1980 CHEVROLET CITATION brake

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine SECTION 1
BEFORE DRIVING YOUR
CHEVROLET
DRIVER DAILY CHECKLIST
Be sure you know your vehicle and its, equipment and how to use it safely.
Before Entering the Vehicle
1. See that windows, mirrors, and lights are clean and unobstructed.
2. Check whether any tire is low or flat. (If any tire looks different from nonnal,
we recommend you check
it with a tire pressure gage.)
3. Check that all lights work.
4. Look for fluid leaks.
5. Be sure everything is properly stowed.
6. Check the area behind the vehicle if you are about to back up.
Before Driving Off
1. Lock all doors.
2. Adjust seat.
3. Adjust inside and outside mirrors.
4. Fasten seat belts.
5. Check that all the warning lights work as the key is turned to "'Start."
6. Check all gages (including the fuel gage).
7. Release the parking brake (and see that the "Brake" light turns om.
Seerelated topics in this manual, or the Maintenance Schedule folder, if problems
are found.
Guard Against Theft
For tips on how to protect your vehicle and its contents, see "Starting and
Operating" in section 2 of this manuaL
KEYS
Two different keys are· provided for the locks on your vehicle. The key code is
stamped on the "knock out" plug in each key head.
• Key with square head (letter "A" or "e") -for ignition lock only.
• Key with oval head (letter "8" or "0") ~ for all other locks.,
For vehicle security:
• Record the key code numbers; then knock the plugs out of the keys.
• Keep the key codes in a safe place (such as your wallet), NOT IN THE
VEHICLE.
If the original keys are lost, duplicates can
be made using the key codes. Contact
any
OM dealer or a locksmith.
If yO~i park in an attended lot, leave only your square-head ignition key.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Tir,s
When lowing trailers using a dead-weight hitch, inflate tires to the "Cold Tire
Pressure" for ·'Max . Load" show n on the Tire Placard on the left front door.
The allowable passenger and cargo load for this car,
also sh o wn on· the Tire
Placard, is reduced by the trailer tongue weight whenever the trailer is attached
t o the car.
Maintenance
More frequen.t servic e is requi red when using your car to pull a trailer. See Section
A of the Maint enance Schedule folder for Tran saxle Fluid and Engine Oil chang e
requirement~ for traitering.
Now and then. check that all trailer hitch bolts an d nuts are tight. Also see
"the Maintenance Schedule rol_def, and the Index in this manual , for important facts
o n
belts, coo ling system care and brake adjustment.
Break-In Schedule
See the new car break~in instru ctions in this manual. Also,. we recommend you
drive your new car for
500 mil es (800 kilometer s) before trailer tOwing. At the
" end
of this 500 mile (800 kilome te r) break-in period, avoid speeds over 50 mph (80 km/h) and full throttl e start s during the first 500 miles (800 kilometers) of
trailer towing.
If a new engine or transaxle is ins talled in you r car, observe the
same
care.
CAUTIONS:
Brakes -To help avoid personal injury due to poor braking action:
• Trailer brakes of adequate size are required on trailer s over 450 kilograms
(1,000 pounds) loaded weight.
• If you use trailer brakes with this car, follow the installation and balan ce
instructi ons
of the trailer brake maker.
• Do nol lap into the car's brake system if the trailer brake system uses more than 0.3 cubic centimeter (0.02 cubic inch) of nuid from the ca r's master
cylinder. In this case, the car's brake fluid capacity will not be enough to
operate
both the car and trailer brakes under all kind s, of use.
• All brak e fluid parts must be able to stand 20 685 kPa (3,000 psi). The brake
fluid tap must be made al th e upper rear master cylinder port. Copper tubing is subject to fatigue failure and must no t be used.
• Before going down a sleep or long grade , reduce speed and shift the tran saxle
into a lower gear to control your car's speed.
Try not to hold the brake pedal
down too long or too often. This could cause the brake s to get hot and not
work
as well.
Hitches -To help avoid personal injury due to sway caused by such things as
c rosswind
s, big trucks passing or road roughn ess, or due to sepa ration of the
trailer :
• Keep the trailer tongue load at 10% of the loaded trailer weight for
dead-w eight hitches. Tongue loads can be adjusted by proper distribution of the load in the trailer. This can be checked by weighing separately the loaded
trailer and then the tongue,
• When you remove a frailer hitch, be sure to seal any mountin g h'oles in the
body . This will help prevent entry of exhaust fumes, dirt or water. (See
"Engine Exhaust Gas Caution (Carbon Monoxide) " at the beginning of "Starting and Operating," Section 2 of this manual.)
