1996 CHEVROLET TRACKER towing

When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on
a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
Start your engine;
Shift into a gear; and
0 Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transmission fluid (don’t
overfill), engine oil, axle lubricant, belts, cooling system and brake adjustment. Each of these
is covered in this
manual, and the Index will help you find them quickly.
If you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to review these
sections before you start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
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Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a Chevrolet/Geo dealer or a professional
towing service tow your Geo. See “Roadside
Assistance” in the Index.
If your vehicle has been changed or modified since it
was factory-new by adding aftermarket items like fog
lamps, aero skirting, or special tires and wheels, these
instructions may not
be correct.
Before you do anything, turn on the hazard
warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle has rear-wheel drive, or that it has
the four-wheel-drive option.
The make, model and year of your vehicle.
Whether you can still move the shift lever for’the
transmission and transfer case,
if you have one.
0 If there was an accident, what was damaged.
When the towing service arrives, let the tow operator
know that this manual contains detailed towing
instructions
and illustrations. The operator may want to
see them.
I a CAUTION:
To help avoid injury to you or others:
Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is
Never tow faster than safe or posted speeds.
Never tow with damaged parts not
Never get under your vehicle after it has
Always use separate safety chains on each
Never use T-hooks. Use J-hooks instead.
being towed.
fully
secured.
been lifted by the tow truck.
side when towing
a vehicle.
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U‘l’lOR’
A vehicle can fall from a car carrier if it isn’t
adequately secured. This can cause
a collision, ‘
serious personal injury and vehicle damage. The
vehicle should be tightly secured with chains or
steel cables before
it is transported.
Don’t
use substitutes (ropes, leather straps,
canvas webbing,
etc.) that can be cut by sharp
edges underneath the towed vehicle.
When your vehicle is being towed, have the ignition key
turned to the OFF position. The steering wheel should
be clamped in a straight-ahead position, with a clamping
device designed for towing service. Do not use the
vehicle’s steering column lock for this.
The transmission
and
transfer case, if you have one, should be in
NEUTRAL (N) and the parking brake released.
Don’t have your vehicle towed
on the drive wheels
unless
you must. If the vehicle &ust be towed on the
drive wheels, be sure to follow any speed and distance
restrictions later
in this section, or your transmission
will be damaged. If these limitations must be exceeded,
then the drive wheels have to be supported on a dolly.
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A towing dolly must be used under the drive wheels
when towing
from the fvont.
Attach J-hook chains on both sides to the rear of lower
control arms inboard
of the spring. Position
a 4” x 4” wood
beam across the sling chains
and against
the lower control arm front attachment
brackets. Position the lower sling crossbar in front and
against the
4” x 4” wood beam.
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Attach a separate safety chain around the outboard end
of each lower control arm.
Rear Towing
If your vehicle has four-wheel drive, don't have it towed
on the front wheels unless you must. If a vehicle with
four-wheel drive must
be towed on the front wheels, set
your manual, freewheeling
hubs to FREE or unlock your
automatic freewheeling
hubs, and set your transfer case
to two-wheel drive. If your vehicle must be towed on
the-front wheels, don't go more'than 55 mph (90 kmh).
A towing dolly must be used under the front wheels
when towing from the reur.
r
Attach J-hooks around the axle tube.
I NOTICE:
Take care not to damage the brake pipes on the
axle tubes.
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Rocking your vehicle to.get it out: Using the Recovery Hooks
First,
turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear
the area around your front wheels. Then shift back
and forth between
REVERSE (R) and a forward gear
(or with a manual transmission, b’etween FIRST (1) or
SECOND (2) and REVERSE(R)), spinning the wheels
as little as possible. Release the accelerator pedal while
you shift, and press lightly on the accelerator pedal
when the transmission is in gear.
If that doesn’t get you
out after a few tries, you may need to be towed out. Or,
you can use your recovery
hooks if your vehicle has
them. If you do need to be towed out, see “Towing Your
Vehicle” in the Index.
Your vehicle
is equipped with recovery hooks. The
recovery hooks
are provided at the front and rear of your
vehicle. You may need to use them if you’re stuck
off-road and need to be pulled to some place where you
can continue driving.
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3. Pull out the filter.
Automatic Transmission Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transmission fluid
level is when the engine oil is changed.
Change both the fluid and filter every
50,000 miles
(83 000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or
more of these conditions:
0 In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches
90°F (32” C) or higher.
In hilly or mountainous terrain.
When doing frequent trailer towing.
Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery service.
If you do not use your vehicle under any of these
conditions, the fluid and filter do not
require changing.
See “Scheduled Maintenance Services” in the Index.
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I Short Trip/City Maintenance Schedule I
100,000 Miles (166 000 km)
Change automatic transmission fluid and
filter
if the vehicle is mainly driven under
one
or more of these conditions:
- In heavy city traffic where the outside
temperature regularly reaches
90 OF
(32" C) or higher.
- In hilly or mountainous terrain.
- When doing frequent trailer towing.
- Uses such as found in taxi, police or
If you do not use your vehicle under any of these
conditions, the fluid andfilter do not require changing.
delivery service.
0 Replace Po sitive Cranl ltcase Ventilation
(PCV) valve.
Replace any worn, plugged or
collapsed hoses.
An Emission Control Service.
0 Inspect Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR)
system.
An Emission Control Service.
0 Inspect fuel injector.
An Emission Control Service.
0 Replace evaporative emissions canister.
An Emission Control Service.
I DATE ACTUAL MILEAGE SERVICED BY:
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