1997 CHEVROLET ASTRO wheel

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a GM dealer or a professional towing
service tow your vehicle. They can provide the right
equipment and know how to tow
it without damage. 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
things can be damaged during towing.
Before
you do anything, turn on the hazard
warning flashers.
When
you call, tell the towing service:
Whether your vehicle has rear-wheel drive or the
all-wheel-drive option.
That your vehicle cannot be towed from the front or
The make, model and year of your vehicle.
Whether you can still move the shift lever.
If there was an accident, what was damaged.
rear
with sling-type equipment.
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
Use T-hooks on front or rear of vehicle.
being towed.
fully
secured.
been lifted by the tow truck.
side when towing
a vehicle.
5-7

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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
in 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
should be in
NEUTRAL (N) and the parking
brake released.
If your vehicle has the all-wheel-drive option, it can
only be towed with all four wheels off the ground.
A
dolly must be used under the un-raised wheels when
towing
or the vehicle must be transported on a flat
bed carrier.
Don’t have your vehicle towed with the wheels in
contact with the ground if it has all-wheel drive. If a
vehicle with all-wheel drive must be towed with
sling-type or wheel-lift equipment, then either
the front
or rear wheels must be supported
on a dolly.
I NOTICE:
If your vehicle has all-wheel drive, do not have it
towed with the wheels in contact with the ground
or vehicle damage may occur. A dolly must be
used under the un-raised wheels when towing or
the vehicle must be transported on a flat
bed carrier.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Towing From the Front
(Except All-Wheel Drive)
Tow Limits -- 35 mph (56 kd), 50 miles (80 km)
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or the
front bumper system 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 the 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.
5-9

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Towing From the Front (All-Wheel Drive)
A towing dolly must be used under the rear wheels when
towing from the front.
I
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or the
front bumper system 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 the 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.
5-10

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Towing From the Rear
(Except All-Wheel Drive) I
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or the rear
bumper system 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 the vehicle until adequate clearance is
obtained between the ground and/or
wheel-lift equipment.
5-11

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Towing From the Rear (All-Wheel Drive)
A towing dolly must be used under the front wheels
when towing from the reaK NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or the rear
bumper system 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 the vehicle until adequate clearance is
obtained between the ground and/or
wheel-lift equipment.
5-12

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Engine Fan Noise
This vehicle has a clutched engine cooling fan. When
the clutch is engaged, the fan spins faster to provide
more air
to cool the engine. In most everyday driving
conditions, the clutch is not fully engaged. This
improves
fuel economy and reduces fan noise. Under
heavy vehicle loading, trailer towing and/or high outside
temperatures, the
fan speed increases when the clutch
engages.
So you may hear an increase in fan noise. This
is normal and should not be mistaken as the
transmission slipping or making extra shifts. It is merely
the cooling system functioning properly. The fan will
slow down when additional cooling
is not required and
the clutch disengages.
You may also hear this fan noise when you start the
engine. It will go away as the fan clutch disengages.
If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especially if
you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out
of a tire, it’s much more likely to leak out slowly.
But if you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a few
tips about what to expect and what
to do:
If a front tire fails, the
flat tire will create a drag that
pulls
the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.
Steer
to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well
out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you’d use in a
skid.
In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering
the way you want the vehicle to go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but
you can still steer. Gently
brake to a stop
-- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat,
the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
5-22

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to
a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
I A CAUTION:
I
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip
off the jack and roll over you or other
people.
You and they could be badly injured.
Find
a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. 'hrn off the engine.
4. Put the wheel blocks at the front and
rear of the tire farthest away from the
one being changed. That would be the
tire on the other side of the vehicle, at
the opposite end.
The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change
a tire.
5-23