1976 CHEVROLET VEGA trailer

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine YOUR VEGA'S FIRST
FEW HUNDRED MILES OF DRIVING
You can operate your new car
from its very first mile without ad­
hering to a formal
"break-in" sched­
ule. However, during the first
few
hundred miles of driving you can,
by observing a few simple precau­
tions , add to the future performance
and economy of your car.
It is recommended that your speed
during the first
500 miles
be confined to a maximum of 55
M.P.H., but do not drive for ex­
tended periods at
anyone constant
speed, either fast
or slow. Dur­
ing this period , avoid full throttle
starts and, if possible, avoid hard
stops especially during the first
200
miles of operation since brake mis- use
during this period will destroy
much future brake efficiency.
Always drive at moderate speed
until the engine has completely
warmed up.
If you plan to use your new
car for trailer hauling see additional
information on page 1-9.
SEE PAGE 5-21 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR GAS MILEAGE.
ii

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Trailer Hauling
Since passenger cars are designed
and intended to be used primarily
as passenger conveyances, towing
a trailer will effect handling, dura­
bility
and economy. Maximum
safety and satisfaction depends
upon proper use of correct equip­
ment and avoiding overloads and
other abusive operation.
The maximum loaded trailer
weight which you can pull with
your car depends on what special
equipment has been installed on
your car. Chevrolet does not rec- ommend
towing any trailer
over
1,000 pounds gross trailer weight.
Information on trailer haul­
ing capabilities, special equipment
required, and optional equipment
offered by Chevrolet
is available
from your Chevrolet Dealer or by
writing Chevrolet Motor Division,
Detroit, Michigan 48202
(or in
Canada by writing to General
Motors of Canada Limited,
Owner
Relations Department, Oshawa,
Ontario LlJ 5Z6).
To assist in attaining good han­
dling of the car-trailer combination,
it
is important that the trailer
1-9
tongue load be maintained at ap­
proximately 10%
of the loaded
trailer weight. Tongue loads can
be adjusted by proper distribution
of the load in the trailer, and can
be checked
by weighing separately
the loaded trailer and then the
tongue.
When towing trailers, tires should
be inflated to the highest inflation
pressures shown on the placard
affixed
to the left front door. The
allowable passenger and cargo
load, also shown on the same pla­
card,
is reduced by an amount
eq ual to the trailer tongue load on
the trailer hitch.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Maintenance
More frequent vehicle mainte­
nance
is required when using your
car to pull a trailer. Change the:
• Automatic transmission fluid
and filter each
15,000 miles,
(see Trailering brochure for addi­
tional information).
• Rear axle fluid each 15,000
miles,
• Engine oil each 90 days or 3,000
miles, whichever occurs first,
• Positive crankcase ventilation
valve each
12 months or 15,000
miles, whichever occurs first.
• See index for important informa­
tion on belts, cooling system care
and automatic brake adjustment.
Break-in Schedule
In addition to the new car preak-in
instructions in this manual, it is
recommended that your new car
be operated for
500 miles before
trailer towing.
If it is necessary to
tow during this period, avoid speeds
over
50 MPH and full throttle
starts. The same precautions should
be observed whenever a new en­
gine, transmission or axle
is in­
stalled in your car.
1-10

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine STARTING AND OPERATING
Engine Exhaust Gas Caution (Carbon Monoxide)
AvoId Inhaling exhaust gases because
they contaIn carbon monoxide, which by
Itselt is colorless and odorless. Carbon
monoxide Is a dangerous gas that can
cause unconsciousness and is potentially
lethal.
If at any time you suspect that exhaust
fumes are entering the passenger com­partment, have the cause determined and
corrected as soon as possible. If you must
drIve under these conditions, drive only
with
all windows fully open.
The best protection agaInst carbon
monoxide entry Into the car body Is a
properly maIntaIned engine exhaust sys­tem, car body and body ventilatIon system, It Is recommended that the exhaust system
and body be Inspected by a competent
mechanIc.
