1996 GMC SAVANA warning

Check Gages Light
The CHECK GAGES light
will come on briefly when
you are starting
the engine.
CHECK
GAGES
Fuel Gage
*
\\'
E
FUEL ONLY
UNLEADED
The fuel gage, when the
ignition is on, tells you
about how much
fuel you
have left
in your tank.
If the light comes on and stays on while you are dri\iing,
check your coolant temperature and engine oil pressure
gages to see
if they are in the warning zones. The
gage will first indicate
EMPTY (E) before you
are out
of fuel, and you should get more fuel as soon
as
possible.
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Voltmeter
When your engine is not
running, but the ignition
is
on (in the RUN position),
this gage shows your
9
h
19 battery’s state of charge
in DC volts.
u
VOLTS
When the engine is running, the gage shows the
condition of
the charging system. Readings between
the low and high warning zones indicate the normal
operating range.
Readings
in the low warning zone may occur when a
large number of electrical accessories are operating in
the vehicle and the engine is left at an idle for an
extended period. This conditi.on is normal since the charging
system
is not able to provide full power at
engine idle.
As engine speeds are increased, this
condition should correct itself as higher engine speeds
allow
the charging system to create maximum power.
You can only drive for
a short time with the reading in
either warning zone. If you must drive, turn
off all
unnecessary accessories.
Readings
in either warning zone indicate a possible
problem in the electrical system. Have the vehicle
serviced
as soon as possible.
Electronic Road-Speed Governor (Gasoline Engines)
This optional system automatically controls vehicle top
speed. The system controller receives
a signal from the
vehicle speed sensor and reduces power when the
vehicle speed reaches
the maximum 65 mph (105 km/h)
governed speed.
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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
normally 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-Lock Brakes
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that
will help
prevent
a braking skid.
When you start
your engine and 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. This is normal.
ANTI -
LOCK
If there’s a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will stay
on. See ”Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light’’
in
the Index.
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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.
While 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 surfxe 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 surfdce” -- and
slow down when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system
(ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving,
One reason
is that so111e drivers are likely to be
impaired
-- by alcohol or drugs, with night vision
problems,
or by fatigue.
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City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You’ll want to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention
to
traffic signals. Here
are ways
to increase your safety in city driving:
0 Know the best way to get to where you are
going. Get a city map and plan your trip into an
unknown part of the city just as you would for a
cross-country trip.
0 Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross
most large cities.
You’ll save time and energy. (See
the next part, “Freeway Driving.”)
0 Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic
light
is there because the corner is busy enough to
need
it. When a light turns green, and just before
you start to move, check both ways for vehicles that
have not cleared the intersection or may be running
the red light.
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Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your vehicle.
Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel,
a flashlight, a red cloth and a
couple
of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will
be driving under severe conditions, include a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items
in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet the
road probably have good traction.
However,
if there is snow or ice between your tires and
the road, you can have
a very slippery situation. You’ll
have a lot less traction or “grip” and will need to be
very careful. What’s
the worst time for this? ”Wet ice.” Very
cold
snow or ice can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet
ice can be even more trouble because
it rnay offer the
least traction
of all. You can get wet ice when it‘s about
freezing
(32°F; OOC) and freezing rain begins to fall,
Try to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand crews
can get there.
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Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a:lower gear before you start
down a long or steep doyngrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes
so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your
speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility
of engine and transmission overheating.
When towing at high altitude on steep uphill grades,
consider the following: Engine coolant will boil at a
lower temperature than
at normal altitudes. If you turn
your engine
off immediately after towing at high altitude
on steep uphill grades,
your vehicle may show signs
similar to engine overheating.
To avoid this, let the
engine run while parked (preferably on level ground)
with the automatic transmission in PARK
(P) for a few
minutes before turning the engine off.. If
you do get the
overheat warning, see “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
Parking on.Hills
You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer
attached, .on a hill.
If something goes wrong, your rig
could start
to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK
(P) yet. Then turn your wheels into the curb
if facing downhill or into traffic if facing ,uphill.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels. I
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Re-apply the regular brakes. Then apply your
parking brake and then shift to
PARK (P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
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Section 5 Problems on the Road
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that
can occur on the road.
Hazard Warning Flashers
Your hazard warning flashers let you warn others. They
also let police know you have a problem. Your front and
rear turn signal lamps will flash on and
off.
But they won’t flash if you’re braking.
Push the button at the top
of
the steering column all the
way down to make your
front and rear turn signals
flash on and
off.
Your hazard warning flashers work no matter what
position your key
is in, and even if the key isn’t in.
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