warning GMC JIMMY 1997 Owner's Manual

About Driving Your Vehicle
As with other vehicles of this type, failure to operate this
vehicle correctly may result
in loss of control or an
accident. Be sure to read the “on-pavement’‘ and
“off-road“ driving guidelines
in this manual. (See
“Driving Guidelines” and “Off-Road Driving
with your
Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle”
in the Index.)
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
what’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.
/! CAUTION:
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
In the caution area, we tell you what the haz.ard 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.
iii

You will also find a circle
with a slash through it in
this book. This safety
symbol means ”Don’t,”
“Don’t do this,’‘ or
“Don‘t
let this happen.”
Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these notices:
I NOTICE:
These mean there is something that could
damage
your vehicle.
In the notice area, we tell you about something that can
damage your vehicle. Many times,
this damage would
not be covered
by your warranty, and it could be costly.
But the notice will tell you what to do to help avoid
the damage.
When you read other manuals, you might see
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings
in different colors or
in different words.
You’ll
also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use
the
san~e words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
iv

~~~~ Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD
&
BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,\I/,
COULD FLAME
EXPLODE BATTERY
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN SEAT
BELTS
POWER
WINDOW SIGNALS
e
TURN
RUNNING
.':o'o
DAYTIME LAMPS
..e
FOG LAMPS $0
These symbols
are on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER
VENTILATING FAN
These symbols
are
used 011
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT
TEMP
CHARGING I-1
BAllERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(@)
COOLANT a
ENGINE OIL e,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
YOLI may see:
FUSE
t
LIGHTER m
HORN k3
SPEAKER
b
FUEL I&
V

Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your vehicle. and information on starting.
shifting
and braking. Also explained are the instru~nsnt panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is
working properly
-- and what to do if you have LI problem.
2-2
2-6
2-9
2- 1 2
2-13
2-13
2- 15
2- 17
2-18
2-2 I
2-23
2-23
2-23
3-29
2-30
2-33
Keys
Keyless Entry System (If Equipped)
Endgate/Liftgate
The
t't
New Vehicle "Break-In"
Ignition Positions
Starting Your Engine
Ensine Coolant Heater- (Option)
Automatic Transmission Operation
Manual Transmission
Locking Rear Axle
All-Wheel Drive
(If Equipped)
Four-Wheel Drive (If Equipped)
Parking Brake
Shifting
Into PARK (P) (Automatic
Trans~nission Models
Only)
Shifting Out of PARK (Pj
(Automatic Transmission) 2-33
3-34 -
2-33
2-.3S
2-36
- 7-38
3-45
2-41)
2-63
2-63
2-64
2-67 2-72
2-1

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.
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.
2-29

Temperature and Compass Display
The outside air temperature and the compass are
displayed
at the front of the overhead console. The
control switches
are located to the left of the display. Turn
the display on or off by pressing the
ON/OFF
switch. Display the temperature in either de, orees
Fahrenheit (English)
or Celsius (metric) by pressing the
US/MET switch.
Before you turn on the ignition and move the vehicle,
the temperature indicated
will be the last outside
temperature recorded
with the ignition on.
If the outside temperature is 37°F (3°C) or lower when
you turn
on the ignition, ICE will appear on the display.
This
is a warning to the driver that road conditions may
be icy, and that appropriate precautions should be taken.
The compass is self-calibrating.
so it does not need to
be nlanually set. However, when your vehicle is new.
the compass may function erratically.
If it does, CAL
(Calibration) will appear on the display. To correct the
problem, drive
in a complete 360" circle three times,
and the compass
will function normally.
2-53

Speedometer and Odometer
Your speedometer lets you see your speed in both miles
per hour (mph) and kilometers per hour (kndh).
Your odometer shows how far your vehicle has been
driven,
in either miles (used in the United States) or
kilometers (used
in Canada).
Your odometer is tamper resistant.
It will show silver lines
between the numbers
if someone tries to turn it back.
You may wonder what happens
if your vehicle needs a
new odometer installed. If the new one can be set to the
mileage total of the old odometer, then
it must be. But if
it can't, then it's set at zero, and a label must be put on
the driver's door to show the old mileage reading when
the new odometer was installed.
Trip Odomet
The trip odometer can tell you how fir your vehicle has
been driwn since you last set the
trip odometer to zero.
To set the trip odome.ter to zero, press the button near
the readout.
Tachometer (If Equipped)
The tachometer displays the engine speed in revolutions
ner minute (rprn). Each
tachometer has
a different limit depending on the
powertrain
in your vehicle. The tachometer has three
areas: normal operating range, red warning range and
red danger range.
The normal operating range shows your engine speed
during normal driving conditions.
For example, when
the needle points
to 2, it means the engine is running at
2.000 revolutions per minute (rpm). The tachometer
needle
will vary all the time that the engine is running.
The shaded red warning range tells you that your engine
speed
is reaching its upper limits. Don't drive very long
with the tachometer
in the red warning range. If you
have
a manual transmission. shift to a higher gear as
soon as possible. If you have an automatic transmission,
lift your foot off of the accelerator pedal.
The solid red danger range tells you that your engine speed
is at its upper limits. Your should immediately shift
to a
higher gear, or lift your foot off of the accelerator pedal.
1 NOTICE:
Do not operate the engine with the tachometer in
the red range,
or engine damage will occur.
_. ~ 2-71

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 warning lights and gages could also save you or
others from
injury.
Warning lights come on wl1e.n 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. 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 remind people to
fisten 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.
2-72

Voltmeter Gage
When your engine is not
running. but the ignition is
on (in the RUN position).
this gage shows
your
battery’s state of charge in
DC volts.
VOLTS
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 mne 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.
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.
2-74

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.
I
This light should come on
briefly when you turn the
ignition key to RUN. If it
doesn’t come on then, BRAKE
(a) (@)
:;;::::$d;:n1::: if
have it fixed so it will be
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.
2-75