light GMC SAVANA 2003 Service Manual

Care of Your CDs
Handle discs carefully. Store them in their original cases
or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight
and dust. If the surface of a disc is soiled, dampen
a clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution
and clean it, wiping from the center to the edge.
Be sure never to touch the side without writing when
handling discs. Pick up discs by grasping the outer
edges or the edge of the hole and the outer edge.
Care of Your CD Player
The use of CD lens cleaner discs is not advised, due to
the risk of contaminating the lens of the CD optics
with lubricants internal to the CD mechanism.
Fixed Mast Antenna
Thefixed mast antenna can withstand most car washes
without being damaged. If the mast should ever
become slightly bent, you can straighten it out by hand.
If the mast is badly bent, as it might be by vandals,
you should replace it.
Check occasionally to be sure the mast is still tightened
to the fender. If tightening is required, tighten by
hand, then with a wrench one quarter turn.
Chime Level Adjustment
The radio is the vehicle chime producer. The chime is
produced from the driver’s side front door speakers.
To change the volume level, press and hold pushbutton 6
with the ignition on and the radio power off. The chime
volume level will change from the normal level to loud,
and LOUD will be displayed on the radio. To change
back to the default or normal setting, press and hold
pushbutton 6 again. The chime level will change from the
loud level to normal, and NORMAL will be displayed.
Each time the chime volume is changed, three chimes
will sound to indicate the change. Removing the radio
and not replacing it with a factory radio or chime module
will disable vehicle chimes.
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2003 - Savana OM

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 Brake System
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. 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.
If there’s a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will
stay on. SeeAnti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-32.
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2003 - Savana OM

An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended 9 and 3 o’clock positions, you
can turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without
removing either hand. But you have to act fast, steer
quickly, and just as quickly straighten the wheel
once you have avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving
at all times and wear safety belts properly.
Off-Road Recovery
You maynd that your right wheels have dropped off the
edge of a road onto the shoulder while you’re driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way,
steer so that your vehicle straddles the edge of
the pavement. You can turn the steering wheel up to
one-quarter turn until the right front tire contacts
the pavement edge. Then turn your steering wheel
to go straight down the roadway.
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2003 - Savana OM

Here are some tips on night driving.
Drive defensively.
Don’t drink and drive.
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.
Since you can’t see as well, you may need to slow
down and keep more space between you and
other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place
and rest.
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime.
But as we get older these differences increase.
A 50-year-old driver may require at least twice as much
light to see the same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your
night vision. For example, if you spend the day in
bright sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses.
Your eyes will have less trouble adjusting to night.But if you’re driving, don’t wear sunglasses at night.
They may cut down on glare from headlamps, but they
also make a lot of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even
several seconds, for your eyes to re-adjust to the dark.
When you are faced with severe glare (as from a
driver who doesn’t lower the high beams, or a vehicle
with misaimed headlamps), slow down a little. Avoid
staring directly into the approaching headlamps.
Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean—inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up alm caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle andash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlamps light up far less of a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep
your eyes moving; that way, it’s easier to pick out dimly
lighted objects. Just as your headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper aim, so should your eyes
be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from
night blindness—the inability to see in dim light—and
aren’t even aware of it.
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2003 - Savana OM

Driving too fast through large water puddles or even
going through some car washes can cause problems,
too. The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid
puddles. But if you can’t, try to slow down before you
hit them.
{CAUTION:
Wet brakes can cause accidents.They won’t
work as well in a quick stop and may cause
pulling to one side.You could lose control of
the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle of water
or a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly
until your brakes work normally.
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2003 - Savana OM

Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the
water. This can happen if the road is wet enough
and you’re going fast enough. When your vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can if
your tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in
one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is
standing on the road. If you can see reections
from trees, telephone poles or other vehicles, and
raindrops“dimple”the water’s surface, there could be
hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds.
There just isn’t a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning.
The best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
Notice:If you drive too quickly through deep
puddles or standing water, water can come in
through your engine’s air intake and badly damage
your engine.Never drive through water that is
slightly lower than the underbody of your vehicle.
If you can’t avoid deep puddles or standing
water, drive through them very slowly.
Driving Through Flowing Water
{CAUTION:
Flowing or rushing water creates strong
forces.If you try to drive through flowing
water, as you might at a low water crossing,
your vehicle can be carried away.As little as
six inches of flowing water can carry away a
smaller vehicle.If this happens, you and other
vehicle occupants could drown.Don’t ignore
police warning signs, and otherwise be very
cautious about trying to drive through flowing
water.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you
pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear
room ahead, and be prepared to have your
view restricted by road spray.
Have good tires with proper tread depth.
SeeTires on page 5-56in the Index.
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2003 - Savana OM

City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You’ll want to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention
to traffic signals.Here are ways to increase your safety in city driving:
Know the best way to get to where you are
going. Get a city map and plan your trip into
an unknown part of the city just as you would for
a cross-country trip.
Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross
most large cities. You’ll save time and energy.
See the next part,“Freeway Driving.”
Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic
light is there because the corner is busy enough
to need it. When a light turns green, and just before
you start to move, check both ways for vehicles
that have not cleared the intersection or may
be running the red light.
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2003 - Savana OM

Freeway Driving
Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways,
expressways, turnpikes or superhighways) are the
safest of all roads. But they have their own special rules.The most important advice on freeway driving is:
Keep up with traffic and keep to the right. Drive at the
same speed most of the other drivers are driving.
Too-fast or too-slow driving breaks a smooth trafficow.
Treat the left lane on a freeway as a passing lane.
At the entrance, there is usually a ramp that leads to
the freeway. If you have a clear view of the freeway as
you drive along the entrance ramp, you should begin
to check traffic. Try to determine where you expect
to blend with theow. Try to merge into the gap at close
to the prevailing speed. Switch on your turn signal,
check your mirrors and glance over your shoulder as
often as necessary. Try to blend smoothly with the
trafficow.
Once you are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the
posted limit or to the prevailing rate if it’s slower.
Stay in the right lane unless you want to pass.
Before changing lanes, check your mirrors. Then use
your turn signal.
Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your
shoulder to make sure there isn’t another vehicle in
your“blind”spot.
Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain
you allow a reasonable following distance. Expect
to move slightly slower at night.
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2003 - Savana OM

Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your vehicle.Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a
supply of windshield washeruid, a rag, some winter
outer clothing, a small shovel, aashlight, a red
cloth and reective warning triangles. And, if you will be
driving under severe conditions, include a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet
the road probably have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between your tires
and the road, you can have a very slippery situation.
You’ll have a lot less traction or“grip”and will need to be
very careful.
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2003 - Savana OM

{CAUTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your
vehicle. This can cause deadly CO (carbon
monoxide) gas to get inside. CO could
overcome you and kill you. You can’t see it or
smell it, so you might not know it is in your
vehicle. Clear away snow from around the
base of your vehicle, especially any that is
blocking your exhaust pipe. And check around
again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn’t collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that’s away from the wind. This will
help keep CO out.Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little
faster than just idle. That is, push the accelerator
slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat that you get and
it keeps the battery (or batteries) charged. You will
need a well-charged battery (or batteries) to restart the
vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on with your
headlamps. Let the heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine
again and repeat this only when you feel really
uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as little as
possible. Preserve the fuel as long as you can.
To help keep warm, you can get out of the vehicle
and do some fairly vigorous exercises every half hour
or so until help comes.
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2003 - Savana OM