light CHEVROLET TRACKER 1993 Service Manual

Because you will be on an unpaved
I
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.
I CAUTION
’ 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 hills that
simply can’t be driven, no matter how
well built the vehicle.
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Your Driving and the Road
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.
Sound the horn as you approach the
top of the hill to let opposing traffic
know you’re there.
Use your headlights even during the
day. They make you more visible to
oncoming traffic.
CAUTION
A Driving to the top (crest) of a
hill at 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.
I
Q: 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 there are
some things you must not do. First,
here’s what you
should 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 into reverse, release
the parking brake, and slowly back
down the hill in reverse.
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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
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.
Q:
A:
0
0
Are there some things I should not
do when driving down a hill?
Yes! These are important because if
you ignore them you could lose
control and have a serious accident.
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.
Never go downhill with the
transmission in
Neutral, or with the
clutch pedal depressed in a manual
shift. This is called
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..
I
CA UTlON
t
Getting out on the downhill
(low) side of a vehicle
stopped across 811 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
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 to 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.
I
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After Off-Road Driving
Remove any brush or debris that has
collected on the underbody, chassis or
under the hood. These accumulations
can be a fire hazard.
After operation in mud or sand, have the
brake linings cleaned and checked.
These substances can cause glazing and
uneven braking. Check the body
structure, steering, suspension, wheels,
tires, and exhaust system for damage.
Also, check the fuel lines and cooling
system for any leakage.
Your vehicle will require more frequent
service due to off-road use. Refer
to the
Maintenance Schedule for additional
information.
rn Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than
day driving. One reason is that some
drivers are likely to be impaired
- by
alcohol or drugs, with night vision
problems, or by fatigue.
Here are some tips
on night driving.
Drive defensively. Remember, this is
the most dangerous time.
Don’t drink and drive. (See
“Drunken Driving” in the Index for
more on this problem.)
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to
reduce the glare from headlights
behind you.
Since you can’t see as well, you may
need to slow down and keep more
space between you and other vehicles.
It’s hard to tell how fast the vehicle
ahead is going just by looking at its
taillights.
Slow down, especially on higher
speed roads.
Your headlights can light
up only so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a
safe place and rest.
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Your Driving and the Road
Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in the
daytime. But as we get older these
differences increase.
A 50-year-old
driver may require at least twice as
much light to see the same thing at night
as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also
affect your night vision. For example, if
you spend the day
in bright sunshine
you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your
eyes will have less trouble adjusting to
night.
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But if you’re driving, don’t wear
sunglasses at night. They may cut down
on glare from headlights, but
they also
make a lot of things invisible
that should
remain visible - such as parked cars,
obstacles, pedestrians, or even trains
blocking railway crossings.
You may
want to put on your sunglasses after you
have pulled into a brightly-lighted
service or refreshment area. Eyes
shielded from that glare may adjust
more quickly to darkness back on
the
road. But be sure to remove your
sunglasses before you leave the service
area.
You can be temporarily blinded by
approaching lights. It can take a second
or two, or even several seconds, for
your eyes to readjust
to the dark. When
you are faced with severe glare (as from
a driver who doesn’t lower the high
beams, or a vehicle with misaimed
headlights), slow down a little. Avoid
staring directly into the approaching
lights. If there is a line of opposing
traffic, make occasional glances over the
line of headlights to make certain that
one of the vehicles isn’t starting to move
into your lane. Once you are past the
bright lights, give your eyes time to
readjust before resuming speed.
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High Beams
If the vehicle approaching you has its
high beams on, signal by flicking yours
to high and then back to low beam. This
is the usual signal to lower the headlight
beams.
If the other driver still doesn’t
lower the beams, resist the temptation
to
put your high beams on. This only
makes two half-blinded drivers.
On a freeway, use your high beams only
in remote areas where you won’t impair
approaching drivers. In some places,
like cities, using high beams is illegal. When
you follow
another vehicle on a
freeway or highway, use low beams.
