1997 GMC JIMMY how to tow

When should an air bag inflate?
An air bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal crash. The air bag will inflate
only
if the impact speed is above the system's designed
"threshold level."
If your vehicle goes straight into a
wall that doesn't move or deform. the threshold level is
about
14 to 18 mph (23 to 29 km/h). The threshold level
can vary, however,
with specific vehicle design. so that
it can be somewhat above or below this range. If your
vehicle strikes something
that will move or deform, such
as a parked car. the threshold level will be higher. The
air
bag is not designed to inflate in rollovers, side
impacts or rear impacts. because inflation would not
help the occupant.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
Inflation is determined
by the angle of the impact and
how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal and
near-frontal impacts.
The air bag system
is designed to work properly under a
wide range of conditions, including off-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds. especially
on rough terrain.
As always. wear your safety belt. See "Off-Road
Driving"
in the Index for Inore tips on off-road driving.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is
in a crash. The sensing
system triggers a release of gas from
the inflator. which
inflates
the air bag. The inflator, air bag and related
hardware
are all part of the air bag module inside the
steering wheel.
How does an air bag restrain?
In tnoderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions.
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel.
The air bag supplements the protection provided by
safety belts. Air bags distribute the force
of the impact
more evenly over
the occupant's upper body. stopping
the occupant more gradually.
But air bags would not
help you in many types of collisions, including
rollovers. rear impacts and side impacts. primarily
because an occupant's motion is
not toward the air bag.
Air bags should never be regarded as anything more
than a supplement
to safety belts. and then only in
moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions.
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Manual Transmission
NOTICE:
Holding your key in START for longer than
15 seconds at a time will cause your battery to be
drained much sooner. And the excessive heat can
damage your starter motor.
2. If it doesn’t start right away, hold your key in
START. If it doesn’t start in 10 seconds. push the
accelerator pedal all the way clown I‘or five 11101-e
seconds, or until it starts.
I NOTICE:
Your engine is designed to work with the
electronics
in your vehicle. If you add electrical
parts or accessories, you could change the way
the engine operates. Before adding electrical
equipment, check with your dealer.
If you don’t,
your engine might not perform properly.
If you ever have to have your vehicle towed, see
the part
of this manual that tells how to do it
without damaging your vehicle. See “Towing
Your Vehicle” in the Index.
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AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (a): This position is for
normal driving.
If you need more power for passing,
and you’re:
Going less than about 35 mph (56 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
0 Going about 35 mph (56 kdh) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
You’ll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(@) should not be used
when towing
a trailer, carrying a heavy load. driving on
steep hills, or for off-road driving. Select DRIVE
(D)
when operating the vehicle under any of these conditions.
DRIVE (D): This position is also used for normal
driving, however
it offers Inore power and lower fuel
economy than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(@). You
should use DRIVE (D) when towing a trailer, carrying a
heavy load, driving on steep hills or winding roads or
for off-road driving.
SECOND (2): This position gives you more power but
lower
fuel economy. You can use SECOND (2) on hills.
It can help control your speed as you go down steep
mountain roads, but then you would also want to use
your brakes off and on. You
can
also LIS~ SECOND (2) for starting your vehicle
from
a stop on slippery road surfaces.
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy) than
SECOND (2). You can
use
it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the
selector lever
is put in FIRST (1) while the vehicle is
moving forward. the transmission won’t shift into
FIRST
( I) until thc vehicle is going slowly enough.
NOTICE:
If your rear wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if you were stuck in
very deep sand or mud or were up against a solid
object. You could damage your transmission.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transmission. Use your brakes or shift into
PARK (P) to hold your vehicle in position
on a
hill.
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Parking Brake
To set the parking brake. hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot. Push down the parking brake
pedal with your left
foot. If the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light
will come on.
To
release the parking brake hold the regular brake
pedal
down.
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You
may have to
replace them, and you could also damage other
parts
of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and you must park on a hill,
see "Towing a Trailer" in the Index. That section shows
what to
do first to keep the trailer from moving.
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Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running (Automatic Transmission
Models Only)
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with the
engine running. Your vehicle could move suddenlJ
if the shift lever
is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. If you have four-wheel
drive with
a manual transfer case shift lever and
your transfer case
is in NEUTRAL (N), your
vehicle will
be free to roll, even if your shift lever
is in
PARK (P). So be sure the transfer case is in a
drive gear
-- not in NEUTRAL (N). And, if you
leave the vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch fire. You or others could
be injured. Don't leave
your vehicle with the
engine running unless you have to.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle
is in PARK (P) and yo~~r parking brake
is firmly set before you leave
it. After
you've moved the shift lever into the PARK
(P)
position, hold the regular brake pedal down. Then, see
if you can move the shift lever away from PARK (P)
without first pulling it toward you (or pressing the
button on
a console shift lever). If YOLI can, it means that
the shift lever wasn't fully locked
into PARK (P).
Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission)
If you are parking on a hill and you don't shift your
transmission into PARK
(P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force
on the parking pawl in the
transmission. You may find it difficult to pull the shift
lever out
of PARK (P). This is called "torque lock." To
prevent torque lock, set the parking br'ke and then shift
into PARK
(P) properly before you leave the driver's seat.
To find out how, see "Shifting Into PARK (P)" in
the Index.
When
you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P) kc$~w you release the parking brake.
IF torque lock does occur. you may need to have another
vehicle push yours
a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from
the parking pawl in the transmission, so
~OLI can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
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Recreational Vehicle Towing (Except Four-wheel Drive With
Manual Shift Transfer Case) Loading Your Vehicle
Vehicles with
two-wheel drive or the optional electronic
shift transfer case require special modifications before
they can be towed
in this manner. Please contact your
dealer for the towing information that
is appropriate for
your particular vehicle.
Vehicles
with all-wheel drive (AWD) can not be towed
in this manner.
The Certification/Tire label is found on the driver’s door
edge, above the door latch. The label shows the size
of
your original tires and the inflation pressures needed to
obtain the gross weight capacity of your vehicle. This is
called the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). The
GVWR includes the weight
of the vehicle, all occupants,
fuel, cargo and trailer tongue weight,
if pulling a trailer.
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If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points:
0
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0
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There are many different laws, including speed limit
restrictions, having to do with trailering. Make sure
your rig
will be legal, not only where you live but
also where you’ll be driving.
A good source for this
information can be state or provincial police.
Consider using a sway control
if your trailer will
weigh
2,000 lbs. (900 kg) or less. You should always
use a sway control
if your trailer will weigh more
than
2,000 lbs. (900 kg). You can ask a hitch dealer
about sway controls.
Don’t tow a trailer at all during the first
500 miles
(800 km) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle or other parts could be damaged.
Then, during the first
500 miles (800 km) that you
tow a trailer, don’t drive over
50 mph (80 km/h) and
don’t nuke starts at
full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts
of your vehicle wear in at the
heavier loads.
If you have an automatic transmission, you can use
DRIVE
(D) (or, as you need to, a lower gear) when
towing
a trailer. Operating your vehicle in
DRIVE (D) when towing a trailer will minimize heat
buildup and extend the life
of your transmission. If
you have a manual transmission and you are towing
a trailer, it‘s better not to use FIFTH (5) gear. Just
drive
in FOURTH (4) gear (or, as you need to, a
lower gear).
Three important considerations have to do
with weight:
the weight of the trailer,
0 the weight of the trailer tongue
and the weight on your vehicle’s tires.
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It depends on how you plan to use your rig. For
example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how much your vehicle
is used to pull a
trailer are all important. And,
it can also depend on any
special equipment that you have on your vehicle.
The following chart shows how much your trailer can
weigh, based upon your vehicle model and options.
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When towing a trailer, the ~~rrows on your instrument
panel
will flash for turns even if the bulbs on the trailer
itre 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 arc
still working.
Driving On Grades
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reducc your
speed
to around 45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility
of engine and transmission ovc.rheating.
If you have an automatic transmission. you should use
DRIVE
(D) when towing a trailer. Operating your
vehicle
in DRIVE (D) when towing a trailer will
minimize heat buildup and extend the life
of your
trrmsmission. Or:
if you have ;1 manual transmission. it's
better not to use FIFTH (5) gear. just drive in
FOURTH (4) gear (or, as you need to, a I~MW gear). Whcn
towins at high altitude
on steep uphill grades,
consider the following: Engine coolant will boil at a
lower temperature than at normal altitudes. If yo^^ turn
your engine off immediately after towing
at high altitude
on steep uphill grades, your \:ellicle may show signs
similar to engine overheating.
To avoid this. let the
engine
r~~n while parked (preferably on level grout1d)
with the automatic transmission in PARK (Pj (or the
1manuaI transmission out of
gear and the parking brake
applied) 1'01-
;I few minutes before turning the engine off.
If you do get the overheat warning. see "Engine
Overheating"
in the Index.
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
yo~~r vehicle and the trailer can
be damaged.
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