IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
365
If the temperature gauge is moving towards or close to the
HOT (H) position, you can reduce the potential for
overheating by taking the appropriate action.
On highways — slow down.
In city traffic — while stopped, place the transmission in
NEUTRAL (N), but do not increase the engine idle speed
while preventing vehicle motion with the brakes.
Turn off the A/C. The A/C system adds heat to the
engine cooling system and turning the A/C off can help
remove this heat.
Turn the temperature control to maximum heat, the
mode control to floor and the blower control to high.
This allows the heater core to act as a supplement to
the radiator and aids in removing heat from the engine
cooling system.
FREEING A STUCK VEHICLE
If your vehicle becomes stuck in mud, sand, or snow, it can
often be moved using a rocking motion. Turn the steering
wheel right and left to clear the area around the front
wheels. Then shift back and forth between DRIVE (D) and
REVERSE (R), while gently pressing the accelerator. Use
the least amount of accelerator pedal pressure that will
maintain the rocking motion, without spinning the wheels
or racing the engine.
NOTE:
For trucks equipped with an 8–speed transmission,
shifts between DRIVE and REVERSE can only be
achieved at wheel speeds of 5 mph (8 km/h) or less.
Whenever the transmission remains in NEUTRAL (N)
for more than two seconds, you must press the brake
pedal to engage DRIVE or REVERSE.
Push the ESC OFF button to place the Electronic
Stability Control (ESC) system in “Partial OFF” mode,
page 297. Once the
vehicle has been freed, push the ESC OFF button again
to restore “ESC On” mode.
CAUTION!
Driving with a hot cooling system could damage your
vehicle. If the temperature gauge reads HOT (H), pull
over and stop the vehicle. Idle the vehicle with the air
conditioner turned off until the pointer drops back into
the normal range. If the pointer remains on HOT (H),
and you hear continuous chimes, turn the engine off
immediately and call for service.
WARNING!
Fast spinning tires can be dangerous. Forces generated
by excessive wheel speeds may cause damage, or even
failure, of the axle and tires. A tire could explode and
injure someone. Do not spin your vehicle's wheels
faster than 30 mph (48 km/h) or for longer than
30 seconds continuously without stopping when you
are stuck and do not let anyone near a spinning wheel,
no matter what the speed.
CAUTION!
Racing the engine or spinning the wheels may lead to
transmission overheating and failure. Allow the
engine to idle with the transmission in NEUTRAL for
at least one minute after every five rocking-motion
cycles. This will minimize overheating and reduce the
risk of transmission failure during prolonged efforts
to free a stuck vehicle.
When “rocking” a stuck vehicle by shifting between
DRIVE and REVERSE, do not spin the wheels faster
than 15 mph (24 km/h), or drivetrain damage may
result.
Revving the engine or spinning the wheels too fast
may lead to transmission overheating and failure.
It can also damage the tires. Do not spin the wheels
above 30 mph (48 km/h) while in gear (no transmis
-
sion shifting occurring).
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