1996 CHEVROLET ASTRO Owners Manual

Locking Rear Axle
If you have this feature, your rear axle can give you
additional traction on snow, mud, ice, sand or gravel.
It
works like a standard axle most of the time, but when
one
of the rear wheels has no traction and the other does,
the locking feature will allow
the wheel with traction to
move the vehicle.
All-Wheel Drive (Option)
If your vehicle has
all-wheel drive, your
engine’s driving power
is
sent to all four wheels for
extra traction.
Parking Brake
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot.
Push down the parking brake pedal with
your left foot.
If the ignition is on, the brake system warning light will
come on.
This is like four-wheel drive, but there is
no separate
lever or switch
to engage or disengage the front axle.
It
is fully automatic, and adjusts itself as needed for
road conditions.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down. Pull the brake release lever located
on the
lower left side of the steering column.
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NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and you could also damage other
parts of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to
do first to keep the trailer from moving.
Shifting Into PARK (P)
CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
If you have left the engine running, the vehicle
can move suddenly. You or others could be
injured.
To be sure your vehicle won’t move, even
when you’re on fairly level ground, use the steps
that follow.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see
“Towing
a Trailer” in the Index.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
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2. Move the shift lever into the PARK (P) position like this:
0 Pull the lever toward you.
Move the lever up as far as it will go.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
remove the key from your ignition, your vehicle is in
PARK (P).
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Leaving Your Vehicle With the
E.noiqe Rmnnjnq
r
can be ( lgerous to we your vt cle wi
the engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever
is not fully in PARK (P)
with the parking brake firmly set. And, if you
leave the vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch fire. You or others could
be injured. Don’t leave your vehicle with the
engine running unless you have
to.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and your
parking brake is firmly set before you leave it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into the PARK (P)
position, hold the regular brake pedal down. Then, see
if you can move
the shift lever away from PARK (P)
without first pulling it toward
you. If you can, it means
that the shift lever wasn’t fully locked into PARK (P).
Torque Lock I
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transmission
into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put
too much force on the parking pawl in
the transmission. You may find it difficult to pull the
shift lever out of PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.”
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then
shift into PARK (P) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat.
To find out how, see “Shifting Into
PARK (P)” in the Index.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out
of
PARK (P) before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur,
you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill
to take some of the
pressure from the transmission, so you can pull the shift
lever out
of PARK (P).
2-24

Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Your vehicle has a brake-transmission shift interlock.
You have to fully apply your regular brake before you
can shift from PARK (P) when the ignition is in the
RUN position. See “Automatic Transmission” in
the Index.
If
you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever
-- push the shift lever all the way into
PARK
(P) as you maintain brake application. Then
move the shift lever into the gear
you want.
If
you ever hold the brake pedal down but still can’t
shift out
of PARK (P), try this:
I. Turn the key to OFF.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the drive gear
you want.
5. Have the vehicle fixed as soon as you can.
Parking nvPr Thiq Th: A R rn
CAUTION:
Things that can burn could touch hot exhaust
parts under your vehicle and ignite. Don’t park
over papers, leaves, dry grass or other things that
can
burn.
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Engine Exhaust
A CAUTIOF:
Engine exhaust can kill. It contains the gas
carbon monoxide
(CO), which you can’t see or
smell.
It can cause unconsciousness and death.
You might have exhaust coming in if:
0 Your exhaust system sounds strange
Your vehicle gets rusty underneath.
Your vehicle was damaged in a collision.
Your vehicle was damaged when driving over
high points on the road or over road debris.
Repairs weren’t done correctly.
Your vehicle or exhaust system had been
If you ever suspect exhaust is coming into
your vehicle:
Drive it only with all the windows down to
Have your vehicle fixed immediately.
or
different.
modified improperly.
blow out any
CO; and
I
Running Your Engine While
You’re Parked
It’s better not to park with the engine running. But if you
ever have to, here are some things to know.
A CAUTION:
Idling the engine with the air system control off
could allow dangerous exhaust into your vehicle
(see the earlier Caution under “Engine Exhaust”).
Also, idling in a closed-in place can let deadly
carbon monoxide
(CO) into your vehicle even if
the fan switch is at the highest setting. One place
this can happen is
a garage. Exhaust -- with
CO
-- can come in easily. NEVER park in a
garage with the engine running.
Another closed-in place can be a blizzard.
(See “Blizzard” in the Index.)
2-26

CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to.
If you’ve left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured.
To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, even when you’re on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to
PARK (P).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won’t
move. See “Shifting Into
PARK (P)” in the Index.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing
a Trailer” in
the Index.
Windows
Manual Windows
To open your manual windows, turn the hand crank on
each door to raise or lower your side door windows.
Power Windows
If you have the optional power windows, the controls
are
on each of the front side doors. The driver’s door has
a switch for the front passenger window
as well. Your
power windows will not move unless the ignition has
been turned to the
RUN position.
2-27

Exprer- ’ wn Window
The driver
s window switch also has an “express”
feature that allows
it to lower without holding the
window switch. Hold the driver’s window switch down
for more than 112 second to activate the express-down
feature. Lightly tap the switch to open the window
slightly. The express-down feature can be interrupted
at any time by pressing the up arrow end of the switch.
Swing-Out Windows
‘D‘. : .,,: TO open your swing-out +
windows, pull up on
the latch and push the
window out.
e
It can be dangerous to drive with the rear
swing-out windows, rear hatch or rear doors
open because carbon monoxide
(CO) gas can
come into your vehicle. You can’t see or smell
*
CO. It can cause unconsciousness and even death.
If you must drive with the rear swing-out
windows, rear hatch or rear doors open or if
electrical wiring or other cable connections must
pass through the seal between the body and
the rear swing-out windows, rear hatch
or
rear doors:
TO close the window, pull the latch toward you and push
it down.
e
e Make sure all windows are shut.
”urn the fan on your heating or cooling
system to its highest speed with the setting
on anything but MAX
A/C. That will force
outside air into your vehicle. See “Comfort
Controls” in the Index.
If you have air outlets on or under the
instrument panel, open them all the way.
See “Engine Exhaust’’ in the Index.
2-28