warning light CHEVROLET S10 1996 2.G Owners Manual

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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 EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
BURNS
SPARK
OR ,111,
COULD FLAME
EXPLODE BATTERY
These symbols are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your vehicle
is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN SEAT
BELTS
POWER
WINDOW
These symbols have
to do with
your lights:
SIGNALS e
TURN
RUNNING
* 0
DAYTIME -
LAMPS '.*
FOG LAMPS $0
These symbols
are on some
of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER
VENTILATING FAN
These symbols are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(0)
COOLANT a
ENGINE PRESSURE OIL e,
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER
m
HORN k3
SPEAKER
b
FUEL B3
V

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.
lr Pull the BRAKE RELEASE
lever. It is located on the
bottom driver’s side of
the
instrument panel.
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 you must park on a hill,
see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to do first
to keep the trailer from moving.
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Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
This part describes. the warning lights and gages that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause
an
expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your waxking lights and gages could also save you or
others from injury.
’
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions.
As you
will see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briefly when’you start the
engine just to let you know they’re working. If you are
familiar with this section, you should not be alarmed
when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages and
warning lights work together to let you know when
there’s a problem with your vehicle.
i
When one.of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you
are driving, or when one of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check the section that tells you
what to do about it. Please follow this manual’s advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
-- and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They’re a big help.
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to RUN or START, a tone will
come on for about eight seconds to rernind people to
fasten their safety belts, unless the driver’s safety belt
is
already buckled.
The safety belt light will
also come on and stay on
for about
20 seconds, then
it will flash for about
55 seconds. If the driver’s
belt is already buckled,
neither the tone nor the
light will come on.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Voltmeter
‘When your engine is not
ninning, but the ignition
is
on (in the RUN position),
this gage shows your
battery’s state of charge in
DC volts. You
can only drive for a short time with the reading in
either warning zone.
If you must drive, turn off all
unnecessary accessories.
Readings in either warning zone indicate a possible
problem
in the electrical system. Have the vehicle
serviced as soon as possible.
Brake System Warning Light
When the engine is running, the gage shows the
condition of the charging system. Readings between the
low and high warning zones indicate the normal
operating range.

Readings in the low warning zone may occur when a
large number
of electrical accessories are operating in
the vehicle and the engine
is left at an idle for an
extended period. This condition is normal since the
charging system is not able to provide full power at
engine idle. As engine speeds are increased, this
condition should correct itself as higher engine speeds
allow the charging system to create maximum power. Your
vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts.
If one part isn’t working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there could be a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come
on briefly when you turn
the ignition key to RUN.
If it doesn’t come on then, BRAKE
have it fixed so it will be
ready to
warn you if there’s
2-55

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If the light c.omes on while you are driving, 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. If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your Vehicle”
in the Index.)
A CAUTION:
I
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light
is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident. If the light is still on after you’ve
pulled
off the road and stopped carefully, have
the vehicle towed for service.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you
set your parking brake. The
light will stay
on if your parking brake doesn’t release
fully.
If it stays on after your parking brake is fully
released, it means you have a brake problem.
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.
If the light stays on, or
comes on when you’re driving,
your vehicle needs service. If the regular brake system
warning light isn’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 part.
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.
2-56

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Check Gages Light
The CHECK GAGES light
will come on briefly when
you are starting the engine.
CHECK
GAGES
If the light comes on and stays on while you are driving,
check your coolant temperature and engine oil pressure
gages to see if they are
in the warning zones.
Fuel Gage
When the ignition is on, the
fuel gage tells
you about
how much fuel
you
have remaining.
Here are four things that some owners ask about. None
of these show a problem with your fuel gage:
At the gas station, the gas pump shuts off before the
It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the
gage reads
FULL (F).
gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took a
little more or less than half the tank’s capacity to fill
the tank.
The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
speed up.
The gage doesn’t go back to EMPTY (E) when you
turn off the ignition.
2-62

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
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.
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay
on.
See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” in
the Index.
4-6

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine City Driving One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic
on them. You'll want to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention to
traffic signals.
Here
are ways to increase your safety in city driving:
Know the best way to get to where you are
going. Get
a city map and plan your trip into an
unknown part
of the city just as you would for a
cross-country trip.
Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most
large cities.
You'll save time and energy. (See the
next part, "Freeway Driving.")
Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic light
is there because the corner is busy enough to need it.
When a light turns green,
and just before you start to
move, check both ways for vehicles that have not
cleared the intersection or may be running the
red light.
4-32

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Winter Driving Include an ice scraper, a small brush, or broom, a supply
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight, a red cloth and a
couple
of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will
be driving under severe conditions, include
a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items
in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet the
road probably have good traction.
However, if there
is snow or ice between your tires and
the road,
you can have a very slippery situation. You’ll
have a
lot less traction or “grip” and will need to be
very careful.
Here are some tips for winter driving:
0 Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
0 You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your vehicle.
4-37

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A 50/50 mixture of water and the proper coolant for
your vehicle will:
Give freezing protection down to -34°F (-37°C).
Give boiling protection up to 265 “F ( 129°C).
Protect against rust and corrosion.
Help keep the proper engine temperature.
0 Let the warning lights and gages work as
they should.
NOTICE:
~~ ~~~~ ~ ~~
When adding coolant it is important that you use
DEX-COOL (orange-colored, silicate-free)
coolant meeting GM Specification 6277M.
If silicated coolant is added to the system,
premature engine, heater core or radiator
corrosion may result. In addition, the engine
coolant
will require change sooner -- at
30,000 miles (50 000 km) or 24 months,
whichever occurs first. What to
Use
Use a mixture of one-half
clean water (preferably
distilled) and one-half DEX-COOL (orange-colored,
silicate-free) antifreeze that meets GM Specification
6277M’ which won’t damage aluminum parts. Use
GM Engine Coolant Supplement (sealer) (GM Part
No. 3634621) with any complete coolant change. If you
use this mixture, you don’t need to add anything else.
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid like alcohol, can boil before the proper
coolant mix will. Your vehicle’s coolant warning
system is set for the proper coolant mix. With
plain water or the wrong mix, your engine could
get too hot but you wouldn’t get the overheat
warning. Your engine could catch fire and you or
others could be burned. Use
a 50/50 mix of clean
water and
DEX-COOL (orange-colored,
silicate-free) antifreeze.
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