brake GMC SAVANA 1997 Owners Manual

Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD BAlTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,111,
COULD FLAME
EXPLODE BAllERY
These symbols are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
POWER
WINDOW
These symbols have
to do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS e e3
TURN
RUNNING
' *o
DAYTIME ..
LAMPS .*'
FOG LAMPS # 0
These symbols
are on some
of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
,
WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING FAN
These symbols
are
used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT
TEMP
-
CHARGING BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(a)
COOLANT
ENGINE OIL
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER
m
HORN b
SPEAKER
b
FUEL e3
V
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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 instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is
working properly
-- and what to do if you have a problem.
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2-4
2-6
2-9
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2- 19
2-20
2-23
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2-24 2-27
2-27
2-28
2-28 Keys
Door Locks
Keyless Entry System
Your Doors and
How They Work
Theft
New Vehicle “Break-In”
Ignition Switch Starting Your Gasoline Engine
Engine Coolant Heater (Option) Automatic Transmission Operation
Locking Rear Axle
Parking Brake
Shifting Into PARK (P)
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Parking Over Things That Burn
Engine Exhaust
Running Your Engine While You’re Parked 2-29
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2-32
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2-3 8 2-43
2-44
2-45
2-46
2-47
2-48
2-49
2-50
2-60
2-6 1 Windows
Horn
Tilt
Wheel (Option)
Turn Signalhlultifunction Lever
Exterior Lamps
Mirrors
Storage Compartments
Cigarette LightedAshtrays Sun Visors
Instrument Panel Instrument Cluster
Speedometer
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
Electronic Road-Speed Governor
(Gasoline Engines) (Option)
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp
2-1
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1 Keys
A CAUTION:
Leaving young children in a vehicle with the
ignition key is dangerous for many reasons.
A child or others could be badly injured or
even killed.
They could operate power windows
or other
controls or even make the vehicle move.
If they
turned the ignition to
ON and moved the shift
lever out
of PARK (P), that would release the
parking brake. Don’t leave the keys in a vehicle
with young children.
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New Vehicle “Break-In”
NOTICE:
Your modern vehicle doesn’t need an elaborate
“break-in.”
But it will perform better in the long
run if you follow these guidelines:
0
0
0
0
Keep your speed at 55 mph (88 km/h) or
less for the
first 500 miles (805 km).
Don’t drive at any one speed
-- fast or
slow
-- for the first 500 miles (805 km).
Don’t make full-throttle starts.
Avoid making hard
stops for the first
200 miles (322 km) or so. During this time
your new brake linings aren’t yet broken
in. Hard stops with new linings can mean
premature wear and earlier replacement.
Follow this breaking-in guideline every
time you get new brake linings.
Don’t tow
a trailer during break-in.
See “Towing a Trailer’’ in the Index for
more information.
Ignition Switch
Your key lets you turn the ignition switch to
five different positions.
A E
ACCESSORY (A): ACCESSORY lets you use things
like the radio, power windows and the windshield wipers
when the engine is
off. To get into ACCESSORY, push in
the key and turn it toward
you. Your steering wheel will
remain locked, just
as it was before you inserted the key.
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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 means
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
recommended that you disconnect the battery cable from
the battery to prevent discharging your 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.
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.
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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).
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever and push the shift lever all the way into
PARK
(P) as you continue pressing the brake pedal.
Then move the shift lever into the gear you want.
If you
still cannot shift the shift lever out
of PARK (P), see
“Shifting Out of PARK (P)” later in this section.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting into REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your transmission.
Shift to
REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle
is stopped.
__ -
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transmission, see
“Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow” in the Index.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine
doesn’t connect with the wheels.
To restart when you’re
already moving,
use NEUTRAL (N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.
~
A CAUTION:
Shifting out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N)
while your engine is “racing” (running at high
speed) is dangerous. Unless your foot
is firmly
on the brake pedal, your vehicle could move
very rapidly. You could lose control and hit
people or objects. Don’t shift out of PARK
(P) or
NEUTRAL
(N) while your engine is racing.
I NOTICE:
Damage to your transmission caused by shifting
out of PARK
(P) or NEUTRAL (N) with the
engine racing isn’t covered by your warranty.
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DRIVE (D): This position is for normal driving. If you
need more power for passing, and you’re:
0 Going less than about 35 mph (56 krdh), push your
Going about 35 mph (56 kmh) or more, push the
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
accelerator
all the way down.
You’ll shift down to the next
gear and have more power.
You should use DRIVE
(D) (or, as you need to, a lower
gear) when towing
a trailer to minimize heat build-up
and extend the life
of your transmission.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, however, it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than DRIVE
(D). You should use THIRD (3)
when carrying a heavy load or driving on steep hills.
SECOND (2): This position gives you more power
but lower fuel economy. You can use
SECOND (2) on
hills. It can help control your speed as you
go down
steep mountain roads, but then you would also want
to use your brakes off and on. If you manually
select SECOND
(2), the transmission will drive in
SECOND (2). You may use this feature for reducing
torque to the rear wheels when you are trying to start
your vehicle from a stop on slippery road surfaces.
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy)
than SECOND (2). You can
use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If
the selector lever is put in FIRST(
l), the transmission
won’t shift into first
gear until the vehicle is going
slowly enough.
NOTICE:
If your rear wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if
you are stuck in
very deep sand or mud or are up against a solid
object. You could damage your transmission.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transmission.
Use your brakes or shift into
PARK (P) to hold your vehicle in position
on
a hill.
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Locking Rear Axle
If you have this feature, your locking rear axle can
give you additional traction on snow, mud,
ice, sand or
gravel.
It works like a standard axle most of the time,
but when one
of the rear wheels has no traction and the
other does, the locking feature will allow the wheel with
traction
to move the vehicle.
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. Pull the handle, located just above the
parking brake pedal, marked
BRAKE RELEASE to
release the parking brake.
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I
t
:f the ignition is on when the parking brake is released,
he
brake system warning light will go off.
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. Always check to be
sure your parking brake
is fully released before
you drive.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
Shifting Into PARK (P)
It can be 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.
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, use the steps
that follow.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see
“Towing a Trailer” in the Index.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
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Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine Running
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 parking pawl in the transmission,
so you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
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