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DRIVING ACROSS AN INCLINE
If at all possible, avoid driving across an incline. If it is
necessary, know your vehicle's abilities. Driving across
an incline places more weight on the downhill wheels,
which increases the possibilities of a downhill slide or
rollover. Make sure the surface has good traction with
firm and stable soils. If possible, transverse the incline
at an angle heading slightly up or down.
WARNING!
Driving across an incline increases the risk of a roll-
over, which may result in severe injury.
IF YOU STALL OR BEGIN TO LOSE HEADWAY
If you stall or begin to lose headway while climbing a
steep hill, allow your vehicle to come to a stop and
immediately apply the brake. Restart the engine and
shift into REVERSE. Back slowly down the hill allowing
engine braking to control the descent and apply your
brakes, if necessary, but do not allow the tires to lock.
WARNING!
If the engine stalls or you lose headway or cannot
make it to the top of a steep hill or grade, never
attempt to turn around. To do so may result in tipping
and rolling the vehicle, which may result in severe
injury. Always back carefully straight down a hill in
REVERSE. Never back down a hill in NEUTRAL using
only the vehicle brakes. Never drive diagonally across
a hill, always drive straight up or down.
Driving Through Water
Extreme care should be taken crossing any type of
water. Water crossings should be avoided, if possible,
and only be attempted when necessary in a safe,
responsible manner. You should only drive through
areas which are designated and approved. You should
tread lightly and avoid damage to the environment. You
should know your vehicle's abilities and be able to
recover it if something goes wrong. You should never
stop or shut a vehicle off when crossing deep water
unless you ingested water into the engine air intake. If
the engine stalls, do not attempt to restart it. Determine
if it has ingested water first. The key to any crossing is
low and slow. Shift into FIRST gear (manual transmis-
sion), or DRIVE (automatic transmission), with the
transfer case in the 4L position and proceed very slowly
with a constant slow speed (3 to 5 mph {5 to 8 km/h}
maximum) and light throttle. Keep the vehicle moving;
do not try to accelerate through the crossing. After
crossing any water higher than the bottom of the axle
differentials, you should inspect all of the vehicle fluids
for signs of water ingestion.
CAUTION!
•
Water ingestion into the axles, transmission, trans-
fer case, engine or vehicle interior can occur if you
drive too fast or through too deep of water. Water
can cause permanent damage to engine, driveline
or other vehicle components, and your brakes will
be less effective once wet and/or muddy.
•
When driving through water, do not exceed 5 mph
(8 km/h). Always check water depth before enter-
ing as a precaution, and check all fluids afterward.
Driving through water may cause damage that may
not be covered by the New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
BEFORE YOU CROSS ANY TYPE OF WATER
As you approach any type of water, you need to deter-
mine if you can cross it safely and responsibly. If neces-
sary, get out and walk through the water or probe it with
a stick. You need to be sure of its depth, approach
angle, current and bottom condition. Be careful of
murky or muddy waters; check for hidden obstacles.
Make sure you will not be intruding on any wildlife, and
you can recover the vehicle if necessary. The key to a
safe crossing is the water depth, current and bottom
conditions. On soft bottoms, the vehicle will sink in,
effectively increasing the water level on the vehicle. Be
sure to consider this when determining the depth and
the ability to safely cross.
CROSSING PUDDLES, POOLS, FLOODED
AREAS OR OTHER STANDING WATER
Puddles, pools, flooded or other standing water areas
normally contain murky or muddy waters. These water
types normally contain hidden obstacles and make it
difficult to determine an accurate water depth,
approach angle, and bottom condition. Murky or muddy
water holes are where you want to hook up tow straps
prior to entering. This makes for a faster, cleaner and
easier vehicle recovery. If you are able to determine you
can safely cross, than proceed using the low and slow
method.
CAUTION!
Muddy waters can reduce the cooling system effec-
tiveness by depositing debris onto the radiator.
164 STARTING AND OPERATING
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