1994 CHEVROLET CAVALIER brake light

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Features & Controls
II
I CHECK
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I
I
... 86
Charging System Light
The charging system light will come on
briefly when you turn on the ignition
and the engine is not running, as a
check to show you it is working. Then it
should
go out. If it stays on, or comes
on while you are driving, you may have
a problem with the electrical charging
system. It could indicate that you have
a loose generator drive belt, or another
electrical problem. Have it checked
right away. Driving while this light is on
could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with
the light on, be certain to turn
off all
your accessories, such as the radio and
air conditioner.
m
9rake Sysfem Warning Light
tour Chevrolet’s hydraulic brake
;ystem is divided into two parts. If one
)art isn’t working, the other part can
;till work and stop you. For good
)raking, though, you need both parts
vorlting well.
[f the warning light comes on, there
zould be a brake problem. Have your
brake system inspected right away.
rhis light should come
on as you start
the vehicle.
If it doesn’t come on then,
have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you if there’s a problem.
[f the light comes on while you are
jriving, pull off the road and stop
zarefully.
You may notice that the pedal
.s harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer
to the floor. It may take longer to
stop.
If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. (See
Towing
Your Vehicle in the Index.)
The brake system warning light will also
come
on when you set your parking
brake, and it will stay
on if your parking
brake doesn’t release fully. If it stays on
after your parking brake is
fully
released, it means you have a brake
problem.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
With anti-lock, this light will come on
when you start your engine and it will
stay on for three seconds. That’s
normal.
If the light doesn’t come on,
have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you if there is a problem.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition
off. Or, if the light comes on and stays
on when you’re driving, stop as soon
as
possible and turn the ignition off. Then
start the engine again to reset the
system. If the light still stays on, or
comes on again while you’re driving,
your Chevrolet needs service.
If the
regular brake system warning light isn’t
on,
you still have brakes, but you don’t
have anti-lock brakes. If
the regular brake system warning
light is also on, you don’t have anti-lock
brakes and there’s a problem with your
regular brakes. See
Brake System
Warning Light
earlier in this part. If
the anti-lock brake system warning light
ever flashes, your anti-lock brake
system is still working but needs service
as soon as possible.
I SHIFT
Shift Light (MANUAL TRANSAXLE)
This light comes on when you need to
shift to the next higher gear. See the
Index under Manual Transaxle.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine And, of course, actual stopping
distances vary greatly with the surface
of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition
of the road (wet,
dry, icy); tire tread; and the condition
of
your brakes.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in spurts
- heavy
acceleration followed by heavy braking
- rather than keeping pace with traffic.
This is a mistake. Your brakes may not
have time to cool between hard stops.
Your brakes
will wear out much faster if
you do a lot
of heavy braking. If you
keep pace with the traffic and allow realistic following
distances, you will
eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer
brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re
driving, brake normally but don’t pump
your brakes. If you do, the pedal may
get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power
brake assist. But you will use it when
you brake. Once the power assist is
used
up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
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- 20
- 10
9nti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your Chevrolet has an advanced
dectronic braking system that will help
prevent skidding.
rhis light on the instrument panel will
30 on when you start your vehicle.
When you start your vehicle, or when
you begin to drive away, you may hear a
momentary motor
or clicking noise.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
And you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves a little while this is
going on. This is the ABS system
testing itself.
If there’s a problem with
the anti-lock brake system, the anti-lock
brake system warning light will stay on
or flash.
See
Anti-lock Brake System Warning
Light
in the Index.
Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say
the road is wet. You’re driving safely.
Suddenly
an animal jumps out in front
of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what
happens with ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are
slowing down.
If one of the wheels is
about to stop rolling, the computer wil
separately work the brakes at each fro]
wheel and at the rear wheels.
The anti-lock system can change the
brake pressure faster than any driver
1
nt
could.*The computer is programmed to
make the most of available tire and road
conditions.
L-
You can steer around the obstacle while
braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps
receiving updates on wheel speed and
controls braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change
the time you need to get your foot up to
the brake pedal. If you get too close to
the vehicle in front of you, you won’t
have time to apply your brakes if that
vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always
leave enough room up ahead to stop,
even though you have anti-lock brakes.
To Use Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the
brake pedal down and let anti-lock
work for you. You may feel the system
working, or you may notice some noise,
but this is normal.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
P
..
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can De
more effective than braking. For
example, you come over a hill and find
a truck stopped in your lane, or a car
suddenly pulls out from nowhere, or a
child darts out from between parked
cars and stops right in front
of you. You
can avoid these problems by braking -
if you can stop in time. But sometimes
you can't; there isn't room. That's the
time for evasive action
- steering
around the problem.
Your Chevrolet
can perform very well in
emergencies like these. First apply your
brakes. It
is better to remove as much
speed as you can from a possible collision.
Then steer around the
problem, to the left or right depending
on the space available.
An emergency like this requires close
attention and a quick decision.
If you
are holding the steering wheel
at the
recommended
9 and 3 o'clock positions,
you can turn it a full
180 degrees very
quickly without removing either hand.
