Automatic Transmission:
Move your shift lever to “P’ (Park) or “N” (Neutral). Your engine won’t
start
in any other position - that’s a safety feature. To restart when you’re
already moving, use
“N” (Neutral) only.
NOTICE:
Don’t try to shift to “P” (Park) if your vehicle is moving. If you
do, you could damage the transmission. Shift to “P” (Park) only
when your vehicle
is stopped.
Hold the clutch pedal to the tloor, then shift your gear selector to neutral
while starting
the engine. Your vehicle won’t start if the clutch pedal is not
all the way down
- that’s a safety feature.
To start your 4.3 Liter (Code 2) V6 or 5.0L (Code H) V8 engine:
1. Without pushing the accelerator pedal, turn your ignition key to “Start.”
When
the engine starts, let go of the key. The idle speed will go down
as your engine gets warm.
NOTICE:
Holding your key in “Start” for longer than 15 seconds at a time
will cause your battery to be drained much sooner. And the excessive heat can damage your starter motor.
2. If it doesn’t start right away, hold your key in “Start.” If it doesn’t start
in three seconds, push the accelerator pedal about one-quarter of the
way down for
12 more seconds, or until it starts.
3. If your engine still won’t start (or starts but then stops), it could be
flooded
with too much gasoline. Try this:
Wait
15 seconds to let the starter motor cool down. Then push your
accelerator pedal all the way to
the tloor. Hold it there. Then, hold the
key in “Start” for no more than ten seconds. This clears the extra
gasoline from the engine.
If
the engine still doesn’t start, wait another 15 seconds and do it all
again.
When
the engine starts, let go of the key and the accelerator pedal.
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Starting Your Diesel Englne
Your diesel engine starts differently than a gasoline engine.
1. Automatic Transmission:
Move your shift lever to “P” (Park) or “N” (Neutral). Your engine
won’t start in any other position
- that’s a safety feature. To restart
when you’re already moving, use “N” (Neutral) only.
NOTICE:
Don’t try to shift to “P” (Park) if your vehicle is moving. If you
do, you could damage the transmission. Shift to
“P” (Park) only
when your vehicle is stopped.
2. Manual Transmission:
Move your shift lever to neutral and hold the clutch pedal to the floor
while starting the engine. Your vehicle won’t start if the clutch pedal is
not
all the way down - that’s a safety feature.
Turn your ignition key to
RUN. Don’t turn it to “Start.”
With
the ignition in RUN, the “GLOW PLUGS” light will come on. If
the engine is already warm, this light may not come on. That’s normal.
During starting, your “GLOW PLUGS” light may
go on and off a few
times. This is normal. This means that part
of your engine is being
warmed
up for better starting. When the light goes off, your engine is
ready to start. Do not start the engine with this light on.
NOTICE:
If the “GLOW PLUGS” light stays on, it means that your
vehicle could have one
of several problems, so you should have it
serviced right
away.
3. If this light does not come on, or the instant the light goes off, turn your
ignition key to “Start.” When the engine starts,
let go of the key.
NOTICE:
Holding your key in “Start” for longer than 15 seconds at a time
will cause your battery to be drained much sooner. And the
excessive heat can damage your starter motor.
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I
Five-Speed Manual Transmission
(With Low Gear)
This is your shift
pattern. Here’s how to
operate your
transmission:
L (Low Gear) is
intended only for
heavy loads and is not
recommended for
normal driving.
0 L (Low Gear) - Press the clutch pedal and shift into “L”. Then,
slowly let up on the clutch pedal as
you press the accelerator pedal.
Shift into
“L” only when the vehicle speed is below 5 mph (8 kdh). Tf
you try to shift into “L” at excessive vehicle speeds, the shift lever will
not move into the “L” position until vehicle speed is reduced.
0 1 (First Gear) - Press the clutch pedal and shift into “1.” Then,
slowly let up
on the clutch pedal as you press the accelerator pedal.
You can shift into “1” when you’re going less than 20 mph (32 km/h).
If you’ve come
to a complete stop and it’s hard to shift into “1,” put the
shift lever in “N” (Neutral) and let up on the clutch. Press the clutch
pedal back down. Then shift into
“I .” If you try to shift into “1” at
excessive vehicle speeds,
the shift lever will not move into the “1”
position until vehicle speed is reduced.
0 2 (Second Gear) - Press the clutch pedal as you let up on the
accelerator pedal and shift into “2.” Then, slowly let up on the clutch
pedal as
you press the accelerator pedal.
0 Higher Gears - Shift into the higher forward gears the same way you
do for
“2.” Slowly let up on the clutch pedal as you press the
accelerator pedal.
To Stop - Let up on the accelerator pedal and press the brake pedal.
Just before the vehicle stops, press the clutch pedal and the brake pedal,
and shift
to “N” (Neutral).
