brake CHEVROLET TRACKER 2004 2.G Workshop Manual

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.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as
you would when driving your vehicle without a trailer.
This can help you avoid situations that require
heavy braking and sudden turns.
Passing
You'll need more passing distance up ahead when
you're towing a trailer. And, because you're a good deal
longer, you'll need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand.
Then, to move the trailer to the left, just move that hand
to the left. To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly and, if possible,
have someone guide you.
4-61

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.
The arrows on your instrument panel will ¯ash whenever
you signal a turn or lane change. Properly hooked up,
the trailer lamps will also ¯ash, telling other drivers
you're about to turn, change lanes or stop.When towing a trailer, the arrows on your instrument
panel may ¯ash for turns even if the bulbs on the trailer
are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers 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 gearbeforeyou 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.
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).
4-62

Parking on Hills
{CAUTION:
You really should not park your vehicle, with a
trailer attached, on a hill. If something goes
wrong, your rig could start to move. People
can be injured, and both your vehicle and the
trailer can be damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here's
how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don't shift into
PARK (P) yet, or into gear for a manual
transmission.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer
wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your
parking brake, and then shift to PARK (P), or
REVERSE (R) for a manual transmission.5. If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, be sure the
transfer case is in a drive gear Ð not in NEUTRAL.
6. Release the regular brakes.{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle
if the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with
the parking brake ®rmly set. Your vehicle
can roll.
If you have left the engine running, the vehicle
can move suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure your vehicle will not move,
even when you are on fairly level ground, use
the steps that follow.
Always put the shift lever fully in PARK (P)
with the parking brake ®rmly set.
If the transfer case on four-wheel-drive
vehicles is in NEUTRAL, 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 Ð not in NEUTRAL.
4-63

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
·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 ¯uid (don't over®ll),
engine oil, axle lubricant, belts, cooling system and
brake system. Each of these is covered in this manual,
and the Index will help you ®nd 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.
4-64

Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-3
Adding Equipment to the Outside of Your
Vehicle......................................................5-4
Fuel................................................................5-4
Gasoline Octane............................................5-4
Gasoline Speci®cations....................................5-4
California Fuel...............................................5-5
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-6
Filling Your Tank............................................5-7
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.......................5-9
Checking Things Under the Hood....................5-10
Hood Release..............................................5-10
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-12
Engine Oil...................................................5-13
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-18
Automatic Transmission Fluid.........................5-20
Manual Transmission Fluid.............................5-23
Hydraulic Clutch...........................................5-24
Engine Coolant.............................................5-25
Radiator Pressure Cap..................................5-28
Engine Overheating.......................................5-28
Cooling System............................................5-31
Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-37Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-37
Brakes........................................................5-39
Battery........................................................5-42
Jump Starting...............................................5-43
Rear Axle.......................................................5-48
Four-Wheel Drive............................................5-49
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-51
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-51
Headlamps..................................................5-51
Front Turn Signal and Parking Lamps..............5-53
Sidemarker Lamps........................................5-53
Rear Combination Lamps...............................5-54
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-55
Tires..............................................................5-55
In¯ation - Tire Pressure.................................5-63
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-64
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-66
Buying New Tires.........................................5-67
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..........................5-68
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-69
Wheel Replacement......................................5-70
Tire Chains..................................................5-71
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-72
Changing a Flat Tire.....................................5-72
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

Checking Things Under
the Hood
{CAUTION:
An electric fan under the hood can start up
and injure you even when the engine is not
running. Keep hands, clothing and tools away
from any underhood electric fan. Do not reach
through the grille to release the underhood
lever.
{CAUTION:
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts
and start a ®re. These include liquids like fuel,
oil, coolant, brake ¯uid, windshield washer and
other ¯uids, and plastic or rubber. You or
others could be burned. Be careful not to drop
or spill things that will burn onto a hot engine.
Hood Release
To open the hood, do the following:
1. Pull the release handle
located on the driver's
side of the vehicle
on the lower portion of
the instrument
panel.
5-10

A. Engine Compartment Fuse Block. See ªEngine
Compartment Fuse Blockº underFuses and Circuit
Breakers on page 5-94.
B. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter. See
Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 5-18.
C. Battery. See
Battery on page 5-42.
D. Radiator Pressure Cap. See
Radiator Pressure Cap
on page 5-28.
E. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See
Engine Oil on page 5-13.
F. Automatic Transmission Dipstick. See
Automatic
Transmission Fluid on page 5-20.
G. Engine Oil Dipstick. See
Engine Oil on page 5-13.
H. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir. See
Power Steering
Fluid on page 5-37.
I. Brake Master Cylinder Reservoir. See
Brakes on
page 5-39.
J. Coolant Recovery Tank. See
Engine Coolant on
page 5-25.
K. Windshield Washer Reservoir. See
Windshield
Washer Fluid on page 5-37.
Engine Oil
If the engine oil pressure
light appears on the
instrument cluster, it
means you need to check
your engine oil level
right away.
For more information, see
Oil Pressure Light on
page 3-36.
You should check your engine oil level regularly; this is
an added reminder.
5-13

