Electrical CHEVROLET ASTRO CARGO VAN 2001 2.G User Guide

2-72
If the light stops flashing and remains on steady, see
ªIf the Light Is On Steadyº following.
If the light continues to flash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart the
engine. If the light remains on steady, see ªIf the Light
Is On Steadyº following. If the light is still flashing,
follow the previous steps, and drive the vehicle to your
dealer or qualified service center for service.
If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. See ªFilling Your Tankº in the Index. The
diagnostic system can determine if the fuel cap has been
left off or improperly installed. A loose or missing fuel
cap will allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. A
few driving trips with the cap properly installed should
turn the light off.Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel.
See ªFuelº in the Index. Poor fuel quality will cause your
engine not to run as efficiently as designed. You may
notice this as stalling after start
-up, stalling when you put
the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on acceleration
or stumbling on acceleration. (These conditions may go
away once the engine is warmed up.) This will be detected
by the system and cause the light to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.

4-37
Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience.
Before setting out for the open road, you'll want to get
to know your rig. Acquaint yourself with the feel of
handling and braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and not nearly as
responsive as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch and platform
(and attachments), safety chains, electrical connector,
lamps, tires and mirror adjustment. If the trailer has
electric brakes, start your vehicle and trailer moving and
then apply the trailer brake controller by hand to be sure
the brakes are working. This lets you check your
electrical connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be sure that the
load is secure, and that the lamps and any trailer brakes
are still working.Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as you
would when driving your vehicle without a trailer. This
can help you avoid situations that require heavy braking
and sudden turns.
Passing
You'll need more passing distance up ahead when
you're towing a trailer. And, because you're a good deal
longer, you'll need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand.
Then, to move the trailer to the left, just move that hand
to the left. To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly and, if
possible, have someone guide you.

4-40 Trailer Wiring Harness
If you have the optional trailering package, your vehicle
will have an eight
-wire harness, including the center
high
-mounted stoplamp battery feed wire. The harness
is stored on the passenger's side of the vehicle near the
rear wheel well. This harness has a 30 amp battery feed
wire and no connector, and should be wired by a
qualified electrical technician. After choosing an
aftermarket trailer mating connector pair, have the
technician attach one connector to the eight
-wire trailer
harness and the other connector to the wiring harness on
the trailer. Be sure the wiring harness on the trailer is
taped or strapped to the trailer's frame rail and leave it
loose enough so the wiring doesn't bend or break, but
not so loose that it drags on the ground. The eight
-wire
harness must be routed out of your vehicle between the
rear door and the floor, with enough of the harness left
on both sides so that the trailer or the body won't pull it.
If you do not have the optional trailering package, your
vehicle will still have a trailering harness. The harness is
located near the passenger's side rear wheel well. It consists of six wires that may be used by after
-market
trailer hitch installers. The technician can use the
following color code chart when connecting the wiring
harness to your trailer.

Brown: Rear lamps.

Yellow: Left stoplamp and turn signal.

Dark Green: Right stoplamp and turn signal.

White (Heavy Gage): Ground.

Light Green: Back
-up lamps.

White (Light Gage): Center High
-Mounted Stoplamp.

Blue: Auxiliary circuit (eight
-wire harness only).

Orange: Fused auxiliary (eight
-wire harness only).
Store the harness in its original place. Wrap the
harness together and tie it neatly so it won't
be damaged.

5-4
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren't touching
each other. If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don't want. You wouldn't be able to
start your vehicle, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
the parking brake firmly on both vehicles involved in
the jump start procedure. Put an automatic
transmission in PARK (P) and a manual transmission
in NEUTRAL.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or accessory power outlets. Turn off all lamps
that aren't needed as well as radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries. In addition, it
could save your radio!
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn't be covered by
your warranty.
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries.
Find the positive (+) and negative (
-) terminals
on each battery.
CAUTION:
Using a match near a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded. Use a flashlight if
you need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough water. You don't
need to add water to the ACDelco
battery
installed in every new GM vehicle. But if a
battery has filler caps, be sure the right amount
of fluid is there. If it is low, add water to take care
of that first. If you don't, explosive gas could
be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don't get it on you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately.

