1998 CHEVROLET VENTURE traction control

Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer and
constantly seek
an escape route or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not “overdriving”\
those conditions. But skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
aren’t rolling. In the steering
or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and
lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid, too
much throttle causes the driving wheels
to spin.
A cornering
skid and an acceleration skid are best
handled by easing your foot
off the accelerator pedal. If
your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to go.
If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety, you’ll\

want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It is important
to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction,
try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to a lower
gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide.
You may not realize the surface is slippery until your
vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues
-- such as enough water, ice or packed snow on
the road to make a “mirrored surface” -- and slow
down when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system
(ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
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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.
Whatever the condition
-- smooth ice, packed, blowing
or loose snow
-- drive with caution.
If you have traction control, keep the system on. It will
improve your ability to accelerate when driving on a
slippery road. Even though your vehicle has a traction
control system, you’ll want to
slow down and adjust
your driving to the road conditions, See “Traction
Control System” in the Index.
If you don’t have traction control, accelerate gently. Try
not
to break the gentle traction. If you accelerate too
fast, the drive wheels will spin
and polish the surface
under the tires even more.
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NOTICE:
~
Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of your
vehicle as well
as the tires. If you spin the wheels
too fast while shifting your transaxle back and
forth, you can destroy your transaxle.
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
see “Tire Chains”
in the Index.
Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels. If your vehicle
has traction control, you should turn your traction
control system off. (See “Traction Control System” in
the Index.) Then shift back and forth between
REVERSE (R) and a forward gear, spinning the wheels as little as possible. Release the accelerator pedal while
you shift, and press lightly on the accelerator pedal
when the transaxle is in gear. If that doesn’t get you out\

