1997 GMC SAVANA weight

Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine Running
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with
the engine running, Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P)
with the parking brake firmly set. 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.
Torque Lock
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 brake 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) before 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 you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
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Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It’s the number one contributor to
the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive
a vehicle:
Judgment
Muscular Coordination
0 Vision
Attentiveness.
Police records show that almost half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths
are the result of someone who was drinking
and driving.
In recent years, some 17,000 annual motor
vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use
of alcohol, with more than
300,000 people injured.
Many adults
-- by some estimates, nearly half the adult
population
-- choose never to drink alcohol, so they
never drive after drinking. For persons under 21,
it’s
against the law in every U.S. state to drink alcohol.
There
are good medical, psychological and
developmental reasons for these laws. The obvious
way to solve this highway safety problem
is for people never to drink alcohol and then drive. But
what
if people do? How much is “too much” if the
driver plans to drive? It’s a lot less than many might
think. Although it depends
on each person and situation,
here
is some general information on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)
of someone
who is drinking depends upon four things:
0 The amount of alcohol consumed
The drinker’s body weight
0 The amount of food that is consumed before and
during drinking
consume the alcohol.
0 The length of time it has taken the drinker to
According to the American Medical Association, a
180-lb. (82 kg) person who drinks three 12-ounce
(355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a
BAC of about
0.06 percent. The person would reach the
same BAC by drinking three 4-ounce (120 ml) glasses
of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1 - 1/2 ounces
(45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka.
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It’s the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if
the same person drank three double martinis
(3 ounces
or
90 ml of liquor each) within an hour, the person’s
BAC would be close to
0.12 percent. A person who
consumes food just before or during drinking will have a
somewhat lower BAC level.
There is a gender difference, too. Women generally have
a lower relative percentage of body water than men. Since
alcohol is carried in body water, this means that
a
woman generally will reach a higher BAC level than a
man of her same body weight when each has the same
number
of drinks.
The law in many
U.S. states sets the legal limit at a BAC
of
0.10 percent. In a growing number of U.S. states, and
throughout Canada, the limit is
0.08 percent. In some
other countries, it’s even lower. The BAC limit for all
commercial drivers in the United States is
0.04 percent.
The BAC will be over
0.10 percent after three to six
drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we’ve seen,
it
depends on how much alcohol is in the drinks, and how
quickly the person drinks them.
But
the ability to drive is affected well below a BAC
of 0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills
of many people are impaired at a BAC approaching
0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All
drivers are impaired at BAC levels above
0.05 percent.
Statistics show that the chance of being in
a collision
increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC
of
0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of
0.06 percent has doubled his or her chance of having a
collision. At a BAC level
of 0.10 percent, the chance of
this driver having a collision is 12 times greater; at a
level of 0.15 percent, the chance is 25 times greater!
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Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want
it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s
perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 314 of a second. But
that’s only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in
3/4 of a second, a vehicle
moving at
60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and others
is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition
of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition
of your brakes; the weight of the
vehicle and the amount
of brake force applied.
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Run your engine only as long as you must. This
saves fuel. When you
run the engine, make it go a
little faster than just idle. That is, push the accelerator
slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat that you get
and it keeps the battery (or batteries) charged.
You will
need a well-charged battery (or batteries) to restart the
vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on with your
headlamps. Let the heater run for awhile. If you have a
diesel engine you may have to
run it at a higher speed
to get enough heat.
Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine again
and repeat this only when you feel really uncomfortable
from the cold. But do it as little as possible. Preserve
the
fuel as long as you can. To help keep warm, you can get
out of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour or
so until help comes.
Loading Your Vehicle
COLD TIRE PRESSURE
L
The Certificatioflire label is found on the rear edge
of the driver’s door. 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
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). The GVWR
includes the weight
of the vehicle, all occupants, fuel
and cargo.
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The CertificationRire label also tells you the maximum
weights for the front and rear axles, called
Gross Axle
Weight Rating (GAWR).
To find out the actual loads on
your front and rear axles, you need to
go to a weigh
station and weigh your vehicle. Your dealer can help
you with this. Be sure to spread out your load equally on
both sides of
the centerline.
Never exceed the
GVWR for your vehicle, or the
GAWR for either the front or rear axle.
And, if you do have a heavy load, you should spread
it out.
F --
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
GVWR, or either the maximum front or rear
GAWR.
If you do, parts on your vehicle can
break, or it can change the
way your vehicle
handles. These could cause you to lose control.
Also, overloading can shorten the life of
your vehicle.
/11 CAU’I 13N:
Things you put inside your vehicle can strike
and injure people in a sudden stop or turn, or
in a crash.
Put things in the cargo area of your vehicle.
Try to spread the weight evenly.
Never stack heavier things, like suitcases,
inside the vehicle
so that some of them are
above the tops of the seats.
Don’t leave an unsecured child restraint in
your vehicle.
When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure it whenever you can.
Don’t leave a seat folded down unless you
need to.
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Towing a Trailer
If you don’t use the correct equipment and drive
properly, you can lose control when you pull
a
trailer. For example, if the trailer is too heavy, the
brakes
may not work well -- or even at all. You
and your passengers could be seriously injured.
Pull
a trailer only if you have followed all the
steps in this section. Ask your
GM dealer for
advice and information about towing
a trailer
with your vehicle.
NOTICE:
Pulling a trailer improperly can damage your
vehicle and result in costly repairs not covered by
your warranty.
To pull a trailer correctly, follow
the advice in this part, and see your
GM dealer
for important information about towing
a trailer
with your vehicle.
I I
Your vehicle can tow a trailer. To identify what the
vehicle trailering capacity is for your vehicle, you
should read the information
in “Weight of the Trailer”
that appears later in this section. But trailering is
different than just driving your vehicle
by itself.
Trailering means changes in handling, durability and
fuel economy. Successful, safe trailering takes correct
equipment, and
it has to be used properly.
That’s the reason for this section. In it are many
time-tested, important trailering tips and safety rules.
Many of these are important for your safety and that
of
your passengers. So please read this section carefully
before you pull a trailer.
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If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points:
0
0
0
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
4,000 lbs. (1 800 kg) or less. You should
always use a sway control if your trailer will weigh
more than
4,000 lbs. (1 800 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.
0
a
Then, during the first 500 miles (800 km) that you
tow a trailer, don’t drive over 50 mph (80 ktn/h) and
don’t make starts at full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts
of your vehicle wear in at the
heavier loads.
You should 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.
Three important considerations have to do with weight:
0 the weight of the trailer,
0 the weight of the trailer tongue
and the weight on your vehicle’s tires.
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