2004 Jeep Liberty Owner's Manual - Page 238
2004 Jeep Liberty Manual
Page 238 highlights
238 STARTING AND OPERATING Remember, never drive diagonally across a hill-always drive straight up or down. If the wheels start to slip as you approach the crest of a hill, ease off the accelerator and maintain headway by turning the front wheels sharply left and right. This will provide fresh "bite" into the surface and will usually provide traction to complete the climb. Traction Downhill Shift the transmission into a low gear and the transfer case to 4L or 4 LO range. Let the vehicle go slowly down the hill with all four wheels turning against engine compression drag. This will permit you to control the vehicle speed and direction. When descending mountains or hills, repeated braking can cause brake fade with loss of braking control. Avoid repeated heavy braking by downshifting the transmission whenever possible. After Driving Off-Road Off-road operation puts more stress on your vehicle than does most on-highway 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. • 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 damage to fuel lines, brake hoses, axle pinion seals, and propeller shafts.