brake CHEVROLET VEGA 1976 1.G Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine YOUR VEGA'S FIRST
FEW HUNDRED MILES OF DRIVING
You can operate your new car
from its very first mile without ad­
hering to a formal
"break-in" sched­
ule. However, during the first
few
hundred miles of driving you can,
by observing a few simple precau­
tions , add to the future performance
and economy of your car.
It is recommended that your speed
during the first
500 miles
be confined to a maximum of 55
M.P.H., but do not drive for ex­
tended periods at
anyone constant
speed, either fast
or slow. Dur­
ing this period , avoid full throttle
starts and, if possible, avoid hard
stops especially during the first
200
miles of operation since brake mis- use
during this period will destroy
much future brake efficiency.
Always drive at moderate speed
until the engine has completely
warmed up.
If you plan to use your new
car for trailer hauling see additional
information on page 1-9.
SEE PAGE 5-21 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR GAS MILEAGE.
ii

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine BEFORE DRIVING YOUR VEGA
DRIVER CHECKLIST
Before Entering Car
1. See that windows , mirrors and
lights are clean.
2. Visually note inflation condition
of tires.
3. Check that area to rear
is clear
if about
to back up.
Before Driving Off
1. Lock all doors.
2. Position seat.
3. Adjust inside and outside
mirrors.
4. Fasten belt restraints.
5. Check that warning bulbs light
when key
is turned to start posi­
tion.
6. Release parking brake (and see
that brake warning light turns
off).
7. Be sure you understand your
car and how to operate it safely.
Keys
Two separate keys are provided
for your car. Each Key has a dif­
ferent cross section so that it can
be inserted only in certain locks.
• Key with square head
(stamped Ole") -for ignition
switch only.
• Key with oval head (stamped
"D")~for all other locks.
LOCKS
1-1
The code number of each key is
stamped on the "knock out" plug
in the key head. Your Chevrolet
dealer removed these plugs and
placed them with the spare set of
keys in the special key envelope
that was given to you at time of
delivery.
For your protection:
• Record the numbers on the key
envelope and discard the key
plugs.
• Keep the key envelope in a safe
place such
as your wallet, Not In
The Car.
In the event the original keys are
lost, duplicates can be made by
your dealer or a locksmith using
the key code information.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Maintenance
More frequent vehicle mainte­
nance
is required when using your
car to pull a trailer. Change the:
• Automatic transmission fluid
and filter each
15,000 miles,
(see Trailering brochure for addi­
tional information).
• Rear axle fluid each 15,000
miles,
• Engine oil each 90 days or 3,000
miles, whichever occurs first,
• Positive crankcase ventilation
valve each
12 months or 15,000
miles, whichever occurs first.
• See index for important informa­
tion on belts, cooling system care
and automatic brake adjustment.
Break-in Schedule
In addition to the new car preak-in
instructions in this manual, it is
recommended that your new car
be operated for
500 miles before
trailer towing.
If it is necessary to
tow during this period, avoid speeds
over
50 MPH and full throttle
starts. The same precautions should
be observed whenever a new en­
gine, transmission or axle
is in­
stalled in your car.
1-10

