CHEVROLET S10 1997 2.G Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Q.’ Are there some things-I should notdo when
A: Yes! These are important because if you
.driving ’down a hill?
ignore them you could lose control .and have a
serious accident,.
0 When driving downhill, avoid turns that take you
across the incline of the hill. A .hill that’s nut too
steep to drive down may be too steep tQ drive acro:ss.
You could roll over if you don’t drive straight down.
NEUTW (N),.or- with the clutch pedal dep&ssed
in a .manuai~ shift. This is called “free-wheeling.”
Your brakes will. have to do all the work and could
overhe’at and. fade.
0 Never go down-hill with the transmission in:
.Q: Am I likely to stall when going downhill?
A: It’s much more likely to happen ,going uphill. But if
it.happens
going downhill, here’s: what to do.
0 Stop your vehicle by applying the- regular brakes.
Apply the parking brake.
Shift to
PARK. (P) (.or to NEUTRAL (N) with the
manual transmission) and, while still
braking, restart
the engine. ..
S.hift back to a 1.0w gear, release the parking brake,
and drive straight down.
If the engine- won’t start, get out and get. help.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving Across an Incline
Sooner or later, an off-ro.ad:trail will probably go across
the incline of a hill.. If this happens, you have to decide
wheth.er to try to drive a-cross the incline. Here are some.
things to consider:
0
*
0
For reasuns like these, yqu need to decide cwehll’y
whether tci try to drive across an incline. Just -because the
trail goes across the incline. duesn’r-mean you have to
drive
it. The l.ast vehicle to try it might hi rolled over.
L
Drivbg across an incline that’s too stee.p will
make-your vehicle roll over. You could be
seriously injured
or kilIed. If you have any doubt
about the steepness of the incline,. don’t drive-
across it. Find another route instead.
@ What if I’m driving -across an incline that’s-not
too steep, but I hit some loose gravel and-start to
slide downhi11. What should I do?
.A: If you feel your vehicle starting to slide sideways,
turn
downhill. This should help straighten out .the.
vehicle and prevent the
side slipping. -HoW.ever, a
much better way to prevent this is to get’out and
“walk the course” so you know what the surface is
like. before you drive it.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If your vehicle stalls when you're cmssing .an incline, be
.. ,I j sure you (and your passengers) get out on the uphill . . 'I ., :I side, even if the door there is harder to open. If you get
1 -.I out on the downhill side and the vehicle starts to roll ..
, ,,, -over, you'll be right in .its path.
~ If you have to walk down the slope, stay out of the path
i the vehicle-will take if it does roll over.
1 i
J
Getting out on the downhill (low) side of a vehicle
stopped
across an incline is dangerous. If the-
vehicle
rolls over, you could be crushed or killed.
Always
get out on the uphill (high) side of the
vehicle
and stay- well clear of the rollover path.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving in Mnd, Sand, Snow or Ice
When you dxive in mu.d, snow or sarsd, your wheels
won’t get good traction. You can’t accelemte as
quickly, turning i.s more dif€icult, and you’ll need
longer braking distances.
It’s best .to use a low..gear when you’re in mud -- the
,deeper the mud, the lower the gear: In really ,deep mud,
$he idea is to keep your vehicle- moving s.0 you don’t
.!get stuck.
When
you drive on sand, yo-u’ll sensg a change- in wheel
traction, But St will &pmd upon how looseiypacked the
,sand is. On loosely packed sand (as on. beaches or sand
dunes)
your tires will tend to sink into the sand. This has
an effect on steering, accelefating and braking. You may
,w.ant to reduce the air pressure in your tires slightly
when driving on :sand. ‘This. will improve traction,
Hard packed mow ;sad ice. oEer the wofWtire’tractioa.
On thes~e s-Urfac.e.s, it’s very easy to lase c.on!Td, On wet
ice, for example, the traction i.s so paor that you will
h,ave diffic-ulty
accelerating, And if you d:o gkt movi.ng,
poor sleeting and difficult braking- can cause you to slide
out of control.
