engine CHEVROLET ASTRO 1998 2.G Owners Manual
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: CHEVROLET, Model Year: 1998, Model line: ASTRO, Model: CHEVROLET ASTRO 1998 2.GPages: 414, PDF Size: 21.46 MB
Page 111 of 414

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I 
I 
Engine Exhaust 
A CAUTION: 
Engine  exhaust  can  kill. It contains  the  gas 
carbon  monoxide 
(CO), which  you can’t  see  or 
smell. 
It can  cause  unconsciousness  and  death. 
You  might  have  exhaust  coming  in 
if: 
0 Your  exhaust  system  sounds  strange 
0 Your vehicle  gets  rusty  underneath. 
0 Your vehicle  was  damaged  in a collision. 
0 Your vehicle  was  damaged  when  driving 
over  high  points  on  the  road  or  over 
road  debris.  or  different. 
0 Repairs  weren’t  done  correctly. 
0 Your  vehicle  or  exhaust  system  had  been 
If you ever  suspect  exhaust is coming  into 
your  vehicle: 
0 Drive  it  only  with  all  the  windows  down  to 
Have  your  vehicle  fixed  immediately. 
modified  improperly. 
blow  out  any  CO;  and 
Running  Your Engine  While 
You’re  Parked 
It’s better  not to park with  the  engine running.  But  if 
ever 
you have  to, here  are some things tn knr)w. 
~ 
/11 CAUTION: 
Idling  the  engine  with the air system  control 
off could  allow  dangerous  exhaust  into  your 
vehicle  (see the  earlier  Caution  under 
“Engine  Exhaust”). 
Also,  idling  in 
a closed-in  place  can  let  deadly 
carbon  monoxide 
(CO) into  your  vehicle  even  if 
the  fan  switch  is 
at the  highest setting. One  place 
this  can  happen  is 
a garage.  Exhaust -- with 
CO -- can  come  in easily. NEVER park in a 
garage  with the  engine  running. 
Another  closed-in  place  can  be  a  blizzard.  (See 
“Blizzard”  in  the  Index.) 
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Page 112 of 414

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A CAUTION: 
It  can be dangerous  to  get out  of your  vehicle  if 
the  shift  lever  is  not  fully in 
PARK (P) with the 
parking  brake  firmly  set. Your vehicle can roll. 
Don’t  leave  your  vehicle when  the  engine  is 
running  unless you have  to.  If  you’ve  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  and 
move  the  shift  lever  to 
PARK  (P). 
Locking Rear  Axle (Option) 
If  you have  this  feature,  your  locking  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,  this  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. 
Follow 
the proper  steps  to be  sure  your  vehicle  won’t 
move.  See “Shifting  Into 
PARK (P)” in  the  Index. 
If  you’re  pulling  a trailer,  see  “Towing  a Trailer’’  in 
the  Index. 
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. 
2-2s   
Page 113 of 414

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Windows 
Manual  Windows 
To open  your manual windows, turn the hand crank on 
each door to raise  or lower your side door windows. 
Power  Windows  (Option) 
If you  have the optional power windows, the controls 
are  on  each of the front side doors.  The driver’s door  has 
a switch  for the front passenger window as well.  Your 
power windows  will not move unless the ignition has 
been turned to RUN or  ACCESSORY. 
Express-Down Window 
The driver’s window switch also has  an express-down 
feature that allows  you to lower  it without holding the 
window switch. Press and hold the  side 
of driver’s 
window switch marked  AUTO for one  second to 
activate the express-down feature.  The express-down 
feature can be interrupted  at  any time by pressing the  up 
arrow end  of the switch. Lightly tap the switch to open 
the  window  slightly. 
Swing-Out  Windows 
To open  your swing-out 
windows, pull up on the 
latch and  push the 
window out. 
To close the  window, pull the latch toward  you  and  push 
it down.   
Page 114 of 414

