Making Turns
Notice:Making very sharp turns while
trailering could cause the trailer to come in
contact with the vehicle. Your vehicle could be
damaged. Avoid making very sharp turns
while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider
turns than normal. Do this so your trailer
won’t strike soft shoulders, curbs, road signs,
trees or other objects. Avoid jerky or sudden
maneuvers. Signal well in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need a
different turn signal asher and/or extra wiring.
Check with your dealer/retailer. The arrows on your
instrument panel will ash whenever you signal a
turn or lane change. Properly hooked up, the trailer
lamps will also ash, telling other drivers you’re
about to turn, change lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the arrows on your
instrument panel will ash for turns even if the
bulbs on the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may
think drivers behind you are seeing your signalwhen they are not. It’s important to check
occasionally to be sure the trailer bulbs are still
working.
Driving on Grades
Your vehicle is designed primarily as a passenger
and load carrying vehicle. If you tow a trailer,
your vehicle will require more frequent
maintenance due to the additional load. Because
of the added load of the trailer, your vehicle’s
engine may overheat on hot days, when going up
a long or steep grade with a trailer. If the engine
coolant temperature gage indicates overheating,
turn off the air conditioning to reduce engine load,
pull off the road and stop in a safe spot.
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before
you start down a long or steep downgrade. If you
don’t shift down, you might have to use your
brakes so much that they would get hot and no
longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce
your speed to around 55 mph (88 km/h) to reduce
the possibility of the engine and the transmission
overheating.
371
ProCarManuals.com
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when
you’re pulling a trailer. SeeScheduled
Maintenance on page 488for more information.
Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transmission uid (don’t
over ll), engine oil, axle lubricant, drive belt,
cooling system and brake system. Each of these
is covered in this manual, and the Index will
help you nd them quickly. If you’re trailering, it’s
a good idea to review this information before
you start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and
bolts are tight.
Trailer Wiring Harness
Your vehicle is equipped with the following wiring
harness for towing a trailer.
Basic Trailer Wiring
The trailer wiring harness, with a seven-pin
connector, is located at the rear of the vehicle and
is tied to the vehicle’s frame. The harness
connector can be plugged into a seven-pin
universal heavy-duty trailer connector available
through your dealer/retailer.
373
ProCarManuals.com
Buying New Tires...................................... 440
Different Size Tires and Wheels................ 442
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..................... 442
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance............ 444
Wheel Replacement.................................. 444
Tire Chains............................................... 445
If a Tire Goes Flat.................................... 446
Changing a Flat Tire................................. 447
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools.......... 448
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire....................................... 451
Secondary Latch System........................... 456
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools...... 459
Compact Spare Tire.................................. 463
Appearance Care........................................ 464
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle.......... 464
Fabric/Carpet............................................. 465
Leather...................................................... 466
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and Other
Plastic Surfaces..................................... 467
Care of Safety Belts.................................. 467
Weatherstrips............................................ 467
Washing Your Vehicle............................... 468
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses................ 468Finish Care............................................... 468
Windshield, Backglass, and
Wiper Blades.......................................... 469
Aluminum or Chrome-Plated
Wheels and Trim................................... 470
Tires......................................................... 471
Sheet Metal Damage................................. 471
Finish Damage.......................................... 471
Underbody Maintenance............................ 472
Chemical Paint Spotting............................ 472
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials............ 473
Vehicle Identi cation.................................. 474
Vehicle Identi cation Number (VIN)........... 474
Service Parts Identi cation Label............... 474
Electrical System........................................ 475
High Voltage Devices and Wiring.............. 475
Add-On Electrical Equipment..................... 475
Windshield Wiper Fuses............................ 475
Power Windows and Other
Power Options....................................... 476
Fuses and Circuit Breakers....................... 476
Instrument Panel Fuse Block..................... 476
Underhood Fuse Block.............................. 479
Capacities and Speci cations.................... 483
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
376
ProCarManuals.com
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
uids, and some component wear by-products
contain and/or emit these chemicals.
Doing Your Own Service Work
{CAUTION:
You can be injured and your vehicle could
be damaged if you try to do service work
on a vehicle without knowing enough
about it.
Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, the proper replacement
parts, and tools before you attempt any
vehicle maintenance task.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts,
and other fasteners. English and metric
fasteners can be easily confused. If you
use the wrong fasteners, parts can later
break or fall off. You could be hurt.
If you want to do some of your own service work,
you should use the proper service manual. It
tells you much more about how to service your
vehicle than this manual can. To order the proper
service manual, seeService Publications
Ordering Information on page 518.
Your vehicle has an airbag system. Before
attempting to do your own service work, see
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 91.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts
and list the mileage and the date of any service
work you perform. SeeMaintenance Record
on page 500.
378
ProCarManuals.com