brakes CHEVROLET ASTRO 1997 2.G Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EVES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,111,
COULD FLAME
EXPLODE BATTERY
These symbols are important
for you and
your passengers whenever your
vehicle
is
driven:
UNLOCK Esl
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
POWER
WINDOW
These symbols have
to do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS 6 e
TURN
FOG LAMPS
$0
These symbols
are
on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
These symbols are used
on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(0)
R.
ENGINE OIL w,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols you may see:
FUSE
I
LIGHTER m
HORN )a(
SPEAKER
b
FUEL e3
V

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to.
If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured.
To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, even when you’re on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake anc
move the shift lever to
PARK (P).
See “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in the Index. If
you’re pulling
a trailer, see “Towing a Trailer”
in the Index.
Ensure the shift lever is
fully in PARK (P)
before starting the engine. Your vehicle has a
brake-transmission shift interlock.
You have to fully
apply your regular brakes before you can shift from
PARK
(P) when the ignition key is in the RUN position.
If you cannot shift out
of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever
-- push the shift lever all the way into
PARK
(P) as you maintain brake application. Then
move the shift lever into the gear
you wish. See
“Shifting Out of PARK (P)” in this section.
NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your
transmission. Shift to
REVERSE (R) only after
your vehicle is stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transmission, see
“Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow” in the Index.
2-20

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine doesn’t
connect with the wheels.
To restart when you’re
already moving,
use NEUTRAL (N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.
I
Shifting out of PARK (P) or NEU’I AL (N) while
your engine is “racing” (running at high speed)
is
dangerous. Unless your foot is firmly on the
brake pedal, your vehicle could move very
rapidly.
You could lose control and hit people or
objects. Don’t shift out of PARK (P) or
NEUTRAL
(N) while your engine is racing.
NOTICE:
Damage to your transmission caused by shifting
out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL
(N) with the
engine racing isn’t covered by your warranty. DRIVE
(D):
This position is for normal driving. If you
need more power for passing, and you’re:
0 Going less than about 35 mph (56 kmk), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
0 Going about 35 mph (56 kdh) or more, push the
accelerator pedal all the way down. You’ll shift
down
to the next gear and have more power.
DRIVE
(D) should be used for normal towing.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, however
it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than DRIVE (D).
You should use THIRD (3)
when carrying a heavy load or driving on steep hills.
SECOND (2): This position gives you more power but
lower
fuel economy. You can use SECOND (2) on hills.
It can help control your speed as
you go down steep
mountain roads, but then
you would also want to use
your brakes
off and on.
If you manually select SECOND
(2), the transmission
will drive in second gear.
You may use this feature
for reducing torque to the rear wheels when you are
trying
to start your vehicle from a stop on slippery
road surfaces.
2-21

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy) than
SECOND (2). You can
use it
on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the
selector lever is put in FIRST
(l), the transmission
won’t shift into first gear until the vehicle is going
slow enough.
NOTICE:
If your rear wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if you were stuck in
very deep sand or mud or were up against
a solid
object. You could damage your transmission or
transfer case or both.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the transmission. Use your brakes or shift into
PARK
(P) to hold your vehicle in position
on a hill.
Locking Rear Axle
If you have this feature, your rear axle can give you
additional traction on snow, mud, ice, sand or gravel. It
works like a standard axle most of the time, but when
one
of the rear wheels has no traction and the other does,
the locking feature will allow the wheel with traction to
move the vehicle.
All-Wheel Drive (Option)
If your vehicle has
all-wheel drive, your
engine’s driving power
is sent to all four wheels
for extra traction.
This is like four-wheel drive, but there is
no separate
lever
or switch to engage or disengage the front axle.
It is fully automatic, and adjusts itself as needed
for
road conditions.
2-22

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Parking Brake
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot.
Push down the parking brake pedal with your left foot.
If the ignition is
on, the brake system warning light will
come
on.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down. Pull the brake release lever located on the
lower
left side of the steering column.
I NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and you could also damage other
parts
of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
see “Towing a Trailer’’ in the Index. That section shows
what
to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
2-23

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Rear Window WasherWiper (Option)
You control your rear
window washedwiper
from a switch on your
instrument panel, next to
the audio system.
To turn the wiper on, slide the switch all the way up.
For delay wiping, slide the switch even with the word
DELAY in the center position of the rear wiper control.
The wiper will cycle every
nine seconds.
To wash the window, push in on the switch, Window
washer fluid will continue to spray until the switch is
released. The wiper will continue with three more wipes
and then return to
the setting that was chosen before the
lever was pushed.
The rear window washer uses the same fluid bottle as
the front windshield washer. If the fluid level is low in
the washer bottle, you may not be able to wash your rear
window. If
you can wash your windshield, but not your
rear window, check the fluid level.
Cruise Control
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 kmh) or more without keeping your foot
on the accelerator. This can really help on long trips.
Cruise control does not work at speeds below about
25 mph (40 km/h).
When
you apply your brakes, the cruise control
shuts off.
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can’t drive safely at a steady speed.
So,
don’t use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
slippery roads. On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control. Don’t
use cruise control on slippery roads.
Cruise control can be dangerous on
2-34

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
ANTI -
LOCK
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will
come
on when you start
your engine and may stay
on for several seconds.
That’s normal.
Engine Co ~ ant Temperature Gage
If the gage pointer moves
to the red area, your engine
is
too hot!
If the light stays on, or comes on when you’re driving,
your vehicle needs service. If the regular brake system
warning lightisn’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 section.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn’t come
on then, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you if there
is a problem. 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.
In “Problems on
the Road,” this manual shows you what
to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
2-64

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
I 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 perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s
perception 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 or 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 314 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; the condition
of your brakes; the weight of the
vehicle and the amount
of brake force applied.
4-6

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
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 anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system
will check itself. You may
hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while this test
is going on. This
is normal.
ANTI -
LOCK
If there’s a problem with the
’ anti-lock brake system, this
warning light
will stay on.
1 See “Anti-Lock Brake
1 System Warning Light” in
I the Index.
4-7

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure
faster than any driver could. The computer
is
programmed to make the most of available tire and
road conditions.
4-8