Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Features & Controls
Key in the rgnition
If you walk away from your vehicle with
the keys inside, it’s an easy target for
joy riders or professional thieves
- so
don’t do it.
When you park your Chevrolet and
open the driver’s door, you’ll hear a
chime reminding you to remove your
ley from the ignition and take it with
you. Always do this. Your steering
wheel will be locked, and
so will your
ignition. If you have an automatic
transaxle, taking your key out also locks
your transaxle. And remember to lock
the doors.
Parking at Night
Park in a lighted spot, close all windows
and lock your vehicle. Remember to keep
your valuables out
of sight. Put them in
a storage area, or take them with you.
Parking Lots
If you park in a lot where someone will
be watching your vehicle, it’s best to
lock it up and take your keys. But what
if you have to leave your ignition key?
What if you have to leave something
valuable in your vehicle?
Put your valuables in a storage area,
Lock all the doors except the driver’s.
Then take the door key with you.
like your
trunk or glove
box.
48
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Features & Controls
RUN
.Ignition Switch
With the ignition key in the ignition
switch, you can turn
the switch to five
positions:
Accessory: An “on” position in which
you cm operate your electrical power
accessories. Press
in the ignition switch
as you turn the top
of it toward you.
Lock The only positiop in which you can
remove the key. This locks your steering
wheel, ignition and transaxle.
Off: ,Unlocks the steering wheel, ignition
and transaxle, but does not send electrical power to any accessories. Use
this position
if your vehicle must be pushed or towed,
but never try to push-start your vehicle.
A warning chime will sound if you open
the driver’s door when the ignition
is off
and the key is in the ignition.
Run: An “on” position to which the
switch returns .after you start your
engine and release’the syitch. The
switch stays
in the Run position when
the engine
is running. But even when
the engine is
not running, you can use
Run to operate your electrical power
accessories, and
to display some histru-
ment panel WarningJights.
Stark Starts the engine. When the
engine starts, release the key. The
ignition switch will return to
Run for
normal driving.
Note that even
if the engine is not
running, the positions
Accessory and
Run are “qd’ positions’that allow you
to operate your electrical accessories,
such as .the radio.
NOTICE:
I.
If your key seems stuck in Lock and
you can’t turn it, be sure
it is all the
way
in. If it is, then turn the steering
wheel le&’and right while you
iurh
the key hard. But turn the key only
with your hand. Using
a tool to
force it could break the key or the
ignition switch.
If none of this works,
then your vehicle needs service.
50
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Horn
You can sound the horn by pressing the
horn pad on your steering wheel.
Tilt Steering Wheel (OPTION)
A tilt steering wheel allows you to
adjust the steering wheel before
you
drive. You can also raise it to the
highest level to give your legs more
room when
you exit and enter the
vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering
wheel and pull the lever. Move the
steering wheel to a comfortable level,
then release the lever to lock the wheel
in place.
Turn Signul/MuiJicnction
Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering
column includes your:
Turn Signal and Lane Change
Headlight High-Low Beam Changer
Parking Lights
Cruise Control (Option)
Flash-to-Pass Feature (except in
Indicator
Canada)
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The Instrument Panel-
Your Information System
Your instrument panel is designed to let
you know at a glance how your vehicle
is running. You’ll
know how fast you’re
going, how much fuel you’re using, and
many other things you’ll need to drive
safely and economically. The
main components of your
instrument panel are:
1. Side Vent
2. Instrument Panel Intensity Control
3. Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
4. Hazard Warning Flashers Switch
5. Instrument Cluster
6. Ignition Switch
7. Windshield Wipermasher Controls
8. Interior Light Control
9. Audio System
10. Center Vents
1 1. Cup Holder
12. Side Vent
13. Glove Box
14. Climate Controls and Rear Window
15. Parking Brake Lever
16. Ashtray/Lighter
17. Gearshift Lever
18. Horn
19. Tilt Steering Wheel Lever (Option)
20. Fuse Panel
21. Hood Release Lever
Defogger
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Braking in Emergencies
Use your anti-lock braking system when
you need to. With anti-lock, you can
steer and brake at the same time. In
many emergencies, steering can help
you more than even the very best
braking.
