CHEVROLET VEGA 1976 1.G Owner's Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine TURBO HYDRA~MATIC AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
P-PARK
R-REVERSE
N-NEUTRAL
O-DRIVE
L.-LOW.
Use only when car is stopped.
For backing
car-from stop.
For standing (Brakes
Applied).
For forward driving.
Depress accelerator to floor for extra acceleration below 65 mph; depress accelerator half-way at speeds below 30 mph.
For driving in heavy traffic or on hilly terrain. Shift Into L. at any vehicle speed. The transmission will shift into second
gear and remain In second until the vehicle speed or throttle
are reduced to obtain first gear operation In the same man­ner as in D range. L2 range position prevents the transmis­sion from shifting to 3rd gear.
For hard pulling through sand, snow or mud, and for climbing or descending steep grades. Shift into Ll at any vehicle
speed. Depending upon the axle ratio of the vehicle the
transmission will shift to second gear at
any speed above
approximately 40 mph and will shift to 1st gear as speed Is reduced below 40. Ll range position prevents the transmis­sion from shifting out of first gear.
2-5

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving with Manual Transmissions
The manual transmission shift
positions follow the standard pat­
tern
shown on the illustration. Th~
3-speed, 4-speed and 5-speed trans~
mission shift levers, extending from the
floor, have shift pattern diagrams
located on the
knob. Depress the
clutch pedal fully before attempt­
ing to shift to a different gear, then
release the pedal
to move in that
2-6
gear.
All
tranSIll1SSlons, being fully
synchronized, may be downshifted
into 1 st gear at any speed below
20
m.p.h. Shift into Reverse gear only

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine after the car has stopped. Always
depress and release the clutch pedal
fully when shifting.
On the 4-speed transmission lift
up on the release handle (below
the shift knob) momentarily when
shifting into reverse.
Good Driving Practice
The lower gears of the transmis­
sion are used to normally accelerate
the vehicle to the desired cruising
(Cruising speed
is defined as a rela- tively
constant speed operation that
includes steady speed operation
as
well as moderate variations in speed
consistant with road and traffic con­
ditions.) speed and the highest gear
of the transmission is used to
maintain the desired speed. The 5th
gear (overdrive) of a 5-speed man­
ual transmission
is recommended
for use in maintaining extended
highway cruising speeds. Use of 5th
gear in city traffic
is not recom­
mended.
If the vehicle speed is re-duced
below
20 MPH, or if the en­
gine
is obviously lugging, the trans­
mission should be downshifted from
high gear to the next lowest gear.
Downshifting two or more gear
positions may be necessary to pre­
vent lugging the engine or to pro­
vide a satisfactory performance
leveL As the first (1 st) gear of the
transmission
is fully synchronized,
the transmission should be down­
shifted to first gear whenever the
vehicle stops or the vehicle speed
Manual Transmission Shift Speeds
ENGINE TRANSMISSION FIRST TO SECOND TO THIRD TO FOURTH TO TYPE SECOND THIRD FOURTH FIFTH
140 CID . 1 BBL. 3·Spd. Manual 15 MPH 25
4·Spd. Manua! 15 MPH 25 45
140 CID • 2 BBL. 3·Spd. Manual 20 MPH When Cruising Speed Has Been Reached -25 MPH Minimum, 45 MPH Maximum
4·Spd. Manual 20 MPH 35 When Cruising Speed Has Been Reached 2.53 Axle -40 MPH Minimum, 55 MPH Maximum
4·Spd. Manual 15 MPH 25 When Cruising Speed Has Been Reached 2.92/3.42 Axle -30 MPH Minimum, 45 MPH Maximum
5·Spd. Manual 20 MPH 30 When Cruising Speed Has Been Reached 45 -35 MPH Minimum, 50 MPH Maximum
2-7

