WARNING!
Never use tow straps with end hooks or link two
straps with a clevis pin. These heavy metal objects
could become projectiles if a strap breaks, which
could cause severe injury. Never leave more than 2 to
3 feet (0.60 to 1 meter) of slack in the strap. More
slack than this greatly increases the risk of injury and
vehicle damage. Always keep everyone at least
30 feet (9 meters) away from a strapping or winching
situation.
•
Winching (Refer To “Winch Operation”
page 123) – Winching is most commonly used
in the following situations: there is no support
vehicle available, a high controlled force is required
to recover the vehicle, there is a high risk of environ-
mental or vehicle damage, or where nothing else
seems to work. A winch can deliver a high pulling
force with a great deal of control. It allows you to
walk the vehicle out of the situation in a slow con-
trolled manner. This control works well for avoiding
further vehicle damage. Once you decide it is time
to use the winch look for a good anchor point. It
needs to be strong enough to hold more than the
vehicle's weight and provide a direction of pull as
straight as possible. Use block and tackle if neces-
sary to improve the angle of pull or increase the
winch's pulling force. If the anchor point is a tree
use a strap around its base and hook the cable to
the strap. If it is another vehicle, then place that
vehicle in PARK and block the front tires. If you can-
not find an anchor point within reach try using your
spare tire by burying it. Once you have determined
an anchor point hook up the cable, ensuring there
are a least five wraps of cable left on the drum, and
place a floor mat or something else over the strung
out cable. Placing something over the strung out
cable helps keep the cable on the ground if it
breaks. Next, place the vehicle in FIRST gear and
apply a very light throttle as you power the winch in.
Be careful not to allow slack in the cable as you
recover the vehicle. Do not try to guide the cable
into the drum. If it starts to bunch up on one end, let
it. You can re-spool the cable afterwards. Never use
a winch cable as a tow strap and always stand back
while winching.
WARNING!
Winch cables are under high tension when in use and
can become a projectile if they fail. Never stand over
or straddle the winch cable. Never jerk or overload
the winch cable. Never stand in front of the vehicle
while winching. Failure to follow these instructions
can result in serious or fatal injury.
AFTER DRIVING OFF-ROAD
Off-road operation puts more stress on your vehicle
than does most on-road driving. After going off-road, it
is always a good idea to check for damage. That way
you can get any problems taken care of right away and
have your vehicle ready when you need it.
•
Completely inspect the underbody of your vehicle.
Check tires, body structure, steering, suspension,
and exhaust system for damage.
•
Inspect the radiator for mud and debris and clean
as required.
•
Check threaded fasteners for looseness, particularly
on the chassis, drivetrain components, steering, and
suspension. Retighten them, if required, and torque
to the values specified in the Service Manual.
•
Check for accumulations of plants or brush. These
things could be a fire hazard. They might hide dam-
age to fuel lines, brake hoses, axle pinion seals, and
propeller shafts.
•
After extended operation in mud, sand, water, or
similar dirty conditions, have the radiator, fan, brake
rotors, wheels, brake linings, and axle yokes
inspected and cleaned as soon as possible.
WARNING!
Abrasive material in any part of the brakes may cause
excessive wear or unpredictable braking. You might
not have full braking power when you need it to pre-
vent a collision. If you have been operating your
vehicle in dirty conditions, get your brakes checked
and cleaned as necessary.
•
If you experience unusual vibration after driving in
mud, slush or similar conditions, check the wheels
for impacted material. Impacted material can cause
a wheel imbalance and freeing the wheels of it will
correct the situation.
LIMITED-SLIP DIFFERENTIAL
The limited-slip differential provides additional traction
on snow, ice, mud, sand and gravel, particularly when
there is a difference between the traction characteris-
tics of the surface under the right and left rear wheels.
During normal driving and cornering, the limited-slip
unit performs similarly to a conventional differential. On
slippery surfaces, however, the differential delivers
more of the driving effort to the rear wheel having the
better traction.
122 STARTING AND OPERATING
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