1996 GMC SAVANA Owners Manual

1. Without pushing the accelerator pedal, turn your
ignition key to START. When
the engine starts, let
go of the key. The idle speed
will go down as your
engine gets warm.
NOTICE:
Holding your key in START for longer than
15 seconds at a time will cause your battery to be
drained much sooner. And the excessive heat can
damage your starter motor.
2. If it doesn’t start right away, hold your key in
START. If it doesn’t start in 10 seconds, push the
accelerator pedal all the way down for five more
seconds, or
until it starts.
3. If your engine still won’t start (or starts but then
stops), wait
15 seconds and start over.
When the engine starts, let
go of the key and the
accelerator pedal.
NOTICE:
Your engine is designed to work with the
electronics in your vehicle.
If you add electrical
parts or accessories,
you could change the way
the engine operates. Before adding electrical
equipment, check with your dealer.
If you don’t,
your engine might not perform properly.
If
you ever have to have your vehicle towed, see
the part
of this manual that tells how to do it
without damaging your vehicle. See “Towing
Your Vehicle” in the Index.
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Engine Coolant Heater (Option)
In very cold weather, 0°F (- 18°C) or colder, the engine
coolant heater can help. You’ll get easier starting and
better fuel economy during engine warm-up. Usually,
the coolant heater should be plugged
in a minimum of
four hours prior to starting your vehicle.
To use the coolant heater:
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded I IO-volt AC outlet.
A CAUTION:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
l could cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind
of extension cord could overheat and cause
a tire. You could be seriously injured. Plug the
1 cord into a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt
AC outlet. If the cord won’t reach, use a
l heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least 15 amps.
I
4. After you’ve used the coolant heater, be SLUT to store
the cord
as it was before to keep it away from moving
engine parts.
If you don’t, it could be damaged.
How
long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in’? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind
of oil you have, and some other things. Instead of
trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
a
GM dealer in the area where you’ll be parking yo~~r
vehicle. The dealer can give
you the best advice for that
particular area.
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Automatic Transmission Operation
There are several different positions for your shift lever.
If your vehicle is equipped with an automatic
transmission,
it now features an electronic shift position
indicator
within the instrument cluster. This display
must be powered anytime the shift lever
is capable of
being moved out of the PARK (P) position. This lneans
that
if your key is in the OFF position, but not locked,
there
will be a small current drain on your battery which
could discharge
your battery over a period of time. If
you have
a need to leave your key in the ignition in the
OFF position for an extended period for any reason, it is
recomnlended that you disconnect the battery cable from
the battery to prevent discharging yo~~r battery.
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).
See “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in the Index. If
you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a Trailer”
in the Index.
Your vehicle has
a brake-transmission shift interlock.
With the ignition in the RUN position, you must fully
apply your regular brakes before you can shift from
PARK
(P).
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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.
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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 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.
You should use DRIVE
(D) (or, as you need to, a lower
gear) when towing
a trailer. Operating your vehicle in
DRIVE (D) when towing a trailer will minimize heat
build-up and extend the life of your transmission.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, however,
it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than DRIVE
(D). You should use THIRD (3)
when carrying a heavy load or driving on steep hills.
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. If you manually
select
SECOND (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 surfdces.
FIRST (1): 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 FIRST ( 1)’ the transmission
won’t shift into first gear
until the vehicle is going
slowly enough.
w
NOTICE:
If your rear wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if you are stuck in
very deep sand or mud
or are 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.
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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.
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 handle, 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.
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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. Always check to be sure
your parking brake
is fully released before
you drive.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
see biTowing a Trailer“ in the Index. That section shows
what to do first
to keep the trailer from moving.
Shifting Irto PPY (P)
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’re pulling a trailer, see
“Towing a Trailer” in the Index.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
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2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) position like this:
Pull the lever toward you.
0 Move the lever up as far as it will go.
3. Move the ignition key to LOCK.
4. 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).
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