CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1994 Owners Manual
Page 121 of 385
Tachometer
4
If you have a
tachometer,
it displays
the engine speed in
revolutions per minute
(rpm).
I NOTICE:
Do not operate the engine with the tachometer in the red area,
your engine
or other parts could be damaged.
Damage to your engine
or vehicle caused by operating the
engine in the red area isn't covered by your vehicle warranty.\
Warning Lights andl Indicators
This section describes the warning lights and gages that may be on your
vehicle. The pictures will help you locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something
is wrong before it
becomes serious enough to cause
an expensive repair or replacement.
Paying attention to your warning lights and gages could also save you or
others from injury.
Warning lights
go on when there may be or is a problem with one of your
vehicle's functions.
As you will see in the details on the next few pages,
some warning lights come on briefly when you turn the ignition key
just to
let you know they're working. If you are familiar with this section, you
should not be alarmed when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem with one of your
vehicle's functions. Often gages and warning lights work together
to let you
know when there's
a problem with your vehicle.
When one
of the warning lights comes on and stays on when you are
driving,
or when one of the gages shows there may be a problem, check the
section that tells you what to
do about it. Please follow the manual's advice.
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Waiting to do repairs can be costly - and even dangerous. So please get to
know your warning lights and gages. They’re a big help.
Brake System Warning Light
The red brake system
warning light is
located at the bottom
right corner of the
instrument cluster
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into two parts. If one part
isn’t working, the other part can still work and stop you. For
good braking,
though, you need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there could be a brake problem. Have your
brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on as you start the vehicle. If it doesn’t come on
then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the road and stop
carefully. You may notice that the pedal is harder to push. Or, the pedal may
go closer to the floor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on, have
the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your Vehicle” in the Index.)
The brake system warning light will also come on when you set your
parking brake, and it will stay on if your parking brake doesn’t release fully.
If it stays on after your parking brake is fully released, it means you have a
brake problem.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
The orange anti-lock
brake system warning light is located near
the top right corner
of
the instrument cluster
mi
With anti-lock, this light will go on when you start your engine and may
stay
on for several seconds. That’s normal. If the light doesn’t come on,
have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
If the light stays on, or comes on when you’re driving, your vehicle needs
service.
If the regular brake system warning light isn’t on, you still have
brakes, but you don’t have anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system
warning light is also
on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes and there’s a
problem with your regular brakes. See “Brake System Warning Light’’
earlier in this part.
Water in Fuel Light
The red Water in Fuel
light, if
you have one,
is located near the
middle right edge of
the instrument cluster,
just below the turn
signal and lane change
indicator.
This light will come on
to warn you if there is water in the diesel fuel
system.
For more information on how this light works, see “Diesel Fuel
Requirements and Fuel System”
in the Index.
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Service Throttle Soon Light
The orange Service
Throttle Soon light,
if
you have one, is
located near the
middle left edge
of the
instrument cluster
On diesel engines, a computer monitors the operation of the electronic
accelerator. This light should come
on when the ignition is on but the engine
is not running, as a check to show you its working. If it does not come on at
all, have it fixed right away.
If the light stays on after the engine starts or
comes on while you are driving, the computer is indicating that you have a
problem. You should take your vehicle in for service soon.
Glow Plugs Light
The orange Glow
Plugs light, if you
have
one, is located
near the upper right
corner
of the
instrument cluster.
If you have a diesel engine, it has a special starting system. An instrument
panel Glow Plugs light tells you when
the engine is ready to be started. For
more details, see “Starting Your Diesel Engine” in the Index.
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Low Coolant Warning Light
The orange Low
Coolant Warning
light, if
you have one,
is located in the upper
left corner of the
instrument cluster.
If
you have a diesel engine, you have a low coolant light. If this light comes
on anytime the engine is running, your system is low on coolant and the
engine may overheat. See “Engine Coolant”
in the Index and have your
vehicle serviced
as soon as you can.
Charging System Warning Light
The red Charging
System Warning light
is located at the upper
right corner of the
instrument cluster.
The Charging System Warning light should come on briefly when you turn
on the ignition, before starting the engine, as a check to show you it is
working. After the engine starts, the light should go out. If it stays on or
comes
on while you are driving, you may have a problem with your
charging system. It could indicate a problem with the alternator drive belt,
or
some other charging system problem. Have it checked right away.
