
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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. 
Windshield  Washer 
At the  top of the  multifunction  lever  there’s  a  paddle 
marked  with  the windshield  washer  symbol  and  the 
word 
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. 
Cruise  Control  (Option) 
With  cruise  control,  you can 
maintain  a  speed 
of about 
25 mph (40 km/h)  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). 
-’ C SJTIC -J: If you  have  an  automatic  transmission  and you apply 
-- your  brakes,  the  cruise control will  shut off. 
In  freezing  weather,  don’t  use  your  washer  until If  you have  a  manual  transmission  and  you  apply  your 
the  windshield  is warmed.  Otherwise  the  washer brakes or push  the  clutch  pedal,  the  cruise  control  will 
fluid  can  form  ice  on  the  windshield,  blocking shut off. 
your  vision. 
2-36   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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. 
If you don’t  shift  down,  your  brakes  could  get so 
hot  that  they  wouldn’t  work well.  You  would 
then  have  poor  braking  or  even  none  going 
down 
a hill. You could  crash.  Shift  down  to  let 
your  engine  assist  your  brakes  on  a  steep 
downhill  slope.  Coasting 
downhill in 
NEUTRAL (N) or with  the 
ignition 
off is dangerous.  Your brakes will have to 
do 
all the  work of slowing  down.  They could  get so 
hot that  they  wouldn’t  work well.  You  would then 
have  poor  braking  or  even none  going  down 
a hill. 
You could  crash.  Always  have your engine  running 
and  your  vehicle  in gear  when  you  go  downhill. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
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. 
4-36   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Trailer  Brakes 
If your  trailer  weighs  more  than 1,000 lbs. (450 kg) 
loaded,  then  it  needs  its  own brakes 
-- and  they  must  be 
adequate.  Be  sure  to read  and follow 
the instructions  for 
the  trailer  brakes 
so you’ll  be  able to install, adjust and 
maintain  them  properly. 
Your  trailer’s  brake  system can tap into  the  vehicle’s 
hydraulic  brake  system  only if 
a 
a 
The trailer  parts  can withstand 3,000 psi 
(20 650 kPa)  of pressure. 
The  trailer’s  brake  system  will  use less  than 
0.02 cubic  inch (0.3 cc) of  fluid  from your  vehicle’s 
master  cylinder.  Otherwise, both  braking  systems 
won’t  work  well.  You could  even  lose  your  brakes. 
If  everything  checks 
out this  far,  then  make  the  brake 
fluid  tap  at  the  port  on  the  master  cylinder  that  sends 
fluid 
to the  rear  brakes.  But don’t  use copper  tubing  for 
this.  If 
you do, it  will  bend  and finally  break  off.  Use 
steel  brake  tubing. 
Driving  with  a  Trailer 
Towing  a  trailer  requires a certain  amount of experience. 
Before  setting 
out for  the  open  road,  you’ll  want  to get 
to  know  your  rig.  Acquaint  yourself  with  the  feel  of 
handling  and braking  with  the  added  weight  of  the 
trailer.  And  always  keep 
in mind  that  the  vehicle  you  are 
driving  is  now  a  good  deal  longer and not  nearly 
as 
responsive  as your  vehicle  is  by  itself. 
Before 
you start,  check the trailer  hitch  and  platform 
(and  attachments),  safety chains,  electrical  connector, 
lamps,  tires  and  mirror  adjustment.  If the  trailer  has 
electric  brakes, start your vehicle  and  trailer  moving  and 
then  apply  the  trailer  brake  controller 
by hand  to  be sure 
the  brakes  are  working.  This lets 
you check  your 
electrical  connection  at  the same time. 
During  your  trip,  check occasionally 
to be sure that the 
load  is  secure,  and  that  the  lamps and  any  trailer  brakes 
are  still  working.   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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; 
0 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. 
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  Wiring  Harness 
The  eight-wire  harness  is  stored  under  your  vehicle 
along 
the rear  frame  crossmember.  This harness  has a 
30-amp  feed  wire  with  an  inline fuse located  in  the 
instrument  panel  fuse block  and no  connector.  It  should 
be  wired  by  a qualified  electrical  technician.  The 
technician  can  use 
the following color code chart  when 
connecting  the  wiring  harness  to your  trailer. 