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine STEERING COLUMN CONTROLS
Anti-Theft Steering
Column Lock
The anti-theft lock, located on
the right side of the steering col­
umn, has five positions:
• Accessory -Permits operation
of electrical accessories when
en­
gine is not running. To engage,
push
key in and turn toward you
( counterclockwise) .
• Lock -Normal parking posi­
tion. Locks ignition and provides
added theft protection
by pre­
venting normal operation of
Key Removal Note:
To remove key from ignitionjdepress key release lever, . turn Ignition to LOCK po­sition, then remove key.
steering wheel. Key cannot be
returned to
"lock" position with­
out depressing the key release
lever.
• Off -Permits turning engine off
without locking steering wheel
and shift controls.
• Run -Normal operating posi­
tion.
• Start -Permits engagement of. :
starter.
2-2
IMPORTANT: Donot park your
car over combustible materials, such
as grass or leaves, which can come
into contact with the hot exhaust
system and cause such materials to
ignite under certain wind and
weath­
er conditions.
. Parking
When leaving your car
unattended,
• Set parking brake first.
• Place automatic transmission
selector in
Park (Reverse for
manual transmission).
• Depress key release lever and
turn key to
LOCK position.
• Remove key (the buzzer will re­
mind you).
• Lock all doors.
NOTICE: Do not leave your car un­
attended with the engine running. If
the engine should overheat while
your
caris unattended, the temper­
ature warning light or gauge would
go unheeded which could result in
extensive damage to your car.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Starting Engine
Automatic Transmission
Models
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Place transmission selector
in uP" or "N" ("P" preferred).
A starter safety switch prevents
starter operation while the trans­
mission selector
is in any drive
position.
(If it is necessary to·
re-start the engine with the car
moving, place the selector lever
in
"N".)
3. Depress accelerator pedal and
activate starter
as outlined be­
low for different conditions.
IMPORTANT: Do not keep the starter
engaged for more than 15 seconds
at a time. Wait 1 0 or 15 seconds
before trying agair.
• Cold Engine -Fully depress
accelerator pedal and slowly
release.
Wilh fOOl 00 the pedal,
crank
the engine by
turning the ignition key to the
Start position -release when
engine starts.
If engine starts, but fails to
run, repeat this procedure.
When engine is running
smoothly (approximately
30
seconds), the idle speed may
be reduced by slightly de­
pressing the accelerator pedal
and then slowly releasing.
• Warm Engine -Depress ac­
celerator
pedal about halfway
and hold while cranking the
engine.
• Extremely Cold Weather
(Below 00 F. -180 C.) Or
After Car Has Been Standing
Idle Several Days-
2-3
Fully depress and release ac­
celerator pedal two
or three
times before cranking the
engine.
With foot 00 the ac­
celerator pedal,
crank the en­
gine by turning the key to the
Start position and release
when engine starts.
Manual Transmission Models
1. Apply parking brake, fully de­
press
clutch pedal, and shift
transmission to neutral.
2. Hold clutch pedal to the floor
throughout
the starting proce­
dure, A starter safety switch pre­
vents starter operation when the
clutch
is not fully depressed.
(Select the proper gear posi­
tion before releasing the clutch
pedal).
3. Operate accelerator pedal and
starter
as outlined in step 3
(under Automatic Transmission
Models).

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine TURBO HYDRA~MATIC AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
P-PARK
R-REVERSE
N-NEUTRAL
O-DRIVE
L.-LOW.
Use only when car is stopped.
For backing
car-from stop.
For standing (Brakes
Applied).
For forward driving.
Depress accelerator to floor for extra acceleration below 65 mph; depress accelerator half-way at speeds below 30 mph.
For driving in heavy traffic or on hilly terrain. Shift Into L. at any vehicle speed. The transmission will shift into second
gear and remain In second until the vehicle speed or throttle
are reduced to obtain first gear operation In the same man­ner as in D range. L2 range position prevents the transmis­sion from shifting to 3rd gear.
For hard pulling through sand, snow or mud, and for climbing or descending steep grades. Shift into Ll at any vehicle
speed. Depending upon the axle ratio of the vehicle the
transmission will shift to second gear at
any speed above
approximately 40 mph and will shift to 1st gear as speed Is reduced below 40. Ll range position prevents the transmis­sion from shifting out of first gear.
2-5

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine cluster flashes to indicate proper
operation of the front and rear turn
signal lamps.
If the indicator lamp
remains on and does not flash,
check for a defective lamp bulb.
If
the indicator fails to light when the
lever
is moved, check the fuse and
indicator bulb.
NOTE: For operation of hazard
flasher, see page 3-1, in
Section "In
Case of Emergency."
Horn
The horn on your car is actuated
by firmly pressing on the pad in the
center of the steering wheel.
As a good motorist,
~se of the
horn should be kept at a minimum.
However, acquaint yourself
as soon
as possible with this function of
your car, should it ever become
necessary to give a warning to a
pedestrian
or another motorist.
Power Steering
If the steering system power as­
sist fails due to some malfunction,
or because the engine has stalled,
the vehicle can still be steered.
However, much greater effort
is re­
quired, particularly in sharp turns.
Tilt Steering Wheel
The tilt steering wheel (optional
equipment) can be tilted up above
normal position to provide addi­
tional room for entrance and exit
2-9
as well as selected driving· posi­
tions below normal height. This
permits individual selection of the
most natural position for
all driv­
ing conditions.
On long trips the
steering wheel position can be
changed to minimize tension and
fatigue.
The tilt mechanism
is operated
by lifting up on the small control
lever on the left side of the steering
column just below the directional
signal, moving the steering wheel
to the selected position, and re­
leasing the lever.
Holding Car on an Upgrade
When stopped on an upgrade,
maintain your position by applying
the brakes. Never hold the car
in
place by accelerating engine with
transmission in gear. This could
cause damage by overheating
the
. transmission (automatic) or clutch
(manual) .