True, most vehicles now have day-night
mirrors that enable the driver to reduce
glare. But outside mirrors are not
of this
type and high beams from behind can
bother the driver ahead.
A Few More Night Driving
Suggestions
Keep your windshield and all the glass
on your vehicle clean
- inside and out.
Glare at night is made much worse by
dirt on the glass. Even the inside
of the
glass can build up a film caused by dust.
Tobacco smoke also makes inside glass
surfaces very filmy and can be a vision
hazard if it’s left there. Dirty glass makes lights
dazzle and flash
more than clean glass would, making the
pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
You might even want to keep a cloth
and some glass cleaner in your vehicle if
you need to clean your glass frequently.
Remember that your headlights light up far less
of a roadway when you are in a
turn or curve.
Keep your eyes moving; that way, it’s
easier to pick out dimly lighted objects.
Just as your headlights should be
checked regularly for proper aim,
so
should your eyes be examined regularly.
Some drivers suffer from night blindness
- the inability to see in dim light - and
aren’t even aware of it.
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Your Driving and the Road
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Driving in the Rain
Rain and wet roads can mean driving
trouble. On
a wet road you can’t stop,
accelerate or turn as well because your
tire-to-road traction isn’t as good as on
dry roads. And,
if your tires don’t have
much tread
left, you’ll get even less
traction.
It’s always wise to go slower and be
cautious
if rain starts to fall while you
are driving. The surface may get wet
suddenly when your reflexes are tuned
for driving on dry pavement.
The heavier the rain, the harder
it is to
see. Even if your windshield wiper
blades are
in good shape, a heavy rain
can make it harder to see road signs and traffic signals,
pavement markings, the
edge of the road, and even people
walking. Road spray can often be worse
for vision than rain, especially if
it
comes from a dirty road.
So it is wise to keep your wiping
equipment
in good shape and keep your
windshield washer tank filled. Replace
your windshield wiper inserts when they
show signs of streaking or missing areas
on the windshield, or when strips of
rubber start to separate from the inserts. Driving too
fast through large water
puddles or
even going through some car
washes can cause problems, too. The
water may affect your brakes. Try to
avoid puddles. But if you can’t, try to
slow down before
you hit them.
I A Wet brakes can cause
- accidents. They won’t work
well
in a quick stop and may cause
pulling to one side.
You could lose
control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large
puddle of water or a car wash,
apply your brake pedal lightly until
your brakes work normally.
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Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much
water can build up under your tires that
they can actually ride on
the water. This
can happen
if the road is wet enough
and you’re going fast enough. When
your vehicle is hydroplaning, it has little
or no contact with
the road.
You might not be aware of
hydroplaning.
You could drive along for
some time without realizing your tires
aren’t in constant contact with the road.
You could find out the hard way: when
you have to slow, turn, move out to
pass
- or if you get hit by a gust of
wind. You could suddenly find yourself
out of control. Hydroplaning
doesn’t happen often. But
it can if your tires haven’t much tread or
if the pressure in one or more is low. It
can happen if a lot of water is standing
on the road. If you can see reflections
from trees, telephone poles, or other
vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” the
water’s surface, there could be
hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher
speeds. There just isn’t a hard and fast
rule about hydroplaning. The best advice
is to slow down when it is raining, and
be careful.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Turn on your headlights - not just
your parking lights - to help make
you more visible to others.
Look for hard-to-see vehicles coming
from behind.
You may want to use
your headlights even in daytime
if it’s
raining hard.
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
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Your Drlvlng and the Road
you are actually blinded, drop back.
Don’t pass until conditions improve.
having an accident.
~ Going more slowly is better than
Use your defogger if it helps.
Have good tires with proper tread
depth.
(See “Tires” in the Index.)
99. 162
H Driving in Fog, Mist
and Haze
Fog can occur with high humidity or
heavy
fiost. 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
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