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE: Use only trailer hitches which permit normal operation of the Energy Absorbing Bumper System. if so equipped. For example. a rigid fore and .iUt connection between the bumper and any other part.of. the car may increase .damage in the event of II collision.
TRAILER TOWING TIPS
Getting Started
Before entering traffic with a frailer that has electric brakes, start the car and
trailer moving and apply the trailer brakes
by hand to be sure the trailer brakes
are working and the trailer electrical system
is connected .
. Engine Cooling
: long \.Jphill Grades
When going up long grades, you, can reduce the chance 'of engine overheating by
turning
off the air conditioner, if so equipped.
Transaxle
,See the method for checking the transaxle fluid le ve l. in "Service and
,.;.Maintenance," Section 5 of this manual .
Parking
You should not park cars with trailers on a grade (hill). However, if you must
park on a grade, these steps must be followed:
1. Apply the regular brakes.
2. Have someone place wheel' chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the regular brakes until the
chocks absorb the load .
4; Apply Ihe parking brake.
S. Shift Ihe transaxle 10 ··P"(Park).
If the car is parked on a grade. don't shift the transaxle 10 "P"(Park) until the
trailer wheels
are chocked and the parkinghrake, is set~ If you do, the weight of . the car and trailer may put so much force on the parking pawl in the transaxle
.
that it may be hard to shift oul of "P"(Park).
When starting , after being parked ' on a grade:
(; Apply the regular brakes and hold.
2 .
Stan th e engine in ··P"(Park) .
-3. Shift into gear and release the parking brake.
4. Release the regular brakes and drive until the chock s are free.
5. Apply the regular brakes and have your helper remove the chocks.
J.]3

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine • Off· You can turn off the engine without loc king the steering ,wheel and shirt control s o'n aut omatic tranSaxle models. or steering -wh eel only on
mariual transaxle models.
• Run· Normal operating position.
• Start -Cranks the engine:
If you have trouble turning the key to unlock the ignition. first be sure the key
i s pushed in all the way. Then try to turn the ste ering wheel as hard as you can
in the _di rec tion the Wheels are turned. At th e same time, turn the ignition key
with
as mu ch effort as you can apply with your ha nd. Do not try to use a tool
of any kind to
a_pply more force on 'the lock knob. as this could bre ak the kn.ob.
CAUTION: .on manual tranS8xle cars. if you need to turn off the engina while the car is moving. turn the key onlv to ".off." DO NOT press down on the key release lever while turning the ignition off. This will result in locking the steering wheel and If'S8 of steering control.
NOTICE: Do_.oot drive through . idle or park your vehicle over combustible materials. such as grass or lC!'aves. They could touch the hot exhaust system and Ignite.
Parking
When leaving your car unatte nded :
• Firml y appl y the park ing brake. Do n o t use th e tran saxle a 's a substitut e for (he parking brake.
• Mov e the automatic transaxle shift lever to "P"(Park) ("Rever se" for man ual
tran saxle ).
• 'Turn the key to "Lock ," On manualtransaxle cars, press,down the key release
lever a
nd turn the key to "Lock. "
•
Close all windows.
• Remove the key (the buzzer is designed to remind you).
• Lock ,,'n doors.
TURN SIGNAL AND MULTI-FUNCTION LEVER
The I urn signa l-lever on th e left side of the ste erin g column also co ntr ols headlight
l ow -beam
or high·beam. and the windshield wiper/washer .
• Turn Signal -Move the lever up to t he second stop to signal a right tum.
Move it do wn 10 the seco nd stop to sig nal a left turn . When the turn is
compleled, the signal will cancel and the lever will return to' h o rizont al.
• Lane Change Signal. In some turns. such as ch an ging lanes, the steering wheel is not turned far enou gh 10 ca nce l th e turn signal. Fo r convenience.
you
can flash Ihe turn signal by moving the lever part way (to t-he first stop) and h olding it there. The lever will re turn to horizo ntal when 'You release it.
Tw o green lights_ o n the instrum ent panel are des igned to nas h 10 tell you that
th e front and rear turn
sign al light s are working. If the light stays on, but does
not flash, check for bur ned- out turn signal bulbs. If Ihe green light does not com e
all when yo u m ove the leve r. c _h ec k the fuse and indicator . bulb. However, iryou
ordered a ,tra iler towing optio n in which extra wiring waS added to attach the
trailer lighting, a different type
of flasher was installed . In this case , the gree n light will co ntinu e 10 flas h even if a turn sig nal bulb burns out. Therefore, you must
regularly look at the front and
rear turn signal light s 10 be sure they are working.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine SINGLE WIPE
LOW SPEED (PULSE WIPER)
HIGH
SPEED
• Check the washer fluid levelregu]arly. Do it often when the weather
is bad.
