The oil light could also come on in three other situations.
When the ignition is on but the engine is not running,
&e light. wLU come on as a test to show you it is
working, but the light will go out when
you turn the
engine to START.
If it doesn’t come on with the
ignition on, you may have a problem with the fuse
or
bulb. Have it fixed right away.
light
may blink on and off. This is normal.
Sometimes when the engine is idling at a stop, the
If you make a hard stop, the light may come on for a
moment. This is normal.
Don’t keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you
do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches
fire. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon
as possible and have your
vehicle serviced.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems
can be costly and is not covered by
your warranty.
Power Indicator Light (Option)
POWER
- This light comes on
when the power mode
selector switch is turned to
P (power) with the ignition
switch
in the.ON position.
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Adjusting the Speakers
FADE: Turn this knob to move the sound between the
front and rear speakers.
BAL: Turn this control behind the FADE knob to move
the sound between the right and left speakers.
Playing a Cassette Tape
Your tape player is built to work best with tapes that are
30 to 45 minutes long on each side. Tapes longer than
that are
so thin they may not work well in this player.
The longer side with the tape visible should face
to the
right. If you hear nothing or hear just a garbled sound, it
may not be in squarely. Press STOP or EJECT to
remove the tape and start over.
Once the tape is playing, use the
knobs for VOL, FADE
and BAL, just as you do for the radio. The lighted
arrows show which side of the tape is playing.
MTL: Your bias is set automatically. MTL will appear
on the display when a metal or chrome tape is inserted.
FF: Press this button to advance rapidly to another part
of the tape. Press
FF, RCL or STOP to return to playing
speed.
If you press RCL, the tape will also change sides.
REW Press this button to reverse the tape rapidly. Press
REW, RCL or STOP to return to playing speed. If you
press RCL, the tape will also change sides.
NXT Press this button to go forward to the beginning of
the next selection. Press NXT again or press RCL, or
STOP to cancel this function. If you press RCL, the tape
will also change sides.
PRV: Press this button to go back to the beginning of
the last selection. Press the button again
or press RCL,
or STOP
to cancel this function.
For
NXT and PRV to work properly, your tape must
have at least three
or four seconds of silence between
each selection.
If you press RCL, the tape will also
change sides.
RPT Press this button to go to the beginning of the
selection and play it again. Press RPT again to cancel
this function.
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REW: Press and hold this button to return rapidly to a
favorite passage. Release
it to play the passage.
FF: Press and hold this button to fast forward
or advance quickly within a track. Release it to
resume playing.
COMP: Press this button to make soft and loud
passages more nearly equal in volume.
RPT Press this button once to hear a selection
over again.
RDM: Pressing this button will cause the CD player to
play the tracks back in random order. To cancel the
random feature, press RDM or RPT.
STOP: Press this button or AM-FM to stop playing the
disc and switch to radio. Press STOP again to restart the
disc at the point where it stopped.
CD-TP: Press this button to switch between playing a
tape and a
CD when both are inserted.
EJECT Press this button to eject the disc and the radio
will play. The disc will start playing
at track one when
you reinsert
it.
Theft-Deterrent Feature
The theft-deterrent feature for the AM-FM stereo with
cassette tape or compact disc players can be used or
ignored.
If ignored, the system plays normally. If it is
used, your system won’t be usable if it’s ever stolen
because it will go into
LOC mode.
If your vehicle loses battery power for any reason, you
must enter your secret code again before the system will
turn on.
Activating the Theft-Deterrent Feature
The following instructions will tell you how to enter a
security code into the system.
NOTE: If you allow more than 15 seconds to elapse
between any steps, the radio automatically reverts to
time and you must start the procedure over at Step
4.
1. Write down any four-digit number and keep it in a
safe place.
2. Turn the ignition switch to the ACC or ON position.
3. Turn the radio off.
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Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts -- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear
out much faster if you
do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a lot
of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
norrnally but don’t
pump your brakes. If you do, the
pedal may get harder to
push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use
it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to
push.
Anti-Lack Brakes (Option)
Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is
an advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent
a braking shd.
ABS
If your vehicle has anti-lock
brakes, this warning light
on
the instrument panel will
come on briefly when you
start your vehicle.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock .brake system will check itself.
You
may hear a momentary motor’or clicking noise while
this test
is going on, and you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves
a little. This is normal.
If there’s a problem with the anti-lock brake system, the
anti-lock brake system warning light will stay on or
flash. See “Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning Light” in
the Index.
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Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to
pass while you’re awaiting an opportunity. For
me thing, following too closely reduces your area
of vision, especially if you’re following a larger
vehicle. Also, you won’t have adequate space if the
vehicle ahead suddenly
slows or stops. Keep back a
reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass
is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and don’t
get too close. Time your move
so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to move into the
other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will have a
“running start” that more than makes up for the
distance you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you to cancel your pass,
you need only slow down and drop back again and
wait for another opportunity.
