CHEVROLET S10 1997 2.G Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A cornering skid and an acceleratioa skid .are best
hand1e.d by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Driving Guidelines.
Off-IC0a.d Driving with Your
Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle..
This off-road guide is for vehicles that have
.four-wheel drive.
Also, see “Anti-Lock Brakes” in the Index;
If your vehicle doesn’t have :four-wheel drive, you
shouldn’t drive off-road unl.es.s-you”re on a letel,
solid surface.
Off-road driving can be great fun. But it does have
some definite hazards. The greatest of these is the
terrain itself,
“Off-roading” means
.you’ ve left .the great North
American road system behind. Traffic. lanes arerft
marked. Curves aren.’t.Ij;znked. There are no road -sigm.
Surfaces can be slip-pery, rouqh, uphill or &~wnMl. In
-short, you’ve gone. ri.ght ba to nature.
off-road driving involves soni new skills. Aad tbat.’s-
why it’s very important that you read this guide. You’ll
find many driving tips and suggestions. These will help
make your off-rbad driving safer and more enjoyable.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 0 The, heaviest things s.hould be on the load floor and
forward of your rear axle. Put h-avier items as far
forwardas you~~m.
0 Be- sure- the- imd is secured properly, so driving on
the off-road terrain doesn’t toss things around.
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Cargo on the loa-d.-floar .piled. higher than
the seatbacks can
be thrown €ofward
during a sudden stop. You or y0u.r
passengers could be injured. Keep cargo
below the top
of the seatbacks.
Unsecured
cargo on the load floor can be
tossed about; when driving, over rough
terrain. You or your passengers can be
struck-by flying objects. Secure the
cargo properIy.
Heavy laads on the roof raise the vehicle’s
center
of gravity, making it more likely to
roll over, Yuu .can be seriously -or fatally
injured if the vehicle rolls over. Put heavy
loads iiiside thexargo .area, not on the roof.
Keep cargo in the cargo ar
and low as possible. wward
You‘ll find other important information in this manual.
See “Vehicle Lo-ading,” “Luggage C.arrier” and “Tires”
in the
Index.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Errvironmental Concerns
O€f-road driving .can provide wholesome and satisfying
recreation.
However, it also raises- enviranmental
c:dricernS. GM recognizes these concerns and urges
every off-roader to follow these- bask rules for
protecting the environment:
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Traveling, to Remote Areas
It-makes sense to: plan yow-.trip, cspechlly when-going
‘to a remote area; Know- the terraiwand plan your ~uute.
You are much less likely to get bad surpris-es. Get
accurate maps bf trails and terrain. Try to learn of my
blocked or closed roads,
It’s
a1s.o a good idea to travel withat 1eas.r: one o,rner
vehicle. If ‘something happens to one of thern,.i€ie-.ather
can
help quickly.
Does your
vehide have a winch?. I-f sa, be sure to read
the winch instructions.
1n.a remote area, a winch can be
handy-if you get: stuck. But you’ll want to how how to
use it pmperly.
Getting .Familiar with Off-Road Driving
It’s a good i.dea to practice in !an area that’s safe and
.cI.~se?o home before you go info :the wilderness..
Off-road
driving;.cloes require some new and-dlnffixent
.driving. skills. Here’s what-we mean.
Tune you^ senses t~ different kinds of-signals. Your
eyes, for example, need to co.nstantly sweep the terrain
for unexpected. obstacles. -Yuur ears need to listen for
unasual tire .or e:ngine sounds. With youwu-rns, hands,
kt and body, you’il need -to respoad to vibrations -and
vehicle bounce.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 0
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you approach thgs faster and you h.ave less time to
scan the terrain f&- obstacles.
you. h.ave Tess time to react..
you have more vehicle bounce when you drive
0Ter:obst~eks..
ybu’ll need. more distance for bfaking, esp-ecjally
since you’re OB an unpaved surface.
When you’re driving off-road, bouncing and
quick changes in direction can easily throw you
out of position. This could c.ause you to lose
control .and crash. So, whether you’re driving .on
or off the road, you a.nd your passengers-should
wear safety belts.
Scanning the Terrain
Off-road driving can take: you over many different
kinds
of tgrrain.. You need to be familiar with the terrain
and:its many different f&tures. Here we some things
to can-sidei-.
0 Will the surface texture change abruptly up ahead?
* Does the travel take .you uphfil or downhill? (There’s
more discussion of .these subjects latert)
Will you have :to stop suddenly or change
directi-on quickly?
. ...

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Whe.n y0.U drive over obstacles .or rough terrain, keep a.
firm..gkill .on the steering wheel; Ruts, troughs or ather
-surfaace’featu?es- %a~l jerk-the wheel out of your hands if
you’re not prepaced,
.When YOU drive oTt.er humps, rock.; .or other obstades,
YOW wheels can leave the gr.ound. Ifthis happens, e-ven
with. one or tw~ wheels, you cdt co.ntrol the vehicle as
well or-at all.
Eecaus-e you will be on an un-paved surface, it’s.
.espe&dly importmt to avoid :sudden acceleration,
sudden:.tums
of sudden. braking.
In a way, .off-.road driving requires a diffkrent. kind of
:alertfie$s fmm driving on paved roads :and highw-ays.
