heater GMC SONOMA 2002 Owner's Manual

1-6 Heated Front Seats (If Equipped)
If your vehicle has this
feature, the controls are
located on the outboard
side of the front seats.
This feature will quickly heat the seat cushion and lower
back of the driver's and front passenger's seats for
added comfort.
Press the lower part of the control to turn the heater on
low. Press the upper part of the control to turn the heater
on high. Move the control to the center position to turn
the heater off.
The passenger's safety belt must be engaged for the
heated seat feature to work on the passenger's seat.
Reclining Seatbacks
If your vehicle is equipped with power seats, see ªPower
Seatsº earlier in this section for information on reclining
the seatback.
To adjust a manual
front seatback, lift the
lever on the outboard side
of the seat.
Release the lever to lock the seatback where you want it.
Pull up on the lever without pushing on the seatback and
the seat will go to an upright position.

2-25
Engine Coolant Heater (If Equipped)
In very cold weather, 0
F (-18
C) or colder, the engine
coolant heater can help. You'll get easier starting and
better fuel economy during engine warm
-up. Usually,
the coolant heater should be plugged in a minimum of
four hours prior to starting your vehicle. At temperatures
above 32
F (0
C), use of the coolant heater is not
required. If you have the 2200 L4 (VIN Code 5) engine
and are using ethanol (E
-85) fuel with 70% or more
ethanol in very cold weather, the use of the engine
coolant heater is important. For more information, see
ªFuel E
-85º in the Index.
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord. The
cord is located on the driver's side of the engine
compartment, behind the underhood fuse block.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110
-volt AC outlet.
CAUTION:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind of extension cord could overheat and cause
a fire. You could be seriously injured. Plug the
cord into a properly grounded three
-prong
11 0
-volt AC outlet. If the cord won't reach, use a
heavy
-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least 15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and
store the cord as it was before to keep it away from
moving engine parts. If you don't, it could be
damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind of oil you have, and some other things. Instead of
trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your dealer in the area where you'll be parking your
vehicle. The dealer can give you the best advice for that
particular area.

3-4
Temperature Knob
The middle knob on the control panel lets you select the
relative temperature of the air flowing into the passenger
area of your vehicle. Turn the knob clockwise toward
the red area for warmer air. Turn the knob
counterclockwise toward the blue area for cooler air.
Mode Knob
The right knob on the control panel allows you to
choose the direction of air delivery and settings for
air conditioning.
OFF: This setting turns the system off. Some outside air
will still enter the vehicle whenever the vehicle is
moving forward.
MAX A/C (Maximum Air Conditioning): This setting
provides maximum cooling with the least amount of
work. MAX A/C recirculates much of the air inside your
vehicle so it cools quickly. This setting directs most of
the air through the instrument panel vents and a small
amount through the floor vents.A/C (Air Conditioning): This setting cools the air
entering your vehicle and directs most of the air through
the instrument panel vents and a small amount through
the floor vents.
(Bi-Level): This setting cools the air entering your
vehicle and directs it through the heater floor outlets as
well as the instrument panel outlets.
(Vent): This setting directs most of the air through
the instrument panel outlets and a small amount through
the floor outlets. The air conditioning compressor is not
working when the other modes are selected.
(Floor): This setting directs most of the air
through the floor outlets and some air through the
windshield defroster outlets.
(Blend): Airflow is divided equally between the
floor outlet and the windshield defroster outlets.
(Defrost): This setting directs most air through
the windshield defroster outlets and some through the
floor outlets.

3-5 Air Conditioning (If Equipped)
On hot days, open the windows long enough to let hot
inside air escape. This reduces the time it takes for your
vehicle to cool down. Then keep your windows closed
for the air conditioner to work its best.
For quick cool
-down on very hot days, use MAX A/C
with the temperature knob turned counterclockwise.
This setting should be used to keep odors and/or dust
from entering the vehicle. For normal cooling on hot
days, use A/C with the temperature knob turned
counterclockwise.
On cool but sunny days, use bi
-level to deliver warm
air to the floor and cooler air to the instrument
panel outlets.
If you have the VORTEC 4300 V6 engine, when the air
conditioner is on, you may sometimes notice slight
changes in your vehicle's engine speed and power. This
is normal because the system is designed to cycle the
compressor on and off to keep the desired temperature.
Heating
The heater works best if you keep your windows closed
while using it. On cold days, use the floor outlets with
the temperature knob turned clockwise. Blend is useful
in cool weather when you have fog or ice on the
windshield or side windows.
If you use the optional engine coolant heater before
starting your engine, your heating system will produce
warmer air faster to heat the passenger compartment in
cold weather. See ªEngine Coolant Heaterº in the Index.

