170 Driving and en vironm ent
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when dr iv ing t hrough water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not drive faster than walking speed.
A WARNING
After d riving through wate r, mud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because o f wet brake ro tors and pads. Dry
the brakes f irst by bra king carefully to re
store the full braking effect .
({D Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
t ransmiss ion, suspens ion or elect rical sys
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through wate r.
(D Tips
-Che ck the depth of the water before dr iv
i ng through it.
- Do no t stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switch the engine off when d riving
th rough water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may c reate waves that raise the wate r
l evel and make it too deep for yo ur vehi
cle to drive th rough safely .
- Avoid driving thro ugh salt water because
i t can ca use corrosion.
Catalytic converter
-
It is very important that your emission con
trol system (catalytic converter) is function
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run
ning in an environmentally sound manner .
"' Always use lead-free gasoline¢ page 189,
Fuel supply.
"' Never run the tank down a ll the way to
empty .
"' Never put too much motor oil in your en
gine ¢
page 200, ~ Adding engine oil .
"' Never try to push -or tow-start you r vehicle .
T he ca talytic converter is an efficient "clean
u p" dev ice bui lt into the exhaust system of
the vehicle . The cata lytic conve rter bu rns
many of the pollutants in the ex ha u st gas be
fore they are re leased into the atmosphere.
T he exclusive use of unleaded f uel is c rit ically
important for the life o f the catalyt ic convert
er and prope r function ing of the engine .
A WARNING
-Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire .
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
rustp roofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con
verter or heat shields. Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used fo r under coating could
overhe at and cause a fire.
((0 Note
-Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel w ill alr eady ser iously de
grade the performance of the catalytic
converte r.
- Do not exceed t he cor rect engine oil level
¢page 200.
-Do not dr ive until t he fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The engine cou ld mis
fire. Unburned fuel could also get in to
the exhaust system and th is co uld cause
t he catalytic converter to overheat .
- Do not tu rn off the igni tion while the ve
hicle is mov ing.
- Do not continue to ope rate your veh icle
under these conditions, as ot herwise fuel
can reach the catalytic converter. This
cou ld resu lt in overheating of the con
verter, requir ing its replacement.
- To assu re efficient operation of the Emis -
sion Control System : ..,.
