1993 GMC SIERRA manual transmission

Featwes & Contmk
The front axle portion of the indicator diagram will light up when you shift into
four-wheel drive.
A slight delay between shifting and the indicator’s lighting is
normal.
If the indicator does not light up, or if the front axle light does not go
out after you shift out of four-wheel drive, have your dealer check your
system.
When your headlights or parking lights are on, rotate the dial\

to the right of
your headlight switch up
to brighten, or down to dim, your transfer case
indicator light.
Transfer Case Shift Positions
2H (High): This setting is for driving in most street and highway situations.
Your front axle is not engaged in two-wheel drive.
4H (High): 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.
N (Neutral): Shift to this setting only when your vehicle needs to be towed or
when using a power take
off.
4L (Low): This setting also engages your front axle to give you extra traction,
but should be used only for off-road or on extremely slippery surfaces.
You can shift from
2H to 4H or from 4H to 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 out of
2H.
To shift into or out of 4L or N (Neutral):
1. Slow the vehicle to a roll, about 3 mph (5 kmlh) and shift your
2. Shift the transfer case shift lever in one continuous motion.
transmission into neutral.
Don’t pause in
N (Neutral) as you shift the transfer case into 4L, or your
aears could clash.
Kernember that driving
in 4H or 4L may reduce fuel economy. Also, driving in
four-wheel drive on dry pavement could cause your tires to wea\
r faster and
make your transfer case harder
to shift.
Front Axle Locking Feature
The front axle locks and unlocks automatically when you shift the transfer
case.
A slight delay for the axle to lock or unlock is normal. If the outside
temperature is very hot, or the vehicle has been used under hard driving
conditions, there may be a slight delay for the axle to unlock.
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When using concentrated washer flui
follow the manufacturer’s
instructions for adding water.
Don’t mix water with ready-to-use washer fluid. Water can ca\
use the
solution
to freeze and damage your washer fluid tank and other parts
of the washer system.
Also, water dc ;n’t clean as well as washer
fluid.
allows for expansion, which could damage the tank
if it is completely
full.
’
I
Fill your washer fluid tank only 314 full when it’s very cold. This
Don’t use radiator antifreeze in your windshield washer. It can
damaae your washer system and paint.
Cruise Control (Option)
K2247
With Cruise Control, you can maintain a speed of about 25 mph (40 km/h) or
more without keeping your foot on the accelerator. This can re\
ally help on
long trips. Cruise Control does not work at speeds below about 25 mph
(40 km/h).
When you apply your brakes, or push the clutch pedal, if you \
have
a manual
transmission, the Cruise Control shuts
off.
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Features & Confmls
To Get Out of Cruise Control
I
K2206
There are several ways to turn off the Cruise Control:
1. Step lightly on the brake pedal or push the clutch pedal, if you have a
manual transmission
OR;
2. Move the Cruise switch to OFF.
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SHlFT Indicator Light
I
K2317
This light, with the SHlFTlarrow symbol, is at the left side of the instrument
cluster on some vehicles with manual transmissions. Depending on your
particular model, your vehicle may not have this light. The SH\
IFT indicator light will help you get the best fuel economy. See “Shift \
Light” or “Shift
Speeds-Vehicles Without Shift Light” in this section for more\
information.
Headlight High Beam Indicator Light
-4
K2331
This light with the blue high beam symbol is on the left sid\
e of the
instrument cluster. The high beam indicator is on whenever you \
use your high
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Your Driving and the Road
A Turning or driving across steep hills can be dangerous. You could
lose traction, slide sideways, and possibly roll over. You could be
seriously injured or
I 'I' ?d. When driving up hills, always try to go
I straight up.
Ease up on your speed as you approach the top of the hill.
Attach a flag to the vehicle to make you more visible to approaching
traffic on trails or hills.
Sound the horn as you approach the top of hill to let opposing traffic
know you're there.
Use your headlights even during the day. They make you more visible to
oncoming traffic.
I A Driving to the top (crest) of a hill at full speed can muse an
accident.
There could be a drop-off, embankment, cliff, or even
another vehicle. You buld be seriously injured or killed. .As you near
the
top of a hill, slow down and stay alert. I
Q: What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or is about to stall, and I can't
make it
up the hill?
A: If this happens, there are some things you should do, and there are some
things
you must not do. First, here's what you should do:
0
0
0
0
Push the brake pedal to stop the vehicle and keep it from rolling
backwards.
Also, apply the parking brake.
If your engine is still running, shift the transmission into reverse, release
the parking brake, and slowly back down the hill in reverse.
If your engine has stopped running, you'll need to restart it. With the
brake pedal depressed and the parking brake still applied, shift the
transmission to
P (Park) (or, shift to N (Neutral) if your vehicle has a
manual transmission) and restart the engine. Then, shift to Reverse,
release the parking brake, and slowly back down the hill in reverse.