3-7
Ventilation Tips

Keep the hood and front air inlet free of ice, snow or
any other obstruction (such as leaves). The heater
and defroster will work far better, reducing the
chance of fogging the inside of your windows.

When you enter a vehicle in cold weather, turn the
fan control to high for a few moments before driving
off. This helps clear the intake ducts of snow and
moisture, and reduces the chance of fogging the
inside of your windows.

Keep the air path under the front seats clear of
objects. This helps air to circulate throughout
your vehicle.Audio Systems
Your audio system has been designed to operate easily
and give years of listening pleasure. You will get the
most enjoyment out of it if you acquaint yourself with it
first. Find out what your audio system can do and how
to operate all its controls to be sure you're getting the
most out of the advanced engineering that went into it.
Setting the Clock for Systems with the
SET Button
Press SET. Within five seconds, press and hold the right
SEEK arrow until the correct minute appears on the
display. Press and hold the left SEEK arrow until the
correct hour appears on the display.
Setting the Clock for Systems with HR and
MN Buttons
Press and hold HR until the correct hour appears on the
display. Press and hold MN until the correct minute
appears on the display. To display the clock with the
ignition off, press RECALL or HR/MN and the time
will be displayed for a few seconds. There is an initial
two
-second delay before the clock goes into the
time
-set mode.

4-40

Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you've been stopped by the snow.

Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.
If you have no blankets or extra clothing, make body
insulators from newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor
mats
-- anything you can wrap around yourself or
tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
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 charged. You will need a well
-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on
with your headlamps. Let the heater run for a while.

5-9 If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get an engine overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little too hot when you:

Climb a long hill on a hot day.

Stop after high
-speed driving.

Idle for long periods in traffic.

Tow a trailer. See ªDriving on Gradesº in the Index.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or so:
1. If you have an air conditioner and it's on, turn it off.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you're in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- DRIVE (D) or THIRD (3)
for automatic transmissions.If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes.
If the warning doesn't come back on, you can drive
normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there's still no sign of steam, push down the
accelerator until the engine speed is about twice as fast
as normal idle speed for at least three minutes while
you're parked. If you still have the warning, turn off
the engine and get everyone out of the vehicle until it
cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.

5-10
Cooling System
When you decide it's safe to lift the hood, here's what
you'll see:
A. Coolant Recovery Tank
B. Radiator Pressure Cap
C. Engine Cooling Fan
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don't do anything else until it cools down. The vehicle
should be parked on a level surface.
The coolant level should beat least up to the ADD mark.
If it isn't, you may have a leak at the pressure cap or in
the radiator hoses, heater hoses, radiator, water pump or
somewhere else in the cooling system.

5-11
CAUTION:
Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Don't touch them. If you
do, you can be burned.
Don't run the engine if there is a leak. If you run
the engine, it could lose all coolant. That could
cause an engine fire, and you could be burned.
Get any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle.
If there seems to be no leak, start the engine again.
The engine cooling fan speed should increase when idle
speed is doubled by pushing the accelerator pedal down.
If it doesn't, your vehicle needs service. Turn off the
engine.
NOTICE:
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn't covered by your warranty.
NOTICE:
When adding coolant, it is important that you
use only DEX
-COOL
(silicate-free) coolant.
If coolant other than DEX-COOL is added to
the system, premature engine, heater core or
radiator corrosion may result. In addition, the
engine coolant will require change sooner
-- at
30,000 miles (50 000 km) or 24 months,
whichever occurs first. Damage caused by the
use of coolant other than DEX
-COOL
is not
covered by your new vehicle warranty.

5-12 How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank
If you haven't found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn't at the ADD mark, add a 50/50 mixture of clean,
drinkable water and DEX
-COOL
engine coolant at the
coolant recovery tank. See ªEngine Coolantº in the
Index for more information.
CAUTION:
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid such as alcohol, can boil before the proper
coolant mixture will. Your vehicle's coolant
warning system is set for the proper coolant
mixture. With plain water or the wrong mixture,
your engine could get too hot but you wouldn't
get the overheat warning. Your engine could
catch fire and you or others could be burned.
Use a 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water
and DEX
-COOL
coolant.
NOTICE:
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts. Use
the recommended coolant and the proper coolant
mixture.
See ªEngine Compartment Overviewº in the Index for
more information on location.