ESP CHEVROLET CAMARO 1993 User Guide

Your Driving and the Road
Besides slowing down, allow some
extra following distance. And be
especially careful when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more
clear room ahead, and be prepared to
have your view restricted by road
spray. If the road spray is
so heavy
you are actually blinded, drop back.
Don’t pass
until conditions improve.
Going more slowly
is better than
having an accident.
Use your defogger
if it helps.
Have good tires
with proper tread
depth. (See “Tires”
in the Index.)
Driving in Fog, Mist
and Haze
Fog can occur with high humidity or
heavy frost. It can be
so mild that you can
see through
it for several hundred feet
(meters). Or
it might be so thick that you
can see only a few feet (meters) ahead.
It
may come suddenly to an otherwise clear
road.
And it can be a major hazard.
When you drive into
a fog patch, your
visibility will be reduced quickly. The
biggest dangers are striking the vehicle
ahead or being struck
by the one behind.
Try to “read” the fog density down the
road. If the vehicle ahead starts to become
less clear or, at night,
if the taillights are
harder to see, the fog is probably
thickening. Slow down to give traffic behind you
a chance to slow down.
Everybody then has a better chance
to
avoid hitting the vehicle ahead.
A patch of dense fog may extend only for
a few feet (meters) or for miles
(kilometers);
you can’t really tell while
you’re
in it. You can only treat the
situation with extreme care.
One common fog condition
- sometimes
called mist or ground fog
- can happen
in weather that seems perfect, especially
at
night or in the early morning in valley
and low, marshy areas.
You can be
suddenly enveloped
in thick, wet haze
that may even coat your windshield. You
can often spot these fog patches or mist
layers
with your headlights. But
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sometimes they can be waiting for you as
you come over a hill or dip into a shallow
valley. Start your windshield wipers and
washer, to help clear accumulated road
dirt. Slow down carefully.
Tips on Driving in Fog
If you get caught in fog, turn your
headlights on low beam, even
in daytime.
You’ll see
- and be seen - better. Use
your fog lights
if your vehicle has them.
Don’t use your high beams. The light will
bounce off the water droplets that make
up fog and reflect back at you. Use
your defogger. In high humidity, even
a light buildup of moisture on the inside
of the glass will cut down on your already
limited visibility. Run your windshield
wipers and washer occasionally. Moisture
can build up on the outside glass, and
what seems to be fog may actually be
moisture on the outside of your
windshield.
Treat dense fog as an emergency. Try to
find a place to pull off the road. Of course
you want to respect another’s property,
but you might need to put something
between you and moving vehicles
-
space, trees, telephone poles, a private
driveway, anything that removes you
from other traffic.
[f visibility is near zero and you must stop
but are unsure whether you are away from
the road,
turn your lights on, start your
hazard warning flashers, and sound your
horn at intervals or when you hear
approaching traffic.
Pass other vehicles in fog only if you can
see far enough ahead to pass safely. Even
then, be prepared to delay your pass if
you suspect the fog is worse up ahead. If
other vehicles try to pass you, make
it
easy for them.
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Your Driving and the Road
City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city
streets is the amount of traffic on them.
You’ll want to watch out for what the
other drivers are doing
and pay attention
to traffic signals.
Here are ways to increase your safety
in
city driving:
9 160
0 Know the best way to get to where
you are going. Try not to drive around
trying to pick out a familiar street or
landmark. Get a city map and plan
your trip into an unknown part of the
city just as you would for a
cross-country trip.
0
0 Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most large cities. You’ll
save time and energy. (See the next
section, “Freeway Driving.”)
Treat a green light as a warning signal.
A traffic light is there because the
corner is busy enough to need
it.
When a light turns green, and just
before you start to move, check both
ways for vehicles that have not
cleared the intersection or may be
running the red light.
Obey all posted speed limits. But
remember that they are for ideal road,
weather and visibility conditions. You
may need
to drive below the posted
limit in bad weather or when visibility
is especially poor.
Pull to the right
(with care) and stop
clear of intersections when you see or
hear emergency vehicles.
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Your Driving and the Road
If You’re 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 flashers. Tie a red
cloth to your vehicle
to alert police that
you’ve been stopped
by the snow. 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, floor 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. Snow can trap exhaust gases
L under your vehicle.
This can
cause deadly
CO (carbon monoxide)
gas to get inside. CO could
overcome you and
kill you. You
can’t 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 doesn’t collect
there.
Open a window just a little on the
side
of the vehicle that’s away from
the wind. This
will help keep CO
out. I
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Your Driving and the Road
178
weight of the trailer. And always keep in
mind that the vehicle you are driving is
now a good deal longer and not nearly so
responsive as your vehicle is by itself,
Before you start, check the trailer hitch
and platform, safety chains, electrical
connector, lights, tires and mirror
adjustment. If the trailer has electric
brakes, start your vehicle and trailer
moving and then apply the trailer brake
controller by hand
to be sure the brakes
are working. This lets you check your
electrical connection
at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be
sure that the load is secure, and that the
lights and any trailer brakes are still
working.