• Use a nuid such as OM Optikleen to help prevent freezing damage, and for better cleaning.
• Do not use radiator antifreeze in the 'windshield washer; ifcould cause
paint damage .
• In cold weather, warm the windshield with the defroster before using the washer-to help prevent Icing that my block
the driver's vision.
STARTING THE ENGINE
I.
2.
Apply the parking brake. . .
Automatic Trl!nsaxl..: Move the transaxle shift lever to "P"(Park) or "N" (Neutral) "P" Preferred). A starter safety device is
designed to keep the starter from operating if the shift lever is in any drive position. (If you need to fe-start the engine while the car is moving . move
the shift lever to "N.")
Manuel Transaxle· Press the clutch pedal to the floor and shift the transaxle to Neutral. Hold the clutch pedal to the floor while you are s tarting ,the engine. A starter safety device l,s d esigned to keep the starter
from operating if the clutch pedal is not fully depres sed.
3. Sta'rt the engine as outlined below for different conditions.
NOTICE: 00 not crenk the engil'. for more than 15 seconds at e time. Walt 10 to 15 seconds before trYiog agein.
• COLD ENGINE:
•
L·4 Engine Press the accelerator pedal to the floor and ·i slowly release It. With your foot off the pedal; crank the engine
by turning the ignition key to "Start ." Release the key when the engine
sta rts.
If the engine starts, but fails to run, repeat this procedure. •
• V-6 Engine: Press the accelerator pedal to the floor twice and slowly release it. With your foot off the pedal. crank the engine by turning the ignition key to 'Stan". Release key when engine
s tarts.
If the engine starts, but fails to run, repeat this procedure but press
the accelerat or pedal only
ONCE to the floor . :When the e ngine is
running smoothly (about 30 seconds), you_ can reduce the engine idle speecf by press ing down slightly on the accelerator pedal. then slowly
releasing it.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE: If the engine runs for a long time (5 minute. or more) without pressing down the accelerator pedal. overheeting cOuld calise damage to the engine end exhaust system.
Do not INve your car unattend4Mt with the engine running . If the engine shoukt overheat you would not be there to react to the temperature warning light or gage. This could r.sult in costly damage to your car and its contents.
• WARM ENGINE -Be ,sur e to follow the instructi ons which apply to your engine . (The Engine Code is 'th e 5th digit on the YIN plate at the lower left
sid e o f yo
ur windshield . (See "Specifications," Secti o n 7 for more details .)
• Engine Code 5 • Press down the accelerator pedal to 1/3 of
its travel and hold. Crank the engine by turnin g the igniti on ke y to "Star .. " Rel ease the key and accelerator pedal when the _ engine s tart s.
• Engine Code 7 . Do not press down the accelerator pedal.
With your foot off the pedal. crank th e engine by turning the
ignition key to ·'Start." If t he engine does no t start after 3 seconds ,o f
. c ranking, press'
down the accelerator pedal to 1/3 of its travel while
c ranking. Release the key ,(ap.d accelerator pedal) when the engine starts .
• Very Cold Weather (Below·' B OC or O °F Or After Car Has Been
Standing Idle Several Days) - Befor e crankin g th e en gine , fully depress
and release the acce le rat or pedal one or two times more than slated fo r your
engine under "Cold Engine" s ta rt ing . Then . with your foot off the accelerator pedal,-cra nk the engine -b y-turnin g the ig nit io n key to "St art ."
Rdease the key when the e ngin e s tarts.
4 . Appl y th e regular brakes and shift into the prop
er g~r. Release the parkin g
b ra k e a nd drive off.
," '. ."
If Engine Fails To Start
t. Fully depr ess and release the acce le rat or pedal severa l times~ then tak e your
foo t ofT th e peda _' and cra nk the e ngine by turnin g the key to ··St art."
2. If th e e ng in e still does not sta rt, press the accele ra to r peda l to the floo r an d
h old it ther e while cra nkin g the· e ng ine. -Thi s sh ould clear the eng in e i f it is
floode d.
3. If th e en gine has been floode d' with too much fuel , it m ay start to run but
n ot h ave enough power to keep running.
In that case, continue cranking with
th e accel erator pedal all th e way to the floor until t he e ngin e clears itsel f of
excess ' gaso line an d run s sm oo thly.
