lock GMC SIERRA 1998 Workshop Manual

Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped in your lane, or
a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or
a child darts out from 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; there 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. (See “Braking in
Emergencies’’ earlier in this section.)
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 you 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.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving at
all times and wear safety belts properly.
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Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don’t have 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 steer and
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 possible.
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 easing your foot off the accelerator pedal. If
your vehicle starts
to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle
to go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for
a
second skid if it occurs.
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 limited.
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 slide.
You may not realize the surface is slippery until your
vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning clues
--
such as enough water, ice or packed snow on the road to
make
a “mirrored surface” -- and slow down when you
have any doubt.
Remember:
Any anti-lock brake system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
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Off-Road Driving with Your
Four-Wheel-Drive
Vehicle
This off-road guide is for vehicles that have
four-wheel drive.
Also, see “Anti-Lock Brakes“
in the Index.
If your vehicle doesn’t have four-wheel drive, you
shouldn’t drive off-road unless you’re on a level,
solid surface.
Off-road driving can be great fun. But
it does have some
definite hazards. The greatest of these is the terrain itself.
“Off-roading” means you’ve left
the great North
American road system behind. Traffic lanes aren’t
marked. Curves aren’t banked. There are
no road signs.
Surfaces can be slippery, rough, uphill or downhill.
In
short, you’ve gone right back to nature.
Off-road driving involves some new skills. And that’s
why it’s very important that you read this guide. You’ll
find many driving tips and suggestions. These
will help
make your off-road driving safer and more enjoyable.
Before You Go Off-Roading
There are some things to do before you go out. For
example, be
sure to have all necessary maintenance and
service work done. Check
to make sure all underbody
shields
(if so equipped) are properly attached. Be sure
you read
all the information about your
four-wheel-drive vehicle
in this manual. Is there enough
firel‘?
Is the spare tire fully inflated? Are the fluid levels
up where
they should be‘? What are the local laws that
apply to off-roading where you’ll be driving?
If you
don’t know, you should check
with law enforcement
people
in the area. Will you be on someone’s private
land?
If so, be sure to get the necessary permission.
Loading Your Vehicle for Off-Road Driving
There are some important things to remember about
how to load your vehicle.
0 The heaviest things should be on the load floor and
forward of your rear axle. Put heavier items
as far
forward
as you can.
Be sure the load is secured properly, so driving on
the off-road terrain doesn’t toss things around.
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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. Controlling your vehicle
is
the key to successful
off-road driving. One of the best ways
to control your
vehicle
is to control your speed. Here are some things to
keep
in mind. At higher speeds:
0 you approach things faster and you have less time to
scan the terrain for obstacles.
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. you have less time to react.
0 you have more vehicle bounce when you drive
over obstacles.
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.
0 you’ll need more distance for braking, especially
since you’re on an unpaved surface.
When you’re driving off-road, bouncing and
quick changes in direction can easily throw you
out of position. This could cause you to lose
control and crash.
So, whether you’re driving on
or
off the road, you and your passengers should
wear safety belts.
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Driving on Off-Road Hills
Off-road driving often takes you up, down or across a
hill. Driving safely on hills requires good judgment and
an understanding
of what your vehicle can and can‘t do.
There are some hills that simply can’t be driven, no
matter how well built the vehicle.
I a CAUTION:
Many hills are simply too steep for any vehicle. If
you drive up them, you will stall. If you drive
1 down them, you can’t control your speed. If you
drive across them,
you will roll over. You could be
seriously injured or killed. If
you have any doubt
about the steepness, don’t drive the hill.
Approaching a Hill
When you approach a hill, you need to decide if it’s one
of those hills that’s just too steep
to climb, descend or
cross. Steepness can be hard tojudge. On a very small
hill, for example, there may be a smooth, constant
incline with only
a small change in elevation where you
can easily see all the way
to the top. On a large hill, the incline
may get steeper as you near the top, but
you may
not see this because the crest
of the hill is hidden by
bushes, grass
or shrubs.
Here are some other things to consider as you approach
a
hill.
0
0
0
0
0
0
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? Is 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.
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What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or is about
to stall, and I can’t make it up the hill?
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
should do:
0 Push the brake pedal to stop the vehicle and keep it
from rolling backwards.
Also, apply the parking brake.
0 If your engine is still running, shift the transmission
to REVERSE (R), release the parking brake, and
slowly back down the hill in REVERSE (R).
0 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
PARK
(P) (or, shift to NEUTRAL (N) if your
vehicle has a manual transmission) and restart the
engine. Then, shift to REVERSE (R), release the
parking brake, and slowly back down the hill as
straight as possible in REVERSE (R).
0 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
must not do if you stall, or are
about to stall, when going up a hill.
0 Never attempt to prevent a stall by shifting into
NEUTRAL (N) (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.
Instead, apply the regular brake to stop the vehicle.
Then apply the parking brake. Shift to
REVERSE (R), release the parking brake, and slowly back straight down.
Never attempt to turn around if you are about to stall
when going up a hill. If the hill is steep enough
to
stall your vehicle, it’s steep enough to cause you to
roll over if
you turn around. If you can’t make it up
the hill,
you must back straight down the hill.
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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 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 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.
Allow greater following distance on any
slippery road.
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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.
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 headlamps.
Let the heater run for a while.
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.
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Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicles
(Manual Transfer Case Only)
‘A
-
Shifting the transfer case into NEUTRAL (N) can
cause your vehicle to roll even if the transmission
is in
PARK (P), for an automatic transmission, or
if your vehicle is in gear, for
a manual
transmission.
You or others could be injured.
Make sure the parking brake is firmly set before
you shift the transfer case into NEUTRAL (N).
Use the following procedure to correctly tow your
vehicle on all four wheels:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Firmly set the parking brake.
Place the transmission in
PARK (P) or a manual
transmission in FIRST
(1).
Securely attach the vehicle being towed to the
tow vehicle.
With the engine running, shift the transfer case to
NEUTRAL
(N). See “Four-wheel Drive” in the
Index for the proper procedure to select the neutral
position for your vehicle.
Release the parking brake only after the vehicle
being towed is firmly attached to the towing vehicle.
Turn the ignition to
OFF, The OFF position unlocks the
steering column and reduces battery
drain. Unlocking
the steering column will allow the proper movement
of
the front wheels and tires during towing.
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Power Winches
If you wish to use a power winch on your vehicle, only
use
it when your vehicle is stationary or anchored.
I NOTICE:
Using a power winch with the transmission in
gear may damage the transmission. When
operating
a power winch, always leave the
transmission in NEUTRAL
(N).
Use the regular brakes, set the parking brake, or block
the wheels
to keep your vehicle from rolling.
Power Take-Off (PTO)
(Manual Transmission)
NOTICE:
If you have a PTO that will exceed 35 hp installed
on your vehicle, it could damage the transfer case
or transmission. When having
a PTO installed on
your vehicle, make sure that it will not exceed
35 hp.
Before using
a PTO, refer to the manufacturer’s or
installer’s instructions.
I NOTICE:
Using a PTO while operating in one place before
the vehicle has reached normal operating
temperature can damage the transfer case or
transmission. If you
will be using the PTO while
operating in one place, drive and warm up the
vehicle before using the PTO.
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