1996 GMC SAVANA Owners Manual

When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking
on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
Start your engine:
Shift into a gear: and
Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important
in trailer
operation are automatic transmission
fluid (don’t
overfill), engine oil, axle lubricant, belt, cooling system
and brake adjustment. Each
of these is covered in this
manual, and the Index will help
you find them quickly.
If you‘re trailering, it‘s a good idea to review these
sections before you start your trip.
Check periodically to see that
all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
Trailer Wiring Harness
The eight-wire harness, if you have one, is stored under
your vehicle along the rear frame crossmember.
It is
wrapped and bound with a plastic strap. The harness has
a 30-anlp battery feed and no connector, and you should
have a qualified electrical service person wire your
harness for you. Attach the harness
to the trailer, then
tape or strap
it to your vehicle’s frame rail. Be sure you
leave
it loose enough so the wiring doesn’t bend or
break, but not
so loose that it drags on the ground.
Store the harness
in its original place. Wrap the harness
together and tie
it neatly so it won’t be damaged.
The five-wire harness,
if you have one, is stored inside
the vehicle at the passenger side rear corner, behind the
jack. This should be wired by a qualified electrical
service person. It must be routed out
of your vehicle
between the rear door and the floor,
with enough of the
harness left on both sides
so that the trailer or the body
won’t pull
it.
Store the harness in its original place. Wrap the harness
together and tie
it neatly so it won’t be damaged.
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NOTES
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NOTES
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NOTES
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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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To turn off the flashers, push the button until the first
‘click and release.
When the hazard warning flashers are on, your turn
signals- won’t work.
1 ’ Other Warning Devices
U? you carry reflective triangles, you can use them to
warn others. Set one up at the side of the road about
300 feet (100 m) behind your vehicle.
Jump Starting
If your battery has run down, you may want to use another
vehicle and some jumper cables to
start your vehicle. But
please use the following steps listed to
do it safely.
Batteries can hurt you. They can be
dangerous because:
0 They contain acid that can burn you.
0 They contain gas that can explode or ignite.
0 They contain enough electricity to burn you.
If you don’t follow these steps exa’ctly, some or all
of these things can hurt you.
i
NOTICE:
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with a negative ground system.
Ignoring these steps could result in costly damage
to your vehicle that wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
Trying to start your vehicle by pushing or pulling
it won’t work, and it could damage your vehicle.
NOTICE:
I
I
If’the other system isn’t a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles can be damaged.
I
If you have a diesel engine vehicle with two batteries
(or more) you should know before you begin that,
,especially in cold weather, you may not be able
to
get enough power from a single battery in another
vehicle to start your diesel engine.
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If your vehicle has more than one battery, use the
battery that is under the hood
of the vehicle -- this
will reduce the electrical resistance.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other.
If they are, it could cause a ground
connection
you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able to
start your vehicle, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
Set the parking brake firmly
on each vehicle. Put an
automatic transmission in PARK
(P) or a manual
transmission in NEUTRAL
(N).
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Turn off all
lamps that aren’t needed, and radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries, and could save
your radio!
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs would not be covered by
your warranty.
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. Find
the positive
(+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery.
A CA
Using a match near a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded. Use
a flashlight if
you need more light.
Be sure the battery (or batteries) has enough
water. You don’t need to add water to the Delco
Freedom@ battery
(or batteries) installed in
every new
GM vehicle. But if a battery has filler
caps, be sure the right amount of fluid
is there. If
it is low, add water to take care of that first. If
you don’t, explosive gas could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don’t get it on you.
If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately.
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5. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation.
If they do, you could get a shock.
The vehicles could be damaged, too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some basic
things you should know. Positive
(+) will go to
positive (+) and negative (-) will go to negative (-)
or a metal engine part. Don’t connect positive (+) to
negative (-) or you will get a short that would
darr ;e t‘ battery and maybe other parts, too.
A .CAUTION: I
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engines are running. 6. Connect the red positive (+) cable to the positive (+)
terminal of the vehicle with the dead battery. Use a
remote positive
(+) terminal if the vehicle has one.
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