If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care
that someone isn’t trying to
pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember
to glance over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.
Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
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of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead of the passed vehicle
to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane
change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just passed may seem to be farther away from you
than it really is.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at
a time
on two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
Don’t overtake
a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not flashing,
it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
If you’re being
passed, make it easy for the
following driver
to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where
the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer and
constantly seek an escape route or area of less danger.
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Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking
reasonable care suited to existing conditions, and
by not “overdriving” those conditions, But skids
are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your Geo’s three
control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels aren’t
rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too much speed
or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and lose
cornering force. And in the acceleration skid, too much
throttle causes the driving wheels to
spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best
handled by easing your foot
off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot
off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want
the
vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten
out. Always be ready for a
second
skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material
is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to
these
conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
mle driving on a surface with reduced traction, try your
best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration or braking (including engine braking by shifting
to a lower gear).
Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide. You
may not realize the surface is slippery until your vehicle
is skidding. Learn to recognize warning clues
-- such as
enough water, ice
or packed snow on the road to make a
“,mirrored surface”
-- and slow down when you have
any doubt.
If you have the anti-lock braking system, remember: It
helps avoid only the braking skid. If you do not have
anti-lock, then in a braking skid (where the wheels are
no longer rolling), release enough pressure
on the brakes
to get the wheels rolling again. This restores steering
control. Push the brake pedal down steadily when you
have
to stop suddenly. As long as the wheels are rolling,
you will have steering control.
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What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or is about
to stall,
and I can’t make it up the hill?
A: If this happens, there are some things. you should
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do, and there are some things you must not do.
First, here’s what you
should do:
Push the brake pedal to stop the vehicle and keep it
from rolling backwards.
Also, apply the parking brake.
If your engine is still running, shift the transmission
to REVERSE (R), release the parking brake, and
slowly back down the hill in
REVERSE (R).
If your engine has stopped running, you’ll need to
restart it. With the brake pedal depressed and the
parking brake still applied,
shift the transmission to
PARK (P) (or, shift to
NEUTRAL (N) if your
vehicle has
a manual transmission) and restart the
engine. Then, shift to REVERSE
(R), release the
parking brake, and slowly back down the hill as
straight as possible in REVERSE (R).
As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand
on the steering wheel at the 12 o’clock position. This
way, you’ll be able to tell
if your wheels are straight and maneuver
as you back down. It’s best that you
back down the hill with your wheels straight rather
than in the left or right direction. Turning the wheel
too far to the left or right will increase the possibility
of a rollover.
Here are some things you
must not do if you stall, or
are about to stall, when going up a hill.
NEUTRAL (N) (or depressing the clutch,
if you
have a manual transmission) to “rev-up” the engine
and regain forward momentum. This won’t work.
Your vehicle will roll backwards very quickly and
you could go out of control.
Never attempt to prevent a stall by shifting into
Instead, apply the regular brake to stop the vehicle. Then
apply the parking brake. Shift to REVERSE (R), release
the parking brake, and slowly back straight down.
a Never attempt to turn around if you are about to stall
when going up
a hill. If the hill is steep enough to
stall your vehicle, it’s steep enough to cause you to
roll over
if you turn around. If you can’t make it up
the hill, you must back straight down the hill.
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Are there some things I should not do when
driving down a hill?
A: Yes! These are important because if you ignore them
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you could lose control and have a serious accident.
When driving downhill, avoid turns that take
you
across the incline of the hill. A hill that’s not too
steep to drive down may be too steep to drive across.
You could roll over if you don’t drive straight down.
Never
go downhill with the transmission in
NEUTRAL (N), or with the clutch pedal depressed
in a manual shift. This is called “free-wheeling.”
Your brakes will have to do all the work and could
overheat
and fade.
Unless you have anti-lock: Avoid braking
so hard that
you lock
the wheels when going downhill. If your
wheels
are locked, you can’t steer your vehicle. If your
wheels lock
up during downhill braking, you may feel
the vehicle starting to slide sideways. To regain your
du-ection, just ease
off the brakes and steer to keep the
front
of the vehicle pointing straight downhill.
Am I likely to stall when going downhill?
A: It’s much more likely to happen going uphiLl. But if
it happens going downhill, here’s what to do.
Stop your vehicle by applying the regular brakes.
Shift to PARK (P) (or to NEUTRAL (N) with the
Apply the parking brake.
manual transmission) and, while still braking, restart
the engine.
Shift back to a low gear, release the parlung brake,
If the engine won’t start, get out and get help.
and drive straight down.
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