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Parking Your Car
Always engage the parking brake
and place the automatic transmis­
sion selector lever in
"Park" posi- tion
when leaving your
car un­
attended. Also with automatic
transmissions, never park for pro­
longed periods with engine idling
and transmission in gear, especially
FLOOR CONTROLS
Braking System
The service brake system is de­
signed for braking performance
under a wide range of driving con­
ditions even when the vehicle
is
loaded to its full rated vehicle load.
NOTE: Operation of the brake
system warning light
is covered on
page 2-15 in the section on
"In­
strument Panel."
Power Brakes
• On cars with power brakes, if
power assist to the brakes
is in­
terrupted due to a stalled engine
or some malfunction, two or
more brake applications nor­
mally can be made using reserve
power.
• If the brake pedal is held down,
2-10
if your car is equipped with air
conditioning. This practice
is detri­
mental to the transmission, due
to
overheating.
the system
is designed to bring
the car to a full stop on reserve
power. However, the reserve
power
is partially depleted each
time the brake pedal
is applied
and released. Do not pump
brakes when brake power assist
has been interrupted, except
when necessary in order to main­
tain steering control on slippery
surfaces.
• When reserve power is exhausted,
the vehicle can still be stopped
by applying greater force to the
pedal.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Parking Brake
• To set parking brake, pull up
the handle located between the
seats.
• For maximum holding power,
depress regular brake pedal at
the same time.
• To release parking brake, de­
press the button in the handle
tip and push the handle down.
• As a reminder, the brake system warning
light
is designed to come
on whenever the parking brake
control
is not fully released, and
the ignition ·
is on.
• Never drive car with parking
brake set
as this may overheat
or otherwise damage rear brakes.
NOTE: "Riding the brake" by
resting your foot on the brake pedal
when not intending to brake can
cause abnormally high brake tem­
peratures, excessive lining wear and
possible damage to the brakes.
REMINDER:
Front disc brakes
have a built-in wear indicator that
is designed to make a high fre­
quency, squealing,
or cricket-like
warning sound when the linings are
2-11
worn where replacement is required.
The sound will occur intermittently
or continuously when wheels are
rolling, but will disappear when the
brake pedal
is applied firmly. See
also the various brake checks listed
in the Chevrolet maintenance sched­
ule folder.
Clutch Adjustment
Clutch adjustment should be
checked and adjusted periodically
as necessary to compensate for
clutch facing wear.
To check,
depress pedal by hand until resist­
ance
is felt. Free travel of pedal
should be approximately one inch;
if very little
or no free travel is
evident , clutch adjustment is re­
quired.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Self-Adjusting Brakes
• Brakes on this car (except for the
parking brake) are self-adjusting,
designed · to eliminate periodic
brake adjustments.
• Drum brake adjustment is made
automatically
as the brakes are
applied while car
is moving back­
wards.
• Disc brake adjustment is made
automatically with each brake
application.
• If excess brake pedal travel devel­
ops, drive alternately backward
and
forwb-d several times and apply
brakes firmly in eadh
direc­
tion.
• See your dealer if normal pedal
travel
is not restored, or if there
is a rapid increase in pedal travel,
which could be a sign of other
brake trouble.
See your dealer
also if adjustment if the parking
brake
is required.
Headlight Beam Switch
"High" and "low" headlight
beams are controlled
by the floor
button at your left foot. The
indica­
tor, located in the speedometer
dial , will light up when the high
beams are
in use.
2-12