GMC ENVOY 2004 Owner's Manual

Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet
the road probably have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between your tires and
the road, you can have a very slippery situation. You
will have a lot less traction or “grip” and will need to be
very careful.What is the worst time for this? “Wet ice.” Very cold
snow or ice can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet
ice can be even more trouble because it may offer
the least traction of all. You can get wet ice when it is
about freezing (32°F; 0°C) and freezing rain begins
to fall. Try to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand
crews can get there.
Whatever the condition — smooth ice, packed, blowing
or loose snow — drive with caution.
If you have traction assist, keep the system on. It will
improve your ability to accelerate when driving on
a slippery road. But you can turn the traction system off
if your vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud, ice or
snow. SeeIf You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow
on page 4-42. Even though your vehicle has a traction
system, you will want to slow down and adjust your
driving to the road conditions. SeeTraction Assist
System (TAS) on page 4-8.
If you do not have a traction system, accelerate gently.
Try not to break the fragile traction. If you accelerate
too fast, the drive wheels will spin and polish the surface
under the tires even more.
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Your anti-lock brakes improve your vehicle’s stability
when you make a hard stop on a slippery road.
Even though you have an anti-lock braking system, you
will want to begin stopping sooner than you would on
dry pavement. SeeBraking on page 4-6.
Allow greater following distance on any
slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be ne
until you hit a spot that is covered with ice.
On an otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear
in shaded areas where the sun can not reach:
around clumps of trees, behind buildings or under
bridges. Sometimes the surface of a curve or
an overpass may remain icy when the surrounding
roads are clear. If you see a patch of ice ahead
of you, brake before you are on it. Try not to brake
while you are actually on the ice, and avoid
sudden steering maneuvers.
If You Are Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be in a
serious situation. You should probably stay with
your vehicle unless you know for sure that you are near
help and you can hike through the snow. Here are
some things to do to summon help and keep yourself
and your passengers safe:
Turn on your hazard ashers.
Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you have been stopped by the snow.
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Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.
If you have no blankets or extra clothing, make
body insulators from newspapers, burlap bags, rags,
oor mats — anything you can wrap around
yourself or tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
{CAUTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your
vehicle. This can cause deadly CO (carbon
monoxide) gas to get inside. CO could
overcome you and kill you. You can not see it
or smell it, so you might not know it is in your
vehicle. Clear away snow from around the
base of your vehicle, especially any that is
blocking your exhaust pipe. And check around
again from time to time to be sure snow does
not collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that is away from the wind. This will
help keep CO out.
Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little
faster than just idle. That is, push the accelerator
slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat that you get and
it keeps the battery charged. You will need a
well-charged battery to restart the vehicle, and possibly
for signaling later on with your headlamps. Let the
heater run for a while.
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Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine
again and repeat this only when you feel really
uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as little as
possible. Preserve the fuel as long as you can. To help
keep warm, you can get out of the vehicle and do
some fairly vigorous exercises every half hour or so until
help comes.
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice
or Snow
In order to free your vehicle when it is stuck, you will
need to spin the wheels, but you do not want to
spin your wheels too fast. The method known as
“rocking” can help you get out when you are stuck, but
you must use caution.
{CAUTION:
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they
can explode, and you or others could be
injured. And, the transmission or other parts of
the vehicle can overheat. That could cause an
engine compartment re or other damage.
When you are stuck, spin the wheels as little
as possible. Do not spin the wheels above
35 mph (55 km/h) as shown on the
speedometer.
Notice:Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of
your vehicle as well as the tires. If you spin the
wheels too fast while shifting your transmission
back and forth, you can destroy your transmission.
For information about using tire chains on your
vehicle, seeTire Chains on page 5-72.
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Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels. If you have a
four- wheel-drive vehicle, shift into 4HI. Then shift
back and forth between REVERSE (R) and a forward
gear, spinning the wheels as little as possible. Release
the accelerator pedal while you shift, and press lightly
on the accelerator pedal when the transmission is
in gear. By slowly spinning your wheels in the forward
and reverse directions, you will cause a rocking
motion that may free your vehicle. If that does not get
you out after a few tries, you may need to be towed out.
If you do need to be towed out, seeTowing Your
Vehicle on page 4-43.
Towing
Towing Your Vehicle
Consult your dealer or a professional towing service if
you need to have your disabled vehicle towed. See
Roadside Assistance Program on page 7-6.
If you want to tow your vehicle behind another vehicle
for recreational purposes (such as behind a motorhome),
see “Recreational Vehicle Towing” following.
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Recreational Vehicle Towing
Recreational vehicle towing means towing your vehicle
behind another vehicle – such as behind a motorhome.
The two most common types of recreational vehicle
towing are known as “dinghy towing” (towing your vehicle
with all four wheels on the ground) and “dolly towing”
(towing your vehicle with two wheels on the ground and
two wheels up on a device known as a “dolly”).
