Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway
hypnosis”? Or is it just plain falling asleep at the wheel?
Call it highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or
whatever.
When you drive the vehicle for a long distance, there is
something about an easy stretch of road with the
same scenery, along with the hum of the tires on the
road, the drone of the engine, and the rush of the wind
against the vehicle that can make you sleepy. Do
not let it happen to you! If it does, your vehicle can leave
the road inless than a second,and you could crash
and be injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis? First, be
aware that it can happen.
Then here are some tips:
•Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
•Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and
to the sides. Check your mirrors and your
instruments frequently.
•If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest,
service or parking area and take a nap, get some
exercise, or both. For safety, treat drowsiness
on the highway as an emergency.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving in flat or rolling terrain.
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Here are some tips that can make your drive through
steep country safer:
•Keep the vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid
levels and also the brakes, tires, cooling system
and transmission. These parts can work hard
on mountain roads.
•Know how to go down hills. The most important
thing to know is this: let your engine do some of
the slowing down. Shift to a lower gear when you go
down a steep or long hill.
{CAUTION:
If you do not shift down, your brakes could get
so hot that they would not work well. You
would then have poor braking or even none
going down a hill. You could crash. Shift down
to let your engine assist your brakes on a
steep downhill slope.
{CAUTION:
Coasting downhill in NEUTRAL (N) or with the
ignition off is dangerous. Your brakes will have
to do all the work of slowing down. They could
get so hot that they would not work well. You
would then have poor braking or even none
going down a hill. You could crash. Always
have your engine running and your vehicle in
gear when you go downhill.
•Know how to go uphill. Use lower gears. They help
cool your engine and transmission, and you can
climb the hill better.
•Stay in your own lane when driving on two-lane
roads in hills or mountains. Do not swing wide
or cut across the center of the road. Drive at speeds
that let you stay in your own lane.
•As you go over the top of a hill, be alert. There
could be something in your lane, like a stalled car or
an accident.
•You may se highway signs on mountains that warn
of special problems. Examples are long grades,
passing or no-passing zones, a falling rocks area,
winding roads and special truck lanes. Be alert
to these and take appropriate action.
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•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 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 if any 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 (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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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.
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.
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Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-4
Two Safety Cautions about Engine Fan
Breakage...................................................5-5
Fuel................................................................5-6
Gasoline Octane............................................5-6
Gasoline Specifications....................................5-6
Additives.......................................................5-7
Diesel Engine Fuel.........................................5-8
What Fuel to Use...........................................5-8
Very Cold Weather Operation.........................5-10
Water in Fuel...............................................5-10
Running Out of Fuel.....................................5-15
Fuel Filter Replacement.................................5-15
Fuels in Foreign Countries.............................5-16
Filling Your Tank..........................................5-17
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.....................5-18
Checking Things Under the Hood....................5-18
Hood Latches...............................................5-19
Engine Oil (Caterpillar
®Diesel Engine).............5-20
Engine Oil (Gasoline Engine)..........................5-20
Engine Oil (DURAMAX™ Diesel).....................5-25
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-30
Automatic Transmission Fluid.........................5-31
Manual Transmission Fluid.............................5-32Engine Coolant (Gas and
DURAMAX™ engines)................................5-32
Engine Coolant (Caterpillar
®Diesel Engines).....5-35
Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap..................5-35
Engine Overheating.......................................5-36
Cooling System............................................5-38
Engine Fan Noise.........................................5-43
Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-43
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-44
Brakes........................................................5-46
Battery........................................................5-55
Jump Starting...............................................5-56
Rear Axle.......................................................5-61
Rear Axle Shift Motor....................................5-61
Noise Control System.....................................5-62
Tampering with Noise Control System
Prohibited.................................................5-62
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-63
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-63
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-63
Other Service Items........................................5-64
Fuel Filter....................................................5-64
Primary Fuel Filter and Water Separator..........5-65
Secondary Fuel Filter and Water
Separator/Heater.......................................5-66
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1
Automatic Ether Injection System....................5-66
Front Wheel Bearings with Oil-Filled Hubs........5-67
Air Conditioning System.................................5-67
Tires..............................................................5-68
Inflation - Tire Pressure.................................5-68
Rims and Wheels.........................................5-69
Dual Tire Operation.......................................5-69
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-70
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-70
Tightening the Wheel Nuts.............................5-71
Wheel Replacement......................................5-74
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-75
Changing a Flat Tire.....................................5-76
Appearance Care............................................5-76
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle.................5-77
Care of Safety Belts......................................5-79
Weatherstrips...............................................5-79
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle..............5-80
Sheet Metal Damage.....................................5-82Finish Damage.............................................5-83
Underbody Maintenance................................5-83
Chemical Paint Spotting.................................5-83
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials..................5-84
Vehicle Identi cation......................................5-85
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).................5-85
Service Statement.........................................5-85
Service Parts Identification Label.....................5-86
Electrical System............................................5-86
Add-On Electrical Equipment..........................5-86
Headlamp Wiring..........................................5-86
Windshield Wiper Fuses................................5-87
Fusible Links................................................5-87
Power Windows and Other Power Options.......5-87
Fuses and Circuit Breakers............................5-87
Capacities and Speci cations..........................5-93
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts.........5-100
Engine Drive Belt Routing............................5-103
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-2
Service
Your dealer knows your vehicle best and wants you to
be happy with it. We hope you will go to your dealer
for all your service needs. You will get genuine GM parts
and GM-trained and supported service people.
We hope you will want to keep your GM vehicle all GM.
Genuine GM parts have one of these marks:
California Proposition 65 Warning
Most motor vehicles, including this one, contain and/or
emit chemicals known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive
harm. Engine exhaust, many parts and systems
(including some inside the vehicle), many fluids, and
some component wear by-products contain and/or emit
these chemicals.
5-3
Two Safety Cautions about Engine
Fan Breakage
{CAUTION:
Changing the Fan Drive Ratio or Engine
Governed Speed
If you change the fan drive ratio or increase
the governed speed of the engine, you
may increase stress and the fan could
eventually fail. If the fan breaks apart while it is
rotating, pieces can cause severe injury to
anyone — such as a service technician — who
is nearby. And, of course, the pieces can
severely damage the vehicle. Do not change
the fan drive ratio or increase the governed
speed of the vehicle without getting the
necessary information from your dealer.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Winter Fronts, Grille Covers or Obstructions
Winter Fronts, grille covers or other add-on
equipment causing obstructions in front
orbehind the fan should not be used on this
vehicle. If this causes the fan to eventually
break apart while it is rotating, the pieces can
cause severe injury to anyone nearby, such as
a service technician working on the engine,
and of course the pieces can severely damage
the vehicle.
5-5