1996 GMC SIERRA ABS

Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter
Front Ashtray
The front ashtray is located at the bottom of the instrument
panel. Pull
on the notch in the ashtray door to open it.
NOTICE:
If you store paper or other things that burn in
your ashtrays, they could be set on fire by
cigarettes
or other smoking materials. That could
cause
a fire and possibly damage your vehicle. Do
not store papers and other things that burn in
your ashtrays.
To remove the front ashtray, press the retainer spring
and pivot
the ashtray toward you. To replace the ashtray.
place
the bottom part of the ashtray on the pivot bar at
the bottom
of its mounting on the instrument panel.
Then rotate the ashtray
back to its original position.
Rear Ashtray
To use a rear ashtray, if you have them, pull at the top of
the ashtray door to flip the door open.
To remove a rear ashtray. press down on the inside tabs
and open the door fully.
NOTICE:
If you store paper or other things that burn in
your ashtrays, they could be
set on fire by
cigarettes or other smoking materials. That could
cause a fire and possibly damage your vehicle.
Do
not store papers and other things that burn in
your ashtrays.
To use the cigarette lighter, push it in all the way, and let
go. When it’s ready, it will pop back by itself.
NOTICE:
Holding a cigarette lighter in with your hand
while it is heating can make it overload,
damaging the lighter and the heating element.
Just
push the lighter all the way in and let go.
When it’s done, it
will pop back by itself.
2-52
ProCarManuals.com

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.
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
ANTI -
LOCK
4-6
ProCarManuals.com

Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say the road is wet.
You’re driving
safely. Suddenly an animal jumps out in
front of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what happens with
ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If one
of the wheels
is about to stop rolling, the computer will
separately work
the brakes at each front wheel and at the
rear wheels. The
anti-lock system can change the brake pressure faster
than any driver could. The computer
is programmed to
make the most of available tire and road conditions.
You can steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
4-7
ProCarManuals.com

A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best
handled by easing your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
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 surface 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 surface” -- and slow
down when you have any doubt.
Remember:
Any anti-lock brake system (ABS) helps
avoid
only the braking skid.
Driving Guidelines
Off-Road Driving with Your
Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle
This off-road guide is for vehicles that have
four-wheel drive.
Also, see “Anti-Lock Brakes” in the Index.
If your vehicle doesn’t have four-wheel drive, you
shouldn’t drive off-road unless you’re on a level,
solid surface.
Off-road driving can be great
fun. But it does have
some definite hazards.
The greatest of these is the
terrain itself.
“Off-roading” means you’ve left
the great North
American road system behind. Traffic lanes aren’t
marked. Curves aren’t banked. There are
no road signs.
Surfxes can
be slippery, rough, uphill or downhill. In
short, you’ve gone right back to nature.
Off-road driving involves some new skills. And that’s
why it’s very important that
you read this guide. You’ll
find many driving tips and suggestions. These
will help
make your off-road driving safer and more enjoyable.
4-13
ProCarManuals.com

0 If you have an automatic transmission, you can tow
in OVERDRIVE
(@). You may want to shift the
transmission to THIRD (3) or, if necessary, a lower
gear selection if the transmission shifts too often
(eg, under heavy loads and/or hilly conditions). If
you have a manual transmission and you are towing
a trailer, it’s better
not to use FIFTH (5) gear. Just
drive in FOURTH
(4) gear (or, as you need to, a
lower gear).
Three important considerations have to do with weight:
the weight
of the trailer,
the weight
of the trailer tongue
and the weight
on your vehicle’s tires.
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It depends on how
you plan to use your rig. For
example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how much your vehicle is used to pull
a
trailer are all important. And, it can also depend on any
special equipment that you have on your vehicle. Use
one
of the following charts to determine how much
your vehicle can weigh, based upon your vehicle model
and options.
Maximum trailer weight is calculated assuming the
driver and
one passenger are in the tow vehicle and it
has all the required trailering equipment. The weight
of
additional optional equipment, passengers and cargo in
the tow vehicle must be subtracted from the maximum
trailer weight.
Above
the 2,000 lbs. (908 kg) trailer rating, the engine
oil cooler is required
on C/K- 1500 models with gas
engines and
C/K-2500 models with gas engines and
3.73 (or lower) axle ratio.
Above
the 4,000 lbs. (1 800 kg) trailer rating,
heavy-duty or gas shock absorbers are required
on
C- 1500 models, and heavy-duty shock absorbers
or
the off-road chassis package are required on
K-1500 models.
4-48
ProCarManuals.com

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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK (P) yet for an automatic transmission, or into
gear for
a manual transmission.
Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
When
the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your
parking brake and shift
into PARK (P) for an
automatic transmission, or REVERSE
(R) for a
manual transmission.
If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, be sure
the transfer case
is in a drive gear and not in
NEUTRAL
(N).
Release the regular brakes. 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 have four-wheel drive and your transfer
case is in
NEUTRAL (N), your vehicle will be free
to roll, even if your shift lever is in
PARK (P). So,
be sure the transfer case is in a drive gear -- not
in
NEUTRAL (N).
ProCarManuals.com

Fuse Usage
15 DRL Relay, Fog Lamp Relay
Underhood Fusemelay Center
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23 24 Front and Rear Turn
Signals, Back-up
Lamps, BTSI Solenoid
Radio (Ignition)
4WALNCM, ABS, Cruise Control
Radio (Battery)
PRNDL, Automatic Transmission,
Speedometer, Check Gages Warning Light
Not Used
Not Used
Not Used
Front Axle, 4WD Indicator Lamp, TP2 Relay
(Gasoline Engine)
A Power Door Lock, Six-Way Power Seat,
Keyless Entry Module
B Power Windows The underhood
fusehelay center is located in the rear
of
the engine compartment near the brake fluid reservoir.
Move the retainer clips for the cover to access the fuse
block.
You can remove fuses with a fuse extractor. The fuse
extractor
is mounted to the interior fuse block. To
remove fuses if
you don’t have a fuse extractor, hold the
end of the fuse between your thumb and index finger
and
pull straight out.
6-71
ProCarManuals.com

Fuse
ECM-B
Usage
Fuel Pump, PCM/VCM
RR DEFOG Rear Window Defogger
IGN-E Auxiliary Fan Relay Coil, A/C
Compressor Relay, Hot Fuel Module,
Dual Tanks
FUEL SOL Fuel Solenoid (Diesel Engine)
Fuse
GLOW
PLUG
HORN
AUX FAN
ECM-
1
A/C
ENG-
1
Usage
Glow plugs (Diesel Engine)
Horn, Underhood Lamps Auxiliary Fan
Injectors, PCM/VCM
Air Conditioning
Ignition Switch, EGR, Canister Purge,
EVRV Idle Coast Solenoid, Heated
02,
Fuel Heater (Diesel Engine), Water
Sensor (Diesel Engine)
LIGHTING Headlamp and Panel Dimmer Switch,
Fog and Courtesy Fuses
Battery,
Fuse Block Busbar
BATT
IGN-A
IGN-B
ABS Ignition Switch
Ignition Switch
Anti-Lock Brake Module
BLOWER
Hi Blower Relay
STOP/HAZ Stoplamps
ProCarManuals.com