1996 CHEVROLET TRACKER Owners Manual

Automatic Transmission Operation
There are several different positions for your shift lever.
PARK (P): This locks your rear wheels. It’s the best
position
to use when you start your engine because your
vehicle can’t
move easily.
A CAUTION:
~~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~
It is 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 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, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to
PARK (P).
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), four-wheel
high
(4H) or four-wheel low (4L) e- not in
NEUTRAL (N). See ‘(Shifting Into PARK (P)” in
the Index. If you’re pulling
a trailer, see “Towing
a ”railer” in the Index.
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Ensure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) range before
starting the engine. Your Geo has a brake-transmission
shift interlock. You have to fully apply your regular
brakes before you can shift from PARK (P) when the
ignition key
is in the ON position. If you cannot shift
out of PARK (P), ease pressure on the shift lever -- push
the shift lever all the way into
PARK (P) and release the
shift lever button
as you maintain brake application.
Then press the shift lever button and move the shift
lever into the gear you wish. See “Shifting Out of
PARK
(P)” 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.
Shifting out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) vhile
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.
b i
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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DRIVE (D): This position is for normal driving.
If you need more power for passing, and you’re:
Going less than about 15 mpb (25 km/h), push your
Going about 15 mph (25 h/h) or more, push your
You’ll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
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.
accelerator pedal
about halfway down.
accelerator pedal all the way down.
Don’t shift into SECOND (2) unless you are going
slower than
65 mph (105 km/h) with the transfer
case in FOUR HIGH (4H), or 35 mph (55 km/h)
with the transfer case in FOUR LOW (4L) or you
can damage your transmission.
LOW (L): 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 LOW (L), the transmission
won’t shift into low gear until the vehicle
is going
slowly enough.
NOTICE:
Don’t shift into LOW (L) at speeds above
40 mph (65 km/h) with the transfer case in
FOUR-WHEEL LOW (4L), or you can damage
your transmission.
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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 to hold your
vehicle in position on
a hill.
Power Mode Selector Switch
A power mode selector
switch is included. When
you need more power for
climbing hills or quicker
acceleration, press the
P (POWER) switch. The
POWER indicator
light on the instrument panel
comes on. For normal driving, press the
N (NORMAL)
switch. The POWER indicator light goes off.
Overdrive Off Switch (Option)
The overdrive off switch is located on the left side of the
shifter. By operating the overdrive
off switch, the
four-speed automatic transmission (three-speed plus
overdrive) can be converted to a three-speed automatic
transmission. While in the three-speed mode, the
transmission will not shift into the overdrive position.
To convert the transmission to the three-speed mode,
push in the overdrive off switch and release
it. The
switch comes out and the
OD OFF indicator light on
the instrument panel comes on.
To return the transmission to the four-speed mode, push
in
the overdrive off switch again. The switch will remain
in and the
O/D OFF indicator light goes off.
Please note that if the transfer lever is in the 4L position,
the four-speed automatic transmission will remain in the
three-speed mode.
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Manual Transmission
5-Speed
L
This is your shift pattern. Here’s
how to operate
your transmission:
FIRST (1): Press the clutch pedal and shift into
FIRST (1). Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal as
you press the accelerator pedal.
You can shift into F’IRST (1) when you’re going less
than
20 mph (32 km/h). If you’ve come to a complete
stop and it’s hard to shift into FIRST
(l), put the shift
lever
in NEUTRAL (N) and let up on the clutch. Press
the clutch pedal back down. Then shift into
FIRST (1).
SECOND (2): Press the clutch pedal as you let up on
the accelerator pedal and shift into SECOND (2). Then,
slowly let up on the clutch pedal as you press the
accelerator pedal.
THIRD (3), FOURTH (4), FIFTH (5): Shift into
THIRD (3), FOURTH (4) and FIFTH (5) the same way
you do for
SECOND (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).
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NEUTRAL (N): Use this position when you start or
idle
your engine.
REVERSE (R): To back up, press down the clutch
pedal and shift into REVERSE (R). Let up on the clutch
pedal slowly while pressing the accelerator pedal.
You cannot
go from FIFTH (5) into REVERSE (R).
If you try, you will be locked out. You must first shift
into NEUTRAL
(N), move the lever to the left, back to
the right, and then shift into REVERSE (R). This is a
> safety feature.
Shift Speeds
,L 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 from FIFTH
(5) to SECOND (2) or from
FOURTH
(4) to FIRST (1).
NOTICE: This chart shows when to shift to the next higher gear
for best fuel economy.
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
for parking
your vehicle.
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I Acceleration Shift Speed I Cruise Shift Speed I
It02 2to3 3to4 4to5 2to3 3to4 4to5
mph 15 25 40 45 20tO 26 30 to 35 39to 45
I km/h I 24 I 40 I 64 1 72 132 to 42148 to 56163 to 721
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.
NOTICE:
If you skip more than one gear when you downshift,
or if you race the engine when you downshift, you
can damage the clutch or transmission.
Four-wheel Drive (Option)
If your vehicle has four-wheel drive, you can send
your engine’s driving power to all four wheels for extra
traction.
To shift out of two-wheel drive and into
four-wheel drive, lock the freewheeling hubs (manual
hubs only) and move the transfer case shift lever
to
FOUR-WHEEL HIGH (4H) or FOUR-WHEEL LOW
(4L) (see the following). You should use TWO-WHEEL
HIGH (2H) for most normal driving.
NOTICE:
Driving in FOUR-WHEEL HIGH (4H) or
FOUR-WHEEL LOW (4L) positions for a long
time
on dry or wet pavement could shorten the
life
of your vehicle’s drivetrain.
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Freewheeling Hubs
Your vehicle may have either manual or automatic
freewheeling hubs. You must lock the hubs before you
use
FOUR-WHEEL HIGH (4H) or FOUR-WHEEL
LOW (4L).
Manu21
To lock or unlock the hubs, you must park your vehicle
(see “Shifting into
PARK‘ (P>” or “Parking Your I
Vehicle” in the Index) and get out. To lock the hubs, turn
the hub dials to
LOCK.
NOTICE:
Don’t drive in TWO-WHEEL HIGH (2H) with
the manual locking hubs in
LOCK. If you do, you
could damage your front driveshaft parts.
To unlock the hubs, turn the hub dials to FREE.
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