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine is reduced below 5 MPH.
The shift speeds chart indicates
the speeds at which each upshift of
the transmission should be
per­
formed to produce the best com­
promise between vehicle perform­
anceand fuel economy.
Turn Signals and Lane
Change Feature
The tum signal lever is located on
the left side of the steering column
iIllmediately under the steering
wheel. The lever
is moved upward
to signal a right turn and downward
to signal a left tum. Lamps on the
front and rear of the car transmit
this signal to other motorists and
pedestrians. The ignition switch
must be in the
"ON" position in
order for the tum signals to be
operational. This feature prevents
battery drain if the lever
is left in
an
"ON" position when your car is
not in use. In
a normal turning situation such
as turning a comer, the tum signal
is cancelled automatically after the
tum
is completed. However, in
some driving maneuvers such
as
changing lanes on an expressway,
the steering wheel
is not turned back
sufficiently after completing the
tum to automatically cancel the
2-8
tum signal. For convenience in such
maneuvers, the driver can flash the
tum signals
by moving the tum
signal lever part way (to the first
stop) and holding it there . The
lever returns
tq the neutral or can­
celed position when the driver re­
leases his hold on the lever.
A green light on the instrument

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine cluster flashes to indicate proper
operation of the front and rear turn
signal lamps.
If the indicator lamp
remains on and does not flash,
check for a defective lamp bulb.
If
the indicator fails to light when the
lever
is moved, check the fuse and
indicator bulb.
NOTE: For operation of hazard
flasher, see page 3-1, in
Section "In
Case of Emergency."
Horn
The horn on your car is actuated
by firmly pressing on the pad in the
center of the steering wheel.
As a good motorist,
~se of the
horn should be kept at a minimum.
However, acquaint yourself
as soon
as possible with this function of
your car, should it ever become
necessary to give a warning to a
pedestrian
or another motorist.
Power Steering
If the steering system power as­
sist fails due to some malfunction,
or because the engine has stalled,
the vehicle can still be steered.
However, much greater effort
is re­
quired, particularly in sharp turns.
Tilt Steering Wheel
The tilt steering wheel (optional
equipment) can be tilted up above
normal position to provide addi­
tional room for entrance and exit
2-9
as well as selected driving· posi­
tions below normal height. This
permits individual selection of the
most natural position for
all driv­
ing conditions.
On long trips the
steering wheel position can be
changed to minimize tension and
fatigue.
The tilt mechanism
is operated
by lifting up on the small control
lever on the left side of the steering
column just below the directional
signal, moving the steering wheel
to the selected position, and re­
leasing the lever.
Holding Car on an Upgrade
When stopped on an upgrade,
maintain your position by applying
the brakes. Never hold the car
in
place by accelerating engine with
transmission in gear. This could
cause damage by overheating
the
. transmission (automatic) or clutch
(manual) .

