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Will you have to stop suddenly or change
direction quickly?
When you drive over obstacles or rough terrain, keep
a
firm grip on the steering wheel. Ruts, troughs or other
surface features can jerk the wheel out of your
hands if
you’re not prepared.
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 alcoh’ol. You could
have a serious
-- or even fatal 7- accident if you dx-ink
and drive or ride with a driver who has been drinking.
See “Drunken Driving”
in the Index.
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Y 1 1 . 111 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 less traction. It’s always wise to go slower and be
cautious if rain starts to fall while
you are driving. The
surface may get wet suddenly when your reflexes are
tuned for driving on dry pavement.
The heavier the rain, the harder it
is to see. ETIen if your
windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy rain
can make it harder to see road signs and traffic signals,
pavement markings, the edge of the road and even
people walking.
It’s wise to keep your wiping equipment in good shape
and keep your windshield washer tank filled with
washer fluid. Replace your windshield wiper inserts
when they show signs
of streaking or missing areas on
the windshield, or when strips
of rubber start to separate
from the inserts.
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Freeway Driving
Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways,
expressways, turnpikes or superhighways) are the safest
of all roads. But they have their own special rules.
The most important advice on freeway driving
is: Keep
up with traffic and keep to the right. Drive at the same
speed most of the other drivers
are driving. Too-fast or
too-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic flow. Treat the
left lane on
a freeway as a passing lane. At
the entrance, there
is usually a ramp that leads to the
freeway.
If you have a clear view of the freeway as you
drive along the entrance ramp,
you should begin to
check traffic. Try to determine where you expect to
blend with the flow. Try to merge into the gap at close to
the prevailing speed. Switch on your turn signal, check
your mirrors and glance over your shoulder as often as
necessary,
Try to blend smoothly with the traffic flow.
Once you
are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the
posted limit or to the prevailing rate
if it’s slower. Stay
in the right
lane unless you want to pass.
Before changing lanes, check your mirrors. Then use
your turn signal. Just before you leave the lane, glance
quickly over your shoulder to make
sure there isn’t
another vehicle
in your “blind” spot.
Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you
allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to move
slightly slower at night.
When you want to leave the freeway, move to the proper
lane well
in advance. If you miss your exit, do not,
under any circumstances, stop and back up; Drive on to
the next exit.
The exit ramp can
be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
The exit speed
is usually posted.
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Making Turns
NOTICE:
Making very sharp turns while trailering could
cause the trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle. Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns than
normal.
Do this so your trailer won’t strike soft shoulders,
curbs, road signs, trees or other objects. Avoid jerky or
sudden maneuvers. Signal well
in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have extra
wiring (included in the optional trailering package).
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 arrow’s on your
instrument panel
will flash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may thlnk drrvers
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 transmission overheating.
If you are towing a trailer and you have a manual
transmission with FIFTH
(5) gear, you may prefer not to
use FIFTH
(5). Just drive in FOURTH (4) (or, as you
need
to, a lower gear).
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Gem Section 5 Problems on the Road
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 and
off.
Press the button on top
of the steering column to
make your front and rear
turn signal lamps 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 again.
When the hazard warning flashers are
on, your turn
signals won’t work.
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Front Parking and Turn Signal Lamps
To replace the parking and turn signal bulb:
1. Open the hood.
2. Turn the bulb socket counterclockwise and pull it out
of the lamp housing.
3. Push the bulb in, turn it to counterclockwise and pull
it out.
4. Reverse the steps with a new bulb.
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Fuse Usage
5
l... .............................. Empty
2................................... Empty
3 ............ Dome Lamp, Sidemarker Lamps,
Parking Lamps, License Plate Lamp, Instrument Panel Illumination
4 ........................... Stoplamps, Horn
5 ............................. Hazard Lamps
6..... ................. Door Lock (Option)
7 ............................. Lighter, Radio
8 ........................... Ignition System,
Warning and Indicator Lights,
Gages, Four-wheel Drive System (Option)
9 ........... Turn Signal Flasher, Back-up Lamps
10 .....
11 ...
...................... Wipermasher
.........
.. ..I .... Rear Defogger
12 ................................... Heater
13
................................. Empty
14 ................................... Empty
Please note, fuses for the air bags are located next to the
instrument
panel fuse block.
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Main Fuse Block
The main fuse box in your engine compartment protects
all electrical loads.
For access
to the main fuses, pull off the cover. A spare
fuse is
also inside the fuse box.
Fuse
BATT ......
ABS .........
Usage
............ All Electrical Load
....... Anti-Lock Brake System
LAMP
...
IG . . ................. Ignition, Lighter, Radio,
Wiperwasher, Rear Defogger,
Turn Signals, Backup Lamps, Heater
Stop Lamps, Horn, Hazard Lamps
H/L, R ................... Right Side Headlamp
H/L, L ................. Left Side Headlamp
FI ....... .......... Fuel Injection System
A/C
.... ... ........ Air Conditioning
......... Taillamps, Dome Lamps,
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