Driving while this light is on could drain your battery.
If
you must drive a short distance with this light on, it helps to turn off all
your accessories, such
as the radio and air conditioner.
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Malfunction Indicator (Service Engine Soon) Lamp
ENGINE
N
The orange
Malfunction Indicator
(Service Engine Soon)
Lamp is located at the
middle right edge of
your instrument
cluster.
A computer monitors the operation of your fuel, ignition and emission
control systems. This light should come on when the ignition is on but the
engine is not running, as a check to show you its working. If it does not
come on at all, have it fixed right away. If it stays on, or comes
on while you
are driving, the computer is indicating that you have a problem.
You should
take your vehicle in for service soon.
NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light on, after a while
the emission controls won’t work as well, your fuel economy \
won’t be as good, and your engine may not run as smoothly.
This could lead to costly repairs not covered by your warranty\
.
Check Gages Light
The orange Check
Gages light is located
near the lower right
corner
of the
instrument cluster.
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This light will come on briefly when you are starting the engine. If the light
comes
on and stays on while you are driving, it could indicate a problem
with your vehicle. It could be a problem with your oil pressure, coolant
temperature, or some other problem. Check your various gages to see
if they
are
in the warning zones. If they are, have your vehicle serviced right away.
Daytime Running Lights (DRL) Indicator Light
(Canada Only)
The green Daytime
Running Lights
(DRL) Indicator light,
if you have one,
is
located near the upper
center of the
instrument cluster.
If your vehicle was first sold, when new,
in Canada, you will have this green
light on the instrument panel. It will light whenever the Daytime Running
Lights are on.
For more details about DRL, see “Headlights and Vehicle
Lighting” in this section.
Shift Indicator Light
The orange SHIFT
Indicator light, if you
have one, is located
near the upper left
corner
of the
instrument cluster.
This light, with the word
SHIFT and the upshift arrow, is used on some
models with manual transmissions. Depending
on your particular model,
your vehicle may not have this light. The SHIFT indicator light will help
you get the best fuel economy. See “Shift Light” or “Shift Speeds-
Vehicles Without Shift Light”
in this section for more information.
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Listed are four situations you may experience with your fuel gage:
0 At the gas station, the fuel pump shuts off before the gage reads full.
0 It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the fuel gage indicated.
For example, the gage may have indicated the tank was half full, but it
actually took a little more or less than half the tank’s capacity to fill the
tank.
0 The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or speed up.
0 The gage doesn’t go back to empty when you turn off the ignition.
None of these indicate a problem
with the fuel gage.
For information
on how to fill your fuel tank, see “Fuel - Filling Your
Tank”
in the Index.
For your fuel tank capacity, see “Fuel -Tank Capacity”
in the Index.
This gage shows the engine coolant temperature. If the gage pointer moves
into the red area, about
260°F (145°C) or more, your engine is too hot! It
means that your engine coolant has overheated.
If you have been operating
your vehicle under normal operating conditions, you should pull
off the
road, stop your vehicle, and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
Hot Coolant Can Burn You Badly!‘
In “Problems on the Road,” this manual shows what to do. See “Engine
Overheating” in the Index.
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Oil Pressure Gage
Standard Cluster -Gas Standard Cluster -Diesel
40
Tachometer Cluster -Gas Tachometer Cluster -Diesel
The oil pressure gage shows the engine oil pressure in psi (pounds per
square inch) when the engine is running. Canadian vehicles indicate
pressure in
kPa (kilopascals). Oil pressure may vary with engine speed,
outside temperature and oil viscosity,
but readings above the low pressure
zone indicate the normal operating range.
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Headlight High Beam Indicator Light
The blue Headlight
High Beam Indicator
light
is located near
the middle left edge of
the instrument cluster.
The high beam indicator
is on whenever you use your high beam headlights.
For more details about high beams, see “Headlight High-Low Beam”
earlier
in this section.
Turn Signal and Lane Change lndicator Lights
(I
The greenTurn Signal
and Lane Change
Indicator lights are
located at the middle
left and right edges
of
the instrument cluster.
The signal indicator will come
on whenever you signal a turn or lane
change. See “Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator” earlier
in this section.
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