Index CHEVROLET TAHOE 1997 1.G Owner's Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Luggage Carrier (If Equipped)
If you have the optional luggage carrier, you can load
things on top of your vehicle.
The luggage carrier has slats and side rails attached to
the roof, and crossrails which can be moved toward the
front or the rear in the side rails
to help secure cargo. Tie
the load to the side rails or side rail supports.
NOTICE:
Loading cargo that weighs more than 200 lbs.
(90.6 kg) on the luggage carrier may damage
your vehicle. When
you carry large things, never
let them hang over the rear or the sides
of your
vehicle. Load your cargo
so that it rests on the
slats and does not scratch or damage the vehicle.
Put the cargo against the side rails and fasten
it
securely to the luggage carrier.
Don’t exceed the maximum vehicle capacity when
loading your vehicle. For more information on vehicle
capacity and loading, see “Loading Your Vehicle”
in
the Index. To
prevent damage or loss of cargo as you’re driving,
check now and then to make sure the luggage carrier and
cargo are still securely fastened.
Be sure the cargo is properly loaded.
If small heavy objects are placed on the roof, place
the load in the area over the rear wheels (behind
the
rear side door on Suburbans). If you need to, cut a
piece of 3/8 inch plywood to fit inside the crossrails
and side rails to spread the load, If plywood is used,
tie it to the side rail supports.
Tie the load to the crossrails or the side rail supports.
Use the crossrails only to keep the load from sliding.
0 If you need to carry long items, move the crossrails
as far apart as they will go. Tie the load to the
crossrails and the side rails or side rail supports. Also
tie the load to the bumpers. Do not tie the load
so
tightly that the crossrails or side rails are damaged.
0 After moving the crossrails, be sure to tighten all the
slider screws.
For the purpose of wind noise reduction, locate
the front crossrail approximately
18-24 inches
(46 cm to 58 cm) rearward of the front supports.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows
AIR BAG. The system checks the
air bag’s electrical system for malfunctions. The light
tells you if there is an electrical problem. The system
check includes the air bag sensors, the air bag module,
the wiring and the diagnostic module. For more
information on the air bag system, see “Air Bag” in
the Index.
AIR
BAG
This light will come on
when
you start your engine,
and it will flash for a few
seconds. Then the light
should go out. This means
the system is ready. If
the air bag readiness light stays on after you start the
engine or comes on when you are driving, your air bag
system may not work properly. Have your vehicle
serviced right away.
The air bag readiness light should flash for a few
seconds 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.
Charging System Warning Light
The charging system
warning light should come
on briefly when you turn on
the ignition, before starting
the engine, as a check to
show you it is working.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Brake System Warning Light
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.
BRAKE
This light should come on
briefly when
you turn the
ignition key to
RUN. If it
doesn’t come on then,
have it fixed
so it will be
ready to warn
you if there’s
a problem.
If the light comes 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.)
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
ANTI -
LOCK
on when you start your
engine and may stay on for
several seconds.
That’s normal.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature.
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 section.
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.
It also provides an indicator of how hard your vehicle is
working. During a majority of the operation, the gage
will read
2 10 OF ( 100 ” C) or less. If you are pulling a
load or going up hills, it is normal for the temperature
to
fluctuate and approach the 260 OF( 160” C) mark. If the
gage reaches the
260”F( 160°C) mark, it indicates that
the cooling system
is working beyond its capacity.
In “Problems on the Road,” this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If
so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel (see
“Fuel” 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.
Oil Pressure Gage
80
The oil pressure gage shows
the engine oil pressure in psi
(pounds per square inch)
when the engine is running.
Canadian vehicles indicate
pressure
in kPa (kilopascals).
Oil pressure may vary with engine speed, outside
temperature and oil viscosity, but readings above the
low pressure zone indicate the normal operating range.
A reading in the low pressure zone may be caused by a
dangerously low oil level or other problem causing low
oil pressure. Check your oil as soon as possible.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Fuel Gage
When the ignition is on, the
fuel gage tells you about
how much fuel you have
left in your tank.
The gage will first indicate
EMPTY (E) before you are
out
of fuel, and you should get more fuel as soon
as possible.
Listed
are four situations you may experience with your
fuel gage:
At the gas station, the fuel pump shuts off before the
gage reads FULL (F).
It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the
fuel 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.
None
of these indicate a problem with the fuel gage.
For information on how to fill your fuel tank,
see “Fuel
-- Filling Your Tank” in the Index.
