engine CHEVROLET S10 2003 2.G Owner's Guide

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 gage reads full.
·It takes a little more or less fuel to ®ll up than the
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
®ll the tank.
·The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
speed up.
·The gage doesn't go back to empty when you turn
off the ignition.
Low Fuel Warning Light
This light comes on brie¯y
when you start your
engine.
This light comes on when the fuel tank is low on fuel.
To turn if off, add fuel to the fuel tank. See
Filling Your
Tank on page 5-7.
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Audio System(s)
Notice:Before you add any sound equipment to
your vehicle ± like a tape player, CB radio, mobile
telephone or two-way radio ± be sure you can
add what you want. If you can, it's very important to
do it properly. Added sound equipment may
interfere with the operation of your vehicle's engine,
radio or other systems, and even damage them.
Your vehicle's systems may interfere with the
operation of sound equipment that has been added
improperly.
So, before adding sound equipment, check with
your dealer and be sure to check federal rules
covering mobile radio and telephone units.
Your audio system has been designed to operate easily
and to give years of listening pleasure. You will get
the most enjoyment out of it if you acquaint yourself with
it ®rst. Figure out which radio you have in your vehicle,
®nd out what your audio system can do and how to
operate all of its controls to be sure you're getting the
most out of the advanced engineering that went into it.Your vehicle has a feature called Retained Accessory
Power (RAP). With RAP, you can play your audio
system even after the ignition is turned off. See
ªRetained Accessory Power (RAP)º underIgnition
Positions on page 2-20.
Setting the Time for Radios without
Radio Data Systems (RDS)
Press and hold HR until the correct hour appears on the
display. Press and hold MN until the correct minute
appears on the display. To display the time with
the ignition off, press RECALL or HR/MN and the time
will be displayed for a few seconds. There is an
initial two-second delay before the clock goes into the
time-set mode.
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Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts Ð heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking Ð 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 Brake System
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. 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 on page 3-32
.
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Remember: Anti-lock doesn't change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always
decrease stopping distance. If you get too close to the
vehicle in front of you, you won't have time to apply
your brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops.
Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don't pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
®rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel
the brakes vibrate, or you may notice some noise, but
this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
Locking Rear Axle
If your vehicle has 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.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It's important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the ªdriver lost controlº accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here's why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves.
The traction of the tires against the road surface makes
it possible for the vehicle to change its path when
you turn the front wheels. If there's no traction, inertia
will keep the vehicle going in the same direction. If
you've ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you'll
understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve is banked, and your speed. While you're
in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control.
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If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want
the vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough,
your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready
for a second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety, you'll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration
or braking (including engine braking by shifting to a
lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires
to slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery
until your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues Ð such as enough water, ice or packed snow
on the road to make a ªmirrored surfaceº Ð and slow
down when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.Off-Road Driving with Your
Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle
This off-road guide is for vehicles that have four-wheel
drive.
Also, see
Anti-Lock BrakesunderBraking on page 4-6.
If your vehicle doesn't have four-wheel drive, you
shouldn't drive off-road unless you're on a level, solid
surface.
Off-road driving can be great fun. But it does have
some de®nite hazards. The greatest of these is
the terrain itself.
©Off-roading© means you've left the great North American
road system behind. Traffic lanes aren't marked.
Curves aren't banked. There are no road signs.
Surfaces can be slippery, rough, uphill or downhill. In
short, you've gone right back to nature.
Off-road driving involves some new skills. And that's
why it's very important that you read this guide.
You'll ®nd many driving tips and suggestions. These will
help make your off-road driving safer and more
enjoyable.
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Getting Familiar with Off-Road Driving
It's a good idea to practice in an area that's safe
and close to home before you go into the wilderness.
Off-road driving does require some new and different
skills. Here's what we mean.
Tune your senses to different kinds of signals. Your
eyes, for example, need to constantly sweep the terrain
for unexpected obstacles. Your ears need to listen
for unusual tire or engine sounds. With your arms,
hands, feet and body, you'll need to respond to
vibrations and vehicle bounce.Controlling your vehicle is the key to successful off-road
driving. One of the best ways to control your vehicle
is to control your speed. Here are some things to keep
in mind. At higher speeds:
·you approach things faster and you have less time
to scan the terrain for obstacles.
·you have less time to react.
·you have more vehicle bounce when you drive over
obstacles.
·you'll need more distance for braking, especially
since you're on an unpaved surface.
{CAUTION:
When you are driving off-road, bouncing and
quick changes in direction can easily throw
you out of position. This could cause you to
lose control and crash. So, whether you're
driving on or off the road, you and your
passengers should wear safety belts.
4-17

