
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 1980 
CHEVROLET 
OWNER'S MANUAL 
Contains Important Operating, 
Safety and  Maintenance Instructions. 
Keep with car at all times.   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A WORD TO  CITATION  OWNERS 
:;':'.'1'.;.-:,-, 32 ~ This manual has beet} prepared to acquaint vou-:withtheoperation and maintenance of your 1980 Citation, and to provide importa~t~afeJY infc?rmation. It is supplemented by a Maintenance Schedule and a Warranty Information folder. We  urge  you to read these three publications carefully. Follow the recommendations to help assure  the most enjoyable,  safe and troublefree operation of your vehicle. 
While reading this manual, you will notice that specifications are given  in both metric and customary measures.  Where precise  accuracy  is not needed, some conversions 
have  been rounded to even numbers for your handy use. 
When it comes to service, remember that your Chevrolet dealer knows your vehicle 
best and is interested in your complete satisfaction. 
Be 
sure to discuss the GM Continuou's'Protection  Plan with your dealer, if you haven't already done so.  The Plan is an optional service contract which  goes beyond the New Vehicle Limited Warranty and gives  you added  mechanical  and electrical protection for a total of 36 months or 36,000 miles (60 000 kilometers  in Canada), whichever comes first. In the U.S., the Plan is also  available at extra  cost for a total of 36 months or 50,000  miles, whichever comes first See your dealer for the full details.  The Plan is available for up to 60 days after you take  delivery of your new vehicle. 
To help dealers handle your needs, Chevrolet has a number of Zone Offices throughout the country. If you have a problem that has not been handled to your satisfaction, follow the steps in "Owner Assistance," Section 6 of this manual. 
We thank you for choosing a Chevrolet  product, and want  to assure  you of our continuing interest in your motoring pleasure  and satisfaction. 
CHEVROLET  MOTOR DIVISION 
FOR  CONTINUING  SATISFACTION, 
KEEP YOUR GM CAR ALL GM. 
GENERAL 
MOTORS  PARTS ARE IDENTIFIED BY ONE OF THESE TRADEMARKS: 
NOTE TO CANADIAN OWNERS: 
If preferred, a French Owner's Manual can be obtained either from your Dealer or by writing to General Motors of Canada  Limited,  Technical  Publications  Department, Oshawa, Ontario L1J 5Z6. 
Aux propriehaires canadiens 
On peut se procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en francais  aupres du concessionnaire ou du service des publications techniques,  General Motors of Canada Limited, Oshawa, Ontario L 1J 5Z6.   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 1980 CHEVROLET CITATION 
OWNER'S 
MANUAL 
rHIS "lANUAL SHOULDSE CONSIDERED A  PERMANENT  PART OF THIS  CAR.  IT 3HOULD STAY  WITH THE CAR WHEN SOLD.  TO PROVIDE THE  NEXT  OWNER WITH "lPORTANT OPERATING.  SAFETY. AND MAINTENANCE  INFORMATION. 
CHEVROLET MOTOR DIVISION 
GENERAL MOTORS  CORPORATION 
DETROIT,  MICHIGAN  48202 
4lrinformatlon, illustrations and specifications in thisma'n 'ual are ' based on the  latest t. )roduct information available at the time of printing. The right is rese rved  to make ~hanges at any time without  notice. 
Co" cars sold in Canada , substitute the name  General Motors of Canada Limited ",herever the name Chevro-'et Motor D;vision appears in  this manual. 
Table of Contents 
Section 
.1 Before Driving Your · Citation .... . ,-, 
-__ 2 Starting and Operating .. . ..... 2-' 
Steering Column Contr~!s 2-5 
. 
Floor Controls .. 2-13 
Instrument Panel 2-15 
Other Controls and Features  . 2-26 
3--'ln Case of Emergency . 3-1 
4 Appearance Care .. ..... 4-' 
:' 5 Service and  Maintenance 5-' 
6 Owner Assistance. 6-1 
7 Specifications, service Manuals , Ind ex, Service Station Information .... ". _ ....  , ................... 7~ 1   

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 
:
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. 
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine • Adjust the heating  or  cooling  system to force  outside  air into  the car as . d esc ribed abo ve bUI set the  fan to high speed . 
• On cars with  outside  air vents  in or  under  the instrument  panel,  open the vents  fully. 
New. Car "Break-In" Period 
You  can  drive  your new car from  its very  first mile/kilometer  without following . 
a 
formal"break~in" schedule. However,  there'are things  you can do during  the 
fir st few hundred miles/kilometers of driving  that will add to the future 
perf orm ance  and  econ omy of  your  car. 
We recommend  you limit  your speed during the  first  500  miles (800 kiJomet ers) ~ 
to  a  maximum  of 55 mph  (90 km/h) ; but do  not  drive for  long  period s al any' 
one  constant  speed, either Jast 
or slow.  During  this time , avoid fulllhronJe start s _ and, if possible,  avoid h"ard stops especially  during the first 200 miles (320 
kilometers) of driving. 
Always  drive at moderate  speed until the engine  has completely  warmed 
up. 
If yo u plan  to use  your  new car for trailer  towing,  see additional  information  in Section 1 under "Trailer Towing." 
GUARD AGAINST THEFT 
Your new  Citation  has many  features to help prevent  theft of the car itself, its 
equ ipment, and its  content s.  But  these  ami-theft  features depend upon you to 
work . 