For your fuel tank capacity, see “Fuel
-- Tank Capacity”
in the Index.
For the diesel engine fuel gage, see your Diesel
Engine Supplement.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Heating Ventilation System
The heater works best if you keep your windows closed
while using it. On cold days, use the HEATER or
VENT/HEAT setting with the temperature knob in
the
red area.
If you use the engine coolant heater before starting your
engine in cold weather,
20°F (-8 O C) or lower, your
heating system will produce warmer air faster, to heat
the passenger compartment in cold weather.
The use
of an engine coolant heater also reduces the
time it takes for the engine to reach normal operating
temperature, and shortens the time it takes the heater to
reach full output. For more information, see “Engine
Coolant Heater” in the Index. For
mild outside temperatures when little heating or
cooling is needed, use VENT to direct outside air
through your vehicle. Air will flow through the
instrument panel outlets.
Your vehicle’s ventilation system supplies outside air
to the inside of your vehicle when it is moving. With
the side windows closed, air will flow into the front
air inlet grilles, through the vehicle, and out the air
exhaust valves.
Outside air will also enter the vehicle when the heater or
the air conditioning fan
is running, unless you have the
recirculation button pushed
in. For more information on
the recirculation button, see
“Air Conditioning” earlier
in this section.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Playing a Cassette Tape
Your tape player is built to work best with tapes that are
30 to 45 minutes long on each side. Tapes longer than
that are
so thin they may not work well in this player.
Once the tape is playing, use the knobs for VOLUME,
BAL FADE, BASS and TREB just as you do for
the radio.
REV: Press the SEEK left arrow to reverse the cassette
tape. Press the SEEK right arrow to stop reversing
the tape.
FWD: Press the SEEK right arrow to advance the
cassette tape. Press the SEEK left arrow to stop
forwarding the tape.
RECALL: Press this knob to switch tape sides.
EJECT Press this button to remove the tape or stop the
tape and play the radio.
If you leave a cassette tape in the
player while listening to the radio, it may become warm.
CLN: If this message appears on the display, the
cassette tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play
tapes, but you should clean
it as soon as possible to
prevent damage to the tapes and player. See “Care of
Your Cassette Tape Player’’ in the Index. After you clean
the player, press and hold EJECT for five seconds to
reset the CLN indicator. The radio will display
--- to
show the indicator was reset.
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape and
Automatic Tone Control
(If Equipped)
Playing the Radio
PWR-VOL: Press this knob to turn the system on and
off. To increase volume, turn the knob clockwise. Turn
it counterclockwise to decrease volume. The knob is
capable of being rotated continuously.
RECALL: Display the time with the ignition off by
pressing this button. When the radio is playing, press
this button to recall the station frequency.
3-15

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine AM-FM: Press this button to switch from a tape to
the radio.
TAPE AUX: Press this button to return to the tape
player when playing the radio. The lighted arrow will
appear and show the direction of play when a tape is in
the active mode.
EJECT: Press this button to remove the tape. The
radio will now play. EJECT can be used with either the
ignition or radio off.
To load a cassette tape with the
ignition or radio off, press EJECT before loading the
cassette. If you leave a cassette tape in the player while
listening to the radio, it may become warm.
CLN: If this message appears on the display, the
cassette tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play
tapes, but
you should clean it as soon as possible to
prevent damage to the tapes and player. See “Care
of
Your Cassette Tape Player” in the Index. After you clean
the player, press and hold EJECT for five seconds to
reset the CLN indicator. The radio will display
--- to
show the indicator was reset.
CD Adapter Kits
It is possible to use a CD adapter kit with your cassette
tape player after activating the bypass feature on your
tape player.
To activate the bypass feature, the ignition must
be on.
Turn your radio off. Press TAPE AUX and hold for
three seconds. After three seconds, the tape symbol in
the display will flash for two seconds indicating the
feature is active. Insert the adapter cassette again. It will
power up the radio and begin playing.
This override routine will remain active until EJECT
is pressed.
3-19

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.
Please
start with a very important safety device in your
vehicle: Buckle up. (See “Safety Belts” in the Index.)
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.” Assume
that pedestrians or other drivers are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough
following distance. It’s the best defensive driving
maneuver, in both city and rural driving.
You never
know when the vehicle in front of you is going to brake
or turn suddenly.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It’s the number one contributor to
the highway death
toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive
a vehicle:
Judgment
Muscular Coordination
Vision
Attentiveness.
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