0 N (Neutral) - Use this position when you start or idle your engine.
R (Reverse) - To back up, first press down the clutch pedal. Wait
3-5 seconds for the internal parts to stop spinning and then, shift into
“R.” Let up on the clutch pedal slowly while pressing the accelerator
pedal.
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NOTICE:
Shift to “R” (Reverse) only after your vehicle is stopped.
Shifting
to “R” (Reverse) while your vehicle is moving could
damage your transmission.
Also, use Reverse, along with the parking brake, when turning off your
engine and parking your vehicle.
Five-Speed Manual Transmission
(Without
Low Gear)
This is your shift
pattern. Here’s how to
operate your
transmission:
1 (First Gear) - Press the clutch pedal and shift into “1 .” Then,
slowly
let up on the clutch pedal as you press the accelerator pedal.
You can shift into
“1” when you’re going less than 20 mph (32 km/h).
If you’ve come to a complete stop and it’s hard to shift into L‘ 1 ,” put the
shift lever
in Neutral and let up on the clutch. Press the clutch pedal
back down. Then shift
into LLl.”
2 (Second Gear) - Press the clutch pedal as you let up on the
accelerator pedal and shift
into “2.” Then, slowly let up on the clutch
pedal as
you press the accelerator pedal.
3,4 and 5 (Third, Fourth and Fifth Gears) - Shift into “3,” “4” and
“5” the same way you do for “2.” Slowly let up on the clutch pedal as
you press the accelerator pedal.
To Stop - Let up on the accelerator pedal and press the brake pedal.
Just before the vehicle stops, press
the clutch pedal and the brake pedal,
and shift to Neutral.
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R (Reverse) - To back up, first press down the clutch pedal. Wait
3-5 seconds for the internal parts to stop spinning and then, shift into
“R.” Let up on the clutch pedal slowly while pressing the accelerator
pedal.
NOTICE:
Shift to “R” (Reverse) only after your vehicle is stopped.
Shifting to
LLR” (Reverse) while your vehicle is moving could
damage your transmission.
Also, use Reverse, along with the parking brake, when turning off your
engine and parking your vehicle.
Shift Light
If you have a manual
transmission,
you may
have
a SHIFT light.
This light will show
you when
to shift to
the next higher gear
l for best fuel economy.
I
When this light comes on, you can shift to the next higher gear if weather,
road and traffic conditions let you. For
the best fuel economy, accelerate
slowly and shift when the light comes on.
While you accelerate, it
is normal for the light to go on and off if you
quickly change the position
of the accelerator. Ignore the SHIFT light when
you downshift.
Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicles Only: If your vehicle has four-wheel drive
and is equipped with
a manual transmission, disregard the shift light when
the transfer case is in 4-LOW.
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Manual Transmissions- Shift Speeds
If you have a five-speed manual transmission (with low gear), th\
is chart
shows when to shift to the next higher gear for best fuel economy.
Recommended Shift Speeds - Five Speed
Manual Transmission
with Low Gear*
Engine (VIN Code)
4.3L V6 (Z)
5.7L V8 (K)
4.3L V6 (Z)
Acceleration Shift Speed MPH (KM/H)
15 (24)
15 (24) 40 (64)
25 (40)
Cruise Shift Speed MPH (KM/H)
25-40
(40-64) 50
(80)
40 (64)
45-50
(72-80)
*L (low) is intended for use with heavy loads and is not recommended for
normal driving
If your speed drops below
20 mph (32 km/h), or if the engine is not running
smoothly, you should downshift to the next lower gear. You may have to
downshift two or more gears to keep the engine running smoothl\
y or for
good performance.
NOTICE:
If you skip more than one gear when you downshift, or if you
race the engine when you downshift, you can damage the engine,\
clutch or transmission.
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Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your Cruise Control will work on hills depends upon your speed,
load, and the steepness of the hills. When going up steep hills, you may
have to step
on the accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When going
downhill, you may have to brake or shift to a lower gear to keep your speed
down.
Of course, applying the brake takes you out of Cruise Control. Many
drivers find this to be too much trouble and don’t use Cruise Control on
steep hills.
To Get Out of Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the Cruise Control:
0 Step lightly on
the brake pedal or
push the clutch
pedal, if you have
a manual
transmission
OR;
0 move the Cruise switch to
OFF.
To Erase Speed Memory
When you turn off the Cruise Control or the ignition, your Cruise Control
set speed memory is erased.
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Q: What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or is about to stall, and I
can’t make
it up the hill?
A:
0
a
a
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
slzould do:
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 as straight as
possible
in reverse.
As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand on the steering
wheel at the
12 o’clock position. This way, you’ll be able to tell if your
wheels are straight and maneuver as you back down. It’s best that you
back down the
hill with your wheels straight rather than in the left or
right direction. Turning the wheel too far to the left or right will
increase the possibility of
a rollover.
Here are some things
you mist nof 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.
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