wheel CHEVROLET S10 1995 2.G Owner's Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Tilt Wheel (Option)
I
I
If you have the tilt
steering wheel,
you
should adjust the
steering wheel before
you drive.
You can raise it
to the highest level to give your legs more room when you
enter and exit the vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the lever. Move the
steering wheel to a comfortable level, then release the lever to lock the
wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driving.
Multifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column includes your:
Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
Headlamp High-Low Beam
0 Windshield Wipers
Windshield Washer
Cruise Control (Option)
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine You will see this light flash for a few seconds when you turn your ignition
to RUN or START. Then the light should go out. This means the system is
ready.
If the air bag readiness light doesn’t come
on when you start your vehicle,
or stays on, or comes
on when you are driving, your air bag system may not
work properly. Have your vehicle serviced right away.
Brake System Warning Light
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BRAKE
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into two parts. If one part
isn’t working, the other part can still work and stop you. For good braking,
though, you need both parts working well.
Your vehicle also has rear-wheel or four-wheel anti-lock brakes. See
“Anti-Lock Brakes” in the Index. If the warning light comes on, there could
be a brake problem with either your regular or rear-wheel anti-lock brakes,
or both. Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come
on briefly as you start the vehicle. If it doesn’t come
on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the road and stop
carefully. You may notice that the pedal is harder
to push. Or, the pedal may
go closer to the floor. It may take longer to stop. If the light
is still on, have
the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your Vehicle” in the Index.)
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The brake system warning light will also come on when you set your
parking brake, and it will stay on if your parking brake doesn’t release fully.
If it stays on after your parking brake is fully released, it means you have a
brake problem.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light (Option)
If your vehicle has four-wheel anti-lock brakes, it will have this yellow
light.
With the anti-lock brake system, this light will come on when you
start your
engine and may stay on for several seconds. That’s normal. If the light
doesn’t come
on, have it fixed so it will be ready to warn you if there is a
problem.
If the light stays on, or comes on when you’re driving, your vehicle needs
service. If the regular brake system warning light isn’t on, you still have
brakes, but you don’t have anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system
warning light is also
on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes and there’s a
problem with your regular brakes. See “Brake System Warning Light”
earlier in this part.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Braking
Braking action involves perception time and reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal. That’s perception time.
Then you have to bring up your foot and do it. That’s reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second. But that’s only an average. It
might be less with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or more
with another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination, and eyesight
all play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and frustration. But even in 3/4 of a
second, a vehicle moving at
60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That
could be a lot of distance in an emergency,
so keeping enough space
between your vehicle and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly with the surface of the
road (whether it’s pavement or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry,
icy); tire tread; and the condition of your brakes.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in spurts
- heavy
acceleration followed by heavy braking
- rather than keeping pace with
traffic. This is a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if you do a lot of heavy
braking. If you keep pace with the traffic and allow realistic following
distances, you will eliminate a lot
of unnecessary braking. That means better
braking and longer brake
life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake normally but don’t
pump your brakes. If you do, the pedal may get harder to push down. If
your engine stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But you will
use it when you brake. Once the power assist is used up, it may take longer
to stop and the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your vehicle has an advanced electronic braking system that can help you
keep it under control.
If your vehicle has an anti-lock brake system warning light on the
instrument panel, it has four-wheel anti-lock brakes. Otherwise, it has
rear-wheel anti-lock brakes. When you start a vehicle that has four-wheel
anti-lock brakes and begin to drive away, you may hear a momentary motor
or clicking noise. This is the
ABS system testing itself.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Here's how anti-lock works. Let's say the road is wet. You're driving safely.
Suddenly an animal jumps out
in front of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here's what happens with ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. With four-wheel
anti-lock: If one of the wheels
is about to stop rolling, the computer will
separately work the brakes at each front wheel and at the rear wheels. The
four-wheel anti-lock system can change the brake pressure faster than any
driver could. With rear-wheel anti-lock: If one
of the rear wheels is about
to stop rolling, the computer will work the brakes at the rear wheels. The
computer
is programmed to make the most of available tire and road
conditions.
