1996 CHEVROLET ASTRO Owners Manual

Horn
To sound the horn, press the horn symbols on the
steering wheel.
Tilt Wheel (Option)
Turn' SignaVMultifunction Lever
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.
I ' The lever on the driver's side of the steering column
includes your:
0 Turn and Lane Change Signals
0 Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer
0 Windshield Wipers
0 Windshield Washer
To tilt t& wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the ' 0 Cruise Control (Option)
j lever. Move the steering wheel to a comfortable level,
I then release the lever to lock the wheel in place. I
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Turn and Lane Change Signals
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow you
to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal
a turn, move the lever all the way up or down.
When the
turn is finished, the lever will return automatically.
A
An arrow on the instrument
panel will flash in
the
direction of the turn or
lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts to flash. Hold it there until
you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by
itself when you release
it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the arrows don’t
flash
but just stay on, a signal bulb may be burned out
and other drivers won’t see your turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an
accident. If the arrows don’t go on at all when you
signal a turn, check the fuse (see “Fuses and Circuit
Breakers” in the Index) and for burned-out bulbs.
If you have a trailer towing option with added wiring for
the trailer lamps,
a different turn signal flasher is used.
With this flasher installed, the signal indicator will flash
even if a turn signal bulb is burned out. Check the front
and rear turn signal lamps regularly to make sure they
are working.
Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low beam to high or high
to low, pull the multifunction lever all the way toward
you. Then release it.
When the high beams are
on, this indicator light on
the instrument panel also
will be on.
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Windshield Winers
You control the windshield
wipers by turning the band
with the wiper symbol
on it.
For a single wiping cycle,
turn the band to MIST. Hold
it there until the wipers
start, then let go. The wipers
will stop after one wipe.
If -5
Windshield Washer
you want more wipes,-hold
the band on MIST longer.
You can set the wiper speed for a long or short delay
between wipes. This can be very useful in light rain or
snow. Turn the band to choose the delay time. The
closer to
LOW, the shorter the delay.
For steady wiping at low speed, turn the band away
from you
to the LOW position. For high-speed wiping,
turn the band further, to HIGH. To stop the wipers,
move the band to the OFF position.
Be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades
before using them.
If they're frozen to the windshield,
carefully loosen or thaw them.
If your blades do become
worn
or damaged, get new blades or blade inserts. At
the top of the multifunction lever, there's a paaale
marked with the windshield washer symbol and
PUSH. To
spray washer fluid on the windshield, press the paddle.
The wipers will clear the window and then either stop
or
return to your preset speed.
A CAUTION:
In freezing weather, don't use your washer until
the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the windshield, blocking
your vision.
2-31

Rear Window Washermiper (Option) from
a switch on your
instrument panel, next to
the audio system.
To turn the wiper on, slide the switch all the way up.
For delay wiping, slide the switch even with
the word
DELAY in the center position of the rear wiper control.
The wiper will cycle every nine seconds.
To wash the window, push in on the switch. Window
washer fluid will continue
to spray until the switch is
released. The wiper will continue with three more wipes
and then return
to the setting that was chosen before the
lever was pushed.
The rear window washer uses the same fluid bottle as
the front windshield washer.
If the fluid level is low in
the washer bottle, you may not be able to wash your rear
window.
If you can wash your windshield, but not your
rear window, check
the fluid level.
Cruise Control (Option)
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 kmh) or more without keeping your foot
on the accelerator. This can really help on long trips.
Cruise control does not work at speeds below about
25 mph (40 km/h).
When you apply
y sakes, the *
A CAUTION:
#e con 1 sh i off.
Cruise control can be dal-,-- JUS wher - JOU
can’t drive safely at a steady speed. So,
don’t use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
slippery roads. On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control. Don’t
use cruise control on slippery roads.
Cruise control can be dangerous on
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Resuming a Set Speed
Setting Cruise Control
If you leave your cruise control switcn on when
you're not using cruise, you might hit a button
and
go into cruise when you don't want to.
You could be startled and even lose control.
Keep the cruise control switch
OFF until you
want to use it.
__~~ ~
1. Move the cruise control switch to ON.
2. Get up to the speed you want. Suppose
you set your cruise control at
a desired speed
and then
you apply the brake. This, of course, shuts off
the cruise control. But you don't need to reset it.
..::: . .. .
Once you're going about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more,
you
can move the cruise
control switch from
ON
to R/A for about
1 1/2 seconds.
3. Press in the SET button
at the end
of the lever
and release it. You'll
go right back up to your chosen speed and
stay there.
Remember, if you hold the switch at R/A longer than
1 1/2 seconds, the vehicle will keep going faster until
you release the switch or apply the brake. You could be
startled and even lose control.
So unless you want to
go faster, don't hold the switch at R/A.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
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Increasing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed.
Press the button at the end of the lever, then release
the button and the accelerator pedal. You’ll now
cruise at the higher speed.
Move the cruise switch from ON to R/A. Hold it
there until you get up to the speed you want, and
then release the switch.
(To increase your speed in
very small amounts, move the switch to
WA for less
than
3/4 of a second. Each time you do this, your
vehicle will go about
1 mph (1.6 kdh) faster.)
Reducing Speed While Using Cruise Contrel
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
0 Press the button at the end of the lever until you
reach the lower speed you want, then release it.
0 To slow down in very small amounts, press the
button for less than
1/2 second. Each time you do
this, you’ll go 1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase .your speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
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 want 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.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal.
Move the cruise switch to 0,FE
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition.
your cruise control set speed memory
is erased.
2-34

1-
,
Lamps
I
I i
i
I
Turn the knob to the master lamp symbol to turn on all
the lamps listed as well as the headlamps.
Turn the
knob to OFF to turn off your lamps.
Rotate the dial next to the lamp switch down to dim
your instrument panel lights.
Rotate the dial up to brighten you instrument panel
lights. If you rotate the dial all the way until it clicks,
your interior lamps will come on.
Headlamps
You can switch your headlamps from high to low beam
by pulling the multifunction lever toward you.
A circuit breaker protects your headlamps. If you have
an electrical overload, your headlamps will flicker on
and off. Have your headlamp wiring checked right away
I Your lamp switch is on the driver's side of the if this happens.
instrument panel.
Turn the
knob to the first position to turn on:
I 0 'parking Lamps ! 0 Taillamps
I * * License Plate Lamps
0 Instrument Panel Lights
* 2-35

Headlamps On Reminder
A reminder tone will sound when your headlamps or
parking lamps
are turned on and your ignition is in the
OFF, LOCK or ACCESSORY position. To turn the tone
off, turn the switch
to the OFF position.
Daytime Running Lamps (If Equipped)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others
to see the front of your vehicle during the day.
DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
The DRL system will make your headlamps come
on at
a reduced brightness when:
the ignition is on,
the headlamp switch is off and
the parking brake is released.
When the DRL are on,
only your headlamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won’t be on.
Your instrument panel won’t be
lit up either. When
it begins
to get dark, your DRL indicator light is a
reminder
to turn your headlamp switch on. The other
lamps that come on with your headlamps will also
come
on.
When you turn the headlamp switch off, the regular
lamps will go off, and your headlamps will change to
the reduced brightness of DRL.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, set the parking
brake. The DRL will stay off until you release the
parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn
on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
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