1996 GMC SAVANA light

Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may
be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause an
expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention
to
your warning lights and gages could also save you or
others from injury.
Warning lights come
on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions.
As you
will see in the details on the next
few pages, some
warning lights come on briefly when you start the
engine just
to let you know they’re working. If you are
familiar with this section,
you should not be alarmed
when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be
or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages and
warning lights work together
to let you know when
there’s a problem with your vehicle.
When one
of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check
the section that tells you
what to
do about it. Please follow this manual’s advice. Waiting
to
ao repam can be costly -- and even aangerous.
So please get to know your warning lights and gages.
They’re a big help.
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to RUN or START, a tone will
come
on for about eight seconds to remind people to
fasten their safety belts, unless the driver’s safety belt is
already buckled.
The safety belt light will
also come on and stay on
for about
20 seconds, then
it will flash for about
55 seconds. If the driver’s
belt is already buckled,
neither the tone nor
the
light will come on.
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Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows AIR BAG. The system checks the
air bag’s electrical system for malfunctions. The light
tells
you if there is an electrical problem. The system
check includes
the air bag sensor, the air bag modules,
the wiring and the crash sensing and diagnostic module.
For more information
on the air bag system, see “Air
Bag” in the Index.
AIR
BAG
You will see this light flash
for a few seconds when you
turn your ignition
to RUN
or START. Then the light
should
go out. This means
If the air bag readiness light doesn’t come on when you
start your vehicle, or stays
on, or comes on when you
are driving, your air bag system may not work properly.
Have your vehicle serviced right away.
Charging System Light
Irl
~ This light should come on
1 briefly when you turn on the
ignition, before starting the
1 engine, as a check to show
you it is working.
After the engine starts, the light should go out. If it stays
on or comes
on while you are driving, you may have a
problem with your charging system. It could indicate a
problem with the alternator drive belt, or some other
charging system problem. Have
it checked right away.
Driving while this light is on could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance
with this light on, it
helps to turn off all your accessories, such as the radio
and air conditioner.
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Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part isn’t working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there could be a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
BRAKE
United States Canada
This light should come on briefly when you turn the
ignition key
to RUN. If it doesn’t come on then,
have
it fixed so it will be ready to warn you if there’s
a problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving,, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal
is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the floor.
It may
take longer to stop. If the light.is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your Vehicle”
in the Index.)
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light
on can lead
to an accident. If the light
is still 0.n-after you’ve
pulled
off the road and stopped carefully, have
the vehicle towed for service.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake. The
light will stay on if your parking brake doesn’t release
fully.
If it stays on after your parking brake is fully
released, it means you have
a brake problem.
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Anti-Lock Rrake System Warning Light
ANTI -
LOCK
United States
Canada
With the anti-l,dck brake system, this light will come on
when you start your engine and may stay on for several
seconds. That’s normal.
If the light stays on, or comes on when you’re driving,
your vehicle needs service.
If the regular brake system
warning light isn’t on, you still have brakes, but you
‘
don’t have anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system
warning light is also on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes
and there’s a problem with your regular brakes. See
“Brake System Warning Light” earlier in this part. The
anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be
ready to warn you if there
is a problem.
Daytime Running Lamps Indicator Light
You may have this light on
the instrument panel. It will
light whenever the
DRL are
on.
It is also a reminder to
turn on your headlamps
when driving at night. For
more details about
DRL, see
“Headlamps and Vehicle
Lighting” in this section.
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Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Service Engine Soon Light) (Gasoline Engine)
Your vehicle is equipped
with a computer which
monitors operation of the
-
SERVICE
ENGINE SOON
fuel, ignition and emission
control systems.
This system is called
OBD I1 (On-Board
Diagnostics-Second Generation) and is intended to
assure that emissions are at acceptable levels for the
life
of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment. The SERVICE ENGINE SOON light
comes on to indicate that there is a problem and service
is required. Malfunctions
often will be indicated by the
system before any problem
is apparent, which may
prevent more serious damage
to your vehicle. This
system is also designed to assist your service technician
in correctly diagnosing any malfunction.
NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light
on, after a while, your emission controls may not
work as well, your fuel economy may not be as
good and your engine may not run as smoothly.
This could lead to costly repairs that may not be
covered by your warranty.
This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is not
running.
If the light doesn’t come on, have it repaired.
This light will also come on during a malfunction in
one
of two ways:
0
0
Light Flashing -- A misfire condition has been
detected.
A misfire increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service is required.
Light On Steady -- An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis and
service may be required.
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If the Light Is Flashing Are you low on fuel‘?
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reduce vehicle speed.
Avoid hard accelerations.
0 Avoid steep uphill grades.
If towing a trailer, reduce the amount of cargo being
hauled as soon as
it is possible.
If the light stops flashing and remains on steady, see “If
the Light Is On Steady“ following.
If the light continues to flash, when it is safe to do so.
stop the vehicle. Put your vehicle in PARK (P). Turn the
key
off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart the engine.
If the light remains on steady, see
“If the Light Is On
Steady” following.
If the light is still flashing follow the
previous steps, and drive the vehicle to your dealer or
qualified service center for service.
If’ the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did
you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be c0rrecte.d when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off. As
your engine starts to run
out of fuel, your engine may
not run as efficiently as designed since
s~nall amounts of
air are sucked into the fuel line causing a misfire. The
system can detect this. Adding fuel should correct this
condition. Make sure to install the fuel cap properly.
It
will take a few driving trips to turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel‘?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel (see
“FLE~”
in the Index). Poor fuel quality will cause your
engine not to
run as efficiently as designed. You may
notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling when
you put
the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on acceleration
or stumbling on acceleration. (These conditions may go
away once the engine is warmed up.) This will be
detected by the system and cause the light to turn on.
If you experience this condition, change the fuel brand
you use. It will require at least one full tank of the
proper fuel to
turn the light off.
If none
of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools to
fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that
may have developed.
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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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Air Conditioning
Before using your vehicle’s air conditioning, open the
windows to clear
the vehicle of hot air. This reduces the
time it takes for your vehicle
to cool down. Then keep
your windows closed
for the air conditioner to work at
its best.
You can use MAX A/C
with the temperature knob in the
blue area, when
it’s really hot outside and you need to
cool the inside air quickly. MAX A/C lets in only a little
air from the outside.
If you first use MAX A/C, you can then use A/C with
the temperature knob
in the blue area, as soon as the
vehicle has cooled down,
so outside air will be going
through your vehicle.
If your vehicle has rear air conditioning, setting it on LO
may enhance front A/C perfor~nance by allowing
trapped refrigerant
in rear lines to circulate.
When the air conditioning,
DEFROST or BLEND is on,
you may notice a slight increase or decrease in engine
speed, due to compressor operation. This is normal
because the system is designed
to cycle the compressor
on and off to keep the desired temperature.
Heating
On cold days, use HEATER with the temperature knob
in the red area. Outside air will be brought in. through
the floor outlets. The heater works best if you keep your
windows closed while using
it.
If you use the optional engine coolant heater before
starting your engine, your heating system will produce
warmer air faster
to heat the passenger compartment in
cold weather. See ”Engine Coolant Heater”
in the Index.
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