As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand on the ste\
ering
wheel at the
12 o'clock position. This way, you'll be able to tell if your
wheels are straight or turned to the left or right as you back down.
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Here are some things you must not do if you stall, or are about to stall,
when going up a hill.
Never attempt to prevent a stall by shifting into N (Neutral) (or
depressing the clutch,
if you have a manual transmission) to “rev-up” the
engine and regain forward momentum. This won’t work. Your vehicle will
roll backwards very quickly and you could go out of control.
Instead, apply the regular brake to stop the vehicle. Then apply the parking
brake. Shift into reverse, release the parking brake, and slowl\
y back down.
Never attempt to turn around if you are about to stall when going up a
hill. If the hill is steep enough to stall your vehicle, it’s steep enough to
cause you. to roll over
if you turn around. If you can’t make it up the
hill, you must back down the hill.
Q: Suppose, after stalling, I try to back down the hill and decide I just
can’t
do it. What should I do?
A: Set the parking brake, put your transmission in P (Park) (or the manual
transmission in first gear), and turn off the engine. Leave the vehicle and \
go
get some help. Exit on the uphill side and stay clear of the\
path the vehicle
would take
if it rolled downhill. Do not shift the transfer case to N (Neutral)
when you leave the vehicle. Leave it in some gear.
Shifting the transfer case to
N (Neutral) can cause your vehicle to
roll even
if the transmission is in P (Park) (or, if you have the
manual transmission, even
if you’re in gear). This is because the N
(Neutral) position on the transfer case overrides the transmis\
sion. If
you are going to leave your vehicle, set the parking brake and shi”
the transmission to
P (Park) (or, put your manual transmission in f
gear). But do not shift the transfer case to the N (Neutral) positior
Leave the transfer case in the
2 Wheel, 4 High or 4 Low position.
1
Lriving Downhill
When off-roading takes you downhill, you’ll want to consider a number of
things:
How steep is the downhill? Will
I be able to maintain vehicle control?
What’s the surface like? Smooth? Rough? Slippery? Hard-packed \
dirt? Grave
I?
Are there hidden surface obstacles? Ruts? Logs? Boulders?
What’s at the bottom
of the hill? Is there a hidden creek bank or even a
river bottom with large rocks?
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Your Driving and the Road
If you decide you can go down a hill safely, then try to keep your vehicle
headed straight down, and use a low gear. This way, engine dr\
ag can help
your brakes and they won’t have to do
all the work. Descend slowly, keeping
your vehicle under control at all times.
CAUTION
A Heavy braking when going down a hill can cause your brakes to
overheat and fade. This could cause
loss of control and a serious ‘
accident. Apply the brakes lightly when descending a hill and use a
low gear to keep vehicle speed under
control.
Q: Are there some things I should not do when driving down a hili?
A: Yes! These are important because if you ignore them you could lose
control and have a serious accident.
When driving downhill, avoid turns that take you across the in\
cline of the
hill.
A hill that’s not too steep to drive down may be too steep to drive
across. You could
roll over if you don’t drive straight down.
Never go downhill with the transmission in N (Neutral), or with the clutch
pedal depressed in a manual shift. This is called “free-whee\
ling,” Your
brakes will have
to do all the work and could overheat and fade.
Avoid braking so hard that you lock the wheels when going downhill. If
your front wheels are locked, you can’t steer your vehicle. \
If your wheels
lock up during downhill braking, you may feel the vehicle star\
ting to slide
sideways.
To regain your direction, just ease off the brakes and steer to
keep the front of the vehicle pointing straight downhill.
Q: Am I likely to stall when going downhill?
A: It’s much more likely to happen going uphill. But if it happens going
downhill, here’s what to do.
Stop your vehicle by applying the regular brakes. Apply the pa\
rking
brake.
Shift to P (Park) (or to Neutral with the manual transmission) and, while
still braking, restart the engine.
Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake, and drive straight
down.
If the engine won’t start, get out and get help.
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As in any driving situation, keep pace with traffic and allow adequat\
e
following distances.
Hill and Mountain Roads
I r
AM470001
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from driving in flat or rolling
terrain.
If you drive regularly in steep country, or if you’re planning to visit
there, here are some tips that can make your trips safer and \
more enjoyable.
(See “Off-Road” in the Index for information about driving off-road.)
Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid levels and also the
brakes, tires, cooling system and transmission. These parts can \
work
hard on mountain roads.
Know how to go down hills. The most important thing to know is this: let
your engine do some
of the slowing down. Don’t make your brakes do it
all. Shift to a lower gear when you go down a steep or long hill. That
way, you will slow down without excessive use of your brakes.
If you don’t shift down,’ your brakes could get so hot that they
- b wouldn’t work well. You would then have poor braking or even none
going
down a hill. You could crash. .Shift down to let your engine
assist your brakes on a steep downhill slope. I I
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