TRANSAXlE
CAUTION: Before going down ,e steep of'long grade . reduce speed and shift the transa.xle into a lower gear or lower g.ar range to control vehicle speed . (Do this with either 8n automatic or a manual ,transaxle).Try not to hold the brakcl pedal down too long or too often. This could,cause the brakes to get hO,t and not work as well.
Driving on Slippery Surfaces
Take ca re w he n speedin g up . or when shiftin g into a l ower gear, or lower gea r
r a n
ge w hile drivin g o n slippe ry surf aces. Sudde n acce le ra tio n or en gine bra kin g
a c tion (du e to shifting
to a lower gear) could -ca use the f ron t wheels to s kid .
N orm al
skid correction and cautio us :dr iving are call ed for at these times .
2·9

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine • Holding. vehicle on an upgrade with the accelerator pedal. (Use the regular
brakes to hold car on an uphill grade.)
Column Shift Lever
The PRNDL1L1 pattern is located within the instrument cluster below the
speedometer.
The heavy line in the figure indicates the movement of the shift lever
as it
is lifted to shift into Reverse or Low and into or out of Park position.
4·SPEED MANUAL TRANSAXLE
The standard 4-speed manual transaxle shift pattern is shown in the figure. This
transaxle
is designed to be cOinpletely sypchronized in all forward gears and may
be downshifted into "1st" gear at any speed below 20 mph (30 km/h.) Always
depress the clutch pedal
fully before attempting to shift into any gear. In "1st"
and "Reverse " gear --slowly release the clutch pedal while at the same time
pressing down· on the accelerator pedal. In all other gears the clutch may be
released a little faster. This helps to reduce clutch wear.
When shifting into
"Reverse" gear, push clutch pedal in then press in on the
button located on the top of the gearshift lever keeping thehutton depressed until
you have moved the shift
lever into "Reverse" gear.
DRIVING PRECAUTIONS· MANUAL
TRANSAXLES
• Do not ride the dutch pedal; this produces a partly disengaged condition that may result in damage to the clutch.
• Use third gear at slow speeds (less than 30 mph (50 km/h)) when driving
in stop-and-go traffic for improved
car performance during acceleration and
when descending steep grades.
• Shift to the next lowest gear for extremely hard pulls at low road speeds.
• Shift the gears with a moderate effort to allow time for the transaxle
synchronizers to coordinate.
• When stopped on an upgrade, do not hold car with engine. Use your regular
brake.
• Do not coast in "Neutral" (i1legal in many states).
• Set parking brake firmly before leaving the car.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine • Rem ove yo ur foo t f rom the accelerat or ped al and desir ed speed will
auto matically ,be, maintained .
• To increase autom atic speed setting , depress the a' ccelerator pedal.,until the
desi re d speed .i s atta ined , then full y depres s and slo wly releas e the co ntrol butt on. If co nlr oi 6 ullon is no t fully depressed , when ch angin g speed se tting.
the ca r will resum e yo ur previ ously selected speed.
• To decrease aut omatic speed se llin ·g. press the control button until it
b o tt oms and ho ld until vehicle slo w s' to the desir ed speed, then slowly release
t h e c ontrol button.
T o dise n
gage system, lightly depr ess brak epedal.
.NOT.ICE: To help k~p thlt~f}.~C.,! under controf, do not use the Cruise Controf when It may not be wise to keep the vehier.· at'. constant speed . A constant speed may not be advisable 'in conditions such as heavy or varying traffic, or on winding or slippery roads. With the Cruise Control engaged, taking yOur foot off the accelerator ,pedal does not let the yahicla slow down. 'Touching. the b rake pedal will disengage the Cru ise Controf and allow the vehicle to slow down.
When going up or down steep h ills fpa"~ularly when towing a tr ailer) , it is possible for the vehicle·to ga in o r lose speed .• ven though. the Cruise Control is engaged. In that case , you may need to disengage the Cruise Control'~.nd resume manual speed control.
HORN
The ho rn on your vehicl e is ac tuated by firml y pressing o n the pad in the c ent er
of th e stee ring wheel. As a good m otorist. use .of the ho rn should be k ept 'at a
minimum . However, ac quaint yourself as soon as possible with this f u nct io n of
you r ve hicle, should it ever becom e necess ary to give a warning to a pede strian
or anot her motorist.
HAZARD WARNING FLASHER
Th e haza rd fla sher is covered on P age 3-1 in the "In Cas e of Emerg ency·~section.
FLOOR CONTROLS
BRAKING SYSTEM
The reg ular brake syste m i s desig ned fo r bra king perfonnanc e und er a wide range
o f
driving conditi ons even when the vehicle is load ed to its full rated veh icl e lo ad
capac ity.
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