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Parking Your Car
Always engage the parking brake
and place the automatic transmis­
sion selector lever in
"Park" posi- tion
when leaving your
car un­
attended. Also with automatic
transmissions, never park for pro­
longed periods with engine idling
and transmission in gear, especially
FLOOR CONTROLS
Braking System
The service brake system is de­
signed for braking performance
under a wide range of driving con­
ditions even when the vehicle
is
loaded to its full rated vehicle load.
NOTE: Operation of the brake
system warning light
is covered on
page 2-15 in the section on
"In­
strument Panel."
Power Brakes
• On cars with power brakes, if
power assist to the brakes
is in­
terrupted due to a stalled engine
or some malfunction, two or
more brake applications nor­
mally can be made using reserve
power.
• If the brake pedal is held down,
2-10
if your car is equipped with air
conditioning. This practice
is detri­
mental to the transmission, due
to
overheating.
the system
is designed to bring
the car to a full stop on reserve
power. However, the reserve
power
is partially depleted each
time the brake pedal
is applied
and released. Do not pump
brakes when brake power assist
has been interrupted, except
when necessary in order to main­
tain steering control on slippery
surfaces.
• When reserve power is exhausted,
the vehicle can still be stopped
by applying greater force to the
pedal.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Parking Brake
• To set parking brake, pull up
the handle located between the
seats.
• For maximum holding power,
depress regular brake pedal at
the same time.
• To release parking brake, de­
press the button in the handle
tip and push the handle down.
• As a reminder, the brake system warning
light
is designed to come
on whenever the parking brake
control
is not fully released, and
the ignition ·
is on.
• Never drive car with parking
brake set
as this may overheat
or otherwise damage rear brakes.
NOTE: "Riding the brake" by
resting your foot on the brake pedal
when not intending to brake can
cause abnormally high brake tem­
peratures, excessive lining wear and
possible damage to the brakes.
REMINDER:
Front disc brakes
have a built-in wear indicator that
is designed to make a high fre­
quency, squealing,
or cricket-like
warning sound when the linings are
2-11
worn where replacement is required.
The sound will occur intermittently
or continuously when wheels are
rolling, but will disappear when the
brake pedal
is applied firmly. See
also the various brake checks listed
in the Chevrolet maintenance sched­
ule folder.
Clutch Adjustment
Clutch adjustment should be
checked and adjusted periodically
as necessary to compensate for
clutch facing wear.
To check,
depress pedal by hand until resist­
ance
is felt. Free travel of pedal
should be approximately one inch;
if very little
or no free travel is
evident , clutch adjustment is re­
quired.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Self-Adjusting Brakes
• Brakes on this car (except for the
parking brake) are self-adjusting,
designed · to eliminate periodic
brake adjustments.
• Drum brake adjustment is made
automatically
as the brakes are
applied while car
is moving back­
wards.
• Disc brake adjustment is made
automatically with each brake
application.
• If excess brake pedal travel devel­
ops, drive alternately backward
and
forwb-d several times and apply
brakes firmly in eadh
direc­
tion.
• See your dealer if normal pedal
travel
is not restored, or if there
is a rapid increase in pedal travel,
which could be a sign of other
brake trouble.
See your dealer
also if adjustment if the parking
brake
is required.
Headlight Beam Switch
"High" and "low" headlight
beams are controlled
by the floor
button at your left foot. The
indica­
tor, located in the speedometer
dial , will light up when the high
beams are
in use.
2-12

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLS
1. Fuel Gauge 2. Warning Lights 3. Speedometer . 4. Hi Beam Indicator 5. Odometer 6. Clock
o STANDARD
o OPTIONAL
7. Glove Box 8. Windshield Wiper-Washer Control 9. Light Switch . 10. Optional Electro Clear Rear
Window Defogger Switch
11. Hazard Warning Control Button
2-13
12. Ignition Switch 13. Heater or Optional Air Conditioner Control 14. Ash Tray 15. Cigarette Lighter-16. Radio and Controls

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine HI BEAM INDICATOR
=.Q(LJ 0 .PH 10 20 30 40 iO 60 70 80 90 100 c:=M!LJ
'ADD coiillT' ..............,," ,,'\. 11// / / ./ ././'" .ruf/~ L! !.!LL"'!l!!LJ lP1I 0 20 40 6080100 120 140 160
Instruments
The instruments, gauges and indi­
cator lights conveniently grouped
in
the instrument cluster are designed
Fuel Gauge
The fuel gauge registers the AP­
PROXIMATE fuel level
in the
tank, when the ignition
is ill the
ON position.
When the gauge registers
EMPTY, some fuel is still available
as a reserve. When the gauge regis­
ters FULL, some additional fuel
I •••••••• nol I fASTE~ Sf A! BEtTS ·1
to tell you at a glance many impor­
tant things about the performance
of your
car. The following infor-
can still
be added to the tank. The
following conditions may
be con­
sidered normal:
• Gas station pump may shut off
before fuel gauge indicates
FULL.
• Amount of gasoline required for
fill-up may not exactly
corres­
pond to gauge.
2-14
mation will enable you to more
quickly understand and properly
interpret these instruments.
• Needle may not move away from
FULL until some time after fill­
up.
• Needle may move during turns,
stops and accelerations.
When the ignition switch
is turned
to the
OFF position, the needle will
not necessarily return all the way
to the EMPTY mark.