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10. Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery.
If it won’t start after a few tries, it probably
needs service.
11. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don’t touch
each other or any other metal.
A. Heavy Metal Engine Part
B. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have your GM dealer or a professional towing
service tow your vehicle. See “Roadside Assistance”
in
the Index.
If your vehicle has been changed since it was
factory-new, by adding such things as 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:
0 That your vehicle has rear-wheel drive, or that it has
the four-wheel-drive option.
0 The make, model and year of your vehicle.
0 Whether you can move the shift lever for the
0 If there was an accident, what was damaged.
transmission and transfer
case, if you have one.
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.
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I A CAUTION:
To help avoid injury to you or others:
0 Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is
Never tow faster than safe or posted speeds.
Never tow with damaged parts not
fully secured.
Never get under your vehicle after it has
been lifted by the tow truck.
0 Always use separate safety chains on each
side when towing a vehicle.
For pickups (except cab chassis models),
use T-hooks on front of vehicle, J-hooks
on rear.
front and rear
of vehicle.
being
towed.
For cab chassis models, use J-hooks on
I [ CAUTION:
t
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.
Don’t have your vehicle towed
on the drive wheels
unless
you must. If the vehicle must be towed on the
drive wheels, be sure
to follow the 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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Front Towing 4. Put an automatic transmission in PARK (P) or
manual transmission in FIRST
(1).
5. Put the transfer case in NEUTRAL (N).
6. When the vehicle is hooked up, release the
7. Maximum speed 55 mph (88 kmh), distance
If your vehicle is a two-wheel drive or a four-wheel
drive with an electric shift transfer case,
use the
following directions: parking brake.
unlimited.
1.
2.
3.
If your vehicle is four-wheel drive with a manual transfer case, use the following directions:
1. Turn the ignition key to the OFF position.
2. Engage the parking brake.
3. Clamp the steering wheel in a straight-ahead position
with a clamping device designed for towing service.
(Do not use the vehicle’s steering column lock for this.)
4.
5.
6.
7.
Turn the ignition key to the OFF position.
Engage the parking brake.
Clamp the steering wheel in a straight-ahead
position with
a clamping device designed for
towing service.
(Do not use the vehicle’s steering
column lock
for this.)
Put an automatic transmission
in NEUTRAL (N) or
manual transmission in FIRST (1).
Put the transfer case
in 2HIGH (2HI).
When
the vehicle is hooked up, release the
parking brake.
Maximum speed
35 mph (55 km/h), maximum
distance
50 miles (80 km).
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Rear Towing
I NOTICE:
If your vehicle is equipped with a manual or
electric shift transfer
case, a towing dolly must be
used under the front wheels or vehicldpowertrain
damage
will occur.
NOTICE:
Towing pickup models from the rear while loaded
with heavy cargo may cause the frame side rails
to flex sufficiently
to allow the pickup box to
contact the cab and could cause damage to the
cab and/or box.
Engine Overheating (Gasoline Engine)
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
vehicle’s instrument panel.
If your vehicle has a diesel engine, see “Engine
Overheating” in the Diesel Engine Supplement.
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Engine Fan Noise
Your vehicle has a clutched engine cooling fan. When
the clutch is engaged, the fan spi.ns faster to provide
more air
to cool the engine. In most everyday driving
conditions, the fan is spinning slower and 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 as the clutch more fully 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 partially 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.
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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:
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 an automatic transmission shift
lever in
PARK (P) or shift a manual
transmission to
FIRST (1) or
REVERSE (R).
3. If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle,
be
sure the transfer case is in a drive
gear
-- not in NEUTRAL (N).
4. Turn off the engine.
CAUTION: (Continued)
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t move,
you can put 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.
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I Lower Raise
H
/1
A. Hoist Assembly
B. Ratchet
C. Jack Handle
D. Hoist Shaft
E. Valve Stem, Pointed
Down
E Spare Tire
G. Retainer
H. Hoist Cable Follow these
instructions to lower the spare tire:
1.
2.
3.
4.
One side of the ratchet has an UP marking. The other
side has a DOWN marking. Assemble the ratchet
to the hook near the end
of the jack handle (as
illustrated) with the
DOWN marking facing you.
Insert the, other end through the hole in the rear
bumper
and into the hoist shaft.
Turn the ratchet
to lower the spare tire. to the ground.
Continue to turn the ratchet until the spare tire can be
pulled out from under the vehicle.
When the tire has been lowered, tilt the retainer at
the end
of the cable so it can be pulled up through
the wheel opening,
Put the spare tire near the flat tire.
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The tools you'll be using include the jack (A), the jack
handle extension
(B), the jack handle (C), the wheel
wrench
(D) and the ratchet (E).
If the flat tire is on the rear of the vehicle, you'll need
the jack handle extension also.
- .'
. . .* ::*>:.,;,: , -.... ,.
Attach the jack handle (and jack handle extension, if
needed) to the jack.
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