• Each time the vehIcle Is raised for an 011 change.
• Whenever 8 change Is noticed In the
sound Of the exhaust system.
• Whenever the exhaust system, under­body or rear of the vehicle Is damaged.
See your MaIntenance Schedule folder
for inspection procedure.
To allow proper operation of the car's
ventilation system, keep aIr Inlet grille
forward of windshield and rear ventilation
grille on station wagon quarter. panels
clear ot snow or other
obstruction at all times, and prevent cargo from blocking
the inside vent holes on the underside of the quarter panels.
SITTING IN A PARKED CAR WITH EN­GINE RUNNING FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD IS NOT RECOMMENDED.
Do not run engine In confined areas
such as garages any more than needed
to move vehIcle In
or out of area. When vehIcle Is stopped In an UNCONFINED area with the engine runnIng for any more
than a short perIod, adjust heating or cooling system to force outsIde aIr into
car as follows:
2-1
1. On cars not equipped with air con­ditioning, set fan to medium or high
speed and upper control lever to any
position except OFF.
2. On cars equipped with air conditIon­ing, set fan to medium or high speed
and upper control lever to any position
except
OFF or MAX.
The trunk lid should be closed while drIving to help prevent inadvertently drawing exhaust gases into the car. It is
unwise to drIve at high speeds for long
durations with the trunk lid open. However, it tor some reason the trunk must remain
open for a period while moving, or elec­trical wiring or other cable connections to
a trailer must pass through the seal be­
tween trunk
lid and body, the following
precautions should be observed:
• Close all windows.
• Adjust heating or cooling system to
force outsIde air into car as described In Items 1 and 2 above but with fan set
at hIgh speed.
• On cars equIpped with outside aIr vents In or under Instrument panel, open vents
fully.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Gas Cap-The fuel tank filler cap
has a
two-step removal and in­
stallation procedure plus a pres­
sure-vacuum safety relief valve. It
is equipped with a double set of
locking tangs. To remove:
• Rotate cap one-half tum counter­
clockwise to clear the first set of
tangs from the slots inside the
filler neck. This will allow any
residual pressure to escape.
• Pull the cap outward and rotate
one-quarter
tum counterclock­
wise to clear second set of tangs
and remove the cap.
• To install, reverse this procedure.
NOTE: If this cap requires a re­
placement, only a cap with these
same features should be used.
Fail­
ure to use the correct cap can result
in a serious malfunction of the
sys­
tem. Correct replacement caps may
be obtained from your authorized
Chevrolet dealer.
ENGINE ITEMS
Engine Oil and Filter
Recommendations'
• Use only SE engine oil.
• Change oil each 6 months or
7,500 miles, whichever occurs
first,
except under the following
conditions:
*
-driving in dusty conditions
-trailer pulling
-extensive idling
-short-trip operation at
freez­
ing temperatures (engine not
thoroughly warmed-up) .
*Under these conditions, change oil
each 3 months
or 3,000 miles,
whichever occurs first.
• Operation in dust storms may
require an immediate oil change.
• Replace the oil filter at the first
oil change, and every second oil
change thereafter. AC oil filters
5-2
provide excellent engine pro­
tection.
See your Chevrolet dealer for
ad­
vice on the frequency of oil and
filter changes under unusual driving
conditions.
The above recommendations
ap­
ply to the first change as well as
subsequent oil changes. The oil
change interval for your Chevrolet
engine
is based on the use of SE
oils and quality oil filters.
Oil
change intervals longer than those
listed above will seriously reduce
engine life and may affect
Chevro­
let obligation under the provisions
of the
New Vehicle Warranty.
NOTE: Non-detergent and other
low quality oils are specifically not
recommended.
