GMC SAVANA 1996 Owners Manual

Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your vehicle.
Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel,
a flashlight, a red cloth and a
couple
of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will
be driving under severe conditions, include a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items
in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet the
road probably have good traction.
However,
if there is snow or ice between your tires and
the road, you can have
a very slippery situation. You’ll
have a lot less traction or “grip” and will need to be
very careful. What’s
the worst time for this? ”Wet ice.” Very
cold
snow or ice can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet
ice can be even more trouble because
it rnay offer the
least traction
of all. You can get wet ice when it‘s about
freezing
(32°F; OOC) and freezing rain begins to fall,
Try to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand crews
can get there.
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Whatever the condition -- smooth ice, packed, blowing
or loose snow
-- drive with caution.
Accelerate gently. Try not to break the fragile traction. If
you accelerate too fast, the drive wheels will spin and
polish the surface under the tires even more.
Your anti-lock brakes improve your vehicle’s stability
when you make a hard stop on a slippery road. Even
though
you have an anti-lock braking system, you’ll
want to begin stopping sooner than you would on dry
pavement. See “Anti-Lock” in the Index.
0 Allow greater following distance on any slippery road. ,
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine
until you hit a spot that’s covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun can’t reach: around
clumps
of trees, behind buildings or under bridges.
Sometimes the surface
of a curve or an overpass may
remain icy when the surrounding roads are clear. If
you see a patch
of ice ahead of you, brake before you
are on it. Try not to brake while you’re actually
on
the ice, and avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
If You’re Caught in .a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be in a
serious situation. You should probably stay with your
vehicle unless you know for sure that you
are near help
and you can hike through the snow. Here
are some
things to do to summon help and keep yourself and your
passengers safe:
0 Turn on your hazard flashers.
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0 Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you’ve been stopped by the snow.
0 Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.
If you have no blankets or extra clothing, make body
insulators from newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor
mats
-- anything you can wrap around yourself or
tuck under your clothing
to keep warm.
You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
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Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle.
This can cause deadly
CO (carbon monoxide) gas
$0 get inside. CO could overcome you and kill
you. You can’t see it or smell it, so you might not
know it
is in your vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base of your vehicle, especially any
that is blocking your exhaust pipe. And check
around again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn’t collect there.
Open
a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that’s away from the wind. This will help
keep
CO out.
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Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make
it go a little fdster
than just idle. That
is, push the accelerator slightly.
This uses
less fuel for the heat that you get and it
keeps the battery (or batteries) charged. You will need
a well-charged battery (or batteries) to restart the
vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on with your
headlamps. Let the heater
run for awhile.
If you have a diesel engine, you may have to run it at a
higher speed to get enough heat. Then, shut the engine
off and close the window almost all the way to preserve
the heat. Start the engine again and repeat this only
when you feel really uncomfortable from the cold.
But
do it as little as possible. Preserve the fuel as long as you
can. To help keep warm, you can get out of the vehicle
and
do some fairly vigorous exercises every half hour or
so until help comes.
Loading Your T hicle
on
GAWR FRT
RIM COLD TIRE PRI
EE ~ENERS MANUAL FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. -1
The CertificationRire label is found on the rear edge
of the driver’s door. The label shows the size
of your
original tires and the inflation pressures needed to obtain the gross weight capacity your vehicle. This is called
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). The GVWR
includes the weight of the vehicle, all occupants, fuel
and cargo.
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The CertificatiodTire label also tells you the maximum
weights for the front and rear axles, called Gross Axle
Weight Rating (GAWR).
To fine out the actual loads
on your front and rear axles, you need
to go to a weigh
station and weigh your vehicle. Your dealer can help
you with this.
Be sure to spread out your load equally
on both sides of the centerline.
Never exceed the GVWR for your vehicle,
or the
GAWR for either the front or rear axle.
And, if
you do have a heavy load, you should spread
it
out.
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than
the
GVWR, or either the maximum front or
rear
GAWR. If you do, parts on your vehicle
can break, or it can change the way your
vehicle handles. These could cause you to lose
control. Also, overloading can shorten the life Things
you put inside your vehicle can strike
and injure people in a sudden stop or turn,
or
in a crash.
0 Put things in the cargo area of your vehicle.
Try to spread the weight evenly.
Never stack heavier things, like suitcases,
inside the vehicle
so that some of them are
above the tops of the seats.
Don’t leave an unsecured child restraint in
your vehicle.
When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure it whenever you can.
Don’t leave a seat folded down unless you
need
to.
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Towin; a Traile
A CAUTION:
If you don’t use the correct equipment and drive
properly, you can lose control when you pull
a
trailer. For example, if the trailer is too heavy, the
brakes may not work
well -- or even at all. You
and your passengers could be seriously injured.
Pull
a trailer only if you have followed all the
steps in this section.
Ask your GM dealer for
advice and information about towing
a trailer
with your vehicle.
NOTICE:
Pulling a trailer improperly can damage your
vehicle and result in costly repairs not covered by
your warranty.
To pull a trailer correctly, follow
the advice in this part, and see your
GM dealer
for important information about towing a trailer
with your vehicle.