5-6
8. Now connect the black
negative (
-) cable to
the good battery's
negative (
-) terminal.
Don't let the other end
touch anything until the
next step.
9. The other end of the negative (
-) cable does not go
to the dead battery. It goes to a heavy, unpainted
metal engine part, or negative (
-) jump starting stud
located near the battery.
The electrical connection is just as good there, but
the chance of sparks getting back to the battery is
much less.
10. Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run
the engine for a while.
11. Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery.
If it won't start after a few tries, it probably
needs service.Jumper Cable Removal
A. Heavy, Unpainted Metal Engine Part, or Negative (
-)
Jump Starting Stud
B. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery

6-
6-1
Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your vehicle. This section begins with service and fuel information,
and then it shows how to check important fluid and lubricant levels. There is also technical information about your
vehicle, and a part devoted to its appearance care.
6
-2 Service
6
-3 Fuel
6
-5 Filling Your Tank
6
-7 Filling a Portable Fuel Container
6
-8 Checking Things Under the Hood
6
-11 Engine Oil
6
-15 Engine Cover
6
-19 Engine Air Cleaner/Filter
6
-20 Automatic Transmission Fluid
6
-24 All-Wheel Drive (If Equipped)
6
-25 Rear Axle
6
-26 Engine Coolant
6
-29 Radiator Pressure Cap
6
-30 Power Steering Fluid
6
-30 Windshield Washer Fluid
6
-32 Brakes6
-35 Battery
6
-36 Bulb Replacement
6
-42 Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
6
-43 Tires
6
-51 Appearance Care
6
-51 Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle
6
-54 Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle
6
-56 Cleaning Tires
6
-57 Finish Damage
6
-57 Underbody Maintenance
6
-58 GM Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials
6
-59 Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
6
-59 Service Parts Identification Label
6
-60 Electrical System
6
-68 Capacities and Specifications
6
-69 Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts

6-17
4. Disconnect the electrical connectors and set the
extension aside.5. Grasp the top of the heater duct and pull down gently
to remove it.

6-19 Installing the Engine Cover
1. Lift the engine cover into the vehicle and slide it all
the way forward. Make sure the rubber seal is over
the latches.
2. Install the two bolts at the engine cover.
3. Put the heater duct over the engine cover studs. Push
up on the duct gently until it snaps into place.
4. Reconnect the electrical connectors.
5. Reconnect the AM radio ground strap.
6. Install the engine cover extension by gently
squeezing the sides and sliding it into place.
Make sure all of the fastener clips engage and the
extension fits properly in place. Install and tighten
the two screws.
7. Install the two nuts to secure the extension in place.
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine when to
replace the engine air cleaner/filter and the crankcase
ventilation filter.
See ªScheduled Maintenanceº in the Index.
See ªEngine Compartment Overviewº in the Index for
more information on location.
To remove the engine air cleaner/filter, do
the following:
1. Unsnap both clips.
2. Remove the top.
3. Change the filter.
4. Snap both clips to secure the engine air cleaner/filter.
Be sure the engine air cleaner/filter lid is correctly
positioned to seal out dust and contaminants that are
harmful to your engine.

6-60
Electrical System
Add-On Electrical Equipment
NOTICE:
Don't add anything electrical to your vehicle
unless you check with your dealer first. Some
electrical equipment can damage your vehicle
and the damage wouldn't be covered by your
warranty. Some add
-on electrical equipment
can keep other components from working as
they should.
Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting to
add anything electrical to your vehicle, see ªServicing
Your Air Bag
-Equipped Vehicleº in the Index.
Headlamp Wiring
The headlamp wiring is protected by a circuit breaker in
the lamp switch. An electrical overload will cause the
lamps to go on and off, or in some cases to remain off.
If this happens, have your headlamp wiring checked
right away.
Windshield Wiper Fuses
The windshield wiper motor is protected by a circuit
breaker and a fuse. If the motor overheats due to heavy
snow, etc., the wiper will stop until the motor cools. If
the overload is caused by some electrical problem and
not snow, etc., be sure to get it fixed.
Power Windows and Other Power Options
Circuit breakers in the fuse panel protect the power
windows and other power accessories. When the current
load is too heavy, the circuit breaker opens and closes,
protecting the circuit until the problem is fixed or
goes away.

6-61 Fuses and Circuit Breakers
The wiring circuits in your vehicle are protected from
short circuits by a combination of fuses, circuit breakers
and fusible thermal links. This greatly reduces the
chance of fires caused by electrical problems.
Look at the silver
-colored band inside the fuse. If the
band is broken or melted, replace the fuse. Be sure you
replace a bad fuse with a new one of the identical size
and rating.
Spare fuses and a fuse puller are located in the
underhood electrical center. You can remove fuses with
the fuse puller. Remember to replace any of the spare
fuses you use, so you will have some if you ever need
them again.If you ever have a problem on the road and don't have a
spare fuse, you can borrow one that has the same
amperage. Just pick some feature of your vehicle that
you can get along without
-- like the radio or cigarette
lighter
-- and use its fuse, if it is the correct amperage.
Replace it as soon as you can.
There are two fuse blocks in your vehicle: one is inside
the vehicle and one is in the engine compartment.