As
you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on wheel speed and
controls braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: Anti-lock doesn't change the time you need to get your foot up
to the brake pedal. If you get too close
to the vehicle in front of you, you
won't have time to apply your brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows or
stops. Always leave enough room up ahead
to stop, even though you have
anti-lock brakes.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine To Use Four-wheel Anii-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down and let anti-lock
work for
you. You may feel the brakes vibrate, or you may notice some
noise, but
this is normal.
On vehicles with four-wheel drive, your anti-lock brakes work at all
times
- whether you are in two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.
To Use Rear- Wheel Anii-Lock
Use rear-wheel anti-lock like regular brakes. You may feel the brakes
vibrate, or
you may notice some noise outside your vehicle, but this is
normal. Let anti-lock work for you, but remember: Your front wheels can
still stop rolling. If that happens, release enough pressure
on the brakes to
get the wheels rolling again
so that you can steer.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation that requires hard braking.
The four-wheel anti-lock system
lets you steer and brake at the same time.
If you have the rear-wheel anti-lock braking system, your front wheels can
stop rolling when you brake very hard. Once they do, the vehicle can’t
respond to your steering. Momentum will carry
it in whatever direction it
was headed when the front wheels stopped rolling. That could be off the
road, into the very thing you were trying
to avoid, or into traffic.
So, unless you have four-wheel anti-lock, use a “squeeze” braking
technique. This will give
you maximum braking while maintaining steering
control. You do this by pushing on the brake pedal with steadily increasing
pressure. When you do, it
will help maintain steering control. In many
emergencies, steering can help
you more than even the very best braking.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine stops or the system is
not functioning,
you can steer but it will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on the news happen
on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver
or beginner, each of us is subject to the same laws of
physics when driving on curves. The traction of the tires against the road
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine surface makes it possible for the vehicle to change its path when you ,turn
the front wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia will keep the vehicle going in
the same direction. If you’ve ever tried to steer a vehicle
on wet ice, you’ll
understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends
on the condition of your tires
and the road surface, the angle at which the curve is banked, and your
speed. While you’re in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control.
Suppose you’re steering through
a sharp curve. Then you suddenly apply
the brakes. Both control systems
- steering and braking - have to do their
work where the tires meet the road. Unless
you have four-wheel anti-lock
brakes, adding the hard braking can demand
too much of those places. You
can lose control.
The same thing
can happen if you’re steering through a sharp curve and you
suddenly accelerate. Those two control systems - steering and acceleration
- can overwhelm those places where the tires meet the road and make you
lose control.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on the brake or
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want it to go, and slow
down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should adjust your speed. Of
course, the posted speeds are based
on good weather and road conditions.
Under less favorable conditions you’ll want to go slower.
If
you need to reduce your speed as you approach a curve, do it before you
enter the curve, while your front wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can “drive” through the curve. Maintain a
reasonable, steady speed. Wait to accelerate until
you are out of the curve,
and then accelerate gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective than braking. For
example, you come over a hill and find a truck stopped in your lane, or a car
suddenly pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts
out from between parked
cars and stops right in front of
you. You can avoid these problems by
braking
- if you can stop in time. But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t
room. That’s the time for evasive action
- steering around the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like these. First apply
your brakes
- but, unless you have four-wheel anti-lock, not enough to
lock your front wheels.
It is better to remove as much speed as you can from
a possible collision. Then steer around the problem,
to the left or right
depending on the space available.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine An emergency like this requires close attention and a quick decision. If you
are holding the steering wheel at the recommended
9 and 3 o’clock
positions, you can turn it a
full 180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly, and just as quickly
straighten the wheel once
you have avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always possible is a good reason
to practice defensive driving at all times and wear safety belts properly.
