1996 CHEVROLET TAHOE four wheel drive

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine About Driving Your Vehicle
As with other vehicles of this type, failure to operate this
vehicle correctly may result
in loss of control or an
accident. Be sure to read the “on-pavement” and
“off-road” driving guidelines in this manual. (See
“Driving Guidelines” and “Off-Road Driving with your
Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle’’ in the Index.)
How.to Use this Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to end when they first receive their new vehicle. If .you
do this, it will help you learn about the features and
controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll find
that pictures and words work together to explain
things quickly.
Index
A good place to look for what you need is the Index
in the back of the manual. It’s an alphabetical list
of
all that’s in the manual, and the page number where
you’ll find it.
Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will find a number of safety cautions in this book.
We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell you
about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore
the warning.
I A CAUTION:
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then
we tell you what to
do to help avoid or reduce the
hazard. Please read these cautions. If you don’t, you or
others could be hurt.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If you have four-wheel drive, your vehicle
will be free to roll
-- even if your shift lever
is in
PARK (P) -- if your transfer case is in
NEUTRAL (N). So, be sure the transfer case is in
a drive gear, two-wheel high (2H) or four-wheel
high
(4H) or four-wheel low (4L) -- not in
NEUTRAL (N). See “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in
the Index.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing
a Trailer” in the Index.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your transmission.
Shift to
REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle
is stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transmission, see
“Stuck:
In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow” in the Index.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine doesn’t
connect with the wheels.
To restart when you’re
already moving, use NEUTRAL
(N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.
,- CAUTION:
A
Shifting out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) while
your engine is “racing” (running at high speed) is
dangerous. Unless your foot’is firmly on the
brake pedal, your vehicle could move very
rapidly. You could lose control and hit people or
objects. Don’t shift out of
PARK (P) or
NEUTRAL (N) while your engine is racing.
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.
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k

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Locking Rear Axle (Option)
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.
Four-wheel Drive
If your vehicle has four-wheel drive, you can send your
engine’s driving power
to all four wheels for extra
traction.
To get the most satisfaction out of four-wheel
drive, you must be familiar with its operation. Read the
part that follows before using four-wheel drive. You
should use 2-WHEEL HIGH (2H) for most normal
driving conditions.
NOTICE:
Driving in the 4-WHEEL HIGH (4H) or
$-WHEEL LOW (4L) positions for a long time
on dry or wet pavement could shorten the life
of
your vehicle’s drivetrain.
Front Axle Locking Feature
The front axle locks and unlocks automatically when you
shift the transfer case. Some delay for the axle to lock or
unlock is normal. If the outside temperature is very hot, or
the vehicle has been used under hard driving conditions, there may be a slight delay for the axle
to unlock.
Manual Transfer Case
The transfer case shift lever is on the floor to the right of
the driver. Use this lever to shift into and out of
four-wheel drive.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The front axle portion of the indicator diagram will light
up when you shift into four-wheel drive.
Some delay between shifting and the indicator's lighting
is normal. If the indicator light does not light up, or if
the front axle light does not go out after you shift out of
four-wheel drive, have your dealer check your system.
An indicator near the lever shows you the transfer
case settings:
2H (2-Wheel High): This setting is for driving in most
street and highway situations. Your front axle is not
engaged in two-wheel drive.
4H (4-Wheel High): This setting engages your front
axle
to help drive your vehicle. Use 4H when you need
extra traction, such as on wet
or icy roads, or in most
off-road situations.
N '(Neutral): Shift to this setting only when your vehicle
needs to be towed or when using a power take-off.
4L (4-Wheel Low): This setting also engages your front
axle to give you extra power, but should be used- only
for off-road driving.
You can shift from 2-WHEEL HIGH (2H) to 4-WHEEL
HIGH (4H) or from 4-WHEEL HIGH (4H) to 2-WHEEL
HIGH
(2H) while the vehicle is moving. Your front axle
may engage faster if you take
your foot off of the
accelerator for a few seconds after you shift.
In extremely
cold weather, it may be necessary to stop or slow the
vehicle to
shift out of 2-WHEEL HIGH (2H). .
,
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine To shift into or out of 4-WHEEL LOW (4L) or
NEUTRAL (N):
1. Slow the vehicle to a roll, about 1 to 3 mph
(2 to 5 km/h) and shift the transmission into
NEUTRAL (N).
2. Shift the transfer case shift lever in one continuous
motion.
Don’t pause
in NEUTRAL (N) as you shift the
transfer case into 4-WHEEL LOW (4L), or the
gears could clash.
Remember that driving
in 4-WHEEL HIGH (4H) or
4-WHEEL LOW (4L) may reduce fuel economy. Also,
driving
in four-wheel drive on dry pavement could
cause your tires
to wear faster and make your transfer
case harder to shift.
When your headlamps or parking lamps are on, rotate the
thumb wheel next to the headlamp switch up to brighten,
and down to dim, your transfer case indicator light.
Electronic Transfer Case (Option)
If your four-wheel-drive vehicle has the electronic
transfer case, the transfer case switches are below and to
the left of the climate controls.
Use these switches to shift into and out of four-wheel
drive.
You can choose among three driving settings:
2HI: This setting is for driving in most street and
highway situations. Your front axle is not engaged
in
two-wheel drive.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 4HI: This setting engages your front axle to help
drive your vehicle. Use 4HI when
you need extra
traction, such as on snowy or icy roads, or in most
off-road situations.
4LO: This setting also engages your front axle'to give
you extra traction.
You may never need 4LO. It sends
the maximum power to all four wheels. You might
choose 4LO if
you were driving off-road in sand, mud
or deep snow and climbing or descending steep hills.
Indicator lights in the switches show
you which setting
you are in. The indicatorlights will come on briefly
when ,you turn on the ignition and one will stay on. If
the lights do not come on, you should take your vehicle
in for service. An indicator light will flash while
shifting. It will remain illuminated when the shift
is completed.
Shifting from 2HI to 4HI
,Press and release the 4HI switch. This can be done at any
speed,
and the indicator light will flash while shifting. It
will remain illuminated when the shift is completed.
Shifting from 4HI to 2HI
Press and release the 2HI switch. This can be done at
any speed, and the system will unlock automatically.
Shifting from 2HI or 4HI to 4LO
To shift from 2HI or 4HI to 4L0, the vehicle must be
stopped or moving less than
3 mph (4.8 km/h) with the
transmission in NEUTRAL (N). The preferred method
for shifting into 4LO is to have your vehicle moving
1 to 2 mph (1.6 to 3.2 km/h). Press and release the
4LO switch. You must wait for the 4LO indicator light
to stop flashing and remain illuminated before shifting
your transmission into gear.
If the 4LO switch is pressed when your vehicle is in
gear and/or moving, the 4LO indicator light will flash
for
30 seconds and not complete the shift unless your
vehicle is moving slower than
3 mph (4.8 km/h) and the
transmission is in NEUTRAL (N).
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Shifting Into PARK (P)
A 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 have four-wheel
drive 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). If
you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing
a Trailer” in
the Index.
Steering Column Shift Lever
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) position
and set the
parking brake.
like this:
0 Pull the lever toward you.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 0 Move the lever up as far as it will go.
3. If you have four-wheel drive, be sure the transfer
case is in a drive gear
-- not in NEUTRAL (N).
4. Move the ignition key to LOCK.
5. 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).
Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine Running
A LAUTION:
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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