0 DARK BLUE: Use  for electric  trailer  brakes or 
0 RED: Use for battery  charging; it  connects to the 
LIGHT  GREEN: Back-up  lamps. 
0 BROWN: Taillamps  and  parking  lamps. 
0 YELLOW Left  stoplamp and  turn  signal. 
0 DARK  GREEN: Right stoplamp  and  turn  signal. 
0 WHITE  (Heavy  Gage): Ground  wire. 
0 WHITE (Light Gage): Auxiliary  stoplamp. 
Securely  attach  the  harness  to the trailer,  then  tape  or 
strap it  to your  vehicle’s  frame rail. Be sure 
you leave 
it  loose  enough 
so the  wiring  doesn’t  bend  or break, 
but  not  so 
loose that it drags on the ground.  Store the 
harness  in  its  original  place.  Wrap  the  harness  together 
and  tie 
it neatly so it  won’t  be  damaged. 
auxiliary  wiring. 
starter  solenoid. 
4-56   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Checking Things Under the Hood 
To open the hood,  first pull 
the  handle inside  the vehicle 
on  the  lower  left  side  of the 
instrument  panel. 
Then 
go to  the front  of the  vehicle  and  release the 
secondary hood release.  Lift 
the  hood,  release the  hood  prop from its retainer  and 
put  the  hood  prop  into the slot  in  the  hood. You may 
have  a lamp  that comes on  when  you lift the  hood. 
- 
A CAUTION: 
Things  that  burn  can  get on  hot  engine  parts  and 
start 
a fire.  These  include  liquids  like  gasoline, 
oil,  coolant,  brake  fluid,  windshield  washer  and 
other  fluids,  and  plastic  or  rubber. 
You or  others 
could  be  burned.  Be careful  not  to  drop  or  spill 
things  that  will burn  onto  a  hot  engine. 
6-7   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When you lift  the  hood, you'll see these  items  on the 2.2L engine: 
A.  Coolant  Recovery  Tank 
E. Battery 
B. Engine  Oil  Fill Cap and  Dipstick E Power  Steering  Reservoir 
C. Brake  Master  Cylinder G. Air Cleaner 
D. Hydraulic  Clutch  Reservoir H. Windshield  Washer  Fluid 
6-8   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When you lift  the  hood,  you’ll see these items on the “VORTEC” 4300 engine: 
V 
I. Transmission  Dipstick 
3. Engine Oil Fill 
2. Brake Master Cylinder 
1. Coolant Recovery Tank 
:. Engine Oil  Dipstick 
6-9 
E Power Steering Reservoir 
G. Battery 
H. Air Cleaner 
I. Windshield  Washer Fluid   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Checking  Transmission  Fluid  Hot 
Get the vehicle  warmed  up  by driving about  15  miles 
(24 km) when  outside temperatures  are above 50°F 
(10°C). If it's  colder  than 50°F ( lO"C), drive the 
vehicle  in DRIVE  (D) until the engine temperature gage 
moves  and  then  remains steady  for 
10 minutes. Then 
follow the  hot check procedures. 
Checking  Transmission  Fluid  Cold 
A cold check is made after the  vehicle  has  been sitting 
for eight  hours or more  with 
the engine  off  and  is  used 
only  as  a reference.  Let  the engine run  at idle for  five 
minutes  if outside temperatures are  50°F 
(10°C) or 
more.  If it's  colder  than 50°F 
(lO"C), you  may  have  to 
idle the  engine longer.  Should  the fluid level  be  low 
during  a cold check,  you 
must perform a hot  check 
before  adding  fluid. This will give  you a more accurate 
reading  of the fluid level. 
Checking  the  Fluid  Hot or Cold 
Park  your  vehicle  on a level  place. Keep the engine 
0 With  the parking  brake  applied, place  the  shift  lever 
running. 
in 
PARK  (P). 
0 With  your  foot on the  brake  pedal,  move  the shift 
lever  through  each gear range,  pausing  for about 
three  seconds 
in each range. Then, position  the shift 
lever  in 
PARK (P). 
0 Let  the  engine run at idle  for three  minutes  or more. 
6-17