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ~r- 
It  can  be  dangerous  to  drive with the  rear 
swing-out  windows,  rear  hatch  or  rear  doors 
open  because  carbon  monoxide  (CO)  gas  can  come  into  your  vehicle. You can’t  see or smell 
CO. It can  cause  unconsciousness  and even  death. 
If you must  drive  with the  rear  swing-out 
windows,  rear  hatch  or  rear  doors  open or if 
electrical  wiring  or  other  cable  connections  must 
pass  through  the 
seal between  the  body and  the 
rear  swing-out  windows,  rear  hatch  or 
rear  doors: 
Make  sure  all  windows are  shut. 
lbrn the  fan  on  your  heating  or  cooling 
system  to  its  highest  speed  with  the  setting 
on  anything  but 
MAX A/C.  That  will force 
outside 
air into  your  vehicle. See “Comfort 
Controls”  in  the  Index. 
instrument  panel,  open  them  all  the  way. 
If you  have air  outlets  on  or  under  the 
See  “Engine  Exhaust”  in  the  Index. 
Horn 
To sound the horn,  press the horn  symbols on the 
steering  wheel. 
Tilt Wheel (If Fqllipped] 
A tilt  steering  wheel  allows  you  to adjust  the steering 
wheel  before 
you drive. 
You can  also  raise  it  to the highest  level to give your 
legs  more  room  when  you  exit  and  enter the vehicle. 
To tilt  the  wheel,  hold  the  steering wheel  and  pull  the 
lever.  Move 
the steering  wheel to a  comfortable  level, 
then  release  the  lever 
to lock  the  wheel in place. 
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Page 115 of 414

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever 
The lever on the driver’s  side of the steering column 
includes  your: 
Turn and Lane Change Signals 
Headlamp  HighLow Beam Changer 
0 Windshield  Wipers 
0 Windshield  Washer 
0 Cruise Control (Option) 
Turn  and  Lane  Change  Signals 
The turn  signal  has two  upward  (for right)  and two 
downward (for left)  positions. These positions  allow 
you to signal a turn or a lane change. 
To  signal  a turn,  move  the  lever  all  the way  up 
or down.  When  the  turn  is  finished, the lever  will 
return  automatically. 
An arrow on  the instrument 
panel  will  flash in the 
direction 
of the  turn  or 
lane change. 
To signal  a lane change,  just raise  or lower the lever 
until  the  arrow starts to flash.  Hold it there  until 
you 
complete your lane change.  The lever will return  by 
itself  when 
you release  it. 
-~ 2-31   
Page 116 of 414

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the  arrows  don’t 
flash  but  just stay  on, a  signal  bulb may  be  burned  out 
and  other drivers  won’t see your  turn  signal. 
If  a bulb  is  burned 
out, replace it to  help  avoid  an 
accident.  If the  arrows  don’t  go 
on at  all  when you 
signal a turn,  check  the  fuse (see  “Fuses  and  Circuit 
Breakers”  in  the  Index)  and for burned-out  bulbs. 
Windshield  Wipers 
You control  the  windshield 
wipers  by  turning 
the band 
with  the  wiper  symbol  on  it. 
- .- .. For a single-wiping  cycle, 
a turn  the  band  to  MIST.  Hold m 
If  you  have  a trailer  towing  option  with  added  wiring  for 
the  trailer  lamps,  a different  turn  signal  flasher  is  used. 
With  this  flasher  installed,  the  signal  indicator 
will flash 
even  if 
a turn  signal  bulb  is burned  out.  Check  the  front 
and  rear  turn  signal  lamps regularly 
to make  sure  they  it there 
until  the  wipers 
start,  then  let  go. The  wipers 
will  stop  after 
one wipe.  If 
you want  more  wipes,  hold 
the  band  on  MIST  longer. 
are  working. 
Headlamp  HighLow Beam Changer between  wipes.  This can  be  very  useful  in  light  rain  or 
To change the  headlamps  from low  beam to high  or  high closer to Low, the shorter the delay, 
to  low, 
pull the  multifunction  lever all  the  way  toward  You 
can set  the  wiper  speed  for a long or short  delay 
snow.  Turn  the  band 
to choose  the  delay  time.  The 
you.  Then  release  it. 
When  the  high  beams are 
on, this  indicator  light  on 
the  instrument  panel  also 
will  be 
on. 
For  steady  wiping  at low speed,  turn  the  band  away 
from 
you to LOW.  For  high-speed  wiping,  turn  the  band 
further,  to  HIGH. 
To stop  the  wipers,  move  the  band 
to OFF. 
Be sure to clear  ice  and  snow from  the  wiper  blades 
before  using  them.  If they’re  frozen 
to the  windshield, 
carefully  loosen  or thaw  them.  If your  blades  do become 
worn  or  damaged,  get  new  blades  or blade  inserts. 
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Page 117 of 414