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
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.
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Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often
when you're pulling a trailer. See the
Maintenance Schedule for more on this.
Things that are especially important
in
trailer operation are automatic
transmission
fluid (don't overfill), engine
oil, axle lubricant. belts. cooling system,
and brake adjustment. Each of these is
covered
in this manual, and the Index will
help you find them quickly. If you're
trailering, it's
a good idea to review these
sections before
you start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch
nuts
and bolts are tight.
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Problems on the Road
I lh
1
F. $. '
9. Shut the engine off and replace the
pressure cap. Be sure the arrows
on
the cap line up like this.
Y CI.
10. Then fill the coolant recovery tank
For a complete drain. flush and refill, see
your Chevrolet dealer or a Chevrolet
Carnaro Service
Manual. To purchase
a service manual, see "Service
Publications"
in the Index.
to the proper level.
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, then
gently brake to a stop well out of
the
traffic lane.
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Methanol is methyl or wood alcohol.
IC
NOTICE:
I
rue1 mat is more than 3% metha
is bad for your vehicle. Don’t use it.
It can corrode metal parts in your
fuel system and also damage plastic
and rubber parts. That damage wouldn’t
be covered under your I
rranty. And even at 5% or less,
there must be “cosolvents” and
corrosion preventers in this fuel
to
help avoid these problems.
I
Gasolines for Cleaner Air
Your use of gasoline with detergent
additives will help prevent deposits from
forming
in your engine and fuel system.
That helps keep your engine in tune and
your emission control system working
properly. It’s good for your vehicle, and
you’ll be doing your part for cleaner air.
Many gasolines are
now blended with
materials called oxygenates. General
Motors recommends that you use
gasolines
with these blending materials,
such as MTBE and ethanol.
By doing so,
you can help clean the air, especially in
those parts of the country that have high
carbon monoxide levels. In
addition, some gasoline suppliers are
now producing reformulated gasolines.
These gasolines are specially designed to
reduce vehicle emissions. General Motors
recommends that you
use reformulated
gasoline.
By doing so, you can help clean
the air, especially
in those parts of the
country that have high ozone levels.
You should ask your service station
operators
if their gasolines contain
detergents and oxygenates, and if they
have been reformulated to reduce vehicle
emissions.
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Automatic Transmission Fluid
When to Check and Change:
A good time to check your automatic
transmission fluid level is when the
engine oil is changed. Refer
to the
Maintenance Schedule
to determine when
to change your fluid. See “Scheduled
Maintenance Services” in the Index.
How to Check:
Because this operation can be a little
difficult, you may choose to have this
done at a Chevrolet dealership Service
Department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all
the instructions here,
or you could get a
false reading
on the dipstick. damage
your transmission.
Too
much can mean that some of thr
fluid could come
out and fall on hc
~.: engine parts, starting a fire. Be sure
to get an accurate reading if you ~“* check your transmission fluid. ~, \- ~
%it at least 30 minutes before checking
he transmission fluid level
if you have
>een driving:
D When outside temperatures are above
At high speed for quite a while.
0 In heavy traffic - especially in hot
While pulling a trailer.
90°F (32°C).
weather. To
get the right reading, the fluid should
be at normal operating temperature,
which is 180°F to 200°F
(82°C to 93°C).
To check transmission fluid hot: Get
the vehicle warmed up by driving
about
15 miles (24 km) when outside
temperatures are above
50°F (10OC). If
it’s colder than
50°F (lO”C), drive the
vehicle in
D (Third Gear) until the engine
temperature gage moves and then remains
steady for ten minutes. Then follow the
hot check procedures.
To check transmission fluid cold: A cold
check is made after the vehicle has been
sitting for eight hours
or more with the
engine off and
is used only as a reference.
Let the engine run at idle for five minutes
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3. Check both sides of the dipstick, and
read the lower level. The fluid level
must be
in the COLD area for a cold
check or in the
HOT area or
cross-hatched area for a
hot check.
4. If the fluid level is where it should be,
push the dipstick back
in all the way.
How to Add Fluid:
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to
determine what kind of transmission fluid
to use. See “Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants” in the Index. If the fluid level is low, add only enough
of the proper fluid to bring the level up to
the COLD area for
a cold check or the
HOT area for a hot check. It doesn’t take
much fluid, generally less than a pint.
Don’t overfill. We recommend you use
only fluid labeled
DEXRON@-IIE,
because fluids with that label are made
especially for your automatic
transmission. Damage caused by
fluid
other than DEXRON@-IIE is not covered
by your new vehicle warranty.
After adding fluid, recheck the fluid
level as described under “How to
Check.”
obtained, push the dipstick back
in all
the way.
When the correct fluid level is
Manual Transmission Fluid
When to Check:
A good time to have it checked is when
the engine oil is changed. However, the
fluid in your manual transmission doesn’t
require changing.
How to Check:
Because this operation can be a little
difficult, you may choose to have this
done at a Chevrolet dealership Service
Department.
If
you do it yourself, be sure to follow all
the instructions here, or you could get a
false reading.
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