There are no road signs, pastdspeed limits or signal
lights.
-You have to. use your own good judgment abaut
.what &-..safe and what- isa’t.
Drinkiagmd driving can be very dangerous on any
mad.
And’this. is -certainly trclcfor off-road driving. At
‘the very ‘time you need special alertness and driving
skills., y-owr-x&kx&$-, pefcepions and judgmen-t can be
affected by even a small amount of -alc30hol. You .c:ould
have a serid;us- -- 01- even fatal -- ciccident if you drink
and. drive wride with ,a driver- who has. been drinking.
See ‘“Drunk@n Driviy” in the Index.
Driving _. . on Off-Road Hills
Off-road driving often- takes you up, dswn.~~ acr0s.s a
hill, Driving safely on. hills requires good judgment and
.an tl.nderstanding of what your vehicle can and can’t-do.
There are some h.ills that simply cadt .b&, driven, ‘no
mattee how well built ,the vehicle.
Many hills are simply too steep for, any vehicIe. If
you drive up them, you will stall. If you drive
down them, you can’t control your speed. If you
drive across .them, you will roll over. ‘You could be
seriously injured
or killed. If you have any doubt
about
the steepness, don’t drive the hill.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Appraa.ching a ‘Mill
0 What’s beyond the hill? Is there a cliff, an
embankment, a drop-off, a fence? Get out and walk the
bill if .. ~QU. dodt:bGw. It’s the. sm,m way to. ..find out,
Is .the hill simply-too rough? Steep hills ofteahave
ruts, gullies, troughs and. exposed rocks because they
are more suscepti.ble to th.e effects of erosion.
Is there a constant incline, or does the hill get sharply
steeper in places?’
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving Uphill Ease .up on your -:speed as- you approach .the top of
the hill. .Once you decide .you can s:dely drive up the hill, you
:need tu take some special steps. Attach flag to the vehicle- t;~, you mure vigible
Turning or driving across steep hills can be.
dangerous. Yoa could lose traction, slide
sideways, -.and possibly
roll over. YOQ could be
seriously injured or killed. When driving up hills
always try to go straight up.
tr, appmaching traffic on trails or hill-s.
Sound the horwas you approach the top ofthe -hill to
let opposing traffic knqw yadre there.
Driving to the top (crest) of a hill at full ?peed can
cause
an accident. There could be a drop-off,
embankment, clif€,
or even another vehicle. You
could be seriously injured
or killed. As you near
the top of
a hill, slow dawn and stay alert.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine QZ What.shou1.d I do if my vehicle stalls, or is about
to stall,
and I can’t make it up the hill?
A:- If this happens, .thexe are some things you should.
do, and there are some things
yo11 must not do.
First, here’s what you slzould do:
0 Push the brake pedal to stop the vehicle and
keep it from rollin-g backwards. Also,, qp:ly the
parking
brake.
2f your engine is still running, shift the transmission
to REVERS-E (R), release the parking brake, arid
slowly back down the hill in REVERSE (R).
If your engine’has stopped running, you’ll need to
restart it. With
the brake pedal depressed and the
parking brake still applied, shift
the transmission to
PARK (P) (or, shift to NEUTRAL (N) if your
vehi-cle has a manual h-ansmi.ssion) and restart the
engine. Then,
shift-to REVERSE (R), release the
parking
brake, and slowly back dow’n the hill as
straight as possible in REVERSE (R).
Insteixd, apply the regula- br.&e: to st-op the
vehicle.
Then apply the p.aTki-ng:brake. Shift to
REVERSE (R), release the parking -brake, and
slowly back straight down.
Never attempt to turn around if you are about to stall
when going up a hill. If the hill is steep eno.ugh to.
stall your vehicle; it:s steep enough to Game yon PO
1-011 over X you tuyn .aTaund. If-you c;an”t. make it up
the hill, you must back straight down the hill.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Q.' S.uppose, after.stalling, I try to back down the
hiIl and decide I just can't do it. What should
I do?
A: Set the. parking brake, put your trammission
in PAW (P) (or the manual transmission in
FIRST (1)) and turn-off the engine. Leave the
vehicle and
go get-.some help. Exit on the uphill
side.
md stay cl&xr of the path the vehicle would
take
if it rolled downhill. Do not shift.the transfer
case to NEUTRAL (N) when you leave the vehicle.
Leave it in some gear.
If you have- a manual transfer case shtft lever,
shifting the transfer case
to NEUTRAL (N) can
cause your vehicle to roll. even if the transmission
is
m PARK (P) (or, if you have the manual
transmission, even
if you're in gear). This is
~ because the NEUTRAL (N) position on the
transfer case overrides the transmission.
If you
are going
to leave your vehicle, set the parking
brake
and shift the transmission to- PARK (P)
(or, put your manual transmission in FIRST (1)).
But do not shift the transfer case to the
NEUTRAL (N) position. Leave the transfer
case in the
ZHI, 4HI DI" 4LO position.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving Downhill
When off-roading takes
mnsi.det a number of thi
Heavy braking when goj
y-oufbrakes t6 Vverheat and fade. This could
cause loss of contra1 and a ,serious accident.
-Apply the brakes lightly when descending a:
hill and use a low gear to keep ve.hicle speed
un.&r control.
-u
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