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4-16
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even several
seconds, for your eyes to readjust to the dark. When you
are faced with severe glare (as from a driver who
doesn't lower the high beams, or a vehicle with
misaimed headlamps), slow down a little. Avoid staring
directly into the approaching headlamps.
Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean
-- inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and flash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlamps light up far less of a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep your
eyes moving; that way, it's easier to pick out dimly
lighted objects. Just as your headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper aim, so should your eyes
be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night
blindness
-- the inability to see in dim light -- and
aren't even aware of it.
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet
road, you can't stop, accelerate or turn as well because
your tire
-to-road traction isn't as good as on dry roads.
And, if your tires don't have much tread left, you'll get
even less traction. It's always wise to go slower and be
cautious if rain starts to fall while you are driving. The
surface may get wet suddenly when your reflexes are
tuned for driving on dry pavement.
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4-18 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 ªdimpleº 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
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
Turn on your low-beam headlamps and your marker
and clearance lamps, if your vehicle has them
-- not
just your parking lamps
-- to help make you more
visible to others.
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.
Have good tires with proper tread depth.
(See ªTiresº in the Index.)
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4-27
Tie a red cloth to your mirror arm 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.
You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
CAUTION:
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 if any 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.
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6-58
CAUTION:
Without the correct wheel, you may not be able
to stop properly, and you could have other
problems like a tire air
-out. You could have a
collision. If you don't go to your dealer to get a
new wheel, be sure you get the correct one. Each
new wheel should match the original wheel in
load
-carrying capacity, inflation pressure
capacity, diameter, width, offset and mounting
configuration.
Using wheels and tires with higher load-carrying limits
than the original wheels and tires doesn't change the
GAWR or the GVWR of your vehicle.
NOTICE:
The wrong wheel can cause trouble in bearing
life, brake cooling, speedometer/odometer
calibration, headlamp aim, bumper height,
vehicle ground clearance, stopping distance and
tire clearance to the body and chassis. You could
also have other problems like a tire air
-out.
Used Replacement Wheels
CAUTION:
Putting a used wheel on your vehicle is
dangerous. You can't know how it's been used or
how many miles it's been driven. It could fail
suddenly and cause an accident. If you have to
replace a wheel, use a new GM original
equipment wheel.
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6-68
Electrical System
Add-On Electrical Equipment
NOTICE:
Don't add anything electrical to your vehicle
unless you check with your dealer first. Some
electrical equipment can damage your vehicle
and the damage wouldn't be covered by your
warranty. Some add
-on electrical equipment can
keep other components from working as
they should.
Headlamp Wiring
The headlamp wiring is protected by a circuit breaker in
the light switch. An electrical overload will cause the
lights to go on and off, or in some cases to remain off.
If this happens, have your headlamp wiring checked
right away.
Windshield Wiper Fuses
The windshield wiper motor is protected by a circuit
breaker inside the motor and a circuit breaker in the fuse
block. If the motor overheats, the wipers will stop until
the motor cools. If the overload is caused by an
electrical problem, be sure to get it fixed.
Fusible Links
A fusible link is a short piece of wire several gage sizes
smaller than the circuit it protects. It will melt in an
overload situation, opening the circuit.
Your starter relay and other circuits have these fusible
links. The size is printed on the insulation. If the insulation
is burned beyond recognition, consult your GM dealer for
the proper size. Replace a fusible link with one of the
same size and insulation type. Fusible link insulation is a
special purpose high
-temperature material.
The hydraulic brake booster motor feed circuit and
starter relay circuit are protected by a fusible link.
Vehicles with a diesel engine have a fusible link for the
intake heater feed circuit. Vehicles equipped with an
electronically controlled diesel engine also have a
fusible link for the engine control unit.
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6-70
Name Circuits Protected
HYD BRK Brake Pump Motor Relay
HYD BRK Brake Alarm ModuleName Circuits Protected
B/U IGN3 Fuel Filter Relay, Blower Motor
Relays, ABS Power Relay,
Back
-Up Lamps, Auxiliary Wiring
Relay, IGN 3 Relay, Power
Window Relay, Vehicle Interface
Module, Transmission
Temperature Gage
STOP Stoplamps
WASH/WIPE Windshield Wipers/Washer,
Accessory Relay
DOME/PNL Dome Lamp, Radio Receiver,
Instrument Panel Lights,
A/C Controller,
Headlamp/Seatbelt Module
BLOWER Blower Motor
A/C A/C Clutch Compressor,
A/C Controller
TRN/HAZ Turn Signals, Hazard Flashers
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6-72
Maxi-Fuse Block
When a circuit goes out, first check the instrument panel
circuit breaker block. If no circuit breakers are out there,
the problem could in the maxi
-fuse block.
This block uses blade
-type fuses. It's on the upper
passenger side of the engine compartment at the rear.
To access the maxi-fuse block, gently squeeze both
sides of the cover to unlatch the tabs at the top. Then,
unsnap both attachments at the bottom and remove
the cover.
Power is fed through these fuses to devices such as the
headlamp switch, ignition switch feed circuits and the
auxiliary brake pump (hydraulic brake vehicles).
Be sure to replace maxi
-fuses with maxi-fuses of the
same rating. Do not use maxi
-fuses of higher amperage
than those indicated on the maxi
-fuse block.
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6-73
Name Circuits/Circuit Breakers
Protected
STP/HAZ
TURNStop Lamp, Turn Signal/Hazard
Lights, Fuel, Ignition Relay
(Gasoline Engines)
IGN SW3 Air Conditioner, Ignition Switch,
Axle, ChassisName Circuits/Circuit Breakers
Protected
INT/EXT
LIGHTSParking Lamps,
Dome/Panel Lights
HEAD LAMP Headlamps,
Daytime Running Lamps
AUX WRG Auxiliary, Park Brake
IGN SW1 Ignition Switch, Wash/Wipe,
Crank, Radio
HYD PUMP Hydraulic Brake,
Brake Pump Motor
HYD ABS EHCU
PWR
WDO/LCKSWindow, Door Locks
PARK BRK Parking Brake Motor
BLOWER
HORNBlower, Horn, Cigarette
Lighter/Auxiliary
FUEL/ENGINE Empty
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