hypnosis, lack
of awareness,
or whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch of road with the
same scenery, along with the hum of the tires on the road,
the drone of the engine, and the rush
of the wind against
the vehicle that can make you sleepy. Don’t let it happen
to you!
If it does, your vehicle can leave the road in less
than a second, and you could crash and be injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis? First, be
aware that it can happen.
Then here are some tips:
0 Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
0 Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and to
the sides. Check your rearview mirrors and your
instruments frequently. comfortably
cool interior.
0 If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service
or parking area and take a nap, get some exercise, or
both. For safety, treat drowsiness
on the highway as
an emergency.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving in flat or rolling terrain.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If you drive regularly in steep country, or if you’re
planning to visit there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and
more enjoyable.
0 Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid
levels and also the brakes, tires, cooling system and
transaxle. These parts can work hard on mountain
roads.
0 Know how to go down hills. The most important
thing to know is this: let your engine do some
of the
slowing down. Shift to a lower gear when you go
down
a steep or long hill.
If you don’t
shift down, your brakes could get so
hot that they wouldn’t work well. You would then
have poor braking or even none going down
a hill.
You could crash. Shift down to let your engine
assist your brakes
on a steep downhill slope.
I
Coasting downhill in NEUTRAL (N) or with the
ignition off is dangerous. Your brakes will have to
do all the work of slowing down. They could get so
hot that they wouldn’t work well. You would then
have poor braking or even none going down
a hill.
You could crash. Always have your engine running
and your vehicle in gear when
you go downhill.
0
0
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e
Know how to go uphill. You may want to shift down
to a lower gear. The lower gears help cool your engine
and transaxle, and you can climb the hill better.
Stay in your own lane when driving on two-lane
roads in hills
or mountains. Don’t swing wide or cut
across the center
of the road. Drive at speeds that let
you stay in your own lane.
As you go over the top of a hill, be alert. There could be
something in your lane, like a stalled car or an accident.
You may see highway signs on mountains that warn of
special problems. Examples are long grades, passing or
no-passing zones, a falling rocks area or winding
roads. Be alert to these and take appropriate action.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Winter Driving
Here are some tim for winter driving:
Have your uevrolet in good shape for winter.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your
trunk.
... .
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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°F; 0” C) 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.
If you have the Enhanced Traction System, keep the
transaxle shift lever in the OVERDRIVE
(@) position
so the system will be able to operate. It will improve
your ability
to accelerate when driving on a slippery
road. Even though your vehicle has this system,
you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to the
road conditions. See “Enhanced Traction System” in
the Index.
If you don’t have the Enhanced Traction System, 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 Your anti-lock brakes improve your vehicle’s stability
when you 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.
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you’ve been stopped by the snow.
0 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. Snow can
trap exhaust gases under your vehicle.
This can cause deadly CO (carbon monoxide) gas
to get inside.
CO could overcome you and kill
you.
You can’t see it or smell it, so you might not
know it
is in your vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base of your vehicle, especially any
that
is blocking your exhaust pipe. And check
around again from time to time to be
sure snow
doesn’t collect there.
Open
a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that’s away from the wind. This will help
keep
CO out.
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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, 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 charged.
You will need a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later
on
with your headlamps. 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 Vehicle Towing
You can tow your vehicle behind another vehicle for use
at your destination. Be sure
to use the proper towing
equipment designed for recreational towing. Follow the
instructions for the towing equipment.
Towing Your Vehicle from the Front
(With a Dolly)
€
7
m
Follow these steps:
1. Put the front wheels on a dolly.
2. Set the parking brake.
3. Open the fuse panel on the driver’s side of the
instrument panel. Remove the fuse labeled
CLSPCM.
This will keep your battery from draining while towing.
4. Turn the ignition key to OFF to unlock the steering
wheel, see “Ignition Switch’’ in the Index.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 5. Clamp the steering wheel in a straight-ahead position
6. Release the parking brake.
When you
are finished towing, make sure you replace
the CLS/PCM fuse in the instrument panel fuse block.
with a clamping device designed for towing.
Towing Your Vehicle from the Front
(Four-Speed Automatic
or Five-Speed
Manual Transaxles Only)
You may tow your vehicle with all four wneels on the
ground
if you have a four-speed automatic or a
five-speed manual transaxle. Follow these steps:
r
m
.
*-
Follow these steps:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Turn the ignition key to OFF to unlock the
3. Open the fuse panel on the driver’s side of the
instrument panel. Remove the fuse labeled
CLS/PCM. This will keep your battery from draining
while towing. steering wheel.
4. Shift your transaxle to NEUTRAL (N).
5. Release the parking brake.
NOTICE:
Make sure that the towing speed does not
exceed
55 mph (90 km/h), or your vehicle could
be badly damaged.
When you are finished towing, make sure you replace
the CLS/PCM fuse in the instrument panel fuse block.
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