GMC SIERRA 1994 Owners Manual

Graphic Equalizer
The graphic equalizer rets you fine tune bass, mid-range and treble
frequencies to your individual taste. The
unit has five separate adjustable
frequency ranges.
To emphasize
a frequency, press the top of the button “+” and to
de-emphasize a frequency, press the bottom of the button
“-”. It’s best to
begin with all the controls in the middle position, then adjust each control as
you like. Observe the electronic display for relative frequency emphasis.
Cr02 Button
For better sound when playing high bias chrome or metal tapes, press the
Cr02 button. The light in the button will be on while the player is in the
Cr02 mode. When playing standard tapes, you will get better sound while
in the standard mode. If the Cr02 button is lit, press it to return the player
to standard mode (the light
will go out).
PROG Button
To go from one side of the tape to the other, press the PROG button.
Observe the lighted arrows to determine which side
of the tape is being
played.
If a tape is inserted with side “I” (or “A”) up, then the up arrow means that
that side is being played. Likewise, a down arrow would indicate that side
“2” (or “B”) had been selected. The player will automatically switch to the
other side
of the tape when the first side ends.
EJECT Button
Press the EJECT button to eject the cassette tape from the player (the radio
will then play.)
TAPE
The up arrow and down arrow, below the word TAPE on the cassette deck,
let you know which side of the tape is currently playing. For more
information, see
PROG in this section.
FWD Button
To rapidly advance the tape, press the FWD button. The light in the button
will be lit and the tape will rapidly advance until you press the PROG
button or press the FWD button again. If the end of the tape is reached
while
in the FWD mode, the tape will change direction, and play will
resume on the opposite side of the tape.
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SEEK Button
To search for the next selection on the tape, press the SEEK button. The
light in the
SEEK button will be lit and the player will seek the beginning
of the next selection. For the seek mode to stop at the next selection, there
must be at least a 4-second gap between selections on the tape.
REV Button
To rapidly rewind the tape, press the REV button. The light in the button
will be lit and the tape will rapidly rewind
until you press the PROG button
or press the
REV buuon again. If the beginning of the tape is reached while
in the
REV mode, play will resume on the same side of the tape.
REPT Button
Press the REPT button to repeat the currently playing selection on the tape.
For the
REPT mode to repeat a selection, there must be at least a 4-second
gap between selections
on the tape.
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can result in reduced sound
quality, ruined cassettes, or a damaged player mechanism. Cassette tapes
should be stored
in their plastic cases away from contaminants, direct
sunlight, and extreme heat.
If they aren’t, they may not operate properly or
cause failure
of the tape player.
As regular maintenance, your tape player should be cleaned each month or
after every
15 hours of use. If you notice a reduction in sound quality, try a
known good cassette to see
if the tape or the tape player is at fault. If this
other cassette has no improvement
in sound quality, clean the tape player.
Clean your tape player with a
wiping-action,
non-abrasive cleaning
cassette, and follow
the directions
provided with
it.
Cassettes are subject to wear and the sound quality may degrade over time.
Always make sure that the cassette tape is
in good condition before you
have your tape player serviced.
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Fixed Mast Antenna
The fixed mast antenna can withstand most car washes without being
damaged. If the mast should ever become slightly bent, you can straighten it
out by hand.
If the mast is badly bent, as it might be by vandals, you should
replace
it.
Check every once in a while to be sure the mast is still
fender. tightened to the
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Notes
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Your Driving and the Road
Section
Here you’ll find information about driving on different kinds of roads and in
varying weather conditions . We’ve also included many other useful tips on
driving .
Defensive Driving .......................................... 4-2
DrunkenDriving
........................................... 4-2
Control of
a Vehicle
Braking
................................................ 4-5
Steering
................................................ 4-8
Steering Tips
............................................ 4-8
Passing
............................................... 4-10
Lossofcontrol
......................................... 4-11
Off-Road Driving With Your Four-wheel Drive Vehicle
.......... 4-13
DrivingatNight
........................................... 4-24
Driving
in the Rain ........................................ 4-26
CityDriving
.............................................. 4-28
Freeway Driving
.......................................... 4-29
Hill and Mountain Roads ....................... ......... 4-31
WinterDriving
............................................ 4-33
Power Winches
........................................... 4-36
PowerTake-Off
........................................... 4-37
TowingaTrailer
........................................... 4-38
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Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device
in your Vehicle: Buckle up.
(See “Safety Belts” in the Index.)
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.” On city streets,
rural roads, or freeways,
it means “always expect the unexpected.’’
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going
to be careless and make
mistakes. Anticipate what they might do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of accidents. Yet they
are common. Allow enough following distance. It’s the best defensive
driving maneuver, in both city and rural driving. You never know when the
vehicle in front of you is going to brake or turn suddenly.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a national tragedy.
