2004 CHEVROLET ASTRO CARGO VAN Owners Manual

What is 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 is
about freezing (32°F; 0°C) 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.
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.
Your anti-lock brakes improve your vehicle’s stability
when you make a hard stop on a slippery road.
Even though you have an anti-lock braking system,
you will want to begin stopping sooner than you would
on dry pavement. SeeBraking on page 4-6.
Allow greater following distance on any
slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be ne
until you hit a spot that is covered with ice.
On an otherwise clear road, ice patches may
appear in shaded areas where the sun can not
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 are actually on the ice,
and avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
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If You Are 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:
Turn on your hazard ashers.
Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you have 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,
oor 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.
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{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 not 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 does
not collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that is 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 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.
4-27

If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow
In order to free your vehicle when it is stuck, you will
need to spin the wheels, but you do not want to
spin your wheels too fast. The method known as
“rocking” can help you get out when you are stuck,
but you must use caution.
{CAUTION:
If you let your tires spin at high speed,
they can explode, and you or others could
be injured. And, the transmission or other
parts of the vehicle can overheat. That could
cause an engine compartment re or other
damage. When you are stuck, spin the
wheels as little as possible. Do not spin
the wheels above 35 mph (55 km/h) as
shown on the speedometer.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 transmission
back and forth, you can destroy your transmission.
For information about using tire chains on your
vehicle, seeTire Chains on page 5-76.
Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels. 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 transmission is
in gear. By slowly spinning your wheels in the forward
and reverse directions, you will cause a rocking
motion that may free your vehicle. If that does not get
you out after a few tries, you may need to be towed out.
If you do need to be towed out, seeTowing Your
Vehicle on page 4-29.
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Towing
Towing Your Vehicle
Consult your dealer or a professional towing service
if you need to have your disabled vehicle towed.
SeeRoadside Assistance Program on page 7-6.
If you want to tow your vehicle behind another vehicle
for recreational purposes (such as behind a motorhome),
see “Recreational Vehicle Towing” following.
Recreational Vehicle Towing
Recreational vehicle towing means towing your vehicle
behind another vehicle — such as behind a motorhome.
The two most common types of recreational vehicle
towing are known as “dinghy towing” (towing your
vehicle with all four wheels on the ground) and
“dolly towing” (towing your vehicle with two wheels
on the ground and two wheels up on a device known
as a “dolly”).
Notice:Towing an all-wheel-drive vehicle with all
four wheels on the ground, or even with only two
of its wheels on the ground, will damage drivetrain
components. Do not tow an all-wheel-drive vehicle
if any of its wheels will be on the ground.Your vehicle was not designed to be towed with any
of its wheels on the ground. If your vehicle must
be towed, it should be placed on a platform trailer.
Loading Your Vehicle
It is very important to know how much weight your
vehicle can carry. This weight is called the vehicle
capacity weight and includes the weight of all occupants,
cargo and all nonfactory-installed options. Two labels
on your vehicle show how much weight it may properly
carry, the Tire and Loading Information label and the
Certication/Tire label.
{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, and it can change the way your vehicle
handles. These could cause you to lose
control and crash. Also, overloading can
shorten the life of your vehicle.
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Tire and Loading Information Label
A. Vehicle Capacity Weight
The Tire and Loading Information label is attached to
the center pillar, near the driver’s door latch. Vehicles
without a center pillar will have the Tire and Loading
Information label attached to the driver’s door edge.
This label lists the number of people that can be in your
vehicle and the total weight it can carry. This weight
is called the vehicle capacity weight.The Tire and Loading Information label also tells you
the size and recommended ination pressure for
the original equipment tires on your vehicle. For more
information on tires and ination seeTires on page 5-60
andInation - Tire Pressure on page 5-70.
If your vehicle does not have the Tire and Loading
Information label, the Certication/Tire label shows
the tire size and recommended ination pressures
needed to obtain the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR) and the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for
the front and rear axles. See “Certication/Tire Label”
later in this section.
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement “The combined weight of
occupants and cargo should never exceed XXX
pounds” on your vehicle placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and
passengers that will be riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and
passengers from XXX kilograms or XXX pounds.
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4. The resulting gure equals the available
amount of cargo and luggage load capacity.
For example, if the “XXX” amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be ve 150 lb. passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of available cargo
and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400−750 (5 x 150) = 650 lbs.).
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage
and cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That
weight may not safely exceed the available
cargo and luggage load capacity calculated
in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, the load
from your trailer will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual to determine how
this reduces the available cargo and luggage load
capacity of your vehicle. SeeTowing a Trailer
on page 4-35for important information on towing
a trailer, towing safety rules and trailering tips.
Loading Your Vehicle
Item Description Total
AVehicle Capacity
Weight for Example 1=1,000 lbs
(453 kg)
BSubtract
Occupant Weight
150 lbs (68 kg)×2=300 lbs
(136 kg)
CAvailable Occupant
and Cargo Weight=700 lbs
(317 kg) Example 1
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Loading Your Vehicle
Item Description Total
AVehicle Capacity
Weight for Example 2=1,000 lbs
(453 kg)
BSubtract
Occupant Weight
150 lbs (68 kg)×5=750 lbs
(136 kg)
CAvailable
Cargo Weight=250 lbs
(113 kg)
Loading Your Vehicle
Item Description Total
AVehicle Capacity
Weight for Example 3=1,000 lbs
(453 kg)
BSubtract
Occupant Weight
200 lbs (91 kg)×5=1000 lbs
(453 kg)
CAvailable
Cargo Weight=0 lbs
(0 kg)
Refer to your vehicle’s tire and loading information
label for specic information about your vehicle’s
capacity weight and seating positions. The combined
weight of the driver, passengers and cargo should
never exceed your vehicle’s capacity weight. Example 2
Example 3
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