CHEVROLET ASTRO 1996 Owners Manual

I A CAUTION:
Don’t keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches fire.
You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced.
1 NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and is not covered by
your warranty.
Check Oil Light
CHECK
OIL
This light should come
on briefly while
you are
starting your engine. If the
light doesn’t come
on, have
it repaired.
If the light comes on while starting and stays on, your
engine oil level should be checked.
Prior
to checking your oil level, be sure your vehicle is
on a level surface and has been shut off for several
minutes to allow the oil
to drain back into the oil pan.
Check your oil level and bring it up to the proper level.
See “Engine Oil” in
the Index.
The
oil level monitoring system only checks the oil
during the brief period between turning the key
on and
when the engine starts. It does
not check the oil level
while the vehicle is running.
Parking
on steep grades may cause the light to come on
even when the oil level is correct. If this happens, park
the vehicle
on a level surface and check the oil level.
2-61

Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
If the gage pointer moves to
the red area, your engine is
too hot!
Daytime Running. Lamps, Indicator Light
:::O ..e
If your vehicle’was first
sold, when new, in Canada,
you will have this light on
the instrument panel.
It means that your engine coolant has overheated.
If you
have been operating your vehicle under normal driving
conditions, you should pull
off the road, stop your
vehicle and turn
off the engine as soon as possible. It goes
on whenever the Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
are on. I
When it begins
to get dark, the DRL indicator light is a
reminder to
turn on your headlamps.
In “Problems on the Road,”
this manual shows you what
to do. See “Engine’Overheating” in the Index.

2-62

Check Gages Light Fuel Gage
This light will come on
CHECK
GAGES
If the light comes on and stays on while you are driving,
check your various gages to see if they are in the
warning zones. The
fuel gage tells you
how much fuel
you have
remaining when the
ignition is
on.
When the gage fust indicates EMPTY (E), you still have a
little
fuel left, but you should get more fuel as soon as possible.
Here are things some owners ask about. None of these
indicate a problem with your fuel gage:
0 At the gas station, the gas pump shuts off before the
0 The fuel tank will take either a little more or a little
gage reads
FULL (F).
less
fuel to fill up than the gage shows.
0 The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
0 The gage doesn't go back to EMPTY (E) when you
speed up.
turn off the ignition.
2-63

NOTES
2-64

Section 3 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
I I
In this section you’ll find out how to operate the comfort
control and audio systems offered with your vehicle. Be
sure to read about the particular systems supplied with
your vehicle.
Comfort Controls
This section tells you how to make your air system work
for you. Your comfort control system uses ozone-friendly
R- 134a refrigerant.
With these systems,
you can control the heating, cooling
and ventilation
in your vehicle. Your vehicle also has
a flow-through ventilation system described later in
this section.
Heating/Air Conditioning System
If your vehicle has air conditioning, your heating/air
conditioning controls will
look like this.
3-1

Fan Knob
This control has four positions. To increase airflow,
turn the knob toward
HI. To decrease airflow, move it
toward
LO.
Temperature Knob
This knob is next to the fan knob. It selects the
temperature
of the air flowing into your vehicle. Move
the knob clockwise for warmer air. Move the knob
counterclockwise for cooler
air.
Function Knob
This knob is next to the temperature knob.
OFF: This setting turns the system off.
MAX A/C: This cools the air the fastest, by
recirculating the inside air. Move the temperature knob
all the way clockwise.
A/C: This setting brings in outside air and cools it.
I,.
+fl BI-LEVEL: This setting brings in outside air
through the heater floor vent and the instrument panel
vents.
If you move the temperature knob between hot
and cold, cooler air will come out
of the upper vents
while warmer air comes out of the floor vent. The air
conditioning compressor may operate in this setting to
cool the air.
+.
/J VENT The ax comes out at the vents on your
instrument panel. The air conditioning compressor will
not run in this position. Adjust the temperature knob for
warmer or cooler air.
+’ HEATER: Most of the air comes out near the
floor. The rest comes out from the defroster vents under
the windshield and at the front side windows.
+’ BLEND: With this setting, the heated outside air
comes
out both the heater vents and defroster vents.
Adjust the temperature knob for warmer or cooler air.
Most
of the air comes out near the windshield, with
some going
to the floor vents and front side windows.
we
DEFROST This setting operates the defroster.
3-2

