
Features  and  Controls 
Section 
. 
Here you can  learn about the  many  standard  and  optional  features on your 
vehicle.  and  information 
on starting. shifting and  braking . Also explained 
are 
the instrument  panel  and  the  warning  systems that tell you  if everything 
is working  properly-  and what  to do  if  you  have a problem . 
For  explanation  of vehicle  symbols.  refer  to “Vehicle  Symbols”  in  the 
Introduction 
. 
Keys ..................................................... 2-3 
DoorLocks 
................................................ 2-5 
Your  Doors  and How They Work .............................. 2-7 
Tailgate 
................................................... 2-8 
Theft 
............................................. ...... 2-9 
New Vehicle  “Break-In’’ .................................... 2-10 
Ignitionswitch 
............................................ 2-11 
Starting  Your Gasoline Engine 
............................... 2-12 
Starting  Your  Diesel  Engine 
................................. 2-16 
Automatic  Transmission 
.................................... 2-21 
Five-Speed  Manual Transmission  (With 
Low Gear) ............ 2-24 
Five-Speed  Manual  Transmission  (Without Low Gear) 
............ 2-25 
LockingRearAxle 
......................................... 2-28 
ParkingBrake 
............................................ 2-28 
Parking Over Things That  Burn 
............................... 2-32 
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Keys 
The square-shaped 
key is for the ignition 
only. 
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With  the  tailgate at  a slight  upward 
angle,  pull  back 
on the tailgate  at 
the  right  edge and 
then  move  the 
tailgate  to  the 
right, 
to release 
the 
left edge. 
Reverse  the above procedure  to  re-install. Make sure the  tailgate  is  secure. 
Theft 
Vehicle  theft  is  big  business,  especially in some cities. Although  your 
vehicle  has  a number  of 
theft deterrent features,  we  know  that  nothing  we 
put  on  it can make 
it impossible  to steal.  However,  there  are ways  you  can 
help. 
Key in  the  Ignition 
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 vehicle and  open  the  driver’s  door,  you’ll  hear  a tone 
reminding 
you to  remove your  key 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  transmission,  taking  your 
key out also 
locks your transmission.  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. 
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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? 
0 Put your valuables in  a  storage  area  or console. 
0 Lock  the  console. 
Lock all the doors  except  the  driver’s. 
0 Then take the door key  with  you. 
New Vehide “Break-In” 
NOTICE: 
Your modern  vehicle doesn’t  need  an  elaborate “break-in.” But 
it will perform  better  in  the  long run if you follow  these 
guidelines: 
Keep  your  speed  at 55 mph (88 km/h) or less  for  the  first 
500 miles- (804 km). 
Don’t  drive  at  any  one  speed - fast  or slow - for  the  first 
500 miles (804 km).  Don’t  make  full-throttle  starts. 
0 Avoid making  hard  stops  for  the first 200 miles (322 km) or 
so. During this time  your  new brake  linings  aren’t  yet  broken 
in.  Hard  stops  with new linings  can  mean  premature  wear  and 
earlier  replacement.  Follow 
this “breaking-in”  guideline 
every  time  you get new  brake  linings. 
New  Vehicle  “Break-In” - 3500 HD Model 
If you have  a 3500 HD model, your parking brake requires  a special 
break-in  procedure.  See “Parking Brake” in the Index. 
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Ignition Switch 
Use your  square  key to start your vehicle.  The  square key lets you turn the 
ignition  switch to 
five different positions: 
I 2 
5 
Q 
3 
1. OFF 
2. RUN 
3. START 
4. ACC 
5. LOCK 
ACC  (Accessory):  ACC lets you use things like the radio and the 
windshield  wipers  when the engine 
is off. To get into ACC, push in the key 
and  turn 
it toward  you.  Your steering  wheel will remain  locked,  just as it 
was before you inserted the  key. 
LOCK: This position  locks  your ignition,  steering wheel and transmission. 
It's 
a theft deterrent  feature. You will only be able to remove  your key  when 
the ignition  is turned to 
LOCK. 
OFF: This  position  lets  you turn off the  engine  but still turn the steering 
wheel. Use 
OFF if  you  must have your vehicle in motion while the engine 
is 
off (for  example, if your vehicle  is being  pushed). 
RUN: This is  the  position for driving. 
START This  starts  your  engine. 
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NOTICE: 
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  left and 
right  while  you  turn 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. 
Key Release Lever 
The  ignition  key 
cannot  be  removed 
from  the  ignition  of 
manual  transmission 
vehicles  unless  the 
key  release  lever is 
used. 
To Remove  the Key 
On  manual  transmission  vehicles,  turn  the  key  to  the LOCK position  while 
pressing  the  key  release  lever  down  (see  the  caution  earlier  \
in 
this section 
about  the  key  release  lever).  Keeping  your  finger  on  the  leve\
r,  pull  the  key 
straight  out. 
On  automatic  transmission  vehicles,  turn  the  key  to 
LOCK and  pull  it 
straight  out. 
Starting Your Gasoline  Engine 
If you  have  a  diesel  engine,  see  “Starting  Your Diesel  Engine”  in  the  Index. 
Engines  start  differently.  The 8th  digit  of your  Vehicle  Identification 
Number  (VIN)  shows  the code  letter  or  number  for your  engine.  You  will 
find  the  VIN  at  the  top  left  of your  instrument  panel.  (See  “Vehicle 
Identification  Number”  in  the  Index.)  Follow  the  proper  step\
s  to  start  the 
engine. 
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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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NOTICE: 
Your engine  is  designed  to work  with  the electronics in your 
vehicle. 
If you  add  electrical  parts  or accessories,  you  could 
change  the 
way the fuel  injection  system  operates.  Before  adding 
electrical  equipment,  check  with  your  dealer. 
If you  don’t,  your 
engine  might  not perform properly. 
If you ever  have  to have  your  vehicle  towed,  see  the part of this 
manual  that tells  how  to  do it without  damaging  your  vehicle. 
See  “Towing  Your  Vehicle”  in the  Index. 
To start your 5.7 Liter  (Code K) or 7.4 Liter (Code N) V8 engine: 
1. Without  pushing  the  accelerator  pedal,  turn  your  ignition  key  t\
o  “Start.” 
When  the  engine  starts,  let  go  of the  key.  The  idle speed  will  go  down 
as your  engine  gets  warm. 
NOTICE: 
I 
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  floor.  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  Step 
3 again. 
Hot Engine Restart (Vehicles With 5.7L LO5 Engine  and Over 8500 lbs. 
GVWR): If your  engine  is already  hot  and  then  stalls,  turn  your  ignition 
key  to 
OFF. Then,  turn  your  key  to RUN, and  wait  about  20  seconds 
before  you  restart  your  engine. 
When  the  engine  starts,  let  go  of the  key  and  the  accelerator  pedal. 
If  your  engine  is  already  hot  and  then  stalls,  turn  your  ignition\
  key  to 
OFF. 
Then turn your  key  to  “Run”  and  wait 20 seconds  before  you  restart  your 
engine.  When  the  engine  starts,  let  go  of the  key  and  the  accelerator  pedal. 
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