ignition GMC SIERRA 1994 User Guide

NOTICE:
After you’ve used the coolant heater, be sure to store the cord in
the manner it was, to help keep it away from moving engine
parts.
If you don’t, it could be torn and damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged in? The answer
depends on the weather,
the kind of oil you have, and some other things.
Follow this chart.
Engine Coolant Heater Usage
Viscosity/ 32°F
to 0°F
Oil Grade
(OOC to -1SOC)
SAE
1 OW-30
SAE
I5W-40
Not
Required
Not
Required
0°F to -10°F
(-18” C to -23 O C)
Two
Hours*
Two
Hours*
Below -10°F
Below -23 ” C
Eight Hours* or Overnight
Eight Hours”: or Overnight
*The times listed are minimum times. It
will not harm either the coolant
heater or the vehicle
to leave the coolant heater plugged in longer than the
times stated.
For best results
in cold weather, use Number I-D diesel fuel or a
“winterized” Number 2-D fuel.
lf Your Diesel Engine Won’t Start
If you’ve run out of fuel, look at “Running Out of Fuel” (see “Diesel Fuel
Requirements and Fuel System” in the Index).
If you’re not out of fuel, and your engine won’t start, do this:
Turn your ignition key to RUN. Make sure that the “GLOW PLUGS” light
is out. Then turn the ignition key to START.
If the light doesn’t go off, wait a few seconds, then try starting your engine
again. And, see
your dealer as soon as you can for a starting system check.
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Locking Rear Axle
If you have this feature, your 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.
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 lever, located just
above the parking
brake pedal, marked
RELEASE to release
the parking brake.
-
If the ignition is on when the parking brake is released, the brake system
warning light will
go off.
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Shifting Into “P” (Park) (Automatic
Transmission Models Only)
Steering Column Shift Lever
1. Hold the brake
pedal down
with
your right foot
and set the
parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into “P” (Park) position like this:
0 Pull the lever toward you.
0 Move the lever up as far as it will go.
3. If you have four-wheel drive, be sure the transfer case is in a drive gear
- not in “N” (Neutral)
4. Move the ignition key to LOCK.
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5. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can walk away from your
vehicle with
the ignition key in your hand, your vehicle is in “P”
(Park).
Leaving Your Vehic/e With the Engine Running
(Automatic Transmission Models Only)
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine running, be sure your
vehicle is
in “P” (Park) and your parking brake is firmly set before you
leave it. If you have four-wheel drive with a manual transfer case shift
lever, be sure that the transfer case
is in a drive gear - not in “N” (Neutral).
After you’ve moved the
shift lever into the “P’ (Park) position, hold the
regular brake pedal down. Then, see if
you can move the shift lever away
from “P” (Park) without first pulling it toward
you. If you can, it means that
the shift lever wasn’t
fully locked into “P” (Park).
Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission)
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your transmission into “P”
(Park) 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
“P’ (Park). This is called “torque lock.” To prevent torque lock,
set the parking brake and then shift into “P’ (Park) properly before you
leave
the driver’s seat. To find out how, see “Shifting Into ‘P’ (Park)” in the
Index.
When you are ready to drive, move the
shift lever out of “P” (Park)
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 “P’ (Park).
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Windows
To operate your
manual windows, turn
the hand crank on
each door to raise or
lower your side door
windows.
If you have the
optional power
windows, the controls
are on each
of the side
doors.
The driver’s door has a switch for the passenger windows as well. Your
power windows
will work when the ignition has been turned to ACC or
RUN.
Push the switch with the down-pointing arrow to lower the window.
Push the switch with the uppointing arrow to raise the window.
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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 your speed. 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.
To Get Out of Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the Cruise Control:
0 Step lightly on
the brake pedal or
push the clutch
pedal, if you have
a manual
transmission
OR;
0 move the Cruise switch to
OFF.
To Erase Speed Memory
When you turn off the Cruise Control or the ignition, your Cruise Control
set speed memory is erased.