Off-Road Recovery
You may find sometime that your right wheels have dropped off the edge of
a road onto the shoulder while you’re driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the pavement, recovery
should be fairly easy. Ease
off the accelerator and then, if there is nothing in
the way, steer
so that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement. You
can turn the steering wheel up to 114 turn until the right front tire contacts
the pavement edge. Then turn your steering wheel to go straight down the
roadway.
1. Edge of Road
Surface
2. Slow Down
3. Left Approx.
Quarter Turn
4. Recover
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 0 Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on two-lane roads.
Reconsider before passing
the next vehicle.
0 Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly. Even though the
brake lamps are
not flashing, it may be slowing down or starting to
turn.
0 If you’re being passed, make it easy for the following driver to get
ahead of
you. Perhaps you can ease a little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what happens when the three
control systems (brakes, steering and acceleration) don’t have enough
friction where the tires meet the road to do what
the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying
to steer and constantly seek an
escape route or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle. Defensive drivers avoid
most skids by taking reasonable care suited to existing conditions, and by
not “overdriving” those conditions. But skids are always possible.
The three types
of skids correspond to your vehicle’s three control systems.
In the braking skid your wheels aren’t rolling. In the steering or cornering
skid, too much speed or steering
in a curve causes tires to slip and lose
cornering force. And in the acceleration skid too much throttle causes the
driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best handled by easing your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts
to slide, ease your foot off the accelerator pedal and
quickly steer the way you want the vehicle to
go. If you start steering
quickly enough, your vehicle may straighten
out. Always be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction
is reduced when water, snow, ice, gravel, or other
material is on the road. For safety, you’ll want
to slow down and adjust your
driving
to these conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and vehicle control more
limited.
While driving on
a surface with reduced traction, try your best to avoid
sudden steering, acceleration, or braking (including engine braking by
shifting to a lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause
the tires to slide.
You may not realize the surface is slippery until your vehicle is skidding.
Learn to recognize warning clues
- such as enough water, ice or packed
snow on the road
to make a “mirrored surface” - and slow down when you
have any doubt.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Remember: If you have the four-wheel anti-lock braking system, it helps
avoid only the braking skid. The rear-wheel anti-lock braking system helps
avoid only a rear braking skid. In a braking skid (where the front wheels are
no longer rolling), release enough pressure
on the brakes to get the front
wheels rolling again. This restores steering control. Push the brake pedal
down steadily when you have to stop suddenly. As long as the front wheels
are rolling, you will have steering control.
Driving Guidelines
OR-Road Driving with Your Four-wheel Drive
Vehicle
This off-road guide is for vehicles that have four-wheel drive.
Also, see “Anti-Lock Brakes” in the Index.
If your vehicle doesn’t have four-wheel drive, you shouldn’t drive off-road
unless you’re on a level, solid surface.
Off-road driving can be great fun. But it does have some definite hazards.
The greatest of these is the terrain itself.
“Off-roading” means you’ve left the great North American road system
behind. Traffic lanes aren’t marked. Curves aren’t banked. There are no
road signs. Surfaces can be slippery, rough, uphill or downhill. In short,
you’ve gone right back to nature.
Off-road driving involves some new skills. And that’s why it’s very
important that
you read this guide. You’ll find many driving tips and
suggestions. These will help make your off-road driving safer and more
enjoyable.
Before You Go Off-Roading
There are some things to do before you go out. For example, be sure to have
all necessary maintenance and service work done. Check to make sure all
underbody shields (if
so equipped) are properly attached. Be sure you read
all the information about your four-wheel drive vehicle
in this manual. Is
there enough fuel? Is the spare tire fully inflated? Are the fluid levels up
where they should be? What are the local laws that apply to off-roading
where you’ll be driving? If you don’t know, you should check with law
enforcement people in the area. Will you be
on someone’s private land? If
so, be sure to get the necessary permission.
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