wheel CHEVROLET TRACKER 1997 Owner's Manual

Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running (Automatic Transmission
Models Only)
I
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with the
engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P)
with the parking brake firmly set. If you have
four-wheel drive and your transfer case is in
NEUTRAL (N), your vehicle will be free to roll,
even if your shift lever is in
PARK (P). So be sure
the transfer case is
in a drive gear -- not in
NEUTRAL (N). And, if you leave the vehicle with
the engine running, it could overheat and even
catch fire. You or others could be injured. Don’t
leave your vehicle with the engine running unless
you have to.
Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission)
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transmission into PARK (P) properly, the weight
of the
vehicle may put too much force
on the parking pawl in
the transmission. You may find it difficult to pull the
shift lever out
of PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.”
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then
shift into PARK
(P) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat. To find out how, see “Shifting Into
PARK (P)” in the Index.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK
(P) before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transmission,
so
you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
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5. Inside you'll see the return plate (C). Using your
finger, move the return plate toward the rear
of the
vehicle until it stops.
6. Move the shift lever into the gear you want.
7. Have the vehicle fixed as soon as possible.
Parking Your Vehicle
(Manual Transmission)
Before you get out of your vehicle, put your manual
transmission in
REVERSE (R) and firmly apply the
parking brake.
If you have four-wheel drive, be sure your transfer case
is in a drive gear. Your vehicle could roll if it isn't.
If you are towing
a trailer, see "Towing a Trailer" in
the Index.
Parking Over Things That Burn
I -w---- I .. . . . . . . . . . u --
A
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Things that can burn could touch hot exhaust
parts under your vehicle and ignite. Don't park
over papers, leaves, dry grass or other things that
can burn.
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Windows
Manual Windows
7-
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you’ve left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured.
To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, even when you’re on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever
to PARK (P).
If you have four-wheel drive and your transfer case is in
NEUTRAL (N), your vehicle will be free to roll, even if
your shift lever is in PARK (P). So, be sure the transfer
case is
in a drive gear -- not in NEUTRAL (N). Always
set your parking brake. Follow the proper steps to be
sure your vehicle won’t move. See “Shifting Into
PARK
(P)” in the Index.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing
a Trailer” in
the Index. Use the
window crank
to open and close each
door window.
Power Windows (If Equipped)
With power windows, switches on the driver’s door
control each
of the front side windows when the ignition
is on.
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The driver-controlled switches for the rear windows are
located on the center console.
There are individual controls near each window.
The driver’s door also has a lock button for the
passenger window(s). When you push LOCK, the
passenger window(s) can’t be raised or lowered. Push
LOCK again to unlock the window(s).
Horn Turn SignaVMultifunction
Lever
The lever on the left
side of the steering column
includes your:
Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
Headlamp HigwLow Beam Changer and Passing Signal
0 Lighting Operation
To sound the horn, press one of the horn symbols on the
sides of your steering wheel.
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Cruise Control (If Equipped)
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot on
the accelerator. This can really help on long trips. Cruise
control does not work at speeds below about
25 mph
(40 kmh). When you
apply your brakes, or push the clutch pedal
if you have a manual transmission, the cruise control
shuts
off.
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can’t drive safely at a steady speed.
So,
don’t use your cruise control on winding
roads
or in heavy traffic.
slippery roads. On such roads,
fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control. Don’t
use cruise control on slippery roads.
Cruise control can be dangerous on
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t
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. 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 anti-lock system can change the brake pressure
faster than any
dnver could. The computer is
programmed to make the most of available tire and
road conditions.
You can steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates or
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
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Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. 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.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
and let anti-lock work for
you. You may feel the system
working, or
you may notice some noise, but this is normal.
ABS
ACTIVE
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
this light will come on. See
“Anti-Lock Brake System
Active Light” in
the Index.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.
If you have anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However,
if you don’t have anti-lock, your
first reaction
-- to hit the brake pedal hard and hold it
down
-- may be the wrong thing to do. Your wheels
can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle can’t respond
to your steering. Momentum will carry it in whatever
direction it was headed when the wheels stopped rolling.
That could be off the road, into the very thing you were
trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you don’t have 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.
In
an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze the
brakes hard without locking the wheels. If
you hear or
feel the wheels sliding, ease
off the brake pedal. This
will help you retain steering control. (If you
do have
anti-lock, it’s different: see “Anti-Lock Brakes” in
the Index.)
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
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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 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.
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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 Geo can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes
-- but, unless you
have anti-lock, not enough to lock your wheels. (See
“Braking in Emergencies’’ earlier in this section.) 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. 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.
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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.
OFF-ROAD RECOVERY
c;‘ LEFT APPROX. QUARTERTURN
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease
ofc 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 one-quarter turn until the
right front tire contacts the pavement edge. Then
turn your
steering wheel to go straight down the roadway.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around
the vehicle ahead, then goes
back into the right lane again.
A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane
highway
is a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies
the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds.
A miscalculation, an error in
judgment, or
a brief surrender to frustration or anger can
suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the
worst of all traffic accidents
-- the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
0 “Drive ahead.” Look down the road, to the sides and to
crossroads for situations that might affect your passing
patterns. If you have any doubt whatsoever about
making
a successful pass, wait for a better time.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and lines.
If you can see
a sign up ahead that might indicate a
turn or an intersection, delay your pass. A broken
center line usually indicates it’s all right
to pass
(providing the road ahead is clear). Never cross a solid
line on your side of the lane or a double solid line,
even if the road seems empty of approaching traffic.
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