1998 CHEVROLET ASTRO wheel

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience.
Before setting out for the open road, you’ll want to get
to know your rig. Acquaint yourself with
the feel of
handling and braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and
not nearly as
responsive as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch and platform
(and attachments), safety chains, electrical connector,
lamps, tires and mirror adjustment. If the trailer has
electric brakes, start your vehicle and trailer moving and
then apply the trailer brake controller by hand
to be sure
the brakes are working. This lets you check your
electrical connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be sure that the
load is secure, and that the lamps and any trailer brakes
are still working.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as you
would when driving your vehicle without
a trailer. This
can help
you avoid situations that require heavy braking
and sudden turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up ahead when
you’re towing a trailer. And, because you’re a good deal \
longer, you’ll need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before
you can return to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand.
Then, to move the trailer to
the left, just move that hand
to the left. To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly and, if
possible, have someone guide you.
4-34

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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
your vehicle and
the trailer can be damaged.
But if you ever have
to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do
it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake, and shift to
PARK (P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
PARK (P) yet.
When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while
you:
0 Start your engine;
Shift into a gear; and
Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
:ks.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the choc
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, belt, 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.
4-36

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Trailer Wiring Harness
If you have the optional trailering package, your vehicle
will have an eight-wire
harness, including the center
high-mounted stoplamp battery feed wire. The harness
is stored
on the passenger’s side of the vehicle near the
rear wheel well. This harness has
a 30 amp battery feed
wire and
no connector, and should be wired by a
qualified electrical technician. After choosing an
aftermarket trailer mating connector pair, have the
technician attach one connector to
the eight-wire trailer
harness and the other connector to the wiring harness on
the trailer. Be sure the wiring harness on the trailer is
taped or strapped to the trailer’s frame rail and leave
it
loose enough so the wiring doesn’t bend or break, but
not
so loose that it drags on the ground. The eight-wire
harness must be routed out of your vehicle between the
rear door and the floor, with enough of the harness left
on both sides so that the trailer or the body won’t pull it. If
you do
not have the optional trailering package, your
vehicle will
still have a trailering harness. The harness is
located near the passenger’s side rear wheel well. It
consists
of six wires that may be used by after-market
trailer hitch installers.
The technician can use the
following color code chart when connecting
the wiring
harness
to your trailer.
Brown: Rear lamps.
0 Yellow: Left stoplamp and turn signal.
Dark Green: Right stoplamp and turn signal.
White (Heavy Gage): Ground.
0 Light Green: Back-up lamps.
0 White (Light Gage): Center High-Mounted
Stoplamp.
Blue: Auxiliary circuit (eight-wire harness only).
0 Orange: Fused auxiliary (eight-wire harness only).
Store the harness
in its original place. Wrap the harness
together and tie
it neatly so it won’t be damaged.
4-37

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:
0
0
0
0
0
Whether your vehicle has rear-wheel drive or the
all-wheel-drive option.
That your vehicle cannot be towed from the front or
rear with sling-type equipment.
The make, model and year
of your vehicle.
Whether
you can still move the shift lever.
If there was an accident, what was damaged.
I /1 CAUTION:
To
0
0
0
0
0
0
help avoid
injury to
you or others:
Never let passengers ride in
a vehicle that
is being towed.
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.
Always use separate safety chains on each
side when towing
a vehicle.
Use T-hooks on front or rear
of vehicle.
5-7

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A CAUTION:
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.
I I
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 unraised 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.
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 unraised wheels when
towing or the vehicle must be transported
on a
flat bed carrier.
5-8

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Towing From the Front
(Except
All-Wheel Drive)
Tow Limits -- 35 mph (56 kdh), 50 miles (80 km)
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.
5-9

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.
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)
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