key GMC SAVANA 1996 User Guide
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: GMC, Model Year: 1996, Model line: SAVANA, Model: GMC SAVANA 1996Pages: 372, PDF Size: 18.81 MB
Page 72 of 372

LOCK (B): This position locks your ignition, steering
wheel and transmission. It’s
a theft-deterrent feature.
You will only be able to remove your key when the
ignition is turned to
LOCK.
OFF (C): This position lets you turn off the engine but
still turn the steering wheel. It doesn’t lock the steering
wheel like LOCK.
Use OFF if you must have your
vehicle in motion while the engine is off (for example,
if your vehicle is being pushed).
RUN (D): This is the position for driving.
START (E): This starts your engine. .. -
I
I NOTICE:
Starting Your Gasoline Engine
If you have a diesel engine, see “Starting Your Diesel
Engine”
in the Diesel Engine Supplement.
Move your shift lever
to PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N).
Your engine won’t start in any other position -- that’s a
safety feature. To restart when you’re already moving,
use
NEUTRAL (N) only.
NOTICE:
I
Don’t try to shift to PARK (P) if your vehicle
is moving.
If you do, you could damage the
transmission. Shift to
PARK (P) only when
your vehicle is stopped.
If your key seems stuck in LOCK and you can’t
turn it, be sure it is all the
way in. If it is, then
turn the steering wheel left and right while you
turn the key hard. But turn the key only with
your hand. Using
a tool to force it could break
the key
or the ignition switch. If none of this
works, then your vehicle needs service.
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Page 73 of 372

1. Without pushing the accelerator pedal, turn your
ignition key to START. When
the engine starts, let
go of the key. The idle speed
will go down as your
engine gets warm.
NOTICE:
Holding your key in START for longer than
15 seconds at a time will cause your battery to be
drained much sooner. And the excessive heat can
damage your starter motor.
2. If it doesn’t start right away, hold your key in
START. If it doesn’t start in 10 seconds, push the
accelerator pedal all the way down for five more
seconds, or
until it starts.
3. If your engine still won’t start (or starts but then
stops), wait
15 seconds and start over.
When the engine starts, let
go of the key and the
accelerator pedal.
NOTICE:
Your engine is designed to work with the
electronics in your vehicle.
If you add electrical
parts or accessories,
you could change the way
the engine operates. Before adding electrical
equipment, check with your dealer.
If you don’t,
your engine might not perform properly.
If
you ever have to have your vehicle towed, see
the part
of this manual that tells how to do it
without damaging your vehicle. See “Towing
Your Vehicle” in the Index.
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Page 75 of 372

Automatic Transmission Operation
There are several different positions for your shift lever.
If your vehicle is equipped with an automatic
transmission,
it now features an electronic shift position
indicator
within the instrument cluster. This display
must be powered anytime the shift lever
is capable of
being moved out of the PARK (P) position. This lneans
that
if your key is in the OFF position, but not locked,
there
will be a small current drain on your battery which
could discharge
your battery over a period of time. If
you have
a need to leave your key in the ignition in the
OFF position for an extended period for any reason, it is
recomnlended that you disconnect the battery cable from
the battery to prevent discharging yo~~r battery.
PARK (P): This locks your rear wheels. It‘s the best
position to use when you start your engine because your
vehicle can’t move easily.
A CAUTION:
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the
shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to.
If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, even when you’re on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to
PARK (P).
See “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in the Index. If
you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a Trailer”
in the Index.
Your vehicle has
a brake-transmission shift interlock.
With the ignition in the RUN position, you must fully
apply your regular brakes before you can shift from
PARK
(P).
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Page 80 of 372

2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) position like this:
Pull the lever toward you.
0 Move the lever up as far as it will go.
3. Move the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave your vehicle with the ignition key in your
hand, your vehicle
is in PARK (P).
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Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Enf;?e Rurr-;-y
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with
the engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P)
with the parking brake firmly set. And, if
you
leave the vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch fire. You or others could
be injured. Don’t leave your vehicle with the
engine running unless you have to.
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transmission into PARK (P) properly,
the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force
on the parking pawl in
the transmission. You may find it difficult to pull the
shift lever out
of PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.”
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then
shift into PARK (P) properly before
you leave the
driver’s seat. To find out how, see “Shifting Into
PARK
(P)” in the Index. When
you are ready
to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P) before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need
to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill
to take some of the
pressure from the transmission,
so you can pull the shift
lever out of PARK
(P).
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Your vehicle has a brake-transmission shift interlock
system.
You have to fully apply your regular brakes
before
you can shift from PARK (P). See “Automatic
Transmission” in the Index.
If
you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever and push the shift lever all the way up
into PARK
(P) as you maintain brake application. Then,
move the shift lever into the gear you want.
If
you ever hold the brake pedal down but still can’t
shift out of PARK (P), try this:
1. Turn the key to OFF.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the drive gear you
5. Have the brake-transmission shift interlock system
want.
fixed
as soon
as you can.
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Page 100 of 372

Visor Vanity Mirror (Option)
Some visors have illuminated mirrors on them. Pull the
visor down and lift the mirror cover (if there is one), to
use the mirror.
Cigar4 . te LightedAshtrays
The front ashtray is located in the instrument panel
extension, at the center
of the instrument panel. Lift up
on the ashtray door
to open it.
I NOTICE:
To use the cigarette lighter, push it in all the way, and let
go. When it’s ready, it will pop back by itself.
I NOTICE:
Papers and other things that burn into your
ashtrays could be set on fire by cigarettes or
other smoking materials. That could cause a
fire and possibly damage your vehicle.
Do not
store papers and other things that burn in
your ashtrays. Holding
a cigarette lighter in with your hand
while it is heating can make it overload,
damaging the lighter and the heating element.
Just push the lighter all the
way in and let go.
When it’s done, it will pop back by itself.
- --
To remove the front ashtray, pull up on the tab with
a key or screw driver inserted in the tab, and lift the
ashtray out.
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Page 104 of 372

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 when 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
ao repam can be costly -- and even aangerous.
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
fasten 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.
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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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If the Light Is Flashing Are you low on fuel‘?
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reduce vehicle speed.
Avoid hard accelerations.
0 Avoid steep uphill grades.
If towing a trailer, reduce the amount of cargo being
hauled as soon as
it is possible.
If the light stops flashing and remains on steady, see “If
the Light Is On Steady“ following.
If the light continues to flash, when it is safe to do so.
stop the vehicle. Put your vehicle in PARK (P). Turn the
key
off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart the engine.
If the light remains on steady, see
“If the Light Is On
Steady” following.
If the light is still flashing follow the
previous steps, and drive the vehicle to your dealer or
qualified service center for service.
If’ the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did
you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be c0rrecte.d when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off. As
your engine starts to run
out of fuel, your engine may
not run as efficiently as designed since
s~nall amounts of
air are sucked into the fuel line causing a misfire. The
system can detect this. Adding fuel should correct this
condition. Make sure to install the fuel cap properly.
It
will take a few driving trips to turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel‘?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel (see
“FLE~”
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 this condition, 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.
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