Heating System Function Knob
If your vehicle does not have air conditioning, your
heater controls will look like this.
Fan Knob
This control has four positions, To increase airflow,
turn the knob toward
HI. To decrease airflow, move it
toward
LO.
Temperature Knob
This knob is next to the fan knob. It selects the
temperature
of the air flowing into your vehicle. Move
the knob clockwise for warmer air. Move
the knob
counterclockwise for cooler air. This
knob is next to the temperature knob. The function
knob allows
you to choose the direction of air delivery.
OFF: This setting turns the system off.
-a
# VENT The air comes out at the vents on y r
instrument panel.
+# BI-LEVEL: With this setting, the heated outside
air comes out both the instrument panel vents and
heater vents. Adjust the temperature knob for warmer
or cooler air.
+’, HEATER: Most of the air comes out near the
floor. The rest comes out from the defroster vents under
the windshield and at the front side windows.
+’, BLEND: With this setting, the heated outside
air comes
out both the heater vents and defroster vents.
Adjust
the temperature knob for warmer or cooler air.
+.
%
DEFROST This setting operates the defroster.
Most
of the air comes out near the windshield, with
some going to the floor vents and front side windows.
3-3

Rear Heating System (Option) Rear Air Conditioning System (Option)
You may have the optional rear heater. The three-speed
fan switch is
to the right of the radio. Turn the switch
toward
HIGH for higher airflow in the rear area. Turn
the switch to the
OFF position to turn the system off.
You may have rear air conditioning. The rear air
conditioning switch is located to
the right of the heater
controls. Turn the switch toward
HIGH for higher
airflow
in the rear area. Turn the switch to the OFF
position to turn the system off.
3-4

Air Conditioning
Before using your vehicle’s air conditioning, open the
windows to clear the vehicle of hot air. This reduces the
time it takes for your vehicle to cool down. Then keep
your windows closed for the air conditioner to work at
its best.
You can use MAX A/C with the temperature knob in the
blue area, when it’s really hot outside and you need to
cool the inside air quickly. MAX A/C lets
in only a little
air from the outside.
If you first use MAX A/C, you can then use A/C
with
the temperature knob in the blue area, as soon as the
vehicle has cooled down,
so outside air will be going
through your vehicle.
If your vehicle has rear air conditioning, setting
it on LO
may enhance the front A/C performance by allowing
trapped refrigerant in the rear lines to circulate. The
rear air conditioning system will only send cooled
air if the front system is on. It can still be used to
circulate air, even if the front system is off.
When the air conditioning, DEFROST or BLEND is on,
you may notice a slight increase or decrease
in engine
speed, due to compressor operation. This is normal
because
the system is designed to cycle the compressor
on and off to keep the desired temperature.
Heating
On cold days, use HEATER with the temperature knob
in the red area. Outside air will be brought in through
the floor outlets. The heater works best
if you keep your
windows closed while using it.
If you use the optional engine coolant heater before
starting your engine, your heating system will produce
warmer air faster to heat the passenger compartment in
cold weather. See “Engine Coolant Heater”
in the Index.
3-5

Defrosting
Use DEFROST to remove fog or ice from the
windshield quickly in extremely cold conditions. The
temperature knob should be in the red area and the fan
control toward high. The air conditioning compressor
may operate in this setting to dehumidify the air.
The
BLEND setting is useful for cold weather with a
large number of passengers or very humid conditions to
help keep the windshield clear.
Ventilation System
For mild outside temperatures when little heating or
cooling is needed,
use VENT to direct outside air
through your vehicle. Air will flow through the
instrument panel
vents.
Your vehicle’s flow-through ventilation system supplies
outside air
to the inside of your vehicle when it is
moving. With the side windows closed, air will flow into
the front air inlet grilles at the base
of the windshield,
through the vehicle and out the rear air exhaust valves.
Outside air will also enter the vehicle when the heater or
the air conditioning fan is running. Your
vehicle has air vents near the center and
on the
sides of the instrument panel that allow
you to adjust the
direction and the amount
of airflow inside the vehicle.
Push the vent up or down
to direct airflow to your
preference. Increase or reduce
the amount of airflow by
opening and closing the louvers. The vents rotate to
direct the airflow from side to side.
When
you close a vent, it will increase the flow of air
coming out
of any vents that are open.
3-6