brakes CHEVROLET CAVALIER 1995 3.G Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Ensure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) range before
starting the engine. Your Chevrolet has
a
brake-transaxle 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)
and also release the shift lever button on floor shift
console models as
you maintain brake application. Then
move the shift lever into the gear you
wish. (Press the
shift lever button before moving the shift lever.) See
“Shifting
Out of PARK (P)” in the Index.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your transaxle. 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 transaxle, see “If
You’re Stuck: In Sand,
Mud, Ice or Snow” in the Index.
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.
2-15

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
i I NOTICE: I
Damage to your transaxle caused by shifting out
of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) with the engine
racing isn’t covered
by your warranty.
j
Forward Gears (Three Speed)
DRIVE (D): This position is for normal driving.
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.
Don’t drive in SECOND (2) for more than
5 miles (8 km), or at speeds over 55 mph
(88 km/h), or you can damage your transaxle.
Use
DRIVE @) as much as possible. Don’t shift
into SECOND
(2) unless you are going slower
than
65 mph (105 km/h), or you can damage your
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 transaxle won’t
shift into first gear until the vehicle is going slowly
enough.
2-16

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
If your front 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 transaxle. Also, if
you stop when going uphill, don’t hold your
vehicle there with only the accelerator pedal. This
could overheat and damage the transaxle. Use
your brakes or shift into
PARK (P) to hold your
vehicle in position on
a hill.
Forward Gears (Four Speed)
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D): This position is for
normal driving with
the four speed automatic transaxle.
If
you need more power for passing, and you’re:
0 Going less than about 35 mph (56 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
0 Going about 35 mph (56 kmh), push your
accelerator all
the way down.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, however,
it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D). Here
are some times you might choose THIRD
(3) instead of
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D):
0 When driving on hilly, winding roads.
0 When towing a trailer, so there is less shifting
between gears.
0 When going down a steep hill.
SECOND (2): This position gives you more power out
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.
NOTICE:
Don’t drive in SECOND (2) for more than
5 miles (8 km), or at speeds over 55 mph
(88 km/h), or you can damage your transaxle.
Use AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(D), THIRD (3)
or DRIVE (D) as much as possible. Don’t shift into
SECOND
(2) unless you are going slower than 65
mph (105 km/h), or you can damage your engine.
2-17

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 (1)’ the transaxle won’t
shift into first gear until the vehicle is going slowly
enough.
NOTICE:
If your front 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 transaxle. Also, if
you stop when going uphill, don’t hold your
vehicle there with only the accelerator pedal. This
could overheat and damage the transaxle. Use
your brakes or shift into
PARK (P) to hold your
vehicle in position on
a hill.
Manual Transaxle
2-18

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine To set the parking brake, hold the brake pedal down and
pull up on the parking brake lever. If the ignition
is on,
the brake system warning light will come on.
To release the parking brake, hold the brake pedal down.
Pull the parking brake lever up until you can press the
release button.
Hold the release button in as you move
the brake lever all the way down.
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.
Shifting Pnto PARK (P) (Automatic
Transaxle Models Only)
1. Hold the brake pedal down and set the parking
brake.
2-22

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Torque Lock (Automatic Transaxle)
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift. your
transaxle into PARK (P) properly, the weight
of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transaxle. You may find it difficult to pull the shift
lever
out of PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.” To
prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift
into PARK (P) properly before you leave the driver’s
seat.
To find out how, see “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in
the Index.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever
out of
PARK (P) before you release the parking brake.
If “torque lock” does occur,
you may need to have
another vehicle push yours a little uphill
to take some of
the pressure from the transaxle, so you can pull the shift
lever out of
PARK (P).
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
(Automatic Transaxle)
Your Chevrolet has a brake-transaxle shift interlock.
You have
to fully apply your regular brakes before you
can shift from PARK
(P) when the ignition is in the
RUN position. See “Automatic Transaxle” in the Index.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever -- push the shift lever all the way into
PARK
(P) and also release the shift lever button on floor
shift console models as you maintain brake application.
Then move the shift lever into the gear
you wish. (Press
the shift lever button before moving the shift lever.)
If you ever hold the brake pedal down but still can’t
shift out
of PARK (P), try this:
1. Turn the key to OFF.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the drive gear you
want.
5. Have the vehicle fixed as soon as you can.
Parking Your Vehicle (Manual Transaxle)
Before you get out of your vehicle, put your manual
transaxle
in REVERSE (R) and firmly apply the parking
brake.
2-24

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 km/h).
When
you apply your brakes, or the clutch pedal, the
cruise control shuts
off.
2-33

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
1 With the anti-lock brake
’ system, this light will come
on when you start your
engine and it will stay on
for three seconds. That’s
normal.
If the light doesn’t come on, have it fixed
so it will be
ready to warn you if there is a problem.
If the light flashes when you’re driving,
you don’t have
anti-lock brakes and there could be a problem with your
regular brakes. Pull off the road and stop carefully. You
may notice that the pedal is harder to push. Or, the pedal
may
go closer to the floor. It may take longer to stop.
Have the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your
Vehicle” in the Index.) If
the anti-lock brake system warning light stays on
longer than normal after you’ve started your engine, turn
the ignition off. Or, if the light comes on and stays on
when you’re driving, stop as soon as possible and turn
the ignition
off. Then start the engine again to reset the
system. If the light still stays on, or comes
on again
while you’re driving, your Chevrolet needs service.
If
the light is on but not flashing and the regular brake
system warning light isn’t on,
you still have brakes, but
you don’t have anti-lock brakes.
2-63

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.
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
3/4 of a second, a vehicle
moving at
60 mph (100 kdh) 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.
4-5

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 Chevrolet has an advanced electronic braking
system that will help prevent
a braking skid.
This light on
the
instrument panel will
come on briefly when
you start your vehicle.
When you start
your vehicle, or when you begin to drive
away,
you may hear a momentary motor or clicking
noise. And you may even notice that
your brake pedal
moves
a little while this is going on. This is the ABS
system testing itself. If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system,
the anti-lock brake system
warning light will stay
on or flash.
See “Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light” in the
Index.