light GMC SIERRA 1997 User Guide

$-Wheel High (4H): This setting engages your front
axle
to help drive your vehicle. Use 4H when you need
extra traction, such as on wet or icy roads, or in most
off-road situations.
Neutral (N): Shift to this setting only when your vehicle
needs to be towed or when using a power take-off.
4-Wheel Low (4L): This setting also engages your front
axle to give you extra power and also gives you a higher
driveline ratio. It should
be used only for off-road driving.
You can shift from 2-WHEEL HIGH (2H) to 4-WHEEL
HIGH (4H) or from 4-WHEEL HIGH
(4H) to
2-WHEEL HIGH (2H) while the vehicle is moving.
Your front axle will engage faster if
you take your foot
off of the accelerator for a few seconds after you shift.
In extremely cold weather, it may be necessary
to stop
or slow the vehicle
to shift into 4-WHEEL HIGH (4H). 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 kmh) 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 and run noisier.
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.
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Electronic Transfer Case (If Equipped)
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.
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 the last chosen setting
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. If for some reason the transfer
cannot make a requested shift,
it will return to the last
chosen setting.
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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
with some delay.
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
with some delay.
Shifting from 2HI 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 km/h) 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.
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 will not complete the shift unless the
vehicle is moving slower than
3 mph (4.8 km/h) and the
transmission is in NEUTRAL
(N).
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). After 30 seconds the
transfer case will return to 4HI.
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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.
If the ignition is on when the parking brake is released,
the brake system warning light will go
off.
I NOTICE:
I
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.
If you have
a 3500 HD model, it is recommended that
the propshaft mounted parking brake be burnished as
part of the new vehicle break-in. The parking brake
will work best after
it has been burnished following
these instructions.
Make
10 stops, using the parking brake foot pedal, from
20 mph (32 kmh) about 2 112 miles (4 km) apart. In
between stops, drive the vehicle at
20 mph (32 kmk).
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Crew Cab
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 ACCESSORY or RUN. Press the rear
of the switch with the power window
symbol on it to lower the window.
Press the front of the switch with the power window
symbol on it to raise the window.
The driver’s window also has
an express down feature
that allows the window to be lowered without holding
the switch. Press and hold the side of the window switch
marked AUTO
for one second to activate the express
down mode. The express down mode can be canceled at
any time by pressing the opposite side of the switch. To
open the window partway, lightly tap the switch until the
window is at the desired position.
Lockout Switch (Crew Cab)
If you have a Crew Cab and power windows, the power
window switch has a lockout feature. This feature
prevents the rear windows from operating when the
front driver’s side switch is
in LOCK. The windows can
still be operated using the driver’s window switch.
When the switch is moved to
NORM, the rear power
windows will operate again.
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nrn Signal and Lane Change Signals
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow you
to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal a
tum, move the lever all the way up or down.
When the
tum is finished, the lever will return automatically.
CII
An arrow on the instrument
panel will flash in
the
direction of the turn or lane
change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts to flash.
Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by
itself when you release it. If you
move the lever all the way up or down, and
the
arrow flashes at twice the normal rate, a signal bulb
may be burned out and other drivers may not see your
turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an
accident. If
the arrows don’t go on at all when you
signal a turn, check for burned-out bulbs and a blown
fuse (see “Fuses and Circuit Breakers” in the Index).
Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low to high beam or high
to low beam, pull the multifunction lever all the way
towards you. Then release it.
When the high beams are
on, this light on the
instrument panel also
will be on.
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Windshield Wipers
You control the windshield
wipers by turning the knob
with the wiper symbol on it.
For a single wiping cycle, turn the knob to MIST. Hold
it there until the wipers start, then let
go. The wipers will
stop after one cycle. If you want more cycles, hold the
knob
on MIST longer.
You can set the wiper eea ror
a long or short delay
between wipes. This can be very useful in light rain or
snow. Turn the knob to choose the delay time. The
closer to
LOW, the shorter the delay. For
steady wiping at low speed,
turn the knob to the
LOW position. For high-speed wiping, turn the knob
further, to
HIGH. To stop the wipers, move the knob
to OFF.
Damaged wiper blades may prevent you from seeing
well enough to drive safely,
To avoid damage, be sure to
clear ice and snow from the wiper blades before using
them. If they are frozen to the windshield, carefully
loosen or thaw them.
If your blades do become
damaged, get new blades
or blade inserts.
Heavy ice or snow can overload your wipers. The
windshield wiper motor
is protected from overload by a
circuit breaker and a fuse. If the motor overheats due to
heavy
snow, etc., the wiper will stop until the motor
cools. Although protected from electrical overload,
overload due to heavy snow, etc. may cause wiper
linkage damage. Always clear ice and heavy snow from
the windshield before using your windshield wipers.
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Increasing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed.
Press the button at the end of the lever, then release
the button and the accelerator pedal. You’ll now
cruise at the higher speed.
Move the cruise switch from ON to R/A. Hold it
there until you get up to the speed you want, and
then release
the switch. (To increase your speed in
very small amounts, move the switch to
R/A for less
than half a second. Each time you do this, your
vehicle will go about
1 mph (I .6 km/h) faster.)
Reducing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
Press in the button at the end of the lever until you
reach the lower speed you want, then release
it.
To slow down in very small amounts, press the
button for less than half a second. Each time you do
this, you’ll go
1 mph (1.6 km/hl slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When
you take your foot off
the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
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.
If the steepness
of the hill causes the vehicle speed to drop more than
15 mph (24 km/h) below the set speed, your cruise control
will automatically disengage. 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.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
0 Step lightly on the brake pedal or
0 Move the cruise switch to OFF.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory
is erased.
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Lamps Taillamps,
Your parking lamp and headlamp switch is
on the
driver’s side of your instrument panel.
Rotate the knob clockwise to the parking lamp symbol
to turn on:
Parking Lamps,
Sidemarker Lamps,
Clearance Lamps (If Equipped),
License Plate Lamps,
Instrument Panel Lights and
Transfer Case Shift Indicator Light
(Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicles).
Rotate the knob clockwise again to the master lighting
symbol to turn on all the lamps listed as well
as
the headlamps.
Rotate the knob counterclockwise to
OFF to turn off
your lamps.
Rotate the thumb
wheel next to the knob up to adjust
instrument panel lights.
Rotate the thumb wheel up to
the first notch to return the radio display and gearshift
indicator LED display
to full intensity when the
headlamps or parking lamps are on.
You can switch your headlamps from high to low beams
by pulling on the turn signal/multifunction lever.
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Headlamps On Reminder
A buzzer will sound when your headlamps are turned
on and the key is turned to the
OFF, LOCK or
ACCESSORY position. If
you need to use your
headlamps when the key is turned to
OFF, LOCK or
ACCESSORY, the buzzer can be turned
off by turning
the thumb wheel next to the parking lampheadlamp
knob all the way down.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front
of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful
in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
The DRL system will make your headlamps come
on at
a reduced brightness when:
the ignition is on,
When the DRL are on, only your headlamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won’t be on.
Your instrument panel won’t be
lit up either.
When it begins to get dark, your DRL indicator light
is a
reminder to turn your headlamp switch on. The other
lamps that come on with your headlamps will also
come
on.
When you turn off the headlamp switch, the regular
lamps will go off, and your headlamps will change to
the reduced brightness
of DRL.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, set the parking
brake. The DRL will stay off until you release the
parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
the headlamp switch is off and
the parking brake is released.
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