Index CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1997 1.G Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The 1997 Chevrolet Express Owner’s Manual
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Seats and Restraint Systems
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the “SIR” system.
Features and Controls
This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle,
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system.
Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
Problems on the Road
This section tells what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc.
Service and Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking good.
Maintenance Schedule
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
Customer Assistance Information
This section tells you how to contact Chevrolet for assistance and how to get service and owner publications.
It
also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page 8- IO.
Index
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something
you want to read.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine How to Use this Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to end when they first receive their new vehicle. If
you
do this, it will help you learn about the features and
controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll find
that pictures and words work together to explain
things quickly.
Index
A good place to look for what you need is the Index
in the back
of the manual. It’s an alphabetical list of
all that’s in the manual, and the page number where
you’ll find it.
Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will find a number of safety cautions in this book.
We use a box and the word CAUTION
to tell you
about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore
the warning.
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then
we tell
you what to do to help avoid or reduce the
hazard. Please read these cautions.
If you don’t, you or
others could be
hurt.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your vehicle has a light that
comes on as a reminder to
buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light”
in
the Index.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety lbelts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you dlon’t know
if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle
up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than
25 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear.
In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose
it’s just a seat on wheels.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine @’ If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home,
why should I wear safety belts?
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident
-- even one that isn’t your fault -- you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being
a good driver
doesn’t protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries and deaths occur at speeds
of less than 40 mph
(65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size. Be aware that there are special things to
know about safety
belts and children. And there are different rules for smaller
children and babies. If a child will be riding
in your
vehicle, see the part
of this manual called “Children.”
Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.
First,
you’ll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see “Seats” in the Index)
so you can sit up straight.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If your vehicle has an air bag for the right front
passenger, please read this:
a CAW TICl J:
An inflating air bag can seriously injure small
children. Always secure children properly in your vehicle.
To read how, see the part of this manual
called “Children” and the caution label on the
right front passenger’s safety belt.
AIR
BAG
There is an air bag readiness
light on the instrument
panel, which shows
AIR BAG.
The system checks the air bag electrical system Tor
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See
“Air Bag Readiness Light” in the Index
for more information.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 0 Let only qualified technicians work on your air bag
system. Improper service can mean that your air
bag system won’t work properly. See your dealer
for service.
NOTICE:
If you damage the covering for the driver’s or the
right front passenger’s air bag, the bag may not
work properly. You may have to replace the air
bag module in the steering wheel or both the
air
bag module and the instrument panel for the
right front passenger’s air bag.
Do not open or
break the air bag coverings.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle
Air bags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the air bag system in several places
around your vehicle. You don’t want the system to
inflate while someone is working on your vehicle.
Your
GM dealer and the GM Service Manual have
information about servicing your vehicle and the air bag
system.
To purchase a service manual, see “Service and
Owner Publications’’
in the Index.
For up to 10 minutes after the ignition key is
turned off and the battery is disconnected, an air
bag can still inflate during improper service. You
can be injured
if you are close to an air bag when
it inflates. Avoid wires wrapped with yellow tape
or yellow connectors. They are probably part of
the
air bag system. Be sure to follow proper
service procedures, and make sure the person
performing work for you
is qualified to do so.
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Adding Equipment to Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle
@’ If I add a push bumper or a bicycle rack to the
front of my vehicle, will it keep the air bags
from working properly?
A: As long as the push bumper or bicycle rack is
attached to your vehicle
so that the vehicle’s basic
structure isn’t changed, it’s not likely to keep the
air bags from working properly in a crash.
@ Is there anything I might add to the front of the
vehicle that could keep the air bags from
working properly?
A: Yes. If you add things that change your vehicle’s
fiame, bumper system, front end sheet metal or
height, they may keep the
air bag system from
working properly.
Also, the air bag system may not
work properly if you relocate any of the
air bag
sensors.
If you have any questions about this, you
should contact Customer Assistance before you
mod@ your vehicle. (The phone numbers and addresses for Customer Assistance are in Step Two of
the Customer Satisfaction Procedure in this manual.
See “Customer Satisfaction Procedure” in the Index.)
Rear Seat Passengers
It’s very important for rear seat passengers to buckle up!
Accident statistics show that unbelted people in the rear
seat are hurt more often in crashes than those who
are
wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who aren’t safety belted can be thrown
out of the vehicle in a crash. And
they can strike others
in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier part
about the top strap if the child restraint has one.
1.
2.
3.
4.
If your vehicle has a front passenger air bag, always
move the seat as far back as it will go before
securing a forward-facing child restraint. (See
“Seats” in the Index.)
Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions
for the child restraint.
Secure the child in the child restraint as the
instructions say.
Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle’s safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
If the shoulder belt goes in front of the child’s face or
neck, put it behind the child restraint.
.. 1
5. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is
positioned
so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Both rear doors can be opened past 90 degrees by
opening the doors past the first detent
(90 degrees open),
then opening fully.
To close the rear doors, close the driver side rear door
first. Then, close the passenger side rear door. Check
to
make sure both doors are completely closed.
I-
It can be dangerous to drive with the 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.
CAUTION: (Continued) CAUTION:
(Continued)
I
If you must drive with the rear doors open or if
electrical wiring or other cable connections must
pass through the seal between the body and the
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 VENT, HEAT, BLEND or DEF.
Additionally, on vehicles with heatingair
conditioning systems, NORM A/C or
BI-LEV A/C can
be used. 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine New Vehicle “Break-In”
NOTICE:
Your modern vehicle doesn’t need an elaborate
“break-in.” But it will perform better in the long
run if you follow these guidelines:
Keep your speed at 55 mph (88 kmh) or
less for the first
500 miles (805 km).
Don’t drive at any one speed -- fast or
slow
-- for the first 500 miles (805 km).
Don’t make full-throttle starts.
200 miles (322 km) or so. During this time
your new brake linings aren’t yet broken
in. Hard stops with new linings can mean
premature wear and earlier replacement.
Follow this breaking-in guideline every
time you get new brake linings.
See “Towing
a Trailer” in the Index for
more information.
Avoid making hard stops for the first
Don’t tow a trailer during break-in.
Ignition Switch
Your key lets you turn the ignition switch to
five different positions.
C
ACCESSORY (A): ACCESSORY lets you use things
like the radio, power windows and the windshield wipers
when the engine is
off. To get into ACCESSORY, push in
the key and turn
it toward you. Your steering wheel will
remain locked, just
as it was before you inserted the key.