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Windshield Washer 
At the  top  of  the multifunction  lever,  there’s a paddle 
marked  with  the  windshield  washer symbol and 
PUSH. To spray  washer fluid on the windshield, 
press  the  paddle. 
I / CAUTION: 
In  freezing  weather,  don’t  use  your  washer  until 
the  windshield 
is warmed.  Otherwise  the  washer 
fluid  can  form  ice  on the  windshield,  blocking 
your  vision. 
The  wipers  will  clear the window  and  then either stop  or 
return  to your  preset  speed. 
Rear  Window  WasherNViper  (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. 
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Page 118 of 414

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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  (Option) 
With cruise  control, you can maintain a speed of about 
25 mph (40 km/h) 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 kmk). 
When you apply your brakes,  the  cruise control 
shuts  off. 
A CAUTION: I 
- 
Cruise  control  can  be  dan-  rous 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 
Setting  Cruise  Control 
1 A CAUTION: 
If y - __ leave  your  cruise  control  switch on when 
you’re  not  using  cruise,  you might  hit 
a button 
and  go into  cruise  when  you don’t  want  to. You 
could  be  startled  and  even lose control.  Keep  the 
cruise  control  switch 
off until you want to use  it.   
Page 119 of 414

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 1. Move  the cruise control switch  to ON. 
2. Get up  to  the speed you want. 
3. Press  in the SET button 
at the end of the  lever 
and  release it. 
4. Take  your foot off the accelerator pedal. 
Resuming a Set Speed 
Suppose  you  set  your  cruise control  at a desired  speed 
and  then  you apply the brake.  This, 
of course, shuts off 
the cruise control.  But you don’t need to reset it. 
. . ...., Once  you’re  going  about 
25 mph (40 km/h) or more, 
you can move the cruise 
control switch  from 
ON 
to R/A  for about 
You’ll  go right  back  up to your  chosen  speed  and 
stay  there. 
Remember,  if  you  hold the switch  at  R/A  longer than 
1 
1/2 seconds,  the vehicle  will keep  going  faster until 
you release  the  switch  or apply  the  brake. So unless you 
want  to go  faster,  don’t  hold 
the switch  at R/A. 
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Page 120 of 414

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Incr-- 19 Speed  While  Using  Cruise  Cont---t1 
The  two ways to go to a higher  speed: 
Use the accelerator  pedal to get to the  higher  speed. 
Press  the  button  at  the  end 
of the  lever,  then  release 
the  button  and  the  accelerator  pedal.  You’ll  now 
cruise  at  the  higher  speed. 
Move the cruise  switch  from ON to WA. Hold it 
there  until  you  get  up to the  speed you want,  and 
then  release  the  switch.  (To  increase  your  speed  in 
very  small  amounts, move  the  switch  to 
R/A for less 
than 
3/4 of  a second.  Each time you do this,  your 
vehicle  will  go about 
1 mph (1.6 kdh)  faster.) 
Reducing  Speed  While  Using  Cruise  Control 
There are two  ways  to reduce  your  speed  while  using 
cruise control: 
Press  the  button  at  the  end  of  the lever  until  you 
reach  the  lower  speed  you  want,  then  release  it. 
To slow  down  in  very  small  amounts, press  the 
button  for less  than  half 
a second. Each  time  you do 
this,  you’ll  go 
1 mph (1.6 kmh) slower. 
Passing  Another  Vehicle  While  Using  Cruise  Control 
Use  the  accelerator  pedal  to increase  your  speed.  When 
you  take  your  foot off  the  pedal,  your  vehicle  will  slow 
down  to the  cruise  control  speed  you  set  earlier. 
Using  Cruise  Control  on  Hills 
How  well  your  cruise  control  will  work  on hills  depends 
upon  your  speed,  load  and  the  steepness 
of the  hills. 
When  going  up  steep  hills,  you  may  want  to step on the 
accelerator  pedal  to  maintain  your  speed.  When  going 
downhill, 
you may  have  to brake  or shift  to a lower  gear 
to  keep  your  speed  down.  Of course,  applying  the  brake 
takes 
you out of cruise  control.  Many  drivers  find this to 
be  too  much  trouble  and  don’t 
use cruise  control  on 
steep  hills. 
Ending  Cruise  Control 
There  are two  ways to turn  off  the  cruise  control: 
Step  lightly on the  brake  pedal. 
0 Move  the  cruise switch  to OFF. 
Erasing  Speed  Memory 
When you turn  off  the  cruise control  or the  ignition, 
your  cruise  control  set  speed  memory  is  erased. 
2-36