ignition CHEVROLET TRACKER 1997 Owner's Guide
Page 185 of 388
If you drive regularly in steep country, or if you’re
planning to visit there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable. (See “Off-Road
Driving’’ in the Index for information about driving
off-road.)
Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid
levels and also the brakes, tires, cooling system and
transmission. These parts can work hard on
mountain roads.
0 Know how to go down hills. The most important
thing to know is this: let your engine do some of the
slowing down. Shift to a lower gear when you go
down a steep or long hill.
If you don’t shift down, your brakes could get
so hot that they wouldn’t work well. You
would then have poor braking or even none going
down
a hill. You could crash. Shift down to let
your engine assist your brakes on
a steep
downhill slope. Coasting downhill
in NEUTRAL
(N) or with the
ignition
off is dangerous. Your brakes will have to
do all the work
of slowing down. They could get
so hot that they wouldn’t work well. You would
then have poor braking or even none going down
a hill. You could crash. Always have your engine
running and your vehicle in gear when you
go downhill.
0
0
0
0
Know how to go uphill. You may want to shift down
to a lower gear. The lower gears help cool your engine
and transmission, and you can climb the hill better.
Stay
in your own lane when driving on two-lane
roads
in hills or mountains. Don’t swing wide or cut
across
the center of the road. Drive at speeds that let
you stay
in your own lane.
As you go over the top of a hill, be alert. There could be
something in your lane, llke a stalled car or an accident.
You may see highway signs on mountains that warn of
special problems. Examples are long grades, passing or
no-passing zones,
a falling rocks area or winding
roads. Be alert
to these and take appropriate action.
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Page 191 of 388
I NOTICE:
Do not tow your Geo with the rear wheels in
contact with the ground, or the transmission
could be damaged.
2.
3.
4.
Set the parking brake.
If your Geo is a four-wheel-drive vehicle, set your
manual free-wheeling hubs to
FREE or unlock your
automatic freewheeling hubs. See “Four-wheel
Drive” in the Index.
Turn the ignition key to ACC to unlock the
steering wheel.
I NOTICE:
Make sure that the towing speed does not
exceed
55 mph (90 km/h), or your Geo could be
badly damaged.
Towing from the Front
h
I1 I
I NOTICE: I
If your vehicle has automatic freewheeling hubs
or two-wheel drive,
do not tow it on all four
wheels.
If you do, your transmission could
be damaged.
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Page 192 of 388
If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle with manual
freewheeling hubs, it can be towed from the front with
all four wheels on the ground. Follow these steps:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Turn the ignition key to ACC to unlock the
steering wheel.
3. Shift your automatic transmission into PARK (P), or
your manual transmission to SECOND (2).
4. Shift the transfer case to NEUTRAL (N).
5. Set the hubs to FREE. See “Four-Wheel-Drive” in
the Index.
6. Release the parking brake.
Stop towing every
200 miles (300 km) and start
the engine. Leave the transfer case shift lever
in
NEUTRAL (N). Shift your automatic transmission
to
DRIVE (D); leave a manual transmission in
SECOND (2) with the clutch engaged. Run the engine at
medium speed for one minute to circulate oil in the
transfer case.
Turn the ignition key to ACC. Now you
can continue towing your Geo.
I NOTICE:
The front wheels transmit shocks during towing.
The steering column may not be strong enough to
withstand the shocks. Always unlock the steering
wheel before towing.
NOTICE:
Make sure that the towing speed does not
exceed
50 mph (80 kmh), or your Geo could be
badly damaged.
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Page 206 of 388
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other.
If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able
to
start your Geo, and the bad grounding could damage
the electrical systems.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter. Turn
off all lamps that aren’t needed as well
as radios. This will avoid sparks and help save both
batteries.
In addition, it could save your radio!
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. Find the
positive
+ and negative (-) terminals on each battery.
I A CAUTION:
I
An electric fan can start up even when the
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and
tools away from any underhood
electric fan.
-
CAUTION:
If your vehicle has air conditioning, the auxiliary
electric fan under the hood can start
up even
when the engine
is not running and can injure
you. Keep hands, clothing and tools away from
any underhood electric fan.
5-4
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Page 211 of 388
A vehicle can fall from a car carrier if it isn’t
adequately secured. This can cause
a collision,
serious personal injury and vehicle damage. The
vehicle should be tightly secured with chains or
steel cables before it
is transported.
Don’t use substitutes (ropes, leather straps,
canvas webbing, etc.) that can be cut by sharp
edges underneath the towed vehicle.
When your vehicle is being towed, have the ignition key
turned to the
OFF position. The steering wheel should
be clamped in a straight-ahead position, with a clamping device designed for towing service.
Do not use the
vehicle’s steering column lock for this. The transmission
and transfer case, if you have one, should
be in
NEUTRAL (N) and the parking brake released.
Don’t have your vehicle towed on the drive wheels
unless you must. If the vehicle must be towed on the
drive wheels, be sure to follow any speed and distance
restrictions later in this section,
or your transmission
will be damaged.
If these limitations must be exceeded,
then the drive wheels have to be supported on a dolly.
