wheel OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA 1996 Owner's Guide

What’s 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’s about
freezing
(32°F; OOC) 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.
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.
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’ll
want to begin stopping sooner than you would on dry
pavement. See “Anti-Lock” in the Index.
Allow greater following distance on any
slippery road.
0 Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine
until you
hit a spot that’s covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun can’t 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’re actually on
the ice, and avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
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Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as you
would when driving your vehicle without a trailer. This
can help you avoid situations that require heavy braking
and sudden turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up ahead when
you’re towing a trailer. And, because you’re
a good deal
longer, you’ll need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return
to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand.
Then, to move the trailer to the left, just move that hand
to the left.
To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly and,
if
possible, have someone guide you.
Making Turns
I NOTICE:
Making very sharp turns while trailering could
cause the trailer
to come in contact with the
vehicle. Your vehicle could
be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns than
normal.
Do this so your trailer won’t strike soft shoulders,
curbs, road signs, trees or other objects. Avoid jerky or
sudden maneuvers. Signal well
in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have extra
wiring and a heavy-duty turn signal flasher (included
in
the optional trailering package).
The green arrows on your instrument panel will flash
whenever you signal
a turn or lane change. Properly
hooked up, the trailer lamps will also flash, telling other
drivers you’re about to turn, change lanes
or stop.
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When towing a trailer, the green arrows on your
instrument panel
will flash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signal when they are not. It’s
important
to check occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down
a long or steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use
your brakes so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your
speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility of engine and transmission overheating.
You should use THIRD (3) when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle
in THIRD (3) when towing a
trailer will minimize heat buildup and extend
the life of
your transmission.
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer
attached, on
a hill. Tf something goes wrong, your rig
could start to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
But
if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK
(P) yet. Then turn your wheels into the curb if
facing downhill or into traffic if facing uphill.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes
until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake and shift into PARK (P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
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12. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don’t touch
each other or any other metal.
A. Heavy Metal Engine Part
B. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a GM retailer or a professional towing
service tow your vehicle. See “Roadside Assistance” in
the Index.
If your vehicle has been changed since it was
factory-new by adding things like fog lamps, aero
skirting, or special tires and wheels, these instructions
may not be correct.
Before you do anything, turn
on the hazard
warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
0 That your vehicle has all-wheel drive.
0 The make, model and year of your vehicle.
0 Whether you can move the shift lever for
the transmission.
If there was an accident, what was damaged.
When the towing service arrives, let the tow operator
know that this manual contains these towing
instructions. The operator may want to
see them.
5-6
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1 A CAUTION:
I
~ To help avoid injury to you or others:
0 Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is
Never tow faster than safe or posted speeds.
Never tow with damaged parts not fully
Never get under your vehicle after it has
Always use separate safety chains on each
Never use J-hooks. Use T-hooks instead.
being
towed.
secured.
been lifted by the tow truck. side when towing a vehicle. I
A CAUTION:
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. Always use
T-hooks inserted in the T-hook slots. Never use
J-hooks. They
will damage drivetrain and
suspension components.
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
should be
in NEUTRAL (N). The parking brake should
be released.
5-7
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If your vehicle has no electrical power, the electrical
solenoid lock must be overridden to
shift from
PARK
(P) to NEUTRAL (N). Follow these steps:
1. Push the base of the leather shift lever boot forward
with your thumb.
2. Lift the boot and find the white solenoid lever.
3. Move the white
lever toward the
driver’s side to
unlock it.
4. While holding the white solenoid lever in the unlock
position, press the
shift lever button and shift
into NEUTRAL
(N).
5. Release the solenoid lever and snap the boot back
into place.
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 not to exceed
35 mph (56 km/h)
and not to travel more than
50 miles (80 km) or your
transmission
will be damaged. The drive wheels have to
be supported on a dolly.
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i
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or
fascia/fog lamp damage will occur. Use wheel lift
or car carrier equipment. Additional ramping
may be required for car carrier equipment. Use
safety chains and wheel straps.
Towing
a vehicle over rough surfaces could
damage a vehicle. Damage can occur from
vehicle to ground or vehicle to wheel-lift
equipment.
To help avoid damage, install a
towing dolly and raise the vehicle until adequate
clearance
is obtained between the ground and/or
wheel-lift equipment.
Do not attach winch cables or J-hooks to
suspension components when using car carrier
equipment. Always use T-hooks inserted in the
T-hook slots.
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Rear Towing
Tow Limits -- 35 mph (56 kmh), 50 miles (80 km)
You must use a towing dolly under the front wheels when
towing from the rear.
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or rear
bumper valance damage will occur. Use wheel lift
or car carrier equipment. Additional ramping
may be required for car carrier equipment. Use
safety chains and wheel straps.
Towing a vehicle over rough surfaces coula
damage a vehicle. Damage can occur from
vehicle
to ground or vehicle to wheel-lift
equipment. To help avoid damage, install
a
towing dolly and raise the vehicle until adequate
clearance is obtained between the ground and/or
wheel-lift equipment.
Do not attach winch cables or J-hooks to
suspension components when using car carrier
equipment. Always use T-hooks inserted in the
T-hook slots.
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If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especially if you maintain your tires properly.
If air goes
out
of a tire, it’s much more likely to leak out slowly.
But if
you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a few
tips about what to expect and what to do:
If
a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel
firmly.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you’d use in a
skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake to a
stop -- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a
flat tire safely.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
ur
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip
off the jack and roll over you or other
people. You and they could be badly injured.
Find a level place to change your tire.
To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t move,
you can put blocks at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the tire
on the other side of the
vehicle, at the opposite end.
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Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The jacking equipment you'll need is stored along the
driver's rear wall. Your vehicle is also equipped
with
work gloves and a plastic ground mat to assist in the
changing
of a flat tire.
To remove the jack
cover, pull up on
the latch
at the end
of the cover,
near the endgate.
The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change
a tire.
Then pull up
on the latch on the top of the cover.
Remove the wheel blocks, jack and wheel wrench.
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