manual transmission GMC SIERRA 1996 User Guide

If your speed drops below 20 mph (32 km/h), or if the
engine
is not running smoothly, you should downshift to
the next lower gear. You may have to downshift two or
more gears to keep the engine running smoothly
or for
good performance.
If you have a five-speed manual transmission with low
gear (RPO MW3), the following charts show when to
shift to the
next higher gear for best fuel economy.
Acceleration Shift Speeds
VIN Code 2 to 3 3 to 4
4.3L V6 (W) 15 mph 40 mph
(24 km/h) (64 km/h)
Cruise Shift Speeds
4 to 5
SO mph
(80 km/h)
4.3L V6 (W) 15 rnph 25-40 mph 45-SO mph
(24 hdh) (40-64 kdh) (72-80 km/h)
Shift Light
SHIFT
If you have a manual
transmission, you may have
a SHIFT light. This light
will show
you when to shift
to the next higher gear for
best fuel economy.
When this light comes
on, you can shift to the next
higher gear
if weather, road and traffic conditions let
you. For the best fuel economy, accelerate slowly and
shift when the light comes on.
While
you accelerate, it is normal for the light to go
on and off if you quickly change the position of the
accelerator. Ignore the
SHIFT light when you downshift.
If your vehicle has four-wheel drive and is equipped
with
a manual transmission, disregard the SHIFT light
when
the transfer case is in 4L.
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To shift into or out of 4-WHEEL LOW (4L) or
NEUTRAL
(N):
1. Slow the vehicle to a roll, about 1 to 3 mph
(2 to 5 km/h) and shift an automatic transmission
into NEUTRAL (N), or with a manual transmission
press the clutch pedal.
2. Shift the transfer case shift lever in one
continuous motion.
Don’t pause in NEUTRAL
(N) as you shift the
transfer case into 4-WHEEL LOW (4L), or your gears
could clash.
Remember that driving in 4-WHEEL HIGH (4H)
or 4-WHEEL LOW (4L) may reduce fuel economy.
Also, driving in four-wheel drive
on dry pavement could
cause your tires to wear faster and make your transfer
case harder to shift.
When
your headlamps or parking lamps are on,
rotate the thumb wheel next to the headlamp switch
up to brighten, or down
to dim, your transfer case
indicator light.
Electronic Transfer Case (Option)
If your four-wheel-drive vehicle has the electronic
transfer case, the transfer case switches are below and to
the left
of the climate control system.
Use these switches to shift into and
out of four-wheel
drive. You can choose among three driving settings:
2HI: This setting is for driving in most street and
highway situations. Your front axle is not engaged in
two-wheel drive.
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4HI: This setting engages your front axle to help
drive your vehicle.
Use 4HI when you need extra
traction, such
as on snowy or icy roads, or in most
off-road situations.
4LO: This setting also engages your front axle to give
you extra traction. You may never need 4LO. It sends
the maximum power
to all four wheels. You might
choose 4LO
if you were driving off-road in sand, mud
or deep snow and climbing
or descending steep hills.
Indicator lights
in the switches show you which setting
you are in. The indicator lights will come on briefly
when you turn
on the ignition and one will stay on.
If the lights do not come
on, you should take your
vehicle
in for service. An indicator light will flash
while shifting.
It will remain illuminated when the
shift is completed.
Shifting from 2HI to 4HI
Press and release the 4HI switch. This can be done at
any speed, and the front axle will lock automatically.
Shifting from 4HI to 2HI
Press and release the 2HI switch. This can be done at
any speed, and
the front axle will unlock automatically.
Shifting from 2H1 or 4HI to 4LO
To shift from 2HI or 4HI to 4L0, the vehicle must
be stopped or moving less than
3 mph (4.8 kmh) with
the transmission in NEUTRAL
(N). The preferred
method for shifting
into 4LO is to have your vehicle
moving
1 to 2 mph (1.6 to 3.2 km/h). Press and release
the 4LO switch. You must wait for the 4LO indicator
light to stop flashing and remain illuminated before
shifting
your transmission into gear.
If the 4LO switch
is pressed when your vehicle is in
gear and/or moving, the 4LO indicator light
will flash
for 30 seconds and not complete the shift unless your
vehicle
is moving slower than 3 mph (4.8 km/h) and the
transmission is
in NEUTRAL (N).
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Shifting from 4LO to 4HI or 2HI
To shift from 4LO to 4HI or 2H1, your vehicle must be
stopped or moving less than
3 mph (4.8 km/h) with the
transmission in NEUTRAL (N). The preferred method
for shifting
out of 4LO is to have your vehicle moving
1 to 2 mph (1.6 to 3.2 km/h). Press and release the 4HI
switch.
You must wait for the 4HI indicator light to stop
flashing and remain illuminated before shifting your
transmission
into gear.
If the 4HI switch is pressed when your vehicle is in
gear and/or moving, the 4HI indicator light will flash for
30 seconds but not complete the shift unless the vehicle
is moving slower than
3 mph (4.8 km/h) and the
transmission is in NEUTRAL (N).
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.
lull the lever, located
1st above the parking
rake pedal, marked
;RAKE RELEASE.
If the ignition is on when the parking brake is released,
the brake system warning light
will go off.
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Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running (Automatic Transmission
Models Only)
I A ‘CAUTION:
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.
