GMC SIERRA 1995 Owners Manual

Speedometer and Odometer
Your speedometer lets
you see your speed
in
both miles per hour
(mph)
and kilometers
per hour (km/h).
Your
odometer shows how
far your vehicle has
been
driven, in either
miles (used
in the
U.S.) or kilometers
(used
in Canada).
Tamper-Resistant Odometer
Your odometer is tamper-resistant. The odometer will show silver lines
between the numbers
if someone tries to turn it back.
You may wonder what happens if your vehicle needs a new odometer
installed. Laws vary as to the procedure that must be followed,
so check
with your state or provincial vehicle registration office. But generally, if the
new odometer can be set to the mileage
total of the old odometer, then it
must be. But if it can't, then it's set at zero, and a label must be put on the
driver's door
to show the old mileage reading when the new odometer was
installed.
Trip Odometer
The trip odometer can
tell you how far your
vehicle has been
driven since you
last
set the trip odometer
to zero.
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.
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Tachometer
. :i
Your tachometer
displays the engine
speed
in revolutions
per minute (rpm).
1 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 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
do repairs can be costly - and even dangerous. So please get to
know your warning lights and gages. They’re a big help.
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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, u\
nless 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.
Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument panel, which shows
AIR BAG. The system checks the air bag’s electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical problem. The
system check includes the air bag sensors and module, the wiri\
ng and the
diagnostic module.
For more information on the air bag system, see “Air
Bag” in the Index.
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You will see this light flash for a few seconds when you turn your ignition
to
RUN or START. Then the light should go out. This means the system is
ready.
If the air bag readiness light doesn’t come on when you start your vehicle,
or stays on, or comes on when you are driving, your air bag system may not
work properly. Have your vehicle serviced right away.
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.
This light should come
on briefly as you start the vehicle. 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
the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing
Your Vehicle’’ in the Index.)
b 00 closer to the floor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on, have
A CAUTION:
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 st\
ill on
after you’ve pulled off the road and stopped carefully, have\
the
vehicle towed for service.
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The brake system warning light will also come on when you set your
parking brake, and
it 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.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
ANTI-
LOCK
With the anti-lock 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
doesn’t come on, have
it fixed so it will be ready to warn you if there is a
problem.
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.
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Water in Fuel Light
I.
This red light will come on to warn you if there is water in the diesel fuel
system. For more information on how this light works. see "Diesel Fuel
Requirements
and Fuel System" in the Index.
Service Throttle Soon Light
SERVICE
THROTTLE
SOON
On diesel engines, a computer monitors the operation of the electronic
accelerator.
As a check to show you it's working, this orange light comes on
for
a few seconds after the ignition is turned on. Normally, it will not come
back
on unless the ignition has been off' for SO seconds or more. If the light
does not come on at all, and the ignition has been off for 30 seconds or
more, have the light fixed right away. If the light stays on after the engine
starts, or comes on while you are driving. the computer
is indicating that
your vehicle has
a problem. You should take your vehicle in for service
soon.
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Glow Plugs Light
GLO
PLUGS
If you have a diesel engine, it has a special starting system. An orange
instrument panel Glow Plugs light shows that the system is functioning
properly and tells you when the engine is ready to be started. For more
details, see “Starting
Your Diesel Engine’’ in the Index.
Low Coolant Warning Light
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Charging System Warning Light
The red 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.
Malfunction Indicator (Service Engine Soon) Lamp
I
A computer monitors the operation of your fuel, ignition and emission
control systems. This orange light should come on when
the ignition is on
but the engine is not running. as a check
to show you it’s working. If it does
not come on at all, have
it fixed right away. If it stays on, 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.
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NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light on, after a while
the emission controls
won’t work as well, your fuel economy
won’t
be as good, and your engine may not run as smoothly.
This could lead
to costly repairs not covered by your warranty.
Check Gages Light
This orange light will come on briefly when you are starting the engine. If
the light comes on and stays on while you are driving, it could indicate a
problem with your vehicle.
It could be a problem with your oil pressure.
coolant temperature, or some other problem. Check your various gages
to
see if they are in the warning zones. If they are, have your vehicle serviced
right away.
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) Indicator Light
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If your vehicle was first sold, when new, in Canada, you will have this green
light
on the instrument panel. It will light whenever the Daytime Running
Lamps are on. For more details about DRL, see “Headlamps and Vehicle
Lighting”
in this section.
Shift Indicator Light
e
This orange light, with the word SHIFT and the upshift arrow, is used on
some models with manual transmissions. Depending on your particular
model, your vehicle may not have this light. The SHIFT indicator light will
help you get
the best fuel economy. See “Shift Light” or “Manual
Transmission Shift Speeds”
in this section for more information.
Headlamp High Beam Indicator Light
The blue high beam indicator is on whenever you use your high beam
headlamps. For more details about high beams, see “Headlamp High-Low
Beam” earlier
in this section.
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