mirror CHEVROLET TRACKER 1997 Owners Manual

Gem Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your Geo, and information on starting, shifting
and braking. Also explained
are the instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is working
properly
-- and what to do if you have a problem.
2-2
2-3
2-5
2-6
2-7 2-7
2-9
2-10
2- 14
2-
17
2-2 I
2-23
2-25
Keys
Door Locks
Tailgate
Theft
New Vehicle ‘Break-In”
Ignition Positions Starting Your Engine
Automatic Transmission Operation
Manual Transmission
Four-wheel Drive Parking Brake
Shifting Into PARK (P) (Automatic
Transmission Models Only)
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
(Automatic Transmission)
2-26 Parking Over Things That Burn
2-27
2-27
2-28
2-29
2-29
2-37
2-3
8
2-39
2-4 1
2-43
2-44
2-44
2-5
8
2-60 2-62
Engine Exhaust
Running Your Engine While You’re Parked
(Automatic Transmission)
Windows
Horn
Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
Exterior Lamps
Interior Lamps
Mirrors Storage Compartments
Ashtrays and Lighter
Sun Visors
Convertible Top
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel Cluster
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
2-1
ProCarManuals.com

Dome Lamp Mirrors
The dome lamp has a
three-position switch.
1: This position is to the left when sitting in the driver’s
seat. The dome lamp turns on and stays on whether or
not a door is open.
2: This is the center position. The lamp comes on when
a door is opened.
3: This position is to the right when sitting in the
driver’s seat. The lamp stays
off even when a door
is open.
Inside Daymight Rearview Mirror
An inside rearview mirror is attached above your
windshield. The mirror has pivots
so that you can adjust
it up and down or side to side.
You can adjust the mirror for day or night driving. Pull
the tab for night driving to reduce glare. Push the tab for
daytime driving.
2-39
ProCarManuals.com

Outside Manual Adjust Mirrors Power Remote Control Mirrery
(If Equipped)
The switch to control the
power mirrors is located on
the instrument panel.
You
can only adjust the mirrors
when the ignition switch is
in the
ON position.
Adjust
these mirrors by hand so that you can just see the
side
of your vehicle when you are sitting in a
comfortable driving position.
10 adjust the mirrors:
1. Move the selector switch to the left or right to select
the mirror you wish to adjust.
direction
you want to move the mirror.
2. Press the outer part of the switch that matches the
3. Return the selector switch to the center position to
help prevent moving the mirror accidentally.
2-40
ProCarManuals.com

Convex Outside Mirror
Your passenger’s side mirror is convex. A convex
mirror’s surface is curved so you can see more from the
driver’s seat.
L
A convex mirror can make things (like other
vehicles) look farther away than they really are.
If you cut too sharply into the right lane, you
could hit a vehicle on your right. Check your
inside mirror or glance over your shoulder before changing lanes.
Storage Compartments
Glove Box
To open the glove box, pull the latch toward you. Use
your key to lock and unlock the glove box.
Door Storage
Each door has a storage compartment.
2-41
ProCarManuals.com

A. Defroster
B. Rear Defogger (If Equipped)
C. Turn SignaYMultifunction Lever
D. Power Mirror Control
(If Equipped)
E.
Air Vent
E Instrument Panel Brightness Control
G. Hazard Switch
H. Fuse Block
I. Instrument Cluster
J. Ignition Switch
K. Horn
L. Windshield Wipermasher Lever
M. Cruise Control ON/OFF Button (If Equipped)
N. Rear Window Wiper Button (If Equipped)
0. Rear Window Washer Button (If Equipped)
P. Comfort Controls
Q. Cigarette Lighter
R. Shift Lever
S. Parking Brake Lever
T. CoinholderlBin
U. Audio System
V. Transfer Case Shift Lever
W. Ashtray
X. Glove Box
2-59
ProCarManuals.com

