402
Winter Driving
& After Driving s08ah11
. Always check your brakes for effectiveness immediately after driving in sand, mud or water. Do this by driving slowly and stepping on the brake pedal. Repeat that process several times to dry out the brake discs and brake pads.
. After driving through tall grass, mud, rocks, sand, rivers, etc., check that there is no grass, bush, paper, rags, stones, sand, etc. adhering to or trapped on the underbody. Clear off any such matter from the underbody. If the vehicle is used with these materials trapped or adhering to the underbody, a mechanical breakdown or fire could occur.
. Wash the vehicle’ s underbody after offroad driving. Suspension components are particularly prone to dirt buildup, so they need to be washed thoroughly.
8-10. Winter Driving s08ai
& Operation during Cold Weather s08ai01
Carry some emergency equipment, such as a window scraper, a bag of sand, flares, a small shovel and jumper cables.
Check the battery and cables. Cold temperatures reduce battery capacity. The battery must be in good condition to provide enough power for cold winter starts.
It normally takes longer to start the engine in very cold weather conditions. Use an engine oil of a proper grade and viscosity for cold weather. Using heavy summer oil will make it harder to start the engine.
Keep the door locks from freezing by squirting them with deicer or glycerin.
Forcing a frozen door open may damage or separate the rubber weather strips around the door. If the door is frozen, use hot water to melt the ice, and afterwards thoroughly wipe the water away.
Use a windshield washer fluid that contains an antifreeze solution. Do not use engine antifreeze or other substitutes because they may damage the paint of the vehicle.
If you fill the windshield washer tank with a fluid with a different concentration from the one used previously, purge the old fluid from the piping between the windshield washer tank and washer nozzles by operating the washer for a certain period of time. Otherwise, if the concentration of the fluid remaining in the piping is too low for the outside temperature, it may freeze and block the nozzles.
CAUTION
. Adjust the washer fluid concentration appropriately for the outside temperature. If the concentration is inappropriate, sprayed washer fluid may freeze on the windshield and obstruct your view, and the fluid may freeze in the windshield washer tank.
. Be careful foreign matter does not contaminate the washer fluid when filling the tank. Contamination could cause malfunctions, such as clogging the pump.
. State or local regulations on volatile organic compounds may restrict the use of methanol, a common windshield washer antifreeze additive. Washer fluids containing non-methanol anti-