DRIVING OFF-ROAD
Care should be taken when attempting to climb steep
hills or driving diagonally across a hill or slope. If natural
obstacles force you to travel diagonally up or down a hill,
choose a mild angle and keep as little side tilt as possible.
Keep the vehicle moving and make turns slowly and
cautiously.
If you must back down a hill, back straight down using
REVERSE gear. Never back down in NEUTRAL, or
diagonally across the hill.
When driving over sand, mud, and other soft terrain,
shift to low gear and drive steadily. Apply the accelerator
slowly to avoid spinning the wheels.
DO NOT REDUCE the tire pressures for this type of
driving. NOTE:
After off-road usage, particularly in sand or
mud, inspect the underside of the vehicle for accumu-
lated dirt at the propeller shaft, axles, U-joints, brake
rotors and calipers.
Use a hose to clean off any accumulation of dirt or mud.
Check the exhaust system and all exposed components
for any sign of damage.
If you experience unusual vibration after driving in mud,
slush or similar conditions, check the wheels for im-
pacted material. Impacted foreign material can cause a
wheel imbalance. Removing the foreign material from
the wheels will correct the situation.
STARTING AND OPERATING 289
5
•If a bearing assembly is accidentally separated when
servicing the brake rotors, it should be replaced.
Rear Wheel Bearings
Clean and repack when brake linings are replaced or
rotors resurfaced.
Selection Of Lubricating Grease
The National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI) has
developed a symbol (Certification Mark) to aid the
vehicle owner in the proper selection of grease for the
lubrication of wheel bearings and chassis components.
This symbol (an example shown below) is located on the
grease container and identifies the application and qual-
ity of the grease. There are two groups
identified: those for wheel
bearings (Letter “G”) and
those for chassis (Letter
“L”) lubrication. Perfor-
mance categories within
these groups result in dual
letter designations for
each group. The letter des-
ignations shown in the ex-
ample are the highest
quality level available and when combined as shown can
be used for both wheel bearing and chassis lubrication.
Use only those greases that have the NLGI symbol on the
container along with the proper quality level for your
application.
416 MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE
