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Hill Climbing
Hill climbing requires good judgment and a good under-
standing of your abilities and your vehicle’s limitations.
Hills can cause serious problems. Some are just too steep to
climb and should not be attempted. You should always feel
confident with the vehicle and your abilities. You should
always climb hills straight up and down. Never attempt to
climb a hill on an angle.
Before Climbing A Steep Hill
As you approach a hill, consider its grade or steepness.
Determine if it is too steep. Look to see what the traction is on
the hill side trail. Is the trail straight up and down? What is
on top and the other side? Are there ruts, rocks, branches or
other obstacles on the path? Can you safely recover the
vehicle if something goes wrong? If everything looks good
and you feel confident, shift the transmission into a lower
gear with 4L (Low) engaged, and proceed with caution,
maintaining your momentum as you climb the hill.
Driving Up Hill
Once you have determined your ability to proceed and
have shifted into the appropriate gear, line your vehicle up
for the straightest possible run. Accelerate with an easy
constant throttle and apply more power as you start up thehill. Do not race forward into a steep grade; the abrupt
change of grade could cause you to lose control. If the front
end begins to bounce, ease off the throttle slightly to bring
all four tires back on the ground. As you approach the crest
of the hill, ease off the throttle and slowly proceed over the
top. If the wheels start to slip as you approach the crest of
a hill, ease off the accelerator and maintain headway by
turning the steering wheel no more than a 1/4 turn quickly
back and forth. This will provide a fresh
biteinto the
surface and will usually provide enough traction to com-
plete the climb. If you do not make it to the top, place the
vehicle in REVERSE and back straight down the grade
using engine resistance along with the vehicle brakes.
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always a good idea to check for damage. That way you can
get any problems taken care of right away and have your
vehicle ready when you need it.
•Completely inspect the underbody of your vehicle.
Check tires, body structure, steering, suspension, and
exhaust system for damage.
• Inspect the radiator for mud and debris and clean as
required.
• Check threaded fasteners for looseness, particularly on
the chassis, drivetrain components, steering, and sus-
pension. Retighten them, if required, and torque to the
values specified in the Service Manual.
• Check for accumulations of plants or brush. These things
could be a fire hazard. They might hide damage to fuel
lines, brake hoses, axle pinion seals, and propeller shafts.
• After extended operation in mud, sand, water, or similar
dirty conditions, have the radiator, fan, brake rotors,
wheels, brake linings, and axle yokes inspected and
cleaned as soon as possible.
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1. Remove the spare tire, jack and tools from the storedlocation.
2. Loosen (but do not remove) the wheel lug nuts by turning them to the left one turn while the wheel is still
on the ground.
3. Assemble the jack and jacking tools. Connect the jack handle driver to the extension, then to the lug wrench.
4. Operate the jack from the front or the rear of the vehicle. Place the jack under the axle tube, as shown. Do not
raise the vehicle until you are sure the jack is fully
engaged.
5. Raise the vehicle by turning the jack screw clockwise.Raise the vehicle only until the tire just clears the surface
and enough clearance is obtained to install the spare tire.
Minimum tire lift provides maximum stability.
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7. Position the spare wheel/tire on the vehicle and installthe lug nuts with the cone-shaped end toward the
wheel. Lightly tighten the lug nuts clockwise.
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5. After 25 miles (40 km), check the lug nut torque with atorque wrench to ensure that all lug nuts are properly
seated against the wheel.
JUMP STARTING
If your vehicle has a discharged battery, it can be jump
started using a set of jumper cables and a battery in another
vehicle, or by using a portable battery booster pack. Jump
starting can be dangerous if done improperly, so please
follow the procedures in this section carefully.
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FREEING A STUCK VEHICLE
If your vehicle becomes stuck in mud, sand or snow, it can
often be moved using a rocking motion. Turn the steering
wheel right and left to clear the area around the front
wheels. Then, shift back and forth between DRIVE and
REVERSE (with automatic transmission) or SECOND
GEAR and REVERSE (with manual transmission), while
gently pressing the accelerator. Use the least amount of
accelerator pedal pressure that will maintain the rocking
motion, without spinning the wheels or racing the engine.
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See the tire pressure monitoring section for more informa-
tion.
Tire Spinning
When stuck in mud, sand, snow, or ice conditions, do not
spin your vehicle’s wheels above 30 mph (48 km/h) or for
longer than 30 seconds continuously without stopping.
Refer to “Freeing A Stuck Vehicle” in “In Case Of Emer-
gency” for further information.
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CAUTION!
Because of the reduced ground clearance, do not take
your vehicle through an automatic car wash with a
compact or limited use temporary spare installed.
Damage to the vehicle may result.
Spare Tire Matching Original Equipped Tire And
Wheel — If Equipped
Your vehicle may be equipped with a spare tire and wheel
equivalent in look and function to the original equipment
tire and wheel found on the front or rear axle of your
vehicle. This spare tire may be used in the tire rotation for
your vehicle. If your vehicle has this option, refer to an
authorized tire dealer for the recommended tire rotation
pattern.
Compact Spare Tire — If Equipped
The compact spare is for temporary emergency use only.
You can identify if your vehicle is equipped with a compact
spare by looking at the spare tire description on the Tire
and Loading Information Placard located on the driver ’s
side door opening or on the sidewall of the tire. Compactspare tire descriptions begin with the letter “T” or “S”
preceding the size designation. Example: T145/80D18
103M.
T, S = Temporary Spare Tire
Since this tire has limited tread life, the original equipment
tire should be repaired (or replaced) and reinstalled on
your vehicle at the first opportunity.
Do not install a wheel cover or attempt to mount a
conventional tire on the compact spare wheel, since the
wheel is designed specifically for the compact spare tire.
Do not install more than one compact spare tire and wheel
on the vehicle at any given time.