CHEVROLET TRACKER 1995 Owners Manual

Controlling your vehicle is the key to successful
off-road driving. One of the best ways to control your
vehicle is to control your speed.
Here are some things to
keep in mind. At higher speeds:
you approach things faster and you have less time to
scan the terrain for obstacles.
you have less time to react.
you have more vehicle bounce when you drive over
obstacles.
you’ll need more distance for braking, especially
since you’re on an unpaved surface.
Scanning the Terrain
Off-road driving can take you over many different kinds
of terrain. You need
to be familiar with the terrain and
its many different features. Here are some things to
consider.
Sugace Conditions. Off-roading can take you over
hard-packed dirt, gravel, rocks, grass, sand, mud, snow or
ice. Each
of these surfaces affects the steering,
acceleration, and braking of your vehicle in different ways.
Depending upon the kind of surface
you are on, you may
experience slipping, sliding, wheel spinning, delayed
acceleration, poor traction, and longer braking distances.
Surjke Obstacles. Unseen or hidden obstacles can be
hazardous. A rock, log,
hole, rut, or bump can startle
you if you’re not prepared for them. Often these
obstacles are hidden by grass, bushes, snow or even the
rise and fall of the terrain itself. Here are some things to
consider:
Is the path ahead clear?
Will the surface texture change abruptly up ahead?
Does the travel take you uphill or downhill? (There’s
more discussion of these subjects later.)
Will you have to stop suddenly or change direction
quickly?
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When you drive over obstacles or rough terrain, keep a
firm grip on the steering wheel. Ruts, troughs, or other
surface features can jerk the wheel out
of your hands if
you’re not prepared.
When you drive over bumps, rocks, or other obstacles,
your wheels can leave the ground.
If this happens, even
with one or two wheels, you can’t control the vehicle as
well or at all.
Because you will be on an unpaved surface, it’s
especially important to avoid sudden acceleration,
sudden turns,
or sudden braking.
In a way, off-road driving requires a different lund
of
alertness from driving on paved roads and highways.
There are no road signs, posted speed limits or signal
lights. You have to use your own good judgment about
what
is safe and what isn’t.
Drinking and driving can be very dangerous on any
road. And this
is certainly true for off-road driving. At
the very time you need special alertness and driving
skills, your reflexes, perceptions and judgment can be
affected by even a small amount
of alcohol. You could
have a serious
-- or even fatal -- accident if you drink
and drive or ride with a driver who has been drinking.
(See “Drunken Driving” in
the Index.)
Driving On Off-Road Hills
Off-road driving often takes you up, down, or across a
hill. Driving safely on hills requires good judgment and
an understanding
of what your vehicle can and can’t do.
There are some hills that simply can’t be driven, no
matter how well built the vehicle.
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Approaching a Hill
When you approach a hill, you need to decide if it’s one
of those hills that’s just too steep to climb, descend, or
cross. Steepness can be hard to judge. On a very small
hill, for example, there may be a smooth, constant
incline with only
a small change in elevation where you
can easily see all the way to the top. On a large hill, the
incline may get steeper as you near the top, but
you may
not see this because the crest
of the hill is hidden by
bushes, grass, or shrubs.
Here are some other things to consider as you approach
a hill.
0 Is there a constant incline, or does the hill get sharply
steeper in places?
Is there good traction on the hillside, or will the
Is there a straight path up or down the hill so you
0 Are there obstructions on the hill that can block your
surface cause
tire slipping?
won’t have
to make turning maneuvers?
path (boulders, trees, logs or ruts)?
embankment, a drop-off, a fence? Get out and walk
the hill if you don’t know. It’s the smart way
to find
out.
What’s beyond the hill? Is there a cliff, an
0 Is the hill simply too rough? Steep hills often have
ruts, gullies, troughs and exposed rocks because they
are more susceptible to the effects of erosion.
Driving Uphill
Once you decide you can safely drive up the hill, you
need to take some special steps.
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Use a low gear and get a firm grip on the steering
wheel.
Get a smooth start up the hill and try to maintain
your speed. Don’t use more power than
you need,
because you don’t want your wheels to start spinning
or sliding.
Try to drive straight up the hill if at all possible.
If
the path twists and turns, you might want to find
another route.
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0 Ease up on your speed as you approach the top of the
hill.
Attach a flag to the vehicle to make you more visible
to approaching traffic on trails or hills.
0 Sound the horn as you approach the top of the hill to
let opposing traffic know you’re there.
Use your headlamps even during the day. They make
you more visible to oncoming traffic.
What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or is about
to stall, and
I can’t make it up the hill?
A: If this happens, there are some things you should
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do, and there are some things you must not do.
First, here’s what you
should do:
Push the brake pedal
to stop the vehicle and keep it
from rolling backwards. Also, apply the parking brake.
If your engine is still running, shift the transmission
into reverse, release the parking brake, and slowly
back down the hill in reverse.
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
vehicle has a manual transmission) and restart the
engine. Then, shift to reverse, release the parking
brake, and slowly back down the hill
as straight as
possible in reverse.
