1995 CHEVROLET ASTRO CARGO VAN transmission

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Then here are some tips:
Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a comfortably cool
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and to the sides. Check
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service, or parking area
interior.
your mirrors
and your instruments frequently.
and take a nap, get some exercise, or both. For safety, treat drowsiness
on the highway as an emergency.
Hill and Mountain Roads
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.
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.
0 Know how to go down hills. The most important thing to know is this:
let your engine
do some of the slowing down. Shift to a lower gear
when you go down
a steep or long hill.
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Know how to go uphill. You may want to shift down to a lower gear.
The lower gears help cool your engine and transmission, and you can
climb the hill better.
Stay in your own lane when driving
on two-lane roads in hills or
mountains. Don’t swing wide or cut across the center
of the road. Drive
at speeds that let you stay in your own lane.
As you go over the top of a hill, be alert. There could be something in
your lane, like a stalled car or an accident.
You may
see highway signs on mountains that warn of special
problems. Examples are long grades, passing
or no-passing zones, a
falling rocks area, or winding roads. Be alert to these and take
appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
0 Have your vehicle in good shape for winter. Be sure your engine
coolant mix is correct.
0 You may want to put winter emergency supplies in your vehicle.
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Don’t tow a trailer at all during the first 500 miles (800 km) your new
vehicle is driven. Your engine, axle or other parts could be damaged.
Then, during the first
500 miles (800 km) that you tow a trailer, don’t
drive over
50 mph (80 kdh) and don’t make starts at full throttle. This
helps your engine and other parts
of your vehicle wear in at the heavier
loads.
You should use DRIVE (D) (or, as you need to, a lower gear) when
towing a trailer. Operating your vehicle in
DRIVE (D) when towing a
trailer will minimize heat build-up and extend the
life of your
transmission.
Three important considerations have to do with weight:
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It depends
on how you plan to use your rig. For example, speed, altitude,
road grades, outside temperature and how much your vehicle is used to pull
a trailer are
all important. And, it can also depend on any special equipment
that you have on your vehicle.
You can ask your dealer for our trailering information or advice, or you can
write us
at the address listed in your Warranty and Owner Assistance
Information Booklet.
In Canada, write to:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Assistance Center
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
LlH 8P7
Weight of the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is an important weight to measure
because it affects the total or gross weight
of your vehicle. The gross vehicle
weight (GVW) includes the curb weight
of the vehicle, any cargo you may
carry in it, and the people who will be riding in the vehicle. And if you will
tow
a trailer, you must add the tongue load to the GVW because your
vehicle will be carrying that weight, too. See “Loading Your Vehicle” in the
Index for more information about your vehicle’s maximum load capacity.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start down a long or steep
downgrade. If
you don’t shift down, you might have to use your brakes so
much that they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your speed to around
45 mph
(70 km/h) to reduce the possibility of engine and transmission overheating.
When towing at high altitude
on steep uphill grades, consider the following:
Engine coolant will boil at
a lower temperature than at normal altitudes. If
you turn your engine off immediately after towing at high altitude on steep
uphill grades, your vehicle may show signs similar to engine overheating.
To avoid this, let the engine run while parked (preferably on level ground)
with the automatic transmission
in PARK (P) for a few minutes before
turning the engine off. If you do get the overheat warning, see “Engine
Overheating”
in the Index.
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer attached, on a hill. If
something goes wrong, your rig could start to move. People can be injured,
and both your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
But if
you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into PARK (P) yet. Turn your
wheels into the curb when facing downhill and away from the curb
when facing uphill.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the regular brakes until the
chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes, Then apply your parking brake, and shift to
5. Release the regular brakes.
PARK (P).
When You Are Ready to Leave After Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down while you:
Start your engine;
Shift into a gear; and
0 Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re pulling a trailer. See
the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially
important in trailer operation are automatic transmission fluid (don’t
overfill), engine oil, axle lubricant, belt, cooling system, and brake
adjustment. Each of these is covered in this manual, and the Index will help
you find them quickly. If you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to review these
sections before you start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts are tight.
Trailer Lighting Systems Wiring
See “Trailer Wiring Harness” in the Index.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables can reach, but be
sure 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
vehicle, 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 transmission in PARK
(P) or a
manual transmission in NEUTRAL (N).
If you have a
four-wheel-drive vehicle with
a manual transfer case shift lever, be
sure the transfer case is
not in NEUTRAL (N).
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!
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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.
5. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or missing insulation. If
they do, you could get a shock. The vehicles could be damaged too.
Before
you connect the cables, here are some basic things you should
know. Positive
(+> will go to positive (+) and negative (-) will go to
negative
(-1 or a metal engine part. Don’t connect (+) to (-) or you’ll
get a short that would damage the battery and maybe other parts too.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a GM dealer or a professional towing service tow your vehicle.
They can provide the right equipment and know how to tow
it without
damage.
If your vehicle has been changed
or modified since it was factory-new by
adding aftermarket items like fog lamps, aero skirting, or special tires and
wheels, these things can be damaged during towing.
Before
you do anything, turn on the hazard warning flashers.
When
you call, tell the towing service:
0 Whether your vehicle has rear-wheel drive or the all-wheel-drive
option. If your vehicle has fog lamps, it cannot be towed from the front
with sling-type equipment.
The make, model, and year of your vehicle.
0 Whether you can still move the shift lever.
0 If there was an accident, what was damaged.
When your vehicle
is being towed, have the ignition key off. The steering
wheel should be clamped in a straight-ahead position, with
a clamping
device designed for towing service.
Do not use the vehicle’s steering
column lock for this.
The transmission should be in NEUTRAL (N) and the
parking brake released.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If your vehicle has the all-wheel drive option, it can only be towed with all
four wheels off the ground. If a vehicle with all-wheel drive must be towed
with sling-type or wheel lift equipment, then either the front
or rear wheels
must be supported
on a dolly.
If your vehicle has rear-wheel drive, don’t have it towed on the rear wheels,
unless
you must. If a vehicle with rear-wheel drive must be towed on the
rear wheels, don’t go more than
35 mph (54 km/h) or farther than 50 miles
(80 km) or your transmission will be damaged. If these limits must be
exceeded, then the rear wheels have
to be supported on a dolly.
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