after a few tries, you may need to be towed out. If you
do need to be towed out, see “Towing Your Vehicle’’ in
the Index.
5-36
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Mixing tires could cause you to lose control while
driving.
If you mix tires of different sizes or types
(radial and bias-belted tires), the vehicle may not
handle properly, and you could have a crash.
Using tires
of different sizes may also cause
damage to your vehicle. Be sure to use the same
size and type tires on all wheels.
It’s all right to drive with your compact spare,
though. It was developed
for use on your vehicle.
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle, the
wheel rim flanges could develop cracks after
many miles
of driving. A tire and/or wheel could
fail suddenly, causing
a crash. Use only radial-ply
tires with the wheels
on your vehicle.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
The following information relates to the system
developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, which grades tires
by
treadwear, traction and temperature performance. (This
applies only to vehicles sold in the United States.) The
grades are molded on
the sidewalls of most passenger
car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading system does
not apply to deep tread, winter-type snow tires,
space-saver
or temporary use spare tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters
of 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production tires.
While the tires available
on General Motors passenger
cars and light trucks may vary with respect to these
grades, they must also conform to Federal safety
requirements and additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) standards.
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Treadwear Temperature -- A, B, C
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on
the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified government test course.
For example, a tire graded
150 would wear one and a
half
(1 1/2) times as well on the government course
as a tire graded
100. The relative performance of
tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits, service practices
and differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction -- A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are A, B,
and C, and they represent the tire’s ability to stop on
wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions
on specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete.
A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade assigned to this tire is based
on braking (straight ahead) traction tests and does
not
include cornering (turning) traction. The temperature
grades are
A (the highest), B, and C,
representing the tire’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat when tested under
controlled conditions on a specified indoor laboratory
test wheel. Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life,
and excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire
failure. The grade
C corresponds to a level of
performance which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No.
109. Grades B and A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory test wheel than the
minimum required by law.
Warning: The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed, underinflation, or
excessive loading, either separately
or in combination,
can cause heat buildup and possible tire failure.
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Fuses
RR HVAC
SWC ACCY
HAZARD
RR PWR SCKT
DRL
LH TLP
RR DEFOG
FRT PWR SCKT
SIR
FRT HVAC
LOWMED BLWR
MALL/RADIO/DIC Rear Blower Motor,
Rear
Heater-NC
Control,
and Temperature Door
Actuator (Rear)
Steering Wheel Radio
Control Switches
Turn Signal Switch
Rear Electric Accessory
Plug Housing
DRL Control Module
Not Used
Rear Window Defogger Relay
Front Electric Accessory
Plug Housing
Inflatable Restraint
Control Module
Heater-A/C Control
BCM, Driver Information
Display, Radio
and Radio Rear
Speaker Amplifier
Fuses
STOP LAMP
ABS MOD BATT
CAN VENT
SOL
ELC
CTSY LAMP
IGN 1
SUNROOF
Stoplamp Switch to Stoplamps
Electronic Brake Control
ModuleElectronic Brake
Traction Control Module
(EBCMEBTCM)
Evaporative Emissions (EVAP)
Canister Vent Solonoid Valve
Electronic Level Control (ELC)
Air Compressor and ELC
Relay, Trailer Harness
BCM
ALC Sensor, BCM, Electronic
Brake Control Indicator Lamp
Driver Module, Instrument
Panel Cluster, Rear Window
Wipermasher and
Multifunction Switch (Fog Lamp SwitcWTraction Control Switch) and Stoplamp/Torque
Converter Clutch (TCC) Switch
Sunroof Control Module
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Fuses
RR WPR WSHR Rear Window Wiper Motor,
Rear Window Wipermasher
and Multifunction Switch (Rear
Window Wipermasher Switch)
LH HEADLP LOW Not Used
LH HEADLP HIGH Not Used ABS/TCS IGN Electronic Brake Control ModuleElectronic Brake
Traction Control Module
(EBCMEBTCM)
ABS
SOL
HVACDRL LH and
RH Front Brake
Solenoid Valve
Air Inlet Actuator, DRL Control
Module, Heater-A/C Control,
Temperature Door Actuator (Front) and Rear Window
Defogger Relay
BCM PRGRM Body Control Module (BCM)
RH HEADLP LOW Not Used
RH HEADLP HIGH Not Used
PCM
IGN MAIN Relay and PCM
Underhood Fuse and Relay Center
This fuse and relay center is located in the engine
compartment, in front of the windshield washer
fluid reservoir.
The fuses marked spare are available if
a replacement
fuse is needed.
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Instrument Panel Switchbank ...................... 2- 13
Interior Lamps ................................. 2-61
Control
..................................... 2-6 1
Override Switch .............................. 2-62
Jack. Tire
.................................... 5-27
Jump Starting
................................... 5-3
Key Lock Cylinders Service
..................... 7-30
Keyless Entry System
............................ 2-8
Battery Replacement
.......................... 2-10
Operation
.................................... 2-9
Resynchronizing
............................. 2- 12
Keys
.......................................... 2-2
Labels CertificatiodTire
............................. 4-30
Service
Parts Identification ..................... 6-56
Tire-Loading Information
...................... 4-30
Vehicle Identification Number
................... 6-56
Delayed Illumination
.......................... 2-63
Dome
...................................... 2-64
Exit Lighting
................................ 2-63
Exterior
.................................... 2-60
Illuminated Entry
............................. 2-62
Interior
..................................... 2-61
OnReminder
................................ 2-60
Rearcargo
.................................. 2-64
Underhood
.................................. 6-11
Leaving Your Vehicle
............................. 2-7
Lamps
Leaving Your Vehicle with the Engine Running ....... 2-36
Liftgate
....................................... 2-20
Lights Lighter
....................................... 2-77
Air Bag Readiness
....................... 1.52. 2.87
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
............ 2.89. 4.7
Brake System Warning .................... 2.87. 6.27
Charging System Indicator
...................... 2-87
DoorAjar
................................... 2-96
Engine Temperature Warning
................... 2-92
Low Coolant Warning
.................... 2-92, 6-23
Low Fuel Warning
............................ 2-97
Low Oil Level
.......................... 2-96, 6-11
Low Traction
............................ 2-91, 4-9
Oil Pressure ................................. 2-95
Power Sliding Door
........................... 2-96
Safety Belt Reminder
..................... 1-36, 2-86
Service Engine
Soon .......................... 2-93
Traction Control System Warning
........... 2-90, 4-10
Loading Your Vehicle
........................... 4-30
Locks
Automatic Door
............................... 2-6
Cylinders
................................... 7-30
Door
........................................ 2-4
Ignition Transaxle Check
....................... 7-32
Key Lock Cylinder Service
..................... 7-30
Lockout Deterrent
............................. 2-7
PowerDoor
.................................. 2-5
Sliding Door Child Security
..................... 2-19
Sliding Door Delayed Locking
................... 2-7
Locks
and Lighting Choices ...................... 2-40
Last Door Closed Locking
....................... 2-6
Sliding Door
................................. 2-14
9-6
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