As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand
on the steering wheel at the 12 o’clock position. This
way, you’ll be able to tell if your wheels are straight
and maneuver as you back down. It’s best that you
back down the hill with your wheels straight rather
than in the left or right direction. Turning the wheel
too far to the left or right will increase the possibility
of a rollover.
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Here are some things you must not do if you stall, or are
about
to stall, when going up a hill.
Never attempt to prevent a stall by shifting into
NEUTRAL (N) (or depressing the clutch, if you
have a manual transmission) to “rev-up” the engine
and regain forward momentum. This won’t work.
Your vehicle will roll backwards very quickly and
you could go
out of control.
Instead, apply the regular brake to stop the vehicle. Then
apply the parking brake. Shift into reverse, 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 enough to
stall your vehicle, it’s steep enough to cause you to
roll over if you turn around. If you can’t make it up
the hill, you must back straight down the
hill.
Suppose, after stalling, I try to back down the hill
and decide I just can’t do it. What should I do?
A: Set the parking brake, put your transmission in
PARK (P) (or the manual transmission in first
gear), and turn off the engine. Leave the vehicle
and go get some help. Exit on the uphill side and
stay clear
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.
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Driving Downhill
When off-roading takes you downhill, you’ll want to
consider a number
of things:
How steep is the downhill? Will I be able to maintain
vehicle control?
0 What’s the surface like? Smooth? Rough? Slippery?
Hard-packed dirt? Gravel?
0 Are there hidden surface obstacles? Ruts? Logs?
Boulders?
What’s at the bottom of the hill? Is there a hidden
creek bank
or even a river bottom with large rocks?
If
you decide you can go down a hill safely, then try to
keep your vehicle headed straight down, and use a low
gear. This way, engine drag can help your brakes and
they won’t have to do all the work. Descend slowly,
keeping your vehicle under control at all times.
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&: Are there some things I should not do when
A: Yes! These are important because if you ignore
driving down a bill?
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them you could lose control and have a serious
accident.
When dr.iving downhill, avoid
turns that take you
across the incline of the hill. A hill that’s not too
steep to drive down may be too steep to drive across.
You could roll over if you don’t drive straight down.
Never go downhill with
the transmission in
NEUTRAL, (N), or with the clutch pedal depressed
in a manual shift. This is called “free-wheeling.‘‘
Your brakes
wjll have to do all the work and c&ld
overheat and fade.
Avoid braking
so hard that you lock the front wheels
when going downhill.
Tf your front wheels are
locked,
you can’t steer your vehicle. If your wheels
lock up during downhill braking, you may feel the
vehicle starting
to slide sideways. To regain your
direction, just ease off the
brakes and steer to keep
the front
of the vehicle pointing straight downhill.
@ 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.
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.
Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake,
and drive straight down.
If the engine won’t start, get out and get help.
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Driving Across an Incline
Sooner or later, an off-road trail will probably go across
the incline
of a hill. If this happens, you have to decide
whether to try to drive across the incline. Here
are some
things to consider:
0 A hill that can be driven straight up or down may be
too steep to dnve across. When you go straight up or
down a hill, the length of the wheel base (the
distance from the front wheels
to the rear wheels)
reduces the likelihood the vehicle will tumble end
over end. But when you drive across an incline, the
much more narrow track width (the distance between
the left and right wheels) may not prevent the vehicle
from tilting and rolling over. Also, driving across an
incline puts more weight on the downhill wheels.
This could cause a downhill slide or a rollover.
Surface conditions can be a problem when you drive
across a hill. Loose gravel, muddy spots, or even wet
grass can cause your tires to slip sideways, downhill.
If the vehicle slips sideways, it can hit something
that will trip it (a rock, a rut, etc.) and roll over.
0 Hidden obstacles can make the steepness of the
incline even worse. If you drive across a rock with
the uphill wheels, or if the downhill wheels
drop into
a rut or depression, your vehicle can tilt even more.
For reasons like these, you need
to decide carefully
whether to
try to drive across an incline. Just because
the trail goes across the incline doesn’t mean you have
to drive it. The last vehicle to try
it might have rolled
over.
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Q:
A:
What if I’m driving across an incline that’s not
too steep, but
I hit some loose gravel and start to
slide downhill. What should
I do?
If you feel your vehicle starting to slide sideways,
turn downhill. This should help straighten out the
vehicle and prevent the side slipping. However, 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.
Stalling on an Incline
If your vehicle stalls when you’re crossing an incline, be
sure you (and your passengers) get out on the uphill
side, even if the door there is harder to open. If you get
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
the vehicle will take
if it does roll over.
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Driving In Mud, Sand, Snow, Or Ice
When you drive in mud, snow or sand, your wheels
won’t get good traction. You can’t accelerate as quickly,
turning
is more difficult, 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,
the idea is to keep your vehicle moving
so you don’t get
stuck.
When you drive on sand, you’ll sense
a change in wheel
traction. But
it will depend upon how loosely packed 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, accelerating, and braking. You
may want to reduce the air pressure
in your tires slightly
when driving on sand. This will improve traction. Hard
packed snow and ice offer the worst tire traction.
On these surfaces, it’s very easy to lose control. On wet
ice, for example, the traction is
so poor that you will
have difficulty accelerating. And if you do get moving,
poor steering and difficult braking can cause you to slide
out of control.
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