belt CHEVROLET ASTRO 1996 Service Manual

A CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part
is behind
the child.
If the child wears the belt in this way,
CAUTION: (Continued) in a crash the child might slide under the
belt.
The belt’s force would then be applied right on
the child’s abdomen. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries.
Wherever the child sits,
the lap portion of the belt
should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching
the child’s thighs. This applies belt force to the child’s
pelvic bones
in a crash.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you, you
should use it.
But if a safety belt isn’t long enough to fasten, your
dealer will order you an extender. It’s free. When you
go
in to order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so the
extender
will be long enough for you. The extender will
be just for you, and just for the seat
in your vehicle that
you choose. Don’t let someone else use it, and use it
only for the seat
it is made to fit. To wear it, just attach it
to the regular safety belt.
1-51

Checking Your Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light
and
all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors and
anchorages are working properly. Look for any other
loose or damaged safety belt system parts. If
you see
anything that might keep a safety belt system from
doing its job, have it repaired.
Torn or frayed safety belts may not protect you
in a
crash.
They can rip apart under impact forces. If a belt is
torn or frayed, get a new one right away.
Also look for any opened or broken air bag covers, and
have them repaired or replaced. (The air bag system
does not need regular maintenance.)
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash
If you’ve had a crash, do you need new belts?
After a very minor collision, nothing may be necessary.
But if the belts were stretched, as they would be
if worn
during a more severe crash, then you need new belts.
r
If you ever see a label on a right front safety belt that
says to replace the belt, be sure
to do so. Then the new
belt will be there
to help protect you in a collision. You
would see this label on the belt near the latch plate.
If belts are cut or damaged, replace them. Collision damage
also may mean you will need to have safety belt or seat parts
repaired or replaced. New parts and repairs may be necessary
even
if the belt wasn’t being used at the time of the collision.
If an air bag inflates, you’ll need
to replace air bag system
parts. See the part on the air bag system earlier in this se\
ction.
1-52

Door Locks
A. CAUTION:
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers
-- especially children -- can easily
open the doors and fall out. When a door is
locked, the inside handle won't open
it.
Outsiders can easily enter through an unlocked
door when you slow down or stop your vehicle.
This may not be
so obvious: You increase the
chance
of being thrown out of the vehicle in a
crash if the doors aren't locked. Wear safety belts
properly, lock your doors, and you will be far
better off whenever you drive your vehicle.
I'here are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
To unlock your door from the outside, use your key.
To lock the front doors and
sliding side door from the
inside, slide the lock levers
down.
To unlock the front
doors and the sliding side
door from the inside, slide
the lock levers up.
Rear doors cannot be manually locked from the inside.
To unlock the rear hatch and Dutch doors from the
inside, press the REAR HATCH button located
to the
right
of the shift lever.
2-5

Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to RUN or START, a tone will
come on for about eight seconds to remind people to
fasten their safety belts, unless the driver’s safety belt is
already buckled.
The safety belt light will
also come on and stay on
for about
20 seconds,
then it will flash for about
55 seconds. If the driver’s
belt is already buckled, neither the tone nor the
light will come on.
Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel,
which shows AIR BAG. The system checks the
air bag’s electrical system for malfunctions. The light
tells you
if there is an electrical problem. The system
check includes the air bag sensors, the air bag modules,
the wiring and the crash sensing and diagnostic module.
For more information on the air bag system, see “Air
Bag” in the Index.
AIR
BAG
You will see this light flash
for a few seconds when you
turn your ignition to
RUN
or START. Then the light
should
go out. This means
the system is ready.
If the air bag readiness light doesn’t come on when you
start your vehicle, or stays
on, or comes on when you
are driving, your air bag system may not work properly.
Have your vehicle serviced right away.
2-54