It’s the number one contributor to the highway death toll, claiming
thousands of victims every year. Alcohol takes away three things that
anyone needs
to drive a vehicle:
0 Judgment
Muscular Coordination
Vision
Police records show that almost half
of all motor vehicle-related deaths
involve alcohol
- a driver, a passenger or someone else, such as a
pedestrian, had been drinking. In most cases, these deaths are the result of
someone who was drinking and driving. About 20,000 motor
vehicle-related deaths occur each year because of alcohol, and thousands of
people are injured.
Just how
much alcohol is too much if a person plans to drive? Ideally, no
one should drink alcohol and then drive. But if one does, then what’s “too
much”? It can be a lot less than many might think. Although it depends on
each person and situation, here is some general information
on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)
of someone who is drinking depends
upon four things:
0 How much alcohol is in the drink.
The drinker’s body weight.
0 The amount of food that is consumed before and during drinking.
0 The length of time it has taken the drinker to consume the alcohol.
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According to the American Medical Association, a 180-pound (82 kg)
person who drinks three 12-ounce
(355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will
end up with a BAC of about
0.06 percent. The person would reach the same
BAC by drinking
three 4-ounce (120 ml) glasses of wine or three mixed
drinks if each had 1-1/2 ounces
(45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or
vodka.
It's the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if the same person
drank three double martinis
(3 ounces or 90 ml of liquor each) within an
hour, the person's BAC would be close to 0.12 percent. A person who
consumes food just before or during drinking will have a slightly lower
BAC level.
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The law in most US. states sets the legal limit at a BAC of 0.10 percent. In
Canada the limit is 0.08 percent, and in some other countries it's lower than
that. The BAC will be over
0.10 percent after three to six drinks (in one
hour).
Of course, as we've seen, it depends on how much alcohol is in the
drinks, and how quickly the person drinks them.
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But it’s very important to keep in mind that the ability to drive is affected
well below a BAC
of 0. I0 percent. Research shows that the driving skills of
many people are impaired at a BAC approaching 0.05 percent, and that the
effects are worse at night. All drivers are impaired at BAC levels above
0.05 percent. Statistics show that the chance of being in an accident
increases sharply for drivers who have
a BAC of 0.05 percent or above. A
driver with a BAC level of 0.06 percent (three beers in one hour for a
180-pound or 82 kg person) has doubled his or her chance of having an
accident. At
a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chance of that driver having
an accident
is six times greater; at a level of 0. IS percent, the chances are
twenty-five times greater! And, the body takes about an hour to rid itself of
the alcohol in one drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold showers
will speed that up.
“1’11 be careful” isn’t the right answer. What if there’s an emergency, a need
to take sudden action,
as when a child darts into the street? A person with a
higher BAC might not be able to react quickly enough to avoid the collision.
There’s something else about drinking and driving that many people don’t
know. Medical research shows that alcohol in a person’s system can make
crash injuries worse. That’s especially true for brain, spinal cord and heart
injuries. That means that
if anyone who has been drinking - driver or
passenger
- is in a crash, the chance of being killed or permanently
disabled is higher than
if that person had not been drinking. And we’ve
already seen that
the chance of a crash itself is higher for drinking drivers.
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous. Your reflexes,
perceptions, and judgment
will be affected by even a small
amount of alcohol.
You could have a serious - or even fatal -
accident if you drive after drinking. Please don’t drink and
drive or ride with a driver who has been drinking. Ride
home in
a cab; or if you’re with a group, designate a driver who will not
drink.
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Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where you want it to go.
They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have
to do their work at the places where the tires meet
the road.
Sometimes,
as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it‘s easy to ask more of
those control systems than the tires and road can provide. That means you
can lose control of
your vehicle.
Braking
Braking action involves perceptiorz time and renction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal. That’spemptiorz time.
Then you have to bring up your foot and do it. That’s reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second. But that’s only an average. It
might be less
with one driver and as long as two 01- three seconds or more
with another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination, and eyesight
all play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and frustration. But even in 34 of a
second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph ( 100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That
could be
a lot of distance in an emergency, so keeping enough space
between your vehicle and others is important.
And,
of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly with the surface of the
road (whether it’s pavement
or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry,
icy); tire tread; and the condition of your brakes.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts - heavy
acceleration followed
by heavy braking - rather than keeping pace with
traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard
stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if you do a lot of heavy
braking.
If you keep pace with the traffic and allow realistic following
distances, you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That means better
braking and longer brake life.
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If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake normally but don’t
pump your brakes.
If you do, the pedal may get harder to push down. If
your engine stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But you will
use it when you brake. Once
the power assist is used up, it may take longer
to stop and the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your vehicle has an advanced electronic braking system that can help you
keep it under control.
When you start your vehicle and begin to drive away, you may hear
a
momentary motor or clicking noise. The ABS motor comes on momentarily
when
the vehicle reaches 8 mph (I 2 km/h). And you may even notice that
your brake pedal moves a little while this is going on. This
is the ABS
system testing itself.
Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say the road is wet. You’re driving safely.
Suddenly an animal jumps out
in front of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what happens with ABS.
A computer senses that the rear wheels are slowing down.
IT one of the rear
wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer will work
the brakes at the rear
wheels.
It is programmed to make the most of available tire and road
conditions.
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