But you have to act fast, steer quickly,
and just as quickly straighten the wheel
once you have avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations
are always possible is a good reason to
practice defensive driving at all times
and wear safety belts properly. I Off-Ruad Recovery
You may find sometime that your right
lvheels have dropped
off the edge of a
soad onto the shoulder while you're
hiving.
:f the level of the shoulder is only
;lightly below the pavement, recovery
;hould be fairly easy. Ease off the
iccelerator and then, if there is nothing
n the way, steer
so that your vehicle
itraddles the edge of the pavement. You
:an turn the steering wheel up to
1/4
urn until the right front tire contacts
he pavement edge. Then turn your
;teering wheel
to go straight down the
toadway.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass
another on a two-lane highway waits for
just the right moment, accelerates,
moves around the vehicle ahead, then
goes back into the right lane again. A
simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle
on a two-lane highway is a potentially
dangerous move, since the passing
vehicle occupies the same lane as
oncoming traffic for several seconds.
A
miscalculation, an error in judgment, or
a brief surrender to frustration or anger
can suddenly
put the passing driver face
to face with the worst of all traffic
accidents
- the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
“Drive ahead.” Look down the road,
to the sides, and
to crossroads for
situations that might affect your
passing patterns. If you have any
doubt whatsoever about making a
successful pass, wait for a better time.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement
markings, and lines. If you can see a
sign up ahead that might indicate a
turn or an intersection, delay your pass.
A broken
center line usually
indicates it’s
all right to pass (providing
the road ahead is clear). Never cross a
solid line on your side of the lane or
a
double solid line, even if the road
seems empty of approaching traffic.
Do not get too close to the vehicle
you want to pass while you’re
awaiting an opportunity. For one
thing, following too closely reduces
your area of vision, especially if you’re
following a larger vehicle. Also, you
won’t have adequate space if the
vehicle ahead suddenly slows or stops.
Keep back a reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is
coming up, start to accelerate but stay
in the right lane and don’t get too
close. Time your move
so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to
move into the other lane.
If the way is
clear to pass,
you will have a “running
start” that more than makes up for
the distance you would lose by
dropping back. And if something
happens to cause you to cancel your
pass, you need only slow down and
drop back again and wait for another
opportunity.
If other cars are lined up to pass a
slow vehicle, wait your turn. But take
care that someone isn’t trying to pass
you as you pull out to pass the slow
vehicle. Remember to glance over
your shoulder and check the blind
spot.
Check your mirrors, glance over your
shoulder, and start your left lane
change signal before moving out of
the right lane to pass. When you are
far enough ahead of the passed
vehicle to see its front in your inside
mirror, activate your right lane change signal and move back into the right
lane. (Remember that your right
outside mirror is convex. The vehicle
you just passed may seem to be farther
away from you than
it really is.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle
at a time on two-lane roads.
Reconsider before passing the next
vehicle.
vehicle too rapidly. Even though the
brake lights are not flashing, it may be
slowing down or starting to turn.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Run your engine only as long as you
must. This saves fuel. When you run the
engine, malte 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
headlights. Let the heater run for
awhile.
Then, shut the engine
off and close the
window almost all the way to preserve
the heat. Start the engine again and
repeat this only when you feel really
uncomfortable
from the cold. But do it
as little as possible. Preserve the fuel as
long as
you can. To help keep warm,
you can get out
of the vehicle and do
some fairly vigorous exercises every half
hour or so until help comes.
~~
Recreational Towing
If your vehicle has a manual transaxle,
you can tow your vehicle behind
another vehicle for use at your
destination. Be sure
to use proper
towing equipment designed for
recreational towing. Follow the
instructions for the towing equipment.
Towing Your Vehicle from the Front
Tow your vehicle with all four wheels
on the ground. Follow these steps:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Turn the ignition key to OFF to
unlock the steering wheel.
OFF will
also prevent the automatic door locks
from locking.
(Neutral).
3.
Shift your manual transaxle to
N
4. Release the parking brake.
NOTICE:
Make sure that the towing speed
does not exceed
55 mph (90 lm),
or your vehicle could be badly
damaged.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
Ignoring these steps could result in
costly damage to your vehicle that
wouldn’t be covered by your
warranty. Trying to start your
Chevrolet by pushing or pulling it
could damage your vehicle, even if
you have a manual transaxle. And
if
you have an automatic transaxle, it
won’t start that way.
To Jump Start Your Chevrolet:
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have
a 12-volt battery with a negative
ground system.
NOTICE:
If the other system isn’t a 12-volt
system with
a negative ground,
both vehicles can be damaged.
2. Get the vehicles. close enough so the
jumper cables can reach, Ijut be suke
the vehicles aren’t touching each
other. If they are, it could cause a
ground connection you don’t want.
You wouldn’t be able to start your
Chevrolet, and the bad grounding
could damage the electrical systems.
You could be injured if the vehicles roll.
Set the parking brake
firmly on each
vehicle. Put an automatic transaxle in
P (Park) or a manual transaxle in
N (Neutral).
3.
Turn off the ignition on both
vehicles. Turn
off all lights that aren’t
needed, and radios. This
will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries.
And
it could save your radio!
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could
be badly damaged. The repairs
wouldn’t
be covered by your warranty.
4. Open the hoods and locate the
batteries.
Find the positive
(+) and negative (-)
terminals on each battery.