GMC SIERRA 1996 Owners Manual

When you drive over obstacles or rough terrain, keep a
firm grip on the steering wheel. Ruts, troughs or other
surfax 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 kind 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 hiIls that simply can’t be driven,
no
matter how well built the vehicle.
I
Many hills are simply too steep for any vehicle. 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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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.
Is there a constant incline, or does the hill get sharply
steeper
in places?
Is there good traction on the hillside, or will the
surface cause tire slipping?
Is there a straight path up or down the hill so you
won’t have to make turning maneuvers?
Are there obstructions on the hill that can block your
path (boulders, trees, logs
or ruts)‘?
0 What’s beyond the hill? Is there a cliff, an
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.
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.
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.
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0 Try to drive straight up the hill if at all possible. If
the path twists and turns, you might want to find
another route.
I b CAUTION:
Turning or driving across steep hills can be
dangerous. You could lose traction, slide
sideways, and possibly roll over. You could be
seriously injured
or killed. When driving up hills,
always try to go straight up.
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.
0 Use your headlamps even during the day. They make
you more visible to oncoming traffic.
Driving tc -he top (cre
. ' a hill --I full speed can
cause an accident. There could be
a drop-off,
embankment, cliff, or even another vehicle.
You
could be seriously injured or killed. As you near
the top of a hill, slow down and stay alert.
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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
do, and these are some things you
must not do.
First, here’s what you shalrlcl 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
to REVERSE
(R), release the parking brake, and
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
vehicle has
a manual transmission) and restart the
engine. Then,
shift to REVERSE (R), release the
parking brake, and slowly back down the
hill as
straight as possible
in REVERSE (R).
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.
Here are sonie things you
rnusf 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 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 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.
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&.’ Suppose, after stalling, I try to back down
the hill and decide
I just can’t do it. What
should 1 do?
A: Set the parking brake. put your transmission
in PARK (Pj (or the manual transmission in
FIRST ( I )) 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. Shirring the
transter ca-- to NEU 1 dAL (N) can
cause your vehicle to roll even if the transmission
is in 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 (I)).
But do not shift the transfer case to the
NEUTRAL (N) position. Leave the transfer
case in the
2 Wheel, 4 High or 4 I,ow position.
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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?
What’s the surface like? Smooth? Rough? Slippery?
Hard-packed dirt? Gravel?
Logs? Boulders?
Are there hidden surface obstacles? Ruts?
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,
’ A CAUTION:
-
Heavy braking when going down a hill can
cause your brakes to overheat and fade. This
could cause loss
of control and a serious accident.
Apply the brakes lightly when descending
a
hill and use a low gear to keep vehicle speed
under control.
Are there some things
I should not do when
driving down a hill?
At Yes! These are important because if you 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 not too
steep to drive down may be too steep to drive across.
You could roll over if you don’t drive straight down.
0 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 will have to
do all the work and could
overheat and fade.
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Am I likely to stall when going downhill?
A: It’s much more likely to happen going uphill. But
0
e
a
0
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.
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 drive 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.
0 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.
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@ 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.
Q.’ 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?
A: 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.
1 A CAUTION: r: .. -. :. *. -
Driving across an incline that’s too steep will
make your vehicle roll over.
You could be
seriously injured or killed.
If you have any doubt
about the steepness of the incline, don’t drive
across it. Find another route instead.
I I
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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.
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.
I
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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 t.o 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.
Driving on frozen lakes, ponds or rivers can be
dangerous. Underwater springs, 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.
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