wheel GMC SIERRA 1993 Owner's Manual

Features & Contmls
I Cruise Control can be dangerous where you can’t safely drive\
at
a steady speed.
So don’t use your Cruise Control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
Cruise Control can be dangerous on slippery roads. On such
roads, fast changes in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control. Don’t use Cruise Contr\
ol
on slippery roads.
-
To Set Cruise Control
K2248
Move the Cruise switch to ON.
I CAUTION I
I 6 If you leave your Cruise Control switch on when you’re not usi\
ng
.,L Cruise, you might hit a button and go into Cruise when you d\
on’t
want to. You could be startled and even lose control. Keep the
Cruise Control switch
OFF until vou want to use it.
-
Get up to the speed you want.
Push in the set button at the end of the lever and release it,
Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
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you know they’re working. If you are familiar. with this section, you should not
be alarmed when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or is _a problem with one of your
vehicle’s functions. Often gages and warning lights work together
to let you
know when there’s a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on when yo\
u are driving, or when one of the gages shows there may be a probl\
em, check the
section that tells you what to do about it. Please follow the\
manual’s advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly-and even dangerous.
So please get to
know your warning lights and gages. They’re a big help.
Brake System. Warning Light
BRAKE
. , K2325
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- systems working well.
Your vehicle also has rear-wheel antilock brakes.
If the warning light goes on,
there could be a brake problem with either your regular or rear wheel antilock
brakes, or both. Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on as you start the vehicle.
If it doesn’t come on
then, have
it fixed so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
This light
will also come on when you set your parking brake, and 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 may ‘have a brake problem. If the light
comes on while driving, pull
off the road and stop carefully. You may notice
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Your Driving and the Road
.
Here you’ll find information about driving different kinds of roads and in
varying weather conditions
. We’ve also included many other useful tips on
driving
.
Road Signs ........................................................................\
.................................... 4-3
Defensive Driving ........................................................................\
........................ 4-10
Drunken Driving ........................................................................\
........................... 4-11
Control of a Vehicle ........................................................................\
.................... 4-14
Braking ........................................................................\
...................................... 4-14
Steering ........................................................................\
.................................... 4-19
Steering in Emergencies ........................................................................\
......... 4-21
rassing ........................................................................\
..................................... 4-22
Loss of Control ........................................................................\
........................ 4-24
Off-Road Driving With Your Four-wheel Drive Vehicle
.................................... 4-25
Driving at Night
.............. w..i*&r,+v ........................................................................\
4-36
Driving in the Rain ........................................................................\
...................... 4-30
Driving in Fog, Mist and Haze ........................................................................\
.. 4-41
City Driving ........................................................................\
.................................. 4-42
Freeway Driving ........................................................................\
........................... 4-43
Driving a Long Distance ........................................................................\
............. 4-45
Hill and Mountain Roads ........................................................................\
............ 4-47
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c
AM41 501 6
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on rear wheel spee\
d
and controls braking pressure accordingly.
CAUTION I
A
Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need to get your foot up to I
the brake pedal. 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.
To Use Anti-Lock:
Use rear wheel anti-lock like regular brakes. You may feel the brakes vibrate,
or you may notice some noise outside your vehicle, but this is normal. Let
anti-lock work for you, but remember: Your front wheels can still stop rolling.
If that happens, release enough pressure on the brakes to get the wheels
rolling again
so that you can steer.
With the four-wheel drive option you won’t have anti-lock braking when you
shift into four-wheel drive. But you will have regular braking. When you shift
back into two-wheel drive, you will have anti-lock again.
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Your Driving and fhe Road
Brake System Warning Light
K2325
This light appears on your instrument cluster to warn you if your regular
braking’ system needs service. See “Brake System Warning L\
ight” in the
Index.
Disc Brake Wear Indicators
If you have a C 3500 HD Model, it has four-wheel disc brakes. Disc brake
pads have built-in wear indicators that make a high-pitched war\
ning sound
when the brake pads are worn and new pads are needed. The so\
und m’ay
come and go or be heard all the time your vehicle is moving (except \
when
you are pushing on the brake pedal firmly).
1 CAUTION
The brake wear warning sound means that sooner or later your
hear the brake wear warning sound, have your vehicle serviced. \
5 brakes won’t work well. That could lead to an accident. When you I ~
I 1
i
~ i
brakes are first applied or lightly applied. This does not mea\
n something is
wrong with your brakes.
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Rear Drum Brakes
If you have rear drum brakes, they don’t have the wear indicators, \
but if you
ever hear a rear brake rubbing noise, have the rear brake lining inspected.
Also, the rear brake drums should be removed and inspected each time\
the
tires are removed for rotation or changing. When you have the \
front brakes replaced, have the rear brakes inspected, too.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete axle sets.
Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake pedal does not return to normal height, or if
there is a rapid increase in pedal travel. This could be a sign of brake
trouble.
Brake Adjusiment
Every time you make a brake stop, your disc brakes adjust for\
wear. If your
brake pedal goes down farther than normal, your rear drum brak\
es may need
adjustment. Adjust them by backing up and firmly applying the brakes a few
times.