Get the vehicle warmed up by driving about 15 miles
(24 km) when outside temperatures are above 50ÉF
(10ÉC). If it's colder than 50ÉF (10ÉC), drive the vehicle
in DRIVE (D) until the engine temperature gage
moves and then remains steady for 10 minutes.
A cold ¯uid check can be made after the vehicle has
been sitting for eight hours or more with the engine off,
but this is used only as a reference. Let the engine
run at idle for ®ve minutes if outside temperatures are
50ÉF (10ÉC) or more. If it's colder than 50ÉF (10ÉC), you
may have to idle the engine longer. Should the ¯uid
level be low during this cold check, you
mustcheck the
¯uid hot before adding ¯uid. Checking the ¯uid hot
will give you a more accurate reading of the ¯uid level.
Checking the Fluid Level
Prepare your vehicle as follows:
·Park your vehicle on a level place. Keep the engine
running.
·With the parking brake applied, place the shift lever
in PARK (P).
·With your foot on the brake pedal, move the shift
lever through each gear range, pausing for about
three seconds in each range. Then, position the shift
lever in PARK (P).
·Let the engine run at idle for three minutes or more.Then, without shutting off the engine, follow these steps:
The automatic
transmission dipstick has a
red ring handle located
in the rear of the engine
compartment toward
the center of the vehicle.
See
Engine Compartment
Overview on page 5-12
for more information
on location.
1. Pull out the dipstick and wipe it with a clean rag or
paper towel.
2. Push it back in all the way, wait three seconds and
then pull it back out again.
5-21

Brakes
Brake Fluid
Your brake master cylinder reservoir is ®lled with DOT-3
brake ¯uid. SeeEngine Compartment Overview on
page 5-12for the location of the reservoir.
There are only two reasons why the brake ¯uid level in
the reservoir might go down. The ®rst is that the
brake ¯uid goes down to an acceptable level during
normal brake lining wear. When new linings are put in,
the ¯uid level goes back up. The other reason is
that ¯uid is leaking out of the brake system.If it is, you should have your brake system ®xed, since a
leak means that sooner or later your brakes will not
work well, or will not work at all.
So, it is not a good idea to ªtop offº your brake ¯uid.
Adding brake ¯uid will not correct a leak. If you add ¯uid
when your linings are worn, then you will have too
much ¯uid when you get new brake linings. You should
add (or remove) brake ¯uid, as necessary, only when
work is done on the brake hydraulic system.
{CAUTION:
If you have too much brake ¯uid, it can spill on
the engine. The ¯uid will burn if the engine is
hot enough. You or others could be burned,
and your vehicle could be damaged. Add brake
¯uid only when work is done on the brake
hydraulic system. See ªChecking Brake Fluidº
in this section.
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine when
to check your brake ¯uid. See
Part C: Periodic
Maintenance Inspections on page 6-28.
5-39

Checking Brake Fluid
You can check the
brake ¯uid without
taking off the cap.
Just look at the brake ¯uid reservoir. The ¯uid level
should be above MIN. If it is not, have your brake
system checked to see if there is a leak.
After work is done on the brake hydraulic system,
make sure the level is above the MIN but not over
the MAX mark.
What to Add
When you do need brake ¯uid, use only DOT-3 brake
¯uid. Use new brake ¯uid from a sealed container
only. See
Part D: Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
on page 6-30.Always clean the brake ¯uid reservoir cap and the area
around the cap before removing it. This will help
keep dirt from entering the reservoir.
{CAUTION:
With the wrong kind of ¯uid in your brake
system, your brakes may not work well, or
they may not even work at all. This could
cause a crash. Always use the proper brake
¯uid.
Notice:
·Using the wrong ¯uid can badly damage brake
system parts. For example, just a few drops of
mineral-based oil, such as engine oil, in your
brake system can damage brake system
parts so badly that they will have to be replaced.
Do not let someone put in the wrong kind of
¯uid.
·If you spill brake ¯uid on your vehicle's painted
surfaces, the paint ®nish can be damaged. Be
careful not to spill brake ¯uid on your vehicle. If
you do, wash it off immediately. See
Appearance
Care on page 5-85.
5-40