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 abili-
ties 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. You want to use FIRST gear in
4WD LOW and proceed very slowly with a constant slow
speed (3-5 mph [5–8 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 bot-
tom of the axle differentials, you should inspect all of the
vehicle fluids for signs of water ingestion.
CAUTION!
Water ingestion into the axles, transmission, transfer
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.
•
Before You Cross Any Type Of Water –Asyou
approach any type of water you need to determine if
you can cross it safely and responsibly. If necessary,
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 determin-
ing 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 bot-
tom condition. Murky or muddy water holes are
where you want to hook up tow straps prior to enter-
ing. 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.
•
Crossing Ditches, Streams, Shallow Rivers Or Other
Flowing Water – Flowing water can be extremely
dangerous. Never attempt to cross a fast running
stream or river even in shallow water. Fast moving
water can easily push your vehicle downstream
sweeping it out of control. Even in very shallow
water, a high current can still wash the dirt out from
around your tires putting you and your vehicle in
jeopardy. There is still a high risk of personal injury
and vehicle damage with slower water currents in
depths greater than the vehicle's running ground
clearance. You should never attempt to cross flow-
ing water which is deeper than the vehicle's running
ground clearance. Even the slowest current can
push the heaviest vehicle downstream out of control
if the water is deep enough to push on the large
surface area of the vehicle's body. Before you pro-
ceed determine the speed of the current, the
water's depth, approach angle, bottom condition
and if there are any obstacles, then cross at an
angle heading slightly upstream using the low and
slow technique.
WARNING!
Never drive through fast moving deep water. It can
push your vehicle downstream, sweeping it out of
control. This could put you and your passengers at
risk of injury or drowning.
AIRING DOWN FOR OFF-ROAD
DRIVING
Running lower tire pressure off-road can improve your
ride comfort and vehicle traction. Reducing the tire air
pressure allows the tire to bulge slightly, improving its
surface area for better flotation and ability to mold or
form to the ground contour. Different terrain, tires, and
vehicles require different tire pressure. Hard surfaces
like rock and heavier vehicles require higher pressures
than softer surfaces such as sand and lighter vehicles.
You will need to experiment to determine what is right
for your situation. It is easier and faster to let air out
than it is to replace it. Start high and lower it as
required. Remember you must return the tires to nor-
mal air pressure before driving on road or at highway
conditions. Be sure you have a way to return the tires to
their normal on road air pressure.
120 STARTING AND OPERATING
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