
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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,
Anti-Lock Brakes
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves a little. This is normal.
If there’s a problem with the anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay
on.
See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” in
the Index.
4-6

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Here's how anti-lock works. Let's say the road is wet.
You're driving safely. Suddenly an animal jumps out in
front of you.
You slam on
the brakes. Here's what happens with ABS.
A computer senses that 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.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
4-7

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 Chevrolet’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 is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
If you have the Enhanced Traction System, remember: It
helps avoid only the acceleration skid. If you
do not have the Enhanced Traction System, or
if
the transaxle shift lever is not in the OVERDRIVE (@)
position, then an acceleration skid is also 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 quickly 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 brake system (ABS) helps avoid only the braking skid.
4-14

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine firn Signals When Towing a Trailer
The green arrows on your instrument panel will flash
whenever you signal a turn or lane change. Properly
hooked up, the trailer lamps will also flash, telling other
drivers you’re about to turn, change lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signal when they are not.
It’s important to check occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.
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 transaxle overheating.
Parking on Hills
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
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels. PARK
(P) yet.
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 to PARK
(P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
4-39

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
Do not tow your Cavalier from the rear with
the front wheels on the ground or your transaxle
can be damaged.
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or rear
fascia will be damaged.
Use wheel lift or car
carrier equipment. Additional ramping may be
required for
car carrier equipment. Use safety
chains and wheel straps.
Towing
a vehicle over rough surfaces could
damage
a vehicle. Damage can occur from vehicle
to ground or vehicle to wheel-lift equipment. To
help avoid damage, install
a towing dolly and
raise vehicle until adequate clearance is obtained
between the ground and/or wheel-lift equipment.
Do not attach winch cables or J-hooks to
suspension components when using car carrier
equipment. Always use T-hooks inserted in the
T-hook slots.
A
I I
Attach a separate safety chain to each side of the axle
inboard of the rear shock absorber attachment.
(Do not
use the chain as a
tie down.)
5-12

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Appearance Care Materials Chart
1052929 16 02. (0.473 L) Wheel Cleaner
Spray on wheel cleaner
1052930 8 oz. (0.237 L) Capture Dry Spot Remover Attracts and absorbs soils
12345002** 16 oz. (0.473 L) Armor All” Cleaner Cleans Vinyl, leather and rubber
12345725 12 oz. (0.354 L) Silicone Tire Shine Shines tires
See your General Motors Parts Department for these products. ’ * Not recommended. for pigskin suede leather.
See “Fluids and Lubricants”
in the Index. ** Not recommended for use on instrument panel vinyl.
6-51

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Instrument Panel Fuse Block
The fuse panel is located under the left end of the
instrument panel.
To open, push the tab on the access
door to the left and pull the door forward. Make sure
to
insert the tabs when replacing the cover.
TURN -B/U ERLS ALARM PCM/IGN IGN
F/P - INJ AIR BAG CRUISE
Fuse Usage
TURN-B/U Exterior Lamps, Back-up Lamps
F/P-INJ Fuel Pump,
Fuel Injectors
CLUSTER Instrument Cluster, Anti-Lock Brake System
CLS/PCM
RR
DFOG
02 HTR Instrument Cluster, Powertrain
Control Module, Daytime
Running Lamps
Rear Window Defogger Multiport Fuel Injection
6-54

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Engine Compartment Fuse Block
J
The engine compartment fuse block is located on the
driver’s side of the engine compartment. Lift off the cover
to check the fuses.
Fuse
IGN
BATT
1
BATT 2
ABS
Usage
Ignition Switch Circuits
Power ACC/Stoplamp Circuits Lighting Circuits
Electronic Variable Orifice
Steering, Anti-Lock Brake System
COOLING
FAN Engine Cooling Fan
BLO Heater and A/C Blower
PCM Powertrain Control Module
A/C A/C Compressor
(2.4L Engine)
ABS/EVO Anti-Lock Brake System
6-56