Only the use of SE
engine oils and proper oil and filter
change intervals assure you of
con­
tinued proper lubrication of your
Chevrolet engine.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine TRANSMISSION ITEMS
Automatic Traiismission­
Fluid Level
Recommendations
Use automatic transmission
fluids identified with the mark
DEXRON®-II available from your
Chevrolet dealer or local service
station.
Check the fluid level at each en­
gine oil change period.
Automatic transmissions are fre­
quently overfilled because the fluid
level
is checked when the fluid is
cold and the dipsick indicates fluid
should
be added. However, the low
reading may be normal since the
fluid level will rise
as the fluid tem­
perature increases. A level change
of over
% inch will occur as fluid
temperature rises from
60° F. to
180° F. (16° C. to 82° C.)
Overfilling can cause foaming
and loss of fluid through the vent.
(65' -85'F .) (18 ' -29'C.) COOl HOT
WARM
NOTE: DO NOT OVERFill. It takes only 'one pint to raise level from ADD to FUll with a hot transmission.
Slippage and transmission failure
can result.
Fluid level too low can cause
slipping,
particularly when the
transmission is cold or the car is
on a hill.
Check the transmission fluid
level with the
engine running, the
shift lever in
Park, and the car
level.
Remove the dipstick and touch
the transmission end of the dipstick
NOTE: If the vehicle has recently
been operated for an extended
period at high speed or in city
traffic in hot weather
or the vehi­
cle
is being used to pull a trailer,
an accurate fluid level cannot be
determined until the fluid has
cooled dpwn-usually about 30
minutes after the vehicle has been
parked.)
cautiously to find out if the fluid
is
cool, warm or hot.
Wipe it clean and re-insert until
cap seats. Remove dipstick and
note reading.
• If the fluid feels cool, about room
temperature
(65° F. to 85° F.)
or (18° C. to 29° C.), the level
should be
Vs to % inch below
the
"ADD" mark The dipstick
has two dimples below the
"ADD" mark to show this range.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine • If it feels warm, the level should
be close to the
"ADD" mark
( either slightly above
or beloW).
• If it feels hot (cannot be held
comfortably) the level should
be
between the "ADD" and
"FULL" marks.
NOTE: DO NOT OVERFILL. It
takes only one pint to raise level
from
ADD to FULL with a hot
transmission.
Automatic Transmission­
Drain
Intervals
The transmission operating tem­
perature resulting from the type of
driving conditions under which
your vehicle
is used is the main
consideration in establishing the
proper frequency of transmission
fluid changes.
If you do not use your vehicle
under severe conditions, change the
fluid and filter every
60,000 miles.
Refer to section 6,
"Specifications",
for required fluid quantities.
If the vehicle is usually driven
under one
or more of the follow­
ing conditions-considered severe
transmission
service-change the
transmission fluid and filter every
15,000 miles.
• In heavy city traffic.
• Where the outside temperature
regularly reaches
90° F. (32°
C.) for extended periods.
• In very hilly or mountainous
areas.
• Frequent trailer pUlling.
• Commercial uses, such as taxi,
police
car or delivery service.
Manual Transmissions­
Lubricant
Level
Every 6 months or 7,500 miles,
whichever occurs first, check lubri­
cant level and add lubricant, if nec­
essary, to
fill to . level of filler plug
hole.
5-6
• 3-Speed and 4-Speed-Use SAE
80W or SAE 80W-90 GL-5
Gear Lubricant. (For those
vehicles normally operated in
Canada, use
SAE 80W GL5
Gear Lubricant. )
Transmission Shift Linkage
(Manual and Automatic)
Every 7,500 miles or 6 months
lubricate shift linkage and
on
manual transmission floor controls
lever contacting faces with water
resistant
EP chassis lubricant which
meets
GM specification 6031 M.
Clutch Cross -Shaft -Every
30,000 miles or sooner if necessary
-Remove the plug, install a lubri­
cation fitting and lubricate with
water resistant
EP Chassis Lubri­
cant which meets GM Specification
6031M.