Your vehicle can tow
a trailer. To identify what the
vehicle trailering capacity is for your vehicle, you
should read
the information in “Weight of the Trailer”
that appears later
in this section. But trailering is
different than just driving your vehicle by itself.
Trailering means changes
in handling, durability and
fuel economy. Successful, safe trailering takes correct
equipment, and
it has to be used properly.
That’s the reason for this section.
In it are many
time-tested, important trailering tips and safety rules.
Many of these are important for your safety and that of
your passengers. So please read this section carefully
before you pull
a trailer.
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If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points:
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There are many different laws, including speed limit
restrictions, having to do with trailering. Make sure
your rig will be legal, not
only where you live but
also where you’ll be driving. A good source for this
information can be state or provincial police.
Consider using a sway control if your trailer will
weigh
4,000 lbs. (1 800 kg) or less. You should
always
use a sway control if your trailer will weigh
more than
4,000 lbs. (1 800 kg). You can ask a hitch
dealer about sway controls.
Don’t tow a trailer at all during
the first 500 miles
(800 km) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle or other parts could be damaged.
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Then, during the first 500 miles (800 km) that you
tow a trailer, don’t drive over
50 mph (80 kdh) and
don’t make starts at full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts
of your vehicle wear in at the
heavier loads.
You should use DRIVE (D) (or, as you need to,
a lower gear) when towing a trailer. Operating
your vehicle in
DRIVE (D) when towing a trailer
will minimize heat build-up and extend the life
of
your transmission.
Three important considerations have to do with weight:
the weight of the trailer,
the weight of
the trailer tongue
and the weight on your vehicle’s tires. I
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Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It depends on how you plan to use your rig. For
example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and
how much your vehicle is used to pull a
trailer are all important. And, it can also depend on any
special equipment that you have on your vehicle.
The following chart
shows how much your trailer can
weigh, based upon vehicle model and options.
Max. Trailer
Model Engine Axle Ratio Weight (lbs.)
(kg)
G 10000 4.3L
5 .OL
5.7L
G20000 4.3L 5 .OL
5.7L
6.5L
G30000 5.7L
6.5L
7.4L 3.42
3.73
3.42
3.42
3.73
3.42
4.10
3.42
3.42
3.73
4.10 3.73
4.10 3.73
4.10 3.73
4.10 3.42
3.73
4.10 4000
4500 5000
5500
6000
4000
5000
5000
5500
6000
7500 6500
8000
6000
7500
6500
8000
7000 8000
(1816)
(2043)
(2270)
(2497)
(2724)
(1816)
(2270)
(2270)
(2497)
(2724)
(3405)
(295
1 )
(3632)
(2724)
(3405) (295
1 )
(3632)
(3 178)
(3632)
10,000 (4540)
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Maximum trailer weight is calculated assuming the
driver and one passenger are in the towing vehicle and
it
has all the required trailering equipment. The weight of
additional equipment, passengers and cargo in the
towing vehicle must be must be subtracted from
the
above maximum trailer weights.
You can ask your dealer for our trailering information or
advice, or you can write us at the address listed
in your
Warranty and Owner Assistance Information Booklet.
In Canada, write to:
General Motors
of Canada Limited
Customer Communication Centre
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L1H 8P7
Weight of the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is an important
weight to measure because
it affects the total or gross
weight of your vehicle. The Gross Vehicle Weight
(GVW) includes the curb weight of
the vehicle, any
cargo you may carry in it, and the people who will be
riding
in the vehicle. And if you will tow a trailer, you
must add the tongue load to the GVW because your
vehicle will be carrying that weight,
too. See “Loading
Your Vehicle”
in the Index for more information about
your vehicle’s maximum load capacity.
A B
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If you’re using your platform hitch as a weight-carrying
hitch, the trailer tongue
(A) should weigh 10 percent of
the total loaded trailer weight
(B). If you’re using your
platform hitch as a weight-distributing hitch, the trailer
tongue
(A) should weigh 12 percent of the total loaded
trailer weight
(B).
After you’ve loaded your trailer, weigh the trailer and
then the tongue, separately, to see
if the weights are
proper. If they aren’t, you may be able to get them right
simply by moving some items around
in the trailer.
Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inflated to the limit for
cold tires. You’ll find these numbers
on the Certification
label at the rear edge
of the driver’s door or see “Tire
Loading”
in the Index. Then be sure you don’t go over
the
GVW limit for your vehicle, including the weight of
the trailer tongue.
Hitches
It‘s important to have the correct hitch equipment.
Crosswinds, large trucks going by and rough roads are
a
few reasons why you’ll need the right hitch. Here are
some rules to follow:
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The bumpers on your vehicle are not intended for
hitches.
Do not attach rental hitches or other
bumper-type hitches to them. Use only a
frame-mounted hitch that does not attach to the.
bumper.
Do not use a ball hitch, because it could pull
the bumper loose.
If you’ll be pulling a trailer that, when loaded, will
weigh more than
4,000 Ibs. (1 800 kg), be sure to use
a properly mounted, weight-distributing hitch and
sway control of the proper
size. This equipment is
very important for proper vehicle loading and good
handling when you’re driving.
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