0 0
0
Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass
while you’re awaiting an opportunity. For one thing,
following too closely reduces your area of vision,
especially if you’re following a larger vehicle.
Also, you won’t have adequate space if the vehicle
ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back
a
reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and
don’t get too close. Time your move
so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to move into the
other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will have a
“running start” that more than makes up for the
distance
you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you to cancel your pass,
you need only slow down and drop back again and
wait for another opportunity.
If other cars are lined up to
pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care that someone isn’t trying
to
pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember to glance
over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.
Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder and
start your
left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into
the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just passed may seem to be farther away from you
than
it really is.)
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.
4-13
ProCarManuals.com

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 Geo’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. 11 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.
If you have the anti-lock braking system, remember:
It helps avoid only the braking skid. If you do not have
anti-lock, then
in a braking skid (where the wheels are
no longer rolling), release enough pressure on the brakes
to get
the wheels rolling again. This restores steering
control. Push the brake pedal down steadily when you
have to stop suddenly.
As long as the wheels are rolling,
you will have steering control.
4-14
ProCarManuals.com

Here are some tips on night driving.
0 Drive defensively.
Don’t drink and drive.
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.
Since you can’t see as well, you may need to
slow down and keep more space between you and
other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps 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
.
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. But if you’re
driving, don’t wear sunglasses at night. They may cut
down on glare from headlamps, but
they also make a lot
of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps. 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 headlamps), slow down a little. Avoid staring
directly into the approaching headlamps.
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. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and flash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils
of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlamps 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 headlamps 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.
4-31
ProCarManuals.com

Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway hypnosis”?
Or is it just plain falling asleep at the wheel? Call it
highway hypnosis, lack
of awareness, or whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch
of road with
the same scenery, along with the hum
of the tires on the
road, the drone
of the engine, and the rush of the wind
against the vehicle that can make you sleepy. Don’t let it
happen to you!
If it does, your vehicle can leave the
road in
less than a secund, and you could crash and
be injured
.
What can you do about highway hypnosis? First, be
aware that it can happen.
Then here are some tips:
0 Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
0 Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead
and
to the sides. Check your mirrors and your
instruments frequently.
0 If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service
or parking area and take a nap, get some exercise,
or
both. For safety, treat drowsiness on the highway as
an emergency.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving in flat or rolling terrain.
4-38
ProCarManuals.com

Safety Chains
You should always attach chains between your vehicle
and your trailer. Cross the safety chains under the tongue
of the trailer
so that the tongue will not drop to the road
if
it becomes separated from the hitch. Instructions
about safety chains may be provided by the hitch
manufacturer or by the trailer manufacturer. Follow the
manufacturer’s recommendation for attaching safety
chains and do not attach them to the bumper. Always
leave just enough slack
so you can turn with your rig.
And, never allow safety chains to drag on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
If your trailer weighs more than 1,000 lbs. (450 kg)
loaded, then it needs its own brakes -- and they must be
adequate. Be sure to read and follow the instructions for
the trailer brakes
so you’ll be able to install, adjust and
maintain them properly.
0 Don’t tap into your vehicle’s brake system if the
trailer’s brake system will use more than
0.02 cubic
inch
(0.3 cc) of fluid from your vehicle’s master
cylinder. If
it does, both systems won’t work well.
You could even lose your brakes.
Will the trailer brake parts take 3,000 psi
(20 650 kPa) of pressure? If not, the trailer brake
system must not be used with your vehicle.
If everything checks out this far, then make the brake
fluid tap at the port on the master cylinder that sends
fluid to the rear brakes. But don’t
use copper tubing
for this.
If you do, it will bend and finally break off.
Use steel brake tubing.
Driving with a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience.
Before setting
out for the open road, you’ll want to get
to know your rig. Acquaint yourself with the feel of
handling and braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and
not nearly as
responsive as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch and platform
(and attachments), safety chains, electrical connector,
lamps, 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 lamps and any trailer brakes
are still working.
- 4-53
ProCarManuals.com