With the proper preparation and equipment, many
vehicles can be towed in these ways. See “Dinghy
Towing” and “Dolly Towing,” following. You may
also need brakes for the vehicle being towed. See your
dealer for additional trailering information.Here are some important things to consider before you
do recreational vehicle towing:What’s the trailering capacity of the towing vehicle?
Be sure you read the tow vehicle manufacturer’s
recommendations.
How far will you tow? Some vehicles have
restrictions on how far and how long they can be
towed.
Do you have the proper towing equipment? See
your dealer or trailering professional for additional
advice and equipment recommendations.
Is your vehicle ready to be towed? Just as you
would prepare your vehicle for a long trip, you’ll
want to make sure your vehicle is prepared to be
towed. SeeBefore Leaving on a Long Trip on
page 4-35.
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Dinghy Towing
When towing your vehicle, turn the ignition to LOCK.
To prevent your battery from draining while towing,
remove the Ignition A and the Ignition B fuses from the
engine compartment fuse block. Be sure to reinstall
the fuse when you reach your destination.
Two-Wheel-Drive Vehicles
Notice:If you tow your vehicle with all four wheels
on the ground, the drivetrain components could
be damaged. The repairs would not be covered by
your warranty. Do not tow your vehicle with all
four wheels on the ground.
Two-wheel-drive vehicles should not be towed with all
four wheels on the ground. Two-wheel-drive
transmissions have no provisions for internal lubrication
while being towed. To properly tow these vehicles,
they should be placed on a platform trailer, or dolly
towed. See “Dolly Towing” following for more
information.
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Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicles
Four-wheel-drive vehicles can be dinghy towed if you
follow the proper procedures. The transmission has
no provisions for internal lubrication while being towed,
so it is important that you follow all the steps listed
in this manual to dinghy tow your four-wheel-drive
vehicle.
Use the following procedure to tow your vehicle:
1. Shift the transmission to PARK (P).
2. Turn the engine off, but leave the ignition on.
3. Firmly set the parking brake.
4. Securely attach the vehicle being towed to the tow
vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Shifting a four-wheel-drive vehicle’s transfer
case into NEUTRAL can cause your vehicle to
roll even if the transmission is in Park (P). You
or others could be injured. Make sure the
parking brake is rmly set before you shift the
transfer case to NEUTRAL.5. Shift the transfer case to NEUTRAL (N). See
Four-Wheel Drive on page 2-26for the proper
procedure to select the NEUTRAL position for your
vehicle.
6. Release the parking brake only after the vehicle
being towed is rmly attached to the towing
vehicle.
7. Turn the ignition off and leave the steering column
unlocked.
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Dolly Towing
Two-Wheel-Drive Vehicles
Two-wheel-drive vehicles should not be dolly towed.
Two-wheel-drive transmissions have no provisions
for internal lubrication while being towed. To properly
tow these vehicles, they should be placed on a platform
trailer with all four wheels off the ground.
Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicles
Four-wheel-drive vehicles can be dolly towed with the
rear wheels on the ground.
Use the following procedure to tow your vehicle:
1. Drive the vehicle onto the tow dolly.
2. Shift the transmission to PARK (P).
3. Turn the engine off, but leave the ignition on.
4. Firmly set the parking brake.
5. Securely attach the vehicle being towed
to the dolly.
{CAUTION:
Shifting a four-wheel-drive vehicle’s transfer
case into NEUTRAL can cause your vehicle to
roll even if the transmission is in Park (P). You
or others could be injured. Make sure the
parking brake is rmly set before you shift the
transfer case to NEUTRAL.
6. Shift the transfer case to NEUTRAL. See
Four-Wheel Drive on page 2-26for the proper
procedure to select the NEUTRAL position for your
vehicle.
7. Release the parking brake only after the vehicle
being towed is rmly attached to the towing
vehicle.
8. Turn the ignition off and lock the steering column.
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Loading Your Vehicle
It is very important to know how much weight your
vehicle can carry. This weight is called the vehicle
capacity weight and includes the weight of all occupants,
cargo and all nonfactory-installed options. Two labels
on your vehicle show how much weight it may properly
carry, the Tire and Loading Information label and the
Certication/Tire label.
{CAUTION:
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
GVWR, or either the maximum front or rear
GAWR. If you do, parts on your vehicle can
break, and it can change the way your vehicle
handles. These could cause you to lose
control and crash. Also, overloading can
shorten the life of your vehicle.
Tire and Loading Information Label
A. Vehicle Capacity Weight
The Tire and Loading Information label is attached to
the center pillar, near the driver’s door latch. Vehicles
without a center pillar will have the Tire and Loading
Information label attached to the driver’s door edge. This
label lists the number of people that can be in your
vehicle and the total weight it can carry. This weight is
called the vehicle capacity weight.
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