stop start CHEVROLET TRACKER 1996 Owner's Manual

Making Turns
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 (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. When towing
a trailer, the green arrow’s on your
instrument panel
will flash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may thlnk drrvers
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.
If you are towing a trailer and you have a manual
transmission with FIFTH
(5) gear, you may prefer not to
use FIFTH
(5). Just drive in FOURTH (4) (or, as you
need
to, a lower gear).
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When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on
a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
Start your engine;
Shift into a gear; and
0 Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
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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Brake Adjustment
Every time you make a brake stop, your disc brakes
adjust for wear.
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a modern vehicle is complex.
Its many parts have to be
of top quality and work well
together
if the vehicle is to have really good braking.
Vehicles we design and test have top-quality
GM brake
parts in them, as your Geo does when it
is new. When
you replace parts
of your braking system -- for example,
when your brake
linings wear down and you have to have
new ones put in
-- be sure you get new genuine GM
replacement parts. If you don’t, your brakes may no
longer work properly. For example,
if someone puts in
brake linings that are wrong for your vehicle, the balance
between your front and rear brakes can change
-- for the
worse. The braking performance you’ve come to expect
can change
in many other ways if someone puts in the
wrong replacement brake parts.
Battery
Every new Geo has a Delco Freedom@ battery. You
never have to add water to one of these. Men it’s time
for a new battery, we recommend a Delco Freedom
battery. Get one that has the replacement number
shown
on the original battery’s label.
Vehicle Storage
Tf you’re not going to drive your vehicle for 25 days or
more, take
off the black, negative (-) cable from the battery.
This will help keep your battery from running down.
CAUTION:
Batteries have acid that can burn you and gas that
can explode. You can be badly hurt if you aren’t
careful. See “Jump Starting”
in the Index for tips
on working around
a battery without getting hurt.
Contact your dealer to learn how to prepare your vehicle
for longer storage periods.
Also,
for your audio system, see “Theft-Deterrent
Feature”
in the Index.
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