Q:What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or is
about to stall, and I can't make it up the hill?
A:If this happens, there are some things you should
do, and there are some things you must not do.
First, here's what you
shoulddo:
·Push the brake pedal to stop the vehicle and keep
it from rolling backwards. Also, apply the parking
brake.
·If your engine is still running, shift the transmission
to REVERSE (R), release the parking brake, and
slowly back down the hill in REVERSE (R).
·If your engine has stopped running, you'll need to
restart it. With the brake pedal pressed and the
parking brake still applied, shift the transmission to
PARK (P) (or shift to neutral if your vehicle has
a manual transmission) and restart the engine.
Then, shift to REVERSE (R), release the parking
brake, and slowly back down the hill as straight as
possible in REVERSE (R).
·As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand
on the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position.
This way, you'll be able to tell if your wheels
are straight and maneuver as you back down. It's
best that you back down the hill with your
wheels straight rather than in the left or right
direction. Turning the wheel too far to the left or
right will increase the possibility of a rollover.Here are some things you
must notdo if you stall, or
are about to stall, when going up a hill.
·Never attempt to prevent a stall by shifting into
NEUTRAL (N) (or pressing the clutch, if you have a
manual transmission) to ªrev-upº the engine and
regain forward momentum. This won't work. Your
vehicle will roll backwards very quickly and you could
go out of control.
Instead, apply the regular brake to stop the vehicle.
Then apply the parking brake. Shift to
REVERSE (R), release the parking brake, and slowly
back straight down.
·Never attempt to turn around if you are about to stall
when going up a hill. If the hill is steep enough to stall
your vehicle, it's steep enough to cause you to roll
over if you turn around. If you can't make it up the hill,
you must back straight down the hill.
Q:Suppose, after stalling, I try to back down the hill
and decide I just can't do it. What should I do?
A:Set the parking brake, put your transmission in
PARK (P) (or the manual transmission in
FIRST (1)) and turn off the engine. Leave the
vehicle and go get some help. Exit on the uphill
side and stay clear of the path the vehicle
would take if it rolled downhill.
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Driving Downhill
When off-roading takes you downhill, you'll want to
consider a number of things:
·How steep is the downhill? Will I be able to maintain
vehicle control?
·What's the surface like? Smooth? Rough? Slippery?
Hard-packed dirt? Gravel?
·Are there hidden surface obstacles? Ruts? Logs?
Boulders?
·What's at the bottom of the hill? Is there a hidden
creek bank or even a river bottom with large
rocks?
If you decide you can go down a hill safely, then try to
keep your vehicle headed straight down, and use a
low gear. This way, engine drag can help your brakes
and they won't have to do all the work. Descend slowly,
keeping your vehicle under control at all times.
{CAUTION:
Heavy braking when going down a hill can
cause your brakes to overheat and fade. This
could cause loss of control and a serious
accident. Apply the brakes lightly when
descending a hill and use a low gear to keep
vehicle speed under control.
4-22

Q:Are there some things I should not do when
driving down a hill?
A:Yes! These are important because if you ignore
them you could lose control and have a serious
accident.
·When driving downhill, avoid turns that take you
across the incline of the hill. A hill that's not too
steep to drive down may be too steep to drive
across. You could roll over if you don't drive
straight down.
·Never go downhill with the transmission in
NEUTRAL (N), or with the clutch pedal pressed
down in a manual shift. This is called
ªfree-wheelingº. Your brakes will have to do all the
work and could overheat and fade.
Q:Am I likely to stall when going downhill?
A:It's much more likely to happen going uphill. But if
it happens going downhill, here's what to do.
·Stop your vehicle by applying the regular brakes.
Apply the parking brake.
·Shift to PARK (P) (or to neutral with the manual
transmission) and, while still braking, restart the
engine.
·Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake,
and drive straight down.
·If the engine won't start, get out and get help.
4-23

Driving in Water
Heavy rain can mean ¯ash ¯ooding, and ¯ood waters
demand extreme caution.
Find out how deep the water is before you drive through
it. If it's deep enough to cover your wheel hubs, axles
or exhaust pipe, don't try it Ð you probably won't
get through. Also, water that deep can damage your
axle and other vehicle parts.
If the water isn't too deep, drive slowly through it. At
faster speeds, water splashes on your ignition system
and your vehicle can stall. Stalling can also occur if you
get your tailpipe under water. And, as long as your
tailpipe is under water, you'll never be able to start your
engine. When you go through water, remember that when
your brakes get wet, it may take you longer to stop.{CAUTION:
Driving through rushing water can be
dangerous. Deep water can sweep your vehicle
downstream and you and your passengers
could drown. If it is only shallow water, it can
still wash away the ground from under your
tires, and you could lose traction and roll the
vehicle over. Do not drive through rushing
water.
See
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads on page 4-30for
more information on driving through water.
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