1996 CHEVROLET EXPRESS Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine DRIVE (D): This position is for normal driving. If you
need more power for passing, and you’re:
Going less than about 35 mph (56 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (56 kdh) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
You’ll
shift down to the next gear and have more power.
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.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, however,
it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than DRIVE
(D). You should use THIRD (3)
when carrying a heavy load or driving on steep hills.
SECOND (2): This position gives you more power
but lower fuel economy.
You can use SECOND (2)
on hills. It can help control your speed as you go
down steep mountain roads, but then you would also
want to use your brakes off and on. If you manually
select SECOND
(2), the transmission will drive in
second gear. You may use this feature for reducing
torque
to the rear wheels when you are trying to start
your vehicle from a stop
on slippery road surfaces.
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy) than SECOND
(2). You can
use it
on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If
the selector lever is put in FIRST (l), the transmission
won’t shift into first gear until the vehicle is going
slowly enough.
NOTICE: -- --
If your rear wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if you are stuck in
very deep sand or mud or are up against a solid
object. You could damage your transmission.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transmission. Use your brakes
or shift into
PARK (P) to hold your vehicle in position on
a hill.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
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. To rclease the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down. PLIII the handle, located
just above the
pal-king brake pedal. marked
BRAKE RELEASE to
release the parking brake.
If the ignition is on when the parking brake is released,
the brake system warning light
will go off.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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. Always check to be sure
your parking brake is fully released before
you drive.
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 I: :o 11 C (P)
I A CAUTIJN:
I
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) position like this:
Pull the lever toward you.
Move the lever up as far as it will go.
3. Move the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave your vehicle with the ignition key
in your
hand, your vehicle is in PARK (P).
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine Running
A CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with
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.
Torque Lock
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).
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Your vehicle has a brake-transmission shift interlock
system. You have to fully apply your regular brakes
before you can shift from PARK (P). See “Automatic
Transmission”
in the Index.
If you cannot shift
out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever and push the shift lever all the way up
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:
1. 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
5. Have the brake-transmission shift interlock system
want.
fixed
as soon as you can.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Parking Over Things That Burn Engine Exhaust
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.
A CAU‘- ION:
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:
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:
0 Drive it only with all the windows down to
0 Have your vehicle fixed immediately.
or
different.
modified improperly.
blow out any CO; and
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
L
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.)
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 “To,wing a Trailer” in
the Index.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Windows
Manual Windows
To operate 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 side doors. The
driver’s door has a switch for the passenger
window
as well. Your power windows will work when
the ignition
has been turned to the RUN position.
Push the rear of the switch with the power window
symbol
on it to lower the window.
Push the front
of the switch with the power window
symbol on
it to raise the window.
The driver’s window switch also
has an express-down
feature that allows the window to lower without holding
the switch. Press and hold the side
of the window
switch marked
AUTO for one second to activate the
express-down mode.
The express-down mode can be
cancelled at any time by pressing the opposite side of
the switch.
To open the window part way, lightly tap the
switch until the window is at the desired position.
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