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Page 298 of 388
c
Fuse Usage
1
2
3
4
5
Dome Lamp, Sidemarker Lamps, Parking
Lamps, License Plate Lamp, Instrument
Panel Illumination
Stoplamps,
Horn
Hazard Lamps
Fuse
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Usage
Door Lock (Option)
Lighter, Radio
Ignition System, Warning and Indicator
Lights, Gages, Four-wheel Drive System
(Option)
Turn Signal Flasher, Back-up Lamps
Wipermasher
Rear Defogger
Heater
Empty
Empty
Please note, fuses for the air bags are located
next to the
instrument panel fuse block.
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Page 299 of 388
Main Fuse Block
The main fuse box in your engine compartment protects
all electrical loads.
For access
to the main fuses, pull off the cover. A spare
fuse
is also inside the fuse box.
Fuse
BATT
ABS
IG
LAMP
H/L,
R
H/L, L
FI
AIC
Usage
All Electrical Load
Anti-Lock Brake System
Ignition, Lighter, Radio, Wipermasher,
Rear Defogger, Turn Signals, Back-up
Lamps, Heater
Taillamps, Dome Lamps, Stop Lamps, Horn,
Hazard Lamps
Right Side Headlamp
Left Side Headlamp
Fuel Injection System
Air Conditioning
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Page 354 of 388
Ignition Transaxle Lock Check
While parked, and with the parking brake set, try to turn
the ignition key to
LOCK in each shift lever position.
With an automatic transmission, the key should turn
to LOCK only when the shift lever
is in PARK (P).
With a manual transmission, the key should turn to
LOCK only if you push the key in farther, while
turning it towards
LOCK.
On vehicles with a key release lever, try to turn the key
to LOCK without pressing the lever. The key should
turn to LOCK only when you press the key lever.
On all vehicles,
the key should come out only in LOCK.
Parking Brake and Automatic Transmission
PARK (P) Mechanism Check
A CA "TION:
-
When you are doing this check, your vehicle
could begin to move. You or others could be
injured and property could be damaged. Make
sure there is room in front
of your vehicle in case
it begins to roll. Be ready to apply the regular
brake at once should the vehicle begin to move.
Park on a fairly steep hill, with the vehicle facing
downhill. Keeping your foot
on the regular brake, set the
parking brake.
To check the parking brake's holding ability:
With the engine running and transmission in
NEUTRAL
(N), slowly remove foot pressure from
the regular brake pedal.
Do this until the vehicle is
held by the parking brake only.
To check the PARK (P) mechanism's holding ability:
With the engine running, shift to PARK
(P).
Then release all brakes. If your vehicle is four-wheel
drive, be sure the transfer case is not in
NEUTRAL
(N).
Underbody Flushing Service
At least every spring, use plain water to flush any
corrosive materials from the underbody. Take care
to
clean thoroughly any areas where mud and other debris
can collect.
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Page 379 of 388
Gear Positions. Manual Transmission ............... 2- 14
Glove Box
.................................... 2-41
Gross Axle Weight Rating ........................ 4-47
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
...................... 4-47
Guide en FranGais
11
GV WR. ....................................... 4-47
.. .................................
Halogen Bulbs .. ............................. 6-33
Hazard Warning Flashers
.......................... 5-2
Head Restraints
................................. 1-4
Headlamps
.................................... 2-3 1
Bulb Replacement ............................ 6-34
HighLow Beam Changer
...................... 2-3 1
Hearing Impaired. Customer Assistance .............. 8-4
Heating
........................................ 3-4
Highway Hypnosis
.............................. 4-38
Hill and Mountain Roads
......................... 4-38
Hitches. Trailer
................................. 4-52
Checking Things Under
......................... 6-7
Hood Latch Operation Check
..................... 7-49
Hubs, Freewheeling ............................. 2- 17
Hydroplaning
.................................. 4-34
Hood
Prop
........................................ 6-8
Release
...................................... 6-7
Horn ......................................... 2-29
Ignition Positions
............................... 2-7
Ignition Transaxle
Lock Check .................... 7-52
Inflation. Tire .................................. 6-41
Inside Daymight Rearview
Mirror ................. 2-39 Inspections
Brakesystem
................................ 7-54
FrontAxle
.................................. 7-54
Exhaust
Systems
............................. 7-53
Front Drive Axle Boot
......................... 7-53
Front Drive Axle Seal
......................... 7-53
Radiator and Heater Hose
...................... 7-53
RearAxle
................................... 7-54
Steering
.................................... 7-53
Suspension
.................................. 7-53
Throttle Linkage
.............................. 7-54
Instrument Panel
............................... 2-58
Brightness Control
............................ 2-38
Cleaning
.................................... 6-51
Cluster ..................................... 2-60
FuseBlock .................................. 6-59
Interior Lamps
................................. 2-38
Jack. Tire
.................................... 5-25
Jump Starting ................................... 5-3
Key Lock Cylinders Service ..................... 7-50
Keys
.......................................... 2-2
Labels Certification
................................. 4-47
Service Parts Identification
..................... 6-58
Tire-Loading Information ...................... 4-47
Vehicle Identification Number
................... 6-58
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