brake CHEVROLET TRACKER 1998 1.G Owner's Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Front Seat Side Pockets
On the outside of each front seat is a storage pocket.
Coinholder and Bin
Your console has a coinholder and a small storage bin.
Cupholder
Two cupholders are on the center console next to the
parking brake lever.
Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter
To use the lighter, push the lighter in all the way and let
go. When it’s ready, it will pop back by itself.
I NOTICE:
Pull the door to open the ashtray. To remove it, press
down on the silver tab and pull the ashtray out. To
replace the ashtray, push it in until the silver tab latches.
The rear ashtray is on the back of the center console.
Pull on the top
of the door to open it. To remove the
ashtray, press
down on the tab and pull it out.
NOTICE:
Don’t put papers and other things that burn
into your ashtray.
If you do, cigarettes or other
smoking materials could set them on fire,
causing damage.
Sun Visors ~
Don’t hold a cigarette lighter in with your hand
while
it is heating. If you do, it won’t be able to You can also swing them to the side. If the visors swing
back
away from the heating element when it’s too easily, tighten the screw on the roof rail.
ready. That can make
it overheat, damaging the
lighter and the heating element.
To block out glare, you can swing down the visors.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A. Defroster
B. Rear Defogger (If Equipped)
C.
Turn SignalMultifunction 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 WiperNasher 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. CoinholderBin
U. Audio System
V. Transfer Case Shift Lever (If Equipped)
W. Ashtray
X. Glove Box
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Brake System Warning Light
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light will come
on when you set your parking brake. The light
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.
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.
If the warning light comes on, there could be a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
BRAKE
United States Canada
This light should come on when you turn the ignition
key to START. 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, or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light is flashing, have
the vehicle towed for service. (See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” and “Towing Your Vehicle” in
the Index.)
I k!, CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident. If the light is still on or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light is flashing
after you’ve pulled
off the road and stopped
carefully, have the vehicle towed for service.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light (Option)
ABS
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will
come on when you start
your engine and it will
stay on for three seconds.
That’s normal.
If the light flashes when you’re driving, you don’t have
anti-lock brakes and there could be a problem with your
regular brakes. 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.
Have the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your
Vehicle’’ in the Index.)
I
I h, CAUTION:
Your regular brake system may not be working
properly if the anti-lock brake system warning
light is flashing. Driving with the anti-lock
brake system warning light flashing can lead to an accident. After you’ve pulled off the road
and stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed
for service.
If the anti-lock brake system warning light stays on longer than normal after you’ve started your engine, turn
the ignition off. Or, if the light comes
on and stays on
when you’re driving, stop
as soon as possible and turn
the ignition off. Then start the engine again to reset the
system.
If the light still stays on, or comes on again
while you’re driving, your vehicle needs service. If the
light is on but not flashing and the regular brake system
warning light isn’t on, you still have brakes, but
you
don’t have anti-lock brakes.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to
ON. If the
light doesn’t come on
then, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you
if there is a problem.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Anti-Lock Brake System Active
Light (Option)
~
._.a
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
ABS
ACTIVE
r 1
When your anti-lock system is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
the anti-lock brake system active light will come on.
Slippery road conditions may exist if this light comes
on,
so adjust your driving accordingly. The light will
stay on for a few seconds after the system stops
adjusting brake pressure.
The anti-lock brake system active light also comes on
briefly when you turn the ignition key to
ON. If the light
doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be there to
tell you when the system is active. This
gage shows the engine
coolant temperature. If the
gage pointer moves to the
H (red) side, your engine is
too hot.
It means that your engine coolant has overheated and
you should stop your vehicle and
turn off the engine
as soon as possible.
The “Problems on the Road” section of this manual
shows what to do. See “Engine Overheating’’ in
the Index.
2-62

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads
or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.’’
Assume
that pedestrians or other drivers are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable
of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough
following distance.
It’s the best defensive driving
maneuver, in both city and rural driving.
You never
know when the vehicle in front of you is going to brake
or
turn suddenly.
Defensive driving requires that
a driver concentrate on
the driving task. Anything that distracts from the
driving task
-- such as concentrating on a cellular
telephone call, reading, or reaching for something on
the
floor -- makes proper defensive driving more
difficult and can even cause a collision, with resulting
injury. Ask a passenger to help
do things like this, or
pull off the road in a safe place to do them yourself.
These simple defensive driving techniques could save
your life.
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.
Please start with
a very important safety device in your
Chevrolet: Buckle up. (See “Safety Belts” in
the Index.)
4-2

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to go. They
are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
1 of your vehicle.
~~ ~~~~~~~~~
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 kmk) 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; the condition of your brakes; the weight of the
vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 (Option)
Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is
an advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
ABS
If your vehicle has anti-lock
brakes, this warning light on
the instrument panel will
come on briefly when you
start your vehicle.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive away, your anti-lock brake system will check
itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.
If there’s
a problem with the anti-lock brake system, the
anti-lock brake system warning light will stay on or
flash. See “Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light” in
the Index.
4-7

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. If one
of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer will
separately work the brakes at each front wheel and at
both rear wheels. The anti-lock
system can change the brake pressure faster
than any
driver 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 on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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
firmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or 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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