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist
because the engine stops or the system
is not functioning, you can steer but it
will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a
reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control”
accidents mentioned
on the news
happen
on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each
of
us is subject to the same laws of physics
when driving on curves. The traction of
the tires against the road surface makes
it possible for the vehicle to change its
path when you turn the front wheels.
If
there’s no traction, inertia will keep the
vehicle going in the same direction.
If
you’ve ever tried to steer a vehicle on
wet ice, you’ll understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve
depends on the condition of your tires
and the road surface, the angle at which
the curve
is banked, and your speed.
While you’re in a curve, speed is the one
factor you can control.
Suppose you’re steering through a
sharp curve. Then you suddenly accelerate.
Both control systems
-
steering and acceleration - have to do
their work where the tires meet the
road. Adding the sudden acceleration
can demand too much
of those places.
You can lose control.
What should you do if this ever
happens? Ease up on the accelerator
pedal, steer the vehicle the way you
want it to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that
you should adjust your speed. Of
course, the posted speeds are based on
good weather and road conditions.
Under less favorable conditions you’ll
want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you
approach
a curve, do it before you enter
the curve, while your front wheels are
straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed
so you can
“drive” through the curve. Maintain a
reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out of the curve,
and then accelerate gently into the
straightaway.
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 Your Driving and the Road
If you’re being passed, make it easy
for the following driver to get ahead of
you. Perhaps you can ease a little to
the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say
about what happens when the three
control systems (brakes, steering and
acceleration) don’t have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do
what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep
trying to steer and constantly seek an
escape route or area
of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of
the vehicle. Defensive drivers avoid
most skids by taking reasonable care
suited
to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But
skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to
your Chevrolet’s three control systems.
In the braking skid your wheels aren’t
rolling.
In the steering or cornering
skid, too much speed or steering in a
curve causes tires to slip and lose
cornering force. And in the acceleration
skid too much throttle causes the
driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration
skid are best handled by easing your
foot
off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your
foot
off the accelerator pedal and
quickly steer the way
you want the
vehicle to go.
If you start steering
quickly enough, your vehicle may
straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid
if it occurs. Of
course, traction is reduced when
water, snow, ice, gravel, or other
material is
on the road. For safety,
you’ll want to slow down and adjust
your driving to these conditions. It is
important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will
be longer and vehicle control more limited.
While driving
on a surface with reduced
traction,
try your best to avoid sudden
steering, acceleration, or braking (including engine braking by shifting to
a lower gear). Any sudden changes
could cause the tires to slide. You may
not realize the surface is slippery until
your vehicle is skidding. Learn
to
recognize warning clues - such as
enough water, ice or packed snow on
the road to make a “mirrored surface”
- and slow down when you have any
doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock braking
system (ABS) helps avoid only the
braking slid.
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
I..
Whatever the condition - smooth ice,
packed, blowing or loose snow
- drive
with caution. Accelerate gently. Try not
to break the fragile traction. If you
accelerate too fast, the drive wheels will
spin and polish the surface under the
tires even more.
Your anti-lock brakes improve your ability to make a hard stop on a slippery
road. Even though you have the anti-
lock braking system, you’ll want to begin
stopping sooner than you would on dry
pavement. See
Anti-lock in the Index.
Allow greater following distance on
any slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road
might be fine until you hit a spot
that’s covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may
appear in shaded areas where the sun
can’t reach: around clumps of trees,
behind buildings, or under bridges. Sometimes the surface of a curve or
an overpass may remain icy when the
surrounding roads are clear.
If you see
a patch of ice ahead of you, brake
before you are on it. Try not to brake
while you’re actually
on the ice, and
avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
I24
If You’re Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you
could be in a serious situation. You
should probably stay with your vehicle
unless you know for sure that you are
near help and you can hike through the
snow. Here are some things to do to
summon help and keep yourself and
your passengers safe: Turn on your
hazard flashers. Tie
a red cloth to your
vehicle to alert police that you’ve been
stopped by the snow. Put on extra
clothing or wrap a blanket around
you.
If you have no blankets or extra clothing,
make body insulators from newspapers,
burlap bags, rags, floor mats
- anything
you can wrap around yourself or tuck
under your clothing to keep warm.
You can run the engine to keep warm,
but be careful.