THE TIME TO BE MOST ON GUARD IS WHEN LEAVING THE CAR ... 
• PARK IN A LIGHTED SPOT WHEN YOU CAN. 
• LOCK THE STEERING COLUMN AND TAKE THE KEYS, 
• 
Turn the  key  to "Lock," and remove  the key. This  locks  the igniti on  and 
both steering and shift connols unless your car has  a manual transaxle. 
In  that  case, the  shift  control- is not  locked . 
• If you must  leave  a key  with the car,  leave  the  square-head key .only . 
Take  the oval-Read key with  you. This  will help  prevent  unwanted  entry into your car at a later  date, or into your -trunk. 
• 
FULLY CLOSE ALL WINDOWS AND ANY ROOF PANELS. AND LOCK ALL DOORS. 
• 
KEEP COSTLY  ITEMS OUT OF SIGHT AND LOCKED UP, 
• 
Never  leave things of value  in plain  sight  on  seats or noor. 
• The glove  box offers a place -to hide small  items. 
• Lock larger  items in the trunk or place  them  in the rear storage . 
FUEL REQUIREMENTS 
Your engine is designed to use only unleaded gasoline.  Unleaded  gasoline must 
be' used  for the  emission  control $ystem to operate properly. Its use  will  also  reduce 
s park  plug fouling , -exhaust  system corrosion and engine oil deterionition . 
Using leaded  gasoline  can damage  the emiS5ion control system and could result 
in  loss of warranty  coverage. This is especially true on cars that have  the C-4 
System . Leaded  gasoline will damage tbe oxygen sensor, which may affect 
emission  control, fuel economy 
and drivabiJity . See "C-4 (Computer Controlled 
Catalytic  Converter) System" in "Service and Maintenance"  Section 5 of this 
manual  for more  information. 
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Federa1 regulations  require that pumps  delivering  unleaded gasoline be labeled 
with  the word  UNLEADED.  Only these pumps have nozzles  which fit the  filler 
neck of your  vehicle  gasoline  tank. 
In -the  United 
States, Federal  law also requires  that gasoline octane ratings be 
posted on the  pumps.  The octane  rating shown -is an  average of Research octa!1e (R)  and  Motor  octane(M). In most parts of the United States,  you should  use 
unleaded  gasoline with an octane  rating 
of at least 87. However,  you may  use 
unleaded gaSOline with an octane  rating as low  as 85 in thes:e high-altitude  areas: 
Colorado , Montana,  New Mexico,  Utah. Wyoming.  northeastern  Nevada. 
southern  Idaho, western  South Dakota,  and that  part 
of Texas  which is directly south of New Mexico. 
Using  unleaded  gasoline with an octane  rating 
lower _than staled  above can cause persistent , heavy "spark knock." (''Spark knock" is a metallic  rapping noise.)  This 
can lead  to engine  damage. If you detect  heavy spark knock  even when  using 
gasoline of the  stated  octane  rating, or if you  hear  steady  spark knock  while 
holding  a steady  speed on level  roads,  have your  dealer  correct  the problem. 
However.  now and then  you may 
notice light  spark  knock  for a short  time while 
accelerating  or driving  up hills.  This is no  cause  for concern, because you  get the 
greatest 
fuel economy  benefit from the gasoline's  octane rating when there is occasional light spark knock~ Using gasoline  with a higher  octane  rating than that 
which  allows  occasional  spark knock is an unneceSsary expense. 
Gasohol 
Gasohol , a  mixture of unlead ed  gasoline  and ethanol  (grain alcohol), is 
available  in some  areas.  You may  use gasohol  in your vehicle,  provided  it 
is 
no more than 10% ethanol.  'Be: sure the gasohol  has the same octane 
ratings as stated above  for unleaded  gasoline. If drivability  problems  are 
encountered because _of the use of gasohol, you should  switch back to 
unleaded  gas oline. 
NOTICE: Take care to not spill gasohol on painted surfaces. Gasohol can cause paint damage, which may not be covered under the New Vehicle Warranty. 
OPERATION IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES 
Your engin~ is designed  to run  on unleaded  gasoline with the octane  ratings  given 
under  '''Fuel Requirements" above . 
If you plan  to drive  your vehicle  outside  the United States and  its jurisdictions 
or Canada, there is a chance  the gasolines  available in some count,ries will not  meet the needs of your  engine.  Low octane rated  gasolines may cause  engine  knocking 
or serious  engine damage,: for which  Chevrolet is not respon sible . 
Using  leaded  gasoline 
in-a  vehicle  equipped  with a catalytic  converter  may cause 
the  converter  to lose  its effectiveness  as  an  emission  control. 
It could also affect 
the  emission  warranty. 
If you must  use leaded  gasoline in a vehicle  designed  for 
unleaded  fuel, converter  modification  and different  maintenance  intervals will be 
required. 
For gasoline  information  and a maintenance  schedule for the  countries 
in which  you plan  to travel,  write to: Chevrolet  Motor Division,  Consumer 
Relations  Department,  Detroit, Michigan  48202, (in  Canada , write  to General 
Motors of Canada  Limited.  Customer  Service Department , Oshawa,  Ontario LlJ 
5Z6). 
When writing,  please include : 
• the Vehicle Identification  Number and 
• the countries  in which  you plan  to travel. 
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