Charging System Indicator Light
j-+l
The charging system light
will come
on briefly when
you turn the ignition on, but
the engine is not running, as
a check
to show you the
light is working.
Voltmeter
I I When your engine is not
running, but the ignition is
on (in the
RUN position),
the gage shows your
battery’s state
of charge
in
DC volts.
Then it should go out once the engine is running.
If it
stays on, or comes on while
you are driving, you may
have a problem with the electrical charging system.
It could indicate that you have a loose accessory drive
belt, or another electrical problem. Have it checked
right away. Driving while this light is on could drain
your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the light on, be
certain
to turn off all your accessories, such as the radio
and heatedair conditioner. When
the ignition is
running, the gage shows the
condition
of the charging system. Readings between
the low and high warning zones indicate the, normal
operating range.
2-55

Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause
reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes or a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored in their
cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight and
extreme heat. If they aren’t, they may
not operate
properly or may cause failure of the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned regularly after every
50 hours of use. Your radio may display CLN to indicate
that
you have used your tape player for 50 hours without
resetting the tape clean timer. 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. Cleaning
may be done with a scrubbing action,
non-abrasive cleaning cassette with pads which scrub
the tape head as the hubs
of the cleaner cassette turn. It
is normal for the cassette to eject while cleaning. Insert
the cassette at least three times
to ensure thorough
cleaning. A scrubbing action cleaning cassette is
available through your
GM dealer.
You may also choose a non-scrubbing action, wet-type
cleaner which uses a cassette with a fabric belt to clean
the tape head. This type of cleaning cassette will not
eject. It may not clean as thoroughly as the scrubbing
type cleaner.
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.
3-27

Section 4 Your Driving and the Road
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
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.
4-1

Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are
based on,good weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions
you’ll want to go slower.
If you need to reduce
your speed as you approach a
curve, do it before
you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try
to adjust your speed so you can “drive” through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait
to
accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently
into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective than
braking. For example, you come over a
hill and find a
truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls out
from nowhere, or a child darts out from between parked
cars and stops right
in front of you. You can avoid these
problems
by braking -- if you can stop in time. But
sometimes you can’t; there isn’t room. That’s the time for
evasive action
-- steering around the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well
in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes. (See “Braking
in
Emergencies’’ earlier in this section.) It is better to
remove as much speed as you can from a possible
collision. Then steer around the problem,
to the left or
right depending on
the space available. An
emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision.
If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended 9 and 3 o’clock positions, you can
turn
it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But you have
to act fast, steer quickly, and
just as quickly straighten the wheel once
you have
avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason
to practice defensive driving at
all times and wear safety belts properly.
4-9

Parking on Hills
Youereally should not park your vehicle, with a trailer
attached,
on a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig
could start to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
But
if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK
(P) yet. Turn your wheels into the curb
when facing downhill and away from the curb when
facing uphill.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3, When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake, and shift to PARK
(P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a
Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
Start your engine;
Shift into a gear; and
0 Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transmission fluid (don’t
overfill), engine
oil, axle lubricant, belt, cooling system
and brake adjustment. Each
of these is covered in this
manual, and
the Index will help you find them quickly.
If you’re trailering, it’s a good idea
to review these
sections before you start your trip.
Check periodically
to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
4-36

When It’s Time for New Tires
One way to tell when it’s
time for new tires is to
check the treadwear
indicators, which will
appear when your tires have
only
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) or
less of tread remaining.
You need a new tire if any of the following statements
are true:
0 You can see the indicators at three or more places
around the tire.
You can see cord or fabric showing through the
0 The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut or snagged deep
tire’s
rubber.
enough
to show cord or fabric.
0 The tire has a bump, bulge or split.
The tire has a puncture, cut or other damage. that,
can’t be repaired well because of the size or location
of the damage.
..
Buying New Tires
To find out what kind and size of tires you need, look at
the Certificatiooire label.
The tires installed on your vehicle when it was new had
a Tire Performance Criteria Specification (TPC Spec)
number on each tire’s sidewall. When you get new tires,
get ones with that same TPC Spec number. That way
your vehicle will continue to have tires that are designed
to give proper endurance, handling, speed rating,
traction, ride and other things during normal service on
your vehicle. If your tires have an all-season tread
design, the TPC number will be followed by
an “MS”
(for mud and snow).
If you ever replace your tires with those not having
a
TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same size,
load range, speed rating and construction type (bias,
bias-belted or radial) as your original tires.