If you have four-wheel
drive with
a manual transfer case shift lever and
your transfer case is in NEUTRAL
(N), your
vehicle will be free to roll, even if your shift lever
is in PARK (P). So be sure the transfer case is in a
drive gear
-- not in NEUTRAL (N). 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.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle
is in PARK (P) and the
parking brake is firmly set before you leave
it. After you
move the shift lever into PARK (P), hold the regular
brake pedal down. Then, see
if you can move the shift
lever away from PARK (P) without first pulling
it
toward you. If you can, it means that the shift lever
wasn’t fully locked into PARK (P).
Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission)
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 puIl the shift
lever out
of PARK (P).
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Parking Your Vehicle (Manual
Transmission Models Only)
Before you get out of your vehicle, put your manual
transmission in REVERSE (R), turn
off the engine, and
firmly apply the parking brake.
If you have four-wheel drive, be sure your transfer case
is in
a drive gear. Your vehicle could roll if it isn’t.
If you are parking
on a hill, or if you are pulling a
trailer, see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index.
Parking Over Things That Burn
f
A CAUTION:
Things that can burn could touch hot exhaust
parts under your vehicle and ignite. Don’t park
over papers, leaves, dry grass or other things that
can burn.
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Engine Exhaust
I
A CAUTION:
-
Engine exhaust can kill. It contains the gas
carbon monoxide
(CO), which you can’t see or
smell. It can cause unconsciousness and death.
You might have exhaust coming in if:
Your exhaust system sounds strange or different.
Your vehicle gets rusty underneath.
Your vehicle was damaged in a collision.
Your vehicle was damaged when driving over
high points on the road or over road debris.
Repairs weren’t done correctly.
Your vehicle or exhaust system had been
If you ever suspect exhaust is coming into
your vehicle:
Drive it only with all the windows down to
Have your vehicle fixed immediately.
modified improperly.
blow
out any
CO; and
I
Zunning Your Engine While You’re
larked (Automatic Transmission)
It’s better not to park with the engine running. But if you
ever have to, here are some things to know.
Idling the engine with the air system control off
could allow dangerous exhaust into your vehicle
(see the earlier Caution under “Engine Exhaust”).
Also, idling in
a closed-in place can let deadly
carbon monoxide
(CO) into your vehicle even if
the fan switch is at the highest setting. One place
this can happen
is a garage. Exhaust -- with
CO -- can come in easily. NEVER park in a
garage with the engine running.
Another closed-in place can be a blizzard. (See
“Blizzard”
in the Index.)
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/A CAUTION: l!,L- .
Don’t keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches fire.
You or others could be burned.
Check
your oil as soon as possible and have your
vehicle serviced.
I NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and
is not covered by your
warranty.
Shift Light
SHIFT
This light is used on some
models
with manual
transmissions.
The
SHIFT indicator light will help you get the best fuel
economy. See “Shift Light” or “Shift Speeds”
in this
section for more information.
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What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or is about
to stall, and
I can’t make it up the hill?
A: If this happens, there are some things you should
do, and these are some things you
must not do.
First, here’s what you shalrlcl do:
Push the brake pedal to stop the vehicle and
keep it from rolling backwards. Also, apply the
parking brake.
If your engine is still running, shift the transmission
to REVERSE
(R), release the parking brake, and
slowly back down the
hill in REVERSE (R).
If your engine has stopped running, you’ll need to
restart
it. With the brake pedal depressed and the
parking brake still applied, shift the transmission to
PARK (P) (or, shift to NEUTRAL (N) if your
vehicle has
a manual transmission) and restart the
engine. Then,
shift to REVERSE (R), release the
parking brake, and slowly back down the
hill as
straight as possible
in REVERSE (R).
As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand
on the steering wheel at the 12 o’clock position. This
way, you’ll be able to tell
if your wheels are straight
and maneuver as you back down.
It’s best that you
back down the
hill with your wheels straight rather
than
in the left or right direction. Turning the wheel
too far to the left or right will increase the possibility
of a rollover.
Here are sonie things you
rnusf not do if you stall, or are
about to stall, when going
up a hill.
Never attempt to prevent a stall by shifting into
NEUTRAL
(N) (or depressing the clutch, if you
have a manual transmission) to “rev-up” the engine
and regain forward momentum. This won’t work.
Your vehicle will roll backwards very quickly and
you could go out
of control.
Instead, apply the regular brake to stop the vehicle. Then
apply the parking brake. Shift to REVERSE
(R), release
the parking brake, and slowly back straight down.
Never attempt to turn around if you are about to stall
when going
up a hill. If the hill is steep enough to
stall your vehicle, it’s steep enough to cause you to
roll over if you turn around. If you can’t make it up
the
hill, you must back straight down the hill.
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&.’ Suppose, after stalling, I try to back down
the hill and decide
I just can’t do it. What
should 1 do?
A: Set the parking brake. put your transmission
in PARK (Pj (or the manual transmission in
FIRST ( I )) and turn off the engine. Leave the
vehicle
and go get some help. Exit on the uphill
side and stay clear
of the path the vehicle would
take if it rolled downhill. Do not shift the transfer
case to
NEUTRAL (N) when you leave the vehicle.
Leave
it in some gear. Shirring the
transter ca-- to NEU 1 dAL (N) can
cause your vehicle to roll even if the transmission
is in PARK (P) (or, if you have the manual
transmission, even if you’re in gear). This
is
because the NEUTRAL (N) position on the
transfer case overrides the transmission. If you
are going to
leave your vehicle, set the parking
brake and shift the transmission to
PARK (P)
(or, put your manual transmission in FIRST (I)).
But do not shift the transfer case to the
NEUTRAL (N) position. Leave the transfer
case in the
2 Wheel, 4 High or 4 I,ow position.
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