1998 CHEVROLET TRACKER engine

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Whatever the condition -- smooth ice, packed, blowing
or loose snow
-- drive with caution.
Accelerate gently. Try not to break the fragile traction.
If
you accelerate too fast, the drive wheels will spin and
polish the surface under the tires even more.
Unless you have the anti-lock braking system, you’ll
want
to brake very gently, too. (If you do have anti-lock,
see “Anti-Lock‘’ in the Index. This system improves
your vehicle’s stability when you make
a hard stop on a
slippery road.) Whether you have the anti-lock braking
system
or not, you’ll want to begin stopping sooner than
you would on dry pavement. Without anti-lock brakes,
if you feel your vehicle begin
to slide, let up on the
brakes a little. Push the brake pedal down steadily to get the most traction you can.
What’s the worst time for this? “Wet ice.” Very cold
snow
or ice can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet
ice can be even more trouble because it may offer the
least traction of all. You can get wet ice when it’s about
freezing
(32°F; OOC) and freezing rain begins to fall.
Try to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand crews
can get there.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Remember, unless you have anti-lock, if you brake so
hard that your wheels stop rolling, you’ll just slide.
Brake
so your wheels always keep rolling and you can
still steer.
Whatever your braking system, allow greater
following distance
on any slippery road.
0 Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine
until you hit a spot that’s covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun can’t reach: around
clumps of trees, behind buildings or under bridges.
Sometimes the surface of a curve or
an overpass may
remain icy when the surrounding roads are clear.
If
you see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake before you
are on it.
Try not to brake while you’re actually on
the ice, and avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
If You’re Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be in a
serious situation. You should probably stay with your
vehicle unless you know for sure that you are near help
and you can hike through the snow. Here are some
things to do to summon help and keep yourself and your
passengers safe:
0 Turn on your hazard flashers.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you’ve been stopped by the snow.
Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.
If you have no blankets or extra clothing, make body
insulators from newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor
mats
-- anything you can wrap around yourself or
tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
I
I ’ A Cb JTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle.
This can cause deadly
CO (carbon monoxide) gas
to get inside.
CO could overcome you and kill
you. You can’t see
it or smell it, so you might not
know
it is in your vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base
of your vehicle, especially any
that is blocking your exhaust pipe. And check
around again from time
to time to be sure snow
doesn’t collect there.
Open
a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that’s away from the wind. This
will help
keep
CO out.
You can
run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 charged.
You will need a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on
with your headlamps. Let the heater run for a while.
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.
Recreational Vehicln Towing
There may be times when you want to tow your vehicle
behind another vehicle for
use at your destination. Be
sure to use the proper towing equipment designed for
recreational towing. Follow the instructions
for the
towing equipment.
Towing Your Vehicle from the Rear
hl
The best way to tow your vehicle is from the rear.
Follow these steps:
1. Put the rear wheels on a dolly.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
Do not tow your vehicle with the rear wheels in
contact with the ground,
or the transmission
could be damaged.
2. Set the parking brake.
3. If your vehicle is a four-wheel-drive vehicle, set
your manual free-wheeling hubs to
FREE or unlock
your automatic freewheeling hubs. See “Four- Wheel
Drive”
in the Index.
4. Turn the ignition key to ACC to unlock the
steering wheel.
NOTICE:
Make sure that the towing speed does not exceed
55 mph (90 km/h), or your vehicle could be
badly damaged.
Towil- - Your Vehicle from the Front
I
NOTICE:
If your vehicle has automatic freewheeling hubs
or two-wheel drive, do not tow it on all four
wheels.
If you do, your transmission could
be damaged.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle with manual
freewheeling hubs,
it can be towed from the front with
all four wheels on the ground. Follow these steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Set the parking brake.
Turn the ignition key to ACC to unlock the
steering wheel.
Shift your automatic transmission into
PARK (P), or
your manual transmission to SECOND
(2).
Shift the transfer case to NEUTRAL (N).
Set the hubs to
FREE. See “Four-wheel Drive” in
the Index.
Release the parking brake.
Stop towing every
200 miles (300 km) and start
the engine. Leave the transfer case shift lever in
NEUTRAL (N). Shift your automatic transmission
to DRIVE (D); leave a manual transmission in
SECOND
(2) with the clutch engaged. Run the engine at
medium speed for one minute to circulate oil in the
transfer case.
Turn the ignition key to ACC. Now, you
can continue towing your vehicle.
NOTICE:
The front wheels transmit shocks during towing.
The steering column may not be strong enough to
withstand the shocks. Always unlock the steering
wheel before towing.
I NOTICE:
Make sure that the towing speed does not exceed
50 mph (80 km/h), or your vehicle could be
badly damaged.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Loading Your Vehicle
TIRES
RIMS
MFD BY CAM1 AUTOMOTIVE
I DATE CANADA
GVWR GAWR FRT GAWR RR
Two labels on your vehicle show how much weight it
may properly carry. The Tire-Loading Information label
found on the driver's door lock pillar tells you the
proper size, speed rating and recommended inflation
pressures for the tires on your vehicle. It also gives you
important information about the number of people that
can be in your vehicle and the total weight that you can carry. This weight is called the Vehicle Capacity Weight
and includes the weight
of all occupants, cargo and all
nonfactory-installed options. The other label is the Certification label,
also found on the
driver's door lock pillar. It tells you the
gross weight
capacity of your vehicle, called the
Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating (GVWR). The GVWR includes the weight of the vehicle, all occupants,
fuel and cargo. Never exceed the
GVWR for your vehicle, or the Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR) for either the front or rear axle.
And, if
you do have a heavy load, you should spread it
out. Don't carry more than
400 lbs. (1 8 1 kg) in your rear
area when four people are in your two-wheel-drive
vehicle.
If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, don't
carry more than
200 lbs. (9 1 kg) in your rear area when
four people are in your vehicle.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I /! CAUTION:
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.
NOTICE:
Your warranty does not cover parts or
components
that fail because of overloading.
I ’ A CAUTION:
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.
If you put things inside your vehicle -- like suitcases,
tools, packages or anything else
-- they will go as fast as
the vehicle goes. If you have to stop or turn quickly, or
if there is
a crash, they’ll keep going. There’s also important loading information
for off-road
driving in this manual. See “Loading Your Vehicle for
Off-Road Driving” in the Index.