Driving on frozen lakes, ponds or rivers can be
dangerom. Undewater sprirmgs, currents under
the ice, or
sudden thaws can weaken the ice, Your
vehicle could fall through the ice and you and ,
your passengers could drown. Drive your vehicle
on -safe-surfaces only.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving in Water
Light rain causes no specialaff-road driving problems.
But .ke.avy rain
can .mean flash flooding, and flood
waters demand extreme caution.
+Find- out how deep the water is before you drive through
it. If it’s deep enough to cover your wheel hubs, axles or
exhaust pipe, don’t
‘try it -- you probably won’t g-et
through. Also, water that deep
can damage your axle
and
other vehicle parts.
If the water isn’t too deep, then drive through it slowly.
At fast speeds, water splashes on your ignition system
and your vehicle
can st-dl. Stalling.can also occur if you
get your tailpipe under water. And, as long as your
:.. . tailpipe is ,under water, .you’ll never be able to start your
..;;&I
engine. When you gp through water, remember that
--.
. ,. , when your brakes get wet; it may take you longer
to stop. -‘a:i <,..,..?, ,
Driving through rushing water can be dangerous.
Deep water can
sweep your vehicle downstream
and you
and your passengers could drown. If it’s
only shallow water,
it can still wash away the
ground
from under your tires, and you could lose
traction and roIl the vehicle over.
Don’t drive
through
rushing water.
See “Driving Throagh Water” in the Index f6TmGE
infoination on driving through water,
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine After Off-Road Driving
Remove .any brush. or debris th.at has collected an. the-
underbQdy, chassis
or under the hood. These
accu.mulation-s
can be a fire hazard.
After
operation in mud or. sand, have the br&e linings-
cleaned -and checked. These substances can cause
glazing- and uneven braking,. C,heck tihe, body struc.ture,
steerbig, su$pensioonj
wheels, tires .-and exhaust system
for damage, Also, check the file1 lines and cooling
system for any leakage.
Your vehicle will req.uire more frequent service due to
aff-rrrad
use.. Refer to the Maintenance Schedule fo,r
additional infofmation.
.Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous th-an day driving. One
reason is that some drivers are likely to be impaire-d -.- by
alcohol or drugs, with nieht vision broblems, or by fatigue.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine down on glare frqm headl@%qs,..but ,they:als,o make.-a lot
of things invi.slble.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine D-riving in Rain and on Wet Roa ; Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet
-road,
you can’t stop, accelerate or turn as well because
your fire-to-road traction isn’t as good.
as on dry roads.
Arid, if your tires don’t- have much tread
.left, you-’11 get
even less traction. It’-s alway,s wise to go :slower and.be.
cautious
if rain starts to fall while you are driving. The-
surface may get wet suddenly when your reflexes are
tuned for driving o,n dry pavement.
The heavier the rain, the harder it is: to see. Even if your
.windshield wiper blades
are in good shape, a heavy rain
can make it harder
to see road signs and traffic signals,
pavernent.maskings, the
edge sf the road and even
people walking.
It’s wise
to ke,ep your wiping equipment-in gaod shape
and keep your windshield washer tank-filled with
washer fluid. Replace
your windshield wiper inserts
when they show signs
of streaking or missing areas on
rhe windshieJd, or when strips of rubber start to sep-arate
from The inserts..
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving too fast through large water puddles or even
going through same car washes can cause problems, too.
. . . The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid puddles.
: 1
: .:I But-if you can't, try to slow da.wn before you hit them.
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won't work
as well
in a quick stop and may cause pulling tu
one side. You could lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle
of water or
a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly until
your brakes work normally.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning usually happens .at higher s.peeds. There
just isn’t a hard and fast rule about hydroplanirgi The.
best advice is to slow down whenit is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Watw
NOTICE:
If you drive too quickly through deep puddles or
standing, water; water
can come in through your
engine’s air intake and badly damage your
engine. Never driv.e through water that is slightly
lower than the underbody
of your vehicle. If’you
can’t avoid deep puddles
or standing water, drive
through them very
slowly.
Some 0the.r Rainy Weat
Besides slowi~~g down, allow some extra following
distance.
And be especially careful when you pass
another vehicle,. Allow yourself more dear room
ahead, and be prepared to have y~ur view restricted
by mad spray.
Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See
“Tires”
in the Index.)
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