1996 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN Owners Manual

NOTICE:
Damage to your transmission caused by shifting out of PARK
(P) or NEUTRAL (N) with the engine racing isn’t covered by
your warranty.
0 AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@) - 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 km/h) or more, push the accelerator all
the way down.
You’ll shift down
to the next gear and have more power.
@ should not be used when towing a trailer, carrying a heavy load,
driving on steep hills, or for off-road driving. Select THIRD
GEAR
(3) when operating the vehicle under any of these
conditions.
0 THIRD GEAR (3) - This is like @, but you never go into Overdrive.
You should use THIRD GEAR (3) when towing a trailer, carrying a
heavy load, driving on steep hills, or for off-road driving.
0 SECOND GEAR (2) - This position gives you more power but lower
fuel economy. You can use SECOND GEAR (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 GEAR (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.
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0 FIRST GEAR (1) - This position gives you even more power (but
lower fuel economy) than SECOND GEAR (2).
You can use it on very
steep hills, or
in deep snow or mud. If the selector lever is put in FIRST
GEAR
(1 j while the vehicle is moving forward, the transmission won’t
shift
into FIRST GEAR (1) 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 were stuck in very deep sand or mud
or were 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.
Five Speed Manual Transmission
If you have a five
speed manual
transmission, this is
your shift pattern.
Here’s how to operate
your transmission:
FIRST GEAR (1) - Press the clutch pedal and shift into FIRST
GEAR (1). Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal as you press the
accelerator pedal.
You can shift into FIRST GEAR (1) when you’re going less than 20
mph (32 km/h). If you’ve come to a complete stop and it’% hard to shift
into FIRST GEAR (I), put the shift lever in NEUTRAL (Nj and let up
on the clutch. Press the clutch pedal back down. Then shift into FIRST
GEAR
(1).
SECOND GEAR (2) - Press the clutch pedal as you let up on the
accelerator pedal and shift into SECOND GEAR (2). Then, slowly let
up on the clutch pedal as you press the accelerator pedal.
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0
0
0
0
THIRD GEAR (3), FOURTH GEAR (4) and FIFTH GEAR (5) -
Shift into THIRD GEAR (3), FOURTH GEAR (4) and FIFTH GEAR
(5) the same way you do for SECOND GEAR (2). Slowly let up on the
clutch pedal
as you press the accelerator pedal.
To Stop - Let up on the accelerator pedal and press the brake pedal.
Just before the vehicle stops, press the clutch pedal and the brake pedal,
and shift to NEUTRAL
(N).
NEUTRAL (N) - Use this position when you start or idle your
engine.
REVERSE (R) - To back up, first press down the clutch pedal. Wait
about
5 seconds for the internal parts to stop spinning and then, shift
into REVERSE (R). Let up on the clutch pedal slowly while pressing
the accelerator pedal.
NOTICE:
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is stopped.
Shifting to REVERSE
(R) while your vehicle is moving could
damage your transmission.
Also, use REVERSE (R), along with the parking brake, when turning
off your engine and parking your vehicle.
SHIFT Light
If you have a manual
transmission, you will
have a
SHIFT light.
This light will show
you when to shift to
the
next higher gear
for best fuel economy.
When
this light comes on, you can shift to the next higher gear if weather,
road and traffic conditions let you.
For the best fuel economy, accelerate
slowly and shift when the light comes on.
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While you accelerate, it is normal for the light to go on and off if you
quickly change
the position of the accelerator. Ignore the SHIFT light when
you downshift.
Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicles Only: If your vehicle has four-wheel drive
and
is equipped with a manual transmission, disregard the SHIFT light
when the transfer case
is in 4-LOW.
Manual Transmission Shift Speeds
If your speed drops below 20 mph (32 km/h), or if the engine is not running
smoothly,
you should downshift to the next lower gear. You may have to
downshift two or more gears
to keep the engine running smoothly or for
good performance.
A CAUTION:
If you skip more ;than one gear when you downshift, you could
lose control of your vehicle. And you could injure yourself or
others. Don’t shift down more than one gear when you
downshift.
NOTICE:
If you skip more than one gear when you downshift, or if you
race the engine when you downshift, you can damage the engine,
clutch or transmission.
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.
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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 release the parking brake:
Hold the regular brake
pedal down. Pull the
lever, located just
above the parking
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.
I 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.
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Torque Lock
When parking, the weight of the vehicle may put too much force on the
parking pawl in the transmission. It may be difficult to pull the selector
lever out of
PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.” To find out how to
prevent torque lock,
see “Torque Lock” later in this section.
Shifting Into PARK (P) (Automatic
Transmission Models Only)
1. Hold the brake
pedal down with
your right foot
and set the
parking brake.
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.
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3. If you have four-wheel drive, be sure the transfer case is in a drive gear
4. Move the ignition key to LOCK.
-not in NEUTRAL (N)
5. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can walk away from your
vehicle with the ignition key
in your hand, your vehicle is in 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 want.
5. Have the brake-transmission shift interlock system fixed as soon as
you can.
Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine Running
(Automatic Transmission
Models Only)
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. If you
have four-wheel drive with
a manual transfer case shift lever
and your transfer case
is in NEUTRAL (N), your vehicle will be
free to roll, even if your shift lever
is in PARK (P). So be sure the
transfer case is in
a drive gear - not in NEUTRAL (N). 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.
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Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission)
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).
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