GMC SIERRA 1994 Owners Manual

Driving too fast through large water puddles or even going through some
car washes can cause problems,
too. The water may affect your brakes. Try
to avoid puddles. But if you can’t, try to slow down before you hit them.
Hydroplaning
Hjdroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up under your tires
that they can actually ride on the water. This caa happen if the road is wet
enough and you’re going fast enough. When your vehicle
is hydroplaning, it
has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can
if your tires haven’t much
tread or
if the pressure in one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water
is standing on the road. If you can see reflections from trees, \
telephone
poles,
or other vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” the water’s sudace, there
could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There just isn’t a hard and
fast rule about hydroplaning. The best advice is to slow down when
it is
raining.
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Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
0 Turn on your low-beam headlights - not just your parking llgnts - to
help make you more visible to others.
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following distance. And be
especially careful when you pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more
clear room ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted by road
spray.
Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See “Tires” in the Index.)
City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the amount of traffic on
them. You’ll want to watch out for what the other drivers are doing and pay
attention to traffic signals.
Here are ways to increase your safety
in city driving:
Know the best way to get to where you are going. Get a city map and
plan your trip
into an unknown part of the city just as you would for a
cross-country trip.
save time and energy. (See the
next section, “Freeway Driving.”)
0 Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most large cities. You’ll
0 Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic light is there because
the corner is busy enough to need
it. When a light turns green, and just
before you start to move, check both ways for vehicles that have not
cleared the intersection or may be running the red light.
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Freeway Driving
Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways, expressways,
turnpikes, or superhighways) are the safest of all roads. But they have their
own special rules.
The most important advice on freeway driving is: Keep up with traffic and
keep to the right. Drive at the same speed most of the other drivers are
driving. Too-fat or too-slow driving breaks
a smooth traffic flow. Treat the
left lane on a freeway as a passing lane.
At the entrance there is usually a ramp that leads to the freeway.
If you have
a clear view of the freeway as you drive along the entrance ramp, you
should begin to check traffic.
Try to determine where you expect to blend
with the flow. Try to merge into the gap at close to the prevailing speed.
Switch on your turn signal, check your mirrors and glance over your
shoulder as often as necessary. Try to blend smoothly with the traffic flow.
Once
you are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the posted limit or to the
prevailing rate
if it’s slower. Stay in the right lane unless you want to pass.
Before changing lanes, check your mirrors. Then use your
turn signal.
Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your shoulder to make
sure there isn’t another vehicle
in your “blind” spot.
Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you allow
a reasonable
following distance. Expect to move slightly slower at night.
When you want
to leave the freeway, move to the proper lane well in
advance. If you miss your exit do not, under any circumstances, stop and
back
up. Drive on to the next exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
The exit speed is usually posted.
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Reduce your speed according to your speedometer, not to your sense of
motion. After driving for any distance at higher speeds, you may tend
to
think you are going slower than you actually are.
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well rested. If you must start when you’re
not fresh
- such as after a day’s work - don’t plan to make too many
miles that first part
of the journey. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes you
can easily drive in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it serviced and maintained,
it’s ready to go.
If it needs service, have it done before starting out. Of
course, you’ll find experienced and able service experts
in Vehicle
dealerships all across
North America. They’ll be ready and willing to help if
you need it.
Here are some things you can check before a trip:
Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservoir full? Are all windows clean
inside and outside?
Wiper Blades: Are they in good shape‘?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked all levels?
0 Lights: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean‘?
0 Tires: They are vitally important to a safe, trouble-free trip. Is the tread
good enough for long-distance driving‘? Are the tires all inflated
to the
recommended pressure‘?
0 Weather Forecasts: What’s the weather outlook along your route?
Should you delay your trip
a short time to avoid a major storm system?
0 Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps?
Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway hypnosis”? Or is it just plain
falling asleep at the wheel?
Call it highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or
whatever.
There is something about
an easy stretch of road with the same scenery,
along with the hum of the tires on
the road, the drone of the engine, and the
rush of the wind against the vehicle that can make you sleepy. Don’t let it
happen to you! If
it does, your vehicle can leave the road in less than a
second, and you could crash and be injured.
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What can you do about highway hypnosis? First, be aware that it can
happen.
Then here are some tips:
0 Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a comfortably cool
interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and to the sides. Check
your mirrors and your instruments frequently.
0 If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service, or parking area
and take a nap, get some exercise, or both.
For safety, treat drowsiness
on the highway
as an emergency.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from driving in flat or
rolling terrain.
If you drive regularly in steep country, or if you're planning to visit there,
here are some tips that can make your trips safer and more enjoyable. (See
"Off-Road Driving" in the Index for information about driving off-road.)
0 Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid levels and also the
brakes, tires, cooling system and transmission. These parts can work
hard
on mountain roads.
0 Know how to go down hills. The most important thing to know is this:
let your engine do some of the slowing down. Shift to a lower gear
when you go down
a steep or long hill.
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Know how to go uphill. You may want to shift down to a lower gear.
The lower gears help cool your engine and
, and you can climb the hill
better.
Stay in your own lane when driving on two-lane roads in hills or
mountains. Don’t swing wide or cut across the center
of the road. Drive
at speeds that let
you stay in your own lane.
As you go over the top of a hill, be alert. There could be something in
0 You may see highway signs on mountains that warn of special
problems. Examples
are long grades, passing or no-passing zones, a
falling rocks area, or winding roads. Be alert to these and take
appropriate action. your lane, like a stalled car or an accident.
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Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your Vehicle in good shape for winter. Be sure your engine
coolant mix
is correct.
0 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.
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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
may offer the least traction of all. You can get “wet ice” when it’s about
freezing
(32” F; 0°C) and freezing rain begins to fall. Try to avoid driving
on wet ice until salt and sand crews can get there.
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 ability to 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.
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.
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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: Turn on your
hazard flashers. Tie a red cloth to your vehicle
to alert police that you’ve
been stopped
by the snow, 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.
A CAUTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle. This can cause
deadly
CO (carbon monoxide) gas to 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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I
Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves fuel. When you run
the engine, make it go a little faster 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
headlights. 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.
Power Winches
If you wish to use a power winch on your vehicle, only use it when your
vehicle
is stationary or anchored.
When operating a power winch on your vehicle, always leave the\

transmission
in "N" (Neutral). Leaving a automatic transmission
in "P" (Park) while using a power winch may damage the
transmission.
Also, leaving an automatic or manual transmission
in gear while using a power winch may damage the
transmission.
Use the regular brakes, set the parking brake, or block the wheels to keep
your vehicle
from rolling.
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