Protecting Your Mazda; Driving Through Water; Driving on Sand- Page 115

Protecting Your Mazda

4-17

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Avoid fully loading your light
truck if possible.

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Remove the chains at the first
opportunity after using them on
snow and ice. Don’t use the chains
on dry roads.

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Snowplowing

Do not use this vehicle for snowplowing.

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Driving on Sand

When driving over sand, try to keep all
four wheels of the vehicle on the most
solid area of the trail.
Do not reduce the tire pressures but shift
to a lower gear and drive steadily through
the terrain.
Apply the accelerator slowly and avoid
spinning the wheels.

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Driving Through Water

CAUTION

Make sure water does not enter the
vehicle interior or the engine area.
The vehicle interior could become
wet or the engine could be damaged.

Do not drive quickly through standing
water, especially if the depth is
unknown. Traction or brake capability
may be limited and if the ignition system
gets wet, your engine may stall. Water
may also enter your engine’s air intake
and severely damage your engine.
If driving through deep or standing water
is unavoidable, proceed very slowly.
Never drive through water that is higher
than the bottom of the hubs.

Once through the water, always try the
brakes. Wet brakes do not stop the
vehicle as effectively as dry brakes. Dry-
ing can be improved by moving your
vehicle slowly while applying light pres-
sure on the brake pedal.
Driving through deep water where the
transmission is submerged may allow
water into the transmission and cause
internal damage.

Replace rear axle lubricant any time the
axle has been submerged in water. The
rear axle does not normally require a
lubricant change for the life of the
vehicle. Rear axle lubricant quantities
are not to be checked or changed unless
a leak is suspected or repair is required.