Braking In Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation that requires hard
braking. You have the rear wheel anti-lock braking system. Your front wheels
can stop rolling when you brake very hard. 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.
So, use a “squeeze” braking technique. This will give you max\
imum braking
while maintaining steering control. You
do this by pushing on the brake pedal
with steadily increasing pressure. When you
do, it will help maintain steering
control. In many emergencies, steering can help you more than even the very
best braking.
Steering
Power Sieerhg
If you lose power steering assist because the engine stops or \
the system
fails to function, you can steer but it will take much more effort.
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Your Driving and the Road
Steering Tips Driving
on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on the news \
happen on
curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to the same laws
of
physics when driving on curves. The traction of the tires against the road
surface makes it possible for the vehicle to change its path when you turn
the front wheels.
If there’s no traction, inertia will keep the vehicle going in
the same direction.
If you’ve ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll
understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on me condition of your tires
and the road surface, the angle at which the curve is banked,\
and your
speed. While you’re in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control.
Suppose you’re steering through a sharp curve. Then you sudd\
enly apply the
brakes. Both control systems-steering and braking-have to
do their work
where the tires meet the road. Adding the hard braking can de\
mand too
much at those places. You can lose control.
The same thing can happen
if you’re steering through a sharp curve and you
suddenly accelerate. Those two control systems-steering and
acceleration-can overwhelm those places where the tires meet the road and
make you lose control.
What should you
do if this ever happens? Let up on the brake or accelerator
pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want it to
go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should adjust your\
speed. Of
course, the posted speeds are based on
good weather and road conditions.
Under less favorable conditions you’ll want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a curve, do it before you
enter the curve, while your front wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed
so you can “drive” through the curve. Maintain a
reasonable, steady speed. Wait to accelerate until you are out of the curve,
and then accelerate gently into the straightaway.
When you drive into a curve at night, it’s harder
to see the road ahead of
you because it bends away from the straight beams
of your lights. This is
one good reason to drive slower.
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Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective than braki\
ng. For example, you come over a hill and find a truck stopped in yo\
ur lane, or a
car suddenly pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts out fro\
m between parked cars and stops right in front of you. You can avoid these problems by
braking-if you can stop in time. But sometimes you can't; ther\
e isn't room.
That's the time for evasive action-steering around the problem. \
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like these. First \
apply your
brakes, but not enough to lock your front wheels. It is better to remove as
much speed as you can from a possible collision. Then steer around the
problem, to the left or right depending on the space available\
.
An emergency like this requires close attention and a quick decision. If yo\
u
are holding the steering wheel at the recommended
9 and 3 o'clock positions,
you can turn
it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing either hand.
But you have to act fast, steer quickly, and just as quickly \
straighten the
wheel once you have avoided the object. You must then be prep\
ared to steer
back to your original lane and then brake to a controlled stop.
Depending on your speed, this can be rather violent for an un\
prepared driver.
This is one of the reasons driving experts recommend that you use your
safety belts and keep both hands on the steering wheel.
K2218
The fact that such emergency situations are always possible is \
a good reason
to practice defensive driving at
all times.
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Your Drivm - and the Road.
Off-Road Recovery
You may find. sometime that your right wheels have dropped off the edge of
a road onto the shoulder while you're driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the pavement, recovery
should be fairly easy. Ease
off the accelerator and then, if there is nothing in
the way, steer
'so that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement. You
can turn the steering wheel up to
1/4 turn until the right front tire contacts
the pavement edge. Then turn your steering wheel to go straight down the
roadway.
AM428003
If the shoulder appears to be about four inches (100 mm) or more below the
pavement, this difference can .cause problems.
If there is not enough room to
pull entirely onto the shoulder and stop, then follow the same proc\
edures. But
if the right front tire scrubs against the side of the pavement, do NOT steer
more sharply. With
too much steering angle, the vehicle may jump back onto
the road with
so much steering input that it crosses over .into the oncoming
traffic before you can bring
it back under control.
Instead, ease off again on the accelerator and steering input, \
straddle the
pavement once more, then
try again.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a two-lane highway waits
for just the right moment, accelerates, moves around the vehicl\
e ahead, then
goes back into the right lane again.
A simple maneuver?
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Your Driving and the Road
the right lane. (Remember that your right outside mirror is c\
onvex. The
vehicle you just passed may seem to be farther away from you \
than
it
really is).
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on two-lane roads.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly. Even though the
Reconsider before passing the next vehicle.
brake lights are not flashing, it may be slowing down
or starting to turn.
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.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what happens whe\
n the three
control systems (brakes, steering and acceleration) don’t ha\
ve 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 steel+-, arid 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 possib\
le.
The three types
of skids correspond to your vehicle’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 ea\
sing your
foot
off the accelerator pedal. If your vehicle starts to slide (as when you turn
a corner on a wet, snow-
or ice-covered road), ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal as soon as you feel the vehicle start to sl\
ide. Quickly steer
the way you want the vehicle
to go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle
will straighten out. As it does, straighten the front wheels.
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 limit\
ed.
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 slid\
e. You
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