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Headlights-On Reminder
A buzzer will sound when your headlights are turned on and your ignition is
in
OFF, LOCK or ACC. If you need to use your headlights when the
ignition switch is in
OFE LOCK or ACC, the buzzer can be turned off by
turning the interior light switch dial all the way
off.
Daytime Running Lights (DRL) Indicator Light
(Canada On/y)
If your vehicle was
first sold, when new,
in Canada, you will
have this light on the
instrument panel.
It goes on whenever
the Daytime Running
Lights are on.
Daytime Running Lights (Canada On/y)
The Canadian Federal Government has decided that “Daytime Running
Lights” (DRL)
are a useful feature, in that DRL can make your vehicle more
visible to pedestrians and other drivers during daylight hours. DRL are
required on new vehicles sold in Canada.
The high beam headlights will come on at reduced brightness in daylight
when:
The ignition is on,
The headlight switch is off, and
The parking brake is released.
When you turn on your headlights, the DRL will switch
off and the exterior
lights will come on. When you turn
off the headlights, the exterior lights
will go out and the high beams will change to the reduced brightness of
DRL again. The
DRL indicator light on the instrument panel will go on
whenever the DRL are on. This light means that only the DRL are on. When
you turn on your exterior lights, this light will go out.
Of course, you may still turn on the headlights any time
you need to.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL
off, set the parking brake. The DRL will
stay
off until you release the parking brake.
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To reset the trip odometer, fully press the reset button located \
near the trip
odometer readout. If the reset button is not fully pressed, the trip odometer
may not go all the way back to zero. If it doesn’t, you may have to press the
reset button again to reset the readout to zero.
Tachometer
If you have a
tachometer, it displays
the engine speed in
revolutions per minute
(rpm).
I NOTICE:
Do not operate the engine with the tachometer in the red area\
,
your engine or other parts could be damaged.
Damage to your engine or vehicle caused by operating the
engine in the red area isn’t covered by your vehicle warranty.
Warning Lights and Indicators
This section describes the warning lights and gages that may b\
e 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 replacem\
ent.
Paying attention to your warning lights and gages could also s\
ave you or
others from injury.
Warning lights go 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 turn the ignition\
key just to
let you know they’re working.
If you are familiar with this section, you
should not be alarmed when this happens.
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Service Throttle Soon Light
The orange Service
Throttle Soon light,
if
you have one, is
located near the
middle left edge of the
instrument cluster
On diesel engines, a computer monitors the operation of the electronic
accelerator. This light should come on when the ignition is on but the engine
is not running, as a check to show you its working.
If it does not come on at
all, have it fixed right away. If the light stays on after the engine starts or
comes on while you are driving, the computer is indicating that you have a
problem. You should take your vehicle in for service soon.
Glow Plugs Light
The orange Glow
Plugs light, if you
have one, is located
near the upper right
corner
of the
instrument cluster.
If you have a diesel engine,
it has a special starting system. An instrument
panel Glow Plugs light tells you when the engine is ready
to be started. For
more details, see “Starting Your Diesel Engine” in the Index.
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Low Coolant Warning Light
The orange Low
Coolant Warning
light, if you have one,
is located
in the upper
left corner of the
instrument cluster.
If you have
on anytime
engine may a
diesel engine, you have a low coolant light. If this light comes
the engine is running, your system
is low on coolant and the
overheat. See “Engine Coolant”
in the Index and have your
vehicle serviced as soon as you can.
Charging System Warning Light
The red Charging
System Warning light
I is located at the upper
right corner
of the
instrument cluster.
The Charging System Warning light should come on briefly when
you turn
on the ignition, before starting the engine, as a check to show you it is
working. After the engine starts, the light should go
out. If it stays on or
comes on while you are driving, you may have a problem with your
charging system.
It could indicate a problem with the alternator drive belt,
or some other charging system problem.
Have it checked right away.
Driving while this light is on could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with this light on, it helps to turn off all
your accessories, such as the radio and air conditioner.
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