1998 GMC SAVANA ESP

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 reauced 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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Driving at Night
A
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving.
One reason is that some drivers are likely
to be
impaired
-- by alcohol or drugs, with night vision
problems, or by fatigue.
Here are some tips on night driving.
0 Drive defensively.
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0
0
0
0
0
Don’t drink and drive.
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.
Since
you can’t see as well, you may need to
slow down and keep more space between
you and
other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only
so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place
and rest.
Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as
we get older these differences increase.
A 50-year-old
driver may require at least twice
as much light to see the
same thing at night
as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your night
vision. For example, if you spend
the day in bright
sunshine
you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will
have less trouble adjusting to night. But
if you’re
driving, don’t wear sunglasses at night. They may cut
down on glare from headlamps, but they also make
a lot
of things invisible.
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Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won’t work
as well in a quick stop and may cause pulling to
one side.
You could lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle
of water or
a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly until
your brakes work normally.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride
on the water.
This can happen if the road is wet enough and you’re
going fast enough. When your vehicle
is hydroplaning,
it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But
it can if your
tires do not have much tread or if
the pressure in one or
more is low. It can happen
if a lot of water is standing on
the road. If you can see reflections from trees, telephone
poles
or other vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” the
water’s surface, there could be hydroplaning. Hydroplaning
usually happens at higher speeds. There
just isn’t a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The
best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
I NOTICE:
If you drive too quickly through deep puddles or
standing water, water can come in through your
engine’s air intake and badly damage your
engine. Never drive through water that is slightly
lower than the underbody of your vehicle.
If you
can’t avoid deep puddles or standing water, drive
through them very slowly.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
0 Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when
you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear
room
ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted
by road spray.
0 Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See
“Tires” in the Index.)
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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.
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 a while.
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.
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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.
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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
PARK
(P) yet. Then turn your wheels into the curb if
facing downhill or into traffic if facing uphill.
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 then shift to
PARK (P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking
on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
Start your engine;
Shift into a gear; and
Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
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.
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If you have a diesel engine vehicle with two batteries
(or more) you should know before you begin that,
especially
in cold weather, you may not be able to
get enough power from
a single battery in another
vehicle to start your diesel engine.
If your vehicle has more than one battery, use the
battery that is under the hood
of the vehicle - this
will reduce the electrical resistance.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other.
If they are, it could cause a ground
connection
you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able to
start your vehicle, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
the parking brake firmly on both vehicles involved in
the jump start procedure. Put your automatic
transmission
in PARK (P).
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Turn off all
lamps that aren’t needed,
and radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries, and could save
your radio.
NOTICE: -1
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs would not be covered by
your warranty.
1
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. Find the
positive
(+) and negative (-) terminals on each battery.
An electric fan can start up even when the engme
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands, clothing and tools away from any underhood
electric fan.
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Engine Fan Noise If a Tire Goes Flat
Your vehicle has a clutched engine cooling fan. When the
clutch is engaged,
the fan spins 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 andor
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 partially disengages.
You may also hear this fan noise when you start
the engine. It will go away as
the fan clutch
partially disengages. 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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