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Vehicle Storage
{CAUTION:
Batteries have acid that can burn you and gas that
can explode. You can be badly hurt if you are not
careful. SeeJump Starting on page 5-44for tips
on working around a battery without getting hurt.
Infrequent Usage: If the vehicle is driven infrequently,
remove the black, negative (−) cable from the battery.
This helps keep the battery from running down.
Extended Storage: For extended storage of the vehicle,
remove the black, negative (−) cable from the battery or
use a battery trickle charger. This helps maintain the
charge of the battery over an extended period of time.
Jump Starting
If the vehicle is a Two-mode Hybrid, see the Two-mode
Hybrid manual for more information.
If the vehicle’s battery (or batteries) has run down, you
may want to use another vehicle and some jumper cables
to start your vehicle. Be sure to use the following steps to
do it safely.
{CAUTION:
Batteries can hurt you. They can be dangerous
because:
They contain acid that can burn you.
They contain gas that can explode or ignite.
They contain enough electricity to burn you.
If you do not follow these steps exactly, some or
all of these things can hurt you.
Notice:Ignoring these steps could result in costly
damage to the vehicle that would not be covered
by the warranty.
Trying to start the vehicle by pushing or pulling it
will not work, and it could damage the vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with a negative ground system.
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Notice:If the other vehicle’s system is not a 12-volt
system with a negative ground, both vehicles can
be damaged. Only use vehicles with 12-volt systems
with negative grounds to jump start your vehicle.
2. If you have a vehicle with a diesel engine with two
batteries, 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 closer to the starter -- this will reduce electrical
resistance. This is located on the passenger side, in
the rear of the engine compartment.
3. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles are not touching
each other. If they are, it could cause an unwanted
ground connection. You would not 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 rmly on both vehicles involved in the
jump start procedure. Put the automatic transmission
in P (Park) or a manual transmission in Neutral
before setting the parking brake. If you have a
four-wheel-drive vehicle, be sure the transfer
case is in a drive gear, not in Neutral.Notice:If you leave the radio or other accessories
on during the jump starting procedure, they could be
damaged. The repairs would not be covered by the
warranty. Always turn off the radio and other
accessories when jump starting the vehicle.
4. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or the accessory power outlets. Turn off
the radio and all the lamps that are not needed.
This will avoid sparks and help save both batteries.
And it could save the radio!
5. Open the hood on the other vehicle and locate the
positive (+) and negative (−) terminal locations on
that vehicle.
The positive (+) terminal, is located under a red
plastic cover at the positive battery post. To uncover
the positive (+) terminal, open the red plastic cover.
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{CAUTION:
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engine is running.
6. Check that the jumper cables do not have loose or
missing insulation. If they do, you could get a
shock. The vehicles could be damaged too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some
basic things you should know. Positive (+) will go to
positive (+) or to a remote positive (+) terminal if the
vehicle has one. Negative (−) will go to a heavy,
unpainted metal engine part or to a remote
negative (−) terminal if the vehicle has one.
Do not connect positive (+) to negative (−)oryou
will get a short that would damage the battery
and maybe other parts too. And do not connect the
negative (−) cable to the negative (−) terminal on
the dead battery because this can cause sparks.7. Connect the red
positive (+) cable to the
positive (+) terminal
of the vehicle with the
dead battery.
8. Do not let the other end touch metal. Connect it to
the positive (+) terminal of the good battery. Use a
remote positive (+) terminal if the vehicle has one.
9. Now connect the black negative (−) cable to the
negative (−) terminal of the good battery. Use a
remote negative (−) terminal if the vehicle has one.
Do not let the other end touch anything until the
next step. 5.3L engine (4.3L, 4.8L,
6.0L and 6.2L similar)
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10. Connect the other end of the negative (−) cable to a
heavy, unpainted metal engine part or to the remote
negative (−) terminal, on the vehicle with the
dead battery.
11. Start the vehicle with the good battery and run the
engine for a while.
12. Try to start the vehicle that had the dead battery.
If it will not start after a few tries, it probably needs
service.
Notice:If the jumper cables are connected or
removed in the wrong order, electrical shorting may
occur and damage the vehicle. The repairs would
not be covered by your warranty. Always connect
and remove the jumper cables in the correct order,
making sure that the cables do not touch each other
or other metal.
A. Heavy, Unpainted Metal Engine Part or Remote
Negative (−) Terminal
B. Good Battery or Remote Positive (+) and Remote
Negative (−) Terminals
C. Dead Battery or Remote Positive (+) TerminalJumper Cable Removal
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To disconnect the jumper cables from both vehicles do
the following:
1. Disconnect the black negative (−) cable from the
vehicle that had the bad battery.
2. Disconnect the black negative (−) cable from the
vehicle with the good battery.
3. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from the
vehicle with the good battery.
4. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from the other
vehicle.
5. Return the positive (+) terminal cover, to its original
position.Rear Axle
When to Check Lubricant
It is not necessary to regularly check rear axle uid
unless you suspect there is a leak or you hear an
unusual noise. A uid loss could indicate a problem.
Have it inspected and repaired.
All axle assemblies are lled by volume of uid during
production. They are not lled to reach a certain level.
When checking the uid level on any axle, variations in
the readings can be caused by factory ll differences
between the minimum and the maximum uid volume.
Also, if a vehicle has just been driven before checking the
uid level, it may appear lower than normal because uid
has traveled out along the axle tubes and has not drained
back to the sump area. Therefore, a reading taken ve
minutes after the vehicle has been driven will appear to
have a lower uid level than a vehicle that has been
stationary for an hour or two. Remember that the rear
axle assembly must be supported to get a true reading.
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