brake GMC SAVANA 1996 User Guide

Increasing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed.
Push the button at the end of the lever, then release
the button and the accelerator pedal.
You’ll now
cruise at the higher speed.
Move the cruise switch from ON to R/A. Hold it
there until you get up to the speed you want, and
then release the switch.
To increase your speed in
very small amounts, move the switch to R/A for less
than half a second. Each time
you do this, your
vehicle
will go about I mph (1.6 km/h) faster.
Reducing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
Push in the button at the end of the lever until you
reach the lower speed
you want, then release it.
0 To slow down in very small amounts, push the
button for less than
half a second. Each time you do
this, you’ll
go 1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down to the cruise control speed
you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the hills.
When going
up steep hills, you may have to step on
the accelerator pedal to maintain yo~lr speed.
If the
steepness of the
hill causes the vehicle speed to drop
more than
I5 rnph (9.4 km/h) below the set speed, your
cruise control
will automatically disengage. When going
downhill, you may have
to brake or shift to a lower gear
to keep your speed down. Of course, applying the brake
takes you out
of cruise control. Many drivers find this to
be too much trouble and don’t use cruise control
on
steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal; or
0 Move the cruise switch to OFF.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory is erased.
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Rotate the switch knob clockwise again to the master
lighting symbol to turn on all the lamps listed
as well as
the headlamps.
Rotate the switch counterclockwise to
OFF to turn off
your lamps.
Rotate the thumb wheel next to the switch knob up
to
adjust instrument panel lights. Rotate the thumb wheel up
to the first notch
to return the radio display and gearshift
indicator display to
full intensity when the headlamps or
parlung lamps are on.
Rotate the thumb wheel up to the second notch to
activate the interior dome lamps.
You can switch your headlamps from high to low beam
by pulling
on the turn signal/high beam lever.
A circuit breaker protects your headlamps. If you have
an electrical overload, your headlamps will flicker on
and off. Have your headlamp wiring checked right away
if this happens.
Headlamps On Reminder
A buzzer will sound when your headlamps are turned on
and your ignition is
in OFF, LOCK or ACCESSORY,
If you need to use your headlamps when the ignition
switch is in
OFF, LOCK or ACCESSORY, the buzzer
can be turned off by turning the thumb wheel next
to the
parking lamp/headlamp switch all the way down.
Daytime Running Lamps (If Equipped)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front
of your vehicle during the day.
DRL can be helpful
in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
The DRL system will make your headlamps
come on at
a reduced brightness when:
0 The ignition is on,
The headlamp switch is off and
0 The parking brake is released.
If your vehicle was first sold, when new,
in Canada,
your headlamps will come on at reduced brightness.
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If your vehicle was first sold, when new, in the United
States, your vehicle may be equipped with DRL.
If your
vehicle has
DRL, you will see the the DRL indicator
light
on your instrument panel and your low-beam
headlamps will come
on at reduced brightness.
When the DRL are
on, only your headlamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won’t be on.
Your instrument panel won’t be lit up either.
When it begins to get dark, your DRL indicator light
is a reminder to turn your headlamp switch on. The
other lamps that come on with your headlamps will also
come
on.
When you turn off the headlamp switch, the regular
lamps will
go off, and your headlamps will change to
the reduced brightness of DRL.
To idle your vehicle with the engine on and the DRL off,
set the parking brake. The DRL will stay
off until you
release
the parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when
you need it.
)ome Lamps
The dome lamps will come on when you open the doors.
You can also turn the dome lamps on by rotating the
thumb wheel, located
next to the headlamp knob, all
the way up to the second notch. In this position, the
dome lamps will remain on whether the doors are
opened or closed.
You can use the dome
lamp button, located below the headlamp knob,
to set the dome lamps to
automatically come on
when the doors are open,
or to remain off.
To turn the lamps off, push the button once. With the
button
in this position, the dome lamps will remain off
when the doors are open. To return the lamps to
automatic operation, push the button again and return it
to the out position. With the button
in this position, the
dome lamps will come on when you open
the doors.
The delayed entry will allow
you to enter or exit your
vehicle with the lamps staying on for about
20 seconds,
after the door is closed or ignition
is cycled.
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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
United States Canada
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 0.n-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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Anti-Lock Rrake System Warning Light
ANTI -
LOCK
United States
Canada
With the anti-l,dck 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.
Daytime Running Lamps Indicator Light
You may have this light on
the instrument panel. It will
light whenever the
DRL are
on.
It is also a reminder to
turn on your headlamps
when driving at night. For
more details about
DRL, see
“Headlamps and Vehicle
Lighting” in this section.
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Section 4 Your Driving and the Road
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
01- 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
Here you'll find information about driving on different know when the vehicle
in front of YOLI is going to brake
kinds of roads and
in varying weather conditions. We've 01- turn suddenly.
also included many other useful tips on driving.
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Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want
it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have
to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes,
as when you're driving on snow or ice, it's
easy to
ask more of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That's
perception time. Then you have to bring up
your foot and do it. That's reuction tirne.
Average wcrc'tion time is about 3/4 of a second. But
that's only an average. It might be less with one
driver and as long as two or three seconds or more
with another. Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol,
drugs and frustration.
But even in 3/4 of a second, a
vehicle moving at
60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet
(20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an emergency,
so keeping enough space between your vehicle and
others
is important.
And,
of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it's pavement or
gravel); the condition
of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; and the condition
of your brakes.
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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.
ANTI -
LOCK
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.
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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 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
Use your anti-lock braking system when you need to.
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.
Stc . ring
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 “driver lost control” 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.
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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.
Suppose you’re steering through a sharp curve. Then you
suddenly accelerate. Both control systems
-- steering and
acceleration
-- have to do their work where the tires meet
the road. Adding the sudden acceleration can demand too
much
of those places. You can lose control.
What should you do
if this ever happens? Ease up on the
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want
it
to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that
you should
adjust your speed. Of course,
the posted speeds are
based
on good weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions you’ll want to
go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do
it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed
so you can “drive” through the
curve. Maintain
a reasonable, steady speed, Wait to
accelerate
until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into
the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking.
For example, you come over a hill and
find
a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly
pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts out from
between parked cars and stops right
in front of you.
You can avoid these problems by braking -- if you
can stop
in time. But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t
room. That’s the time for evasive action
-- steering
around the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very
well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes. (See “Braking
in
Emergencies” earlier in this section.) It is better to
remove as much speed
as you can from a possible
collision. Then steer around the problem, to
the left or
right depending on the space available.
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