lock GMC SIERRA 1994 Workshop Manual

You’ll find other important information in this manual. See “Vehicle
Loading,” “Luggage Carrier’’ and “Tires”
in the Index.
Traveling to Remote Areas
It makes sense to plan your trip, especially when going to a remote area.
Know the terrain and plan your route. You are much less likely to get bad
surprises. Get accurate
maps of trails and terrain. Try to learn of any
blocked or closed roads.
It’s
also a good idea to travel with at least one other vehicle. If something
happens
to one of them, the other can help quickly.
Does your vehicle have a winch? If
so, be sure to read the winch
instructions. In a remote area, a winch can be handy
if you get stuck. But
you’ll want to know how
to use it properly.
Getting Familiar with Off-Road Driving
It’s a good idea to practice in an area that’s safe and close to home before
you
go into the wilderness. Off-road driving does require some new and
different driving skills. Here’s what we mean.
Tune your senses to different kinds of signals. Your eyes, for example, need
to constantly sweep the terrain for unexpected obstacles. Your ears need to
listen for unusual tire
or engine sounds. With your arms, hands, feet, and
body you’ll need to respond to vibrations and vehicle bounce.
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Here are some other things to consider as you approach a hill.
Is there a constant incline, or does the hill get sharply steeper in places'!
Is there good traction on the hillside, or will the surface cause tire
slipping?
Is there a straight path up or down the hill so you won't have to make
turning maneuvers?
Are there obstructions on the hill that can block your path (boulders,
trees, logs
or ruts)'?
What's beyond the hill? 1s there a cliff, an embankment, a drop-off, a
fence? Get out and walk the
hill if you don't know. It's the smart way
to find out.
Is the hill simply too rough? Steep hills often have ruts, gullies, troughs
and exposed rocks because they are more susceptible
to the effects of
erosion.
Driving Uphill
Once you decide you can safely drive up the hill, you need to take some
special steps.
Use a low gear and get a firm grip on the steering wheel.
Get a smooth start up the hill and try to maintain your speed. Don't use
more power than
you need, because you don"t want your wheels to start
spinning or sliding.
Try to drive straight up the hill if at all possible. If the path twists and
turns, you might want to find another route.
A CAUTION:
Tbrning or driving across steep hills can be dangerous, You
could lose traction, slide sideways, and possibly roll over.
You
could be seriously injured or killed. When driving up hills,
always
try to go straight up.
Ease up on your speed as you approach the top of the hill.
Attach a flag to the vehicle to make you more visible to approaching
traffic
on trails or hills.
Sound the horn as you approach the top of the hill to let opposing
traffic know you're there.
Use your headlights even during the day. They make you more visible
to oncoming traffic.
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Q: What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or is about to stall, and I
can’t make
it up the hill?
A:
0
a
a
a
If this happens, there are some things you should do, and there are
some things you must not do. First, here’s what you
slzould do:
Push the brake pedal to stop the vehicle and keep
it from rolling
backwards.
Also, apply the parking brake.
If your engine is still running, shift the transmission into reverse,
release the parking brake, and slowly back down
the hill in reverse.
If your engine has stopped running,
you’ll need to restart it. With the
brake pedal depressed and the parking brake still applied, shift the
transmission to
“P’ (Park) (or, shift to “N” (Neutral) if your vehicle has
a manual transmission) and restart the engine. Then, shift to reverse,
release the parking brake, and slowly back down the
hill as straight as
possible
in reverse.
As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand on the steering
wheel at the
12 o’clock position. This way, you’ll be able to tell if your
wheels are straight and maneuver as you back down. It’s best that you
back down the
hill with your wheels straight rather than in the left or
right direction. Turning the wheel too far to the left or right will
increase the possibility of
a rollover.
Here are some things
you mist nof do if you stall, or are about to stall,
when going up a
hill.
Never attempt to prevent a stall by shifting into “N” (Neutral) (or
depressing the clutch, if you have a manual transmission) to “rev-up”
the engine and regain forward momentum. This won’t work. Your
vehicle will roll backwards very quickly and you could go out of
control.
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If you decide you can go down a hill safely, then try to keep your vehicle
headed straight down, and use
a low gear. This way, engine drag can help
your brakes and they won’t have to do all the work. Descend slowly,
keeping your vehicle under control at
all times.
A CAUTION:
Heavy braking when going down a hill can cause your brakes to
overheat and fade. This could cause loss of control and a ser\
ious
accident. Apply the brakes lightly when descending a hill
and
use a low gear to keep vehicle speed under control.
Q: Are there some things I should not do when driving down a hill?
A: Yes! These are important because if you ignore them you could lose
control and have
a serious accident.
When driving downhill, avoid turns that take you across the incline of
the hill. A hill that’s not too steep to drive down may be too steep to
drive across. You could roll over if you don’t drive straight down.
0 Never go downhill with the transmission in “N” (Neutral) , or with the
clutch pedal depressed in a manual shift . This is called
“free-wheeling.” Your brakes will have to do
all the work and could
overheat and fade.
Avoid braking so hard that you lock the front wheels when going
downhill.
If your front wheels are locked, you can’t steer your vehicle.
If your wheels lock up during downhill braking, you
may feel the
vehicle starting
to slide sideways. To regain your direction, just ease off
the brakes and steer to keep the front of the vehicle pointing straight
downhill.
0: Am I likely to stall when going downhill?
A: It’s much more likely to happen going uphill. But if it happens going
downhill, here’s what to do.
0 Stop your vehicle by applying the regular brakes. Apply the parking
brake.
Shift to ‘bP’ (Park) (or to Neutral with the lnanual transmission) and,
while still braking, restart the engine.
0 Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake, and drive straight
down.
0 If the engine won’t start, get out and get hclp.
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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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When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle has rear-wheel drive, or that it has the four-wheel
drive option.
The make, model, and year of your vehicle.
Whether you can move the shift lever for the transmission and transfer
case,
if you have one.
If there was an accident, what was damaged.
1
When your vehicle is being towed, have the ignition key off. The steering
wheel should be clamped
in a straight-ahead position, with a clamping
device designed for towing service.
Do not use the vehicle’s steering
column lock for this. The transmission and transfer case,
if you have one,
should be in Neutral and
the parking brake released.
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use the jack and
change a tire.
L Blocked Tire
1 ne equipment you’ll need is behind the passenger’s seat. Your spare tire is
stowed under the truck or mounted to the inside of the truck bed on the
driver’s side.
Jacking Tool Storage- Two and Four Door Models
1. Nut
2. Jack
3. Jack Handle Extension
4. Socket
5. Jack and Tool Storage Box
6. Ratchet
7. Jack Handle
8. Tool Retainer
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Tighten to the Left Tightening Sequence
Tighten the nuts firmly in a criss-cross sequence as shown. Rotate the
ratchet to the right with the
UP marking facing you.
For proper torque, see “Wheel Nut Torque” in the Index.
Put the wheel trim back on. For vehicles with plastic nut caps, tighten the
c3ps until they
are finger tight, then tighten them an additional one-half turn
with the ratchet. Remove any wheel blocks.
Remember, the jack and tire must be properly stored
in their original storage
position before you begin driving again. The next part, “Storing the Jack
and Tire,” will show
you how.
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