1997 CHEVROLET ASTRO stop start

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
ANTI -
LOCK
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will
come
on when you start
your engine and may stay
on for several seconds.
That’s normal.
Engine Co ~ ant Temperature Gage
If the gage pointer moves
to the red area, your engine
is
too hot!
If the light stays on, or comes on when you’re driving,
your vehicle needs service. If the regular brake system
warning lightisn’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 section.
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. It
means that your engine coolant has overheated.
If you
have been operating your vehicle under normal driving
conditions, you should pull
off the road, stop your
vehicle and turn
off the engine as soon as possible.
In “Problems on
the Road,” this manual shows you what
to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
2-64

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
0 Reducing vehicle speed.
If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering
the following:
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
0 Avoiding hard accelerations.
0 Avoiding steep uphill grades.
If you are 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. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
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
so, reinstall the fuel
cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. The diagnostic system can determine if the fuel
cap has been left off
or improperly installed. A loose or
missing fuel cap will allow fuel
to evaporate into the
atmosphere. A few driving trips with
the cap properly
installed should turn the light
off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If
so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out.
A few driving trips should turn the light off.
Have
you recently changed brands of fuel?
If
so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel (see
“Fuel” 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.
2-66

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine FWD (6): Press and hold this button to advance rapidly
within a track.
You will hear the disc selection play at
high speed while you press the FWD button. This allows
you to listen and find out when the disc is at the desired
selection. Release FWD
to resume playing.
RECALL: Press this button to see what track is playing.
Press
it again within five seconds to see how long the
CD has been playing that track. Elapsed time is
displayed in minutes and tenths
of a second. The track
number
will also appear when a new track begins to
play. Press RECALL again to return to the time display.
AM-FM: While in the CD mode, press this button to
stop playing the CD and play the radio. The CD symbol
will still display but the word
CD will be replaced with
either
AM, FM 1 or FM2. (If the radio is turned off, the
disc stays
in the player and will resume playing at the
point where it stopped.)
CD AUX: To switch between the player and the radio
when
a disc is playing, press the AM-FM button. To
return to the player, press CD AUX. When a disc is
playing, the letters CD and the
CD symbol will appear
on the display. (If the radio is turned off, the disc stays
in the player and will resume playing at the point where
it stopped.)
EJECT Press this button to eject the disc from the
player and play the radio. When the same or a new disc
is inserted, the disc will start playing
on track one. If a
compact disc is
left sitting in the opening for more than
a few seconds,
the player will pull the CD back in. The
radio will continue playing. When the ignition
is off,
press this button to load a CD. If you leave a compact
disc in the player while listening
to the radio, it may
become warm.
3-23

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 (ABS)
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.
1 See “Anti-Lock Brake
1 System Warning Light” in
I the Index.
4-7

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then goes
back
into the right lane again. A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane
highway is a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds. A miscalculation, an error in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger can
suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the
worst of all traffic accidents
-- the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
“Drive ahead.” Look down the road, to the sides and to
crossroads for situations that might affect your passing
patterns. If you have any doubt whatsoever about
making a successful pass, wait for a better time.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and lines.
If you can see a sign up ahead that might indicate a
turn or an intersection, delay your pass.
A broken
center line usually indicates
it’s all right to pass
(providing the road ahead is clear). Never cross a solid
line on your side of the lane or a double solid line,
even if the road seems empty
of approaching traffic.
Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass
while you’re awaiting an opportunity. For one thing,
following
too closely reduces your area of vision,
especially if you’re following a larger vehicle.
Also, you won’t have adequate space
if the vehicle
ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a
reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and don’t
get too close. Time your move
so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to move into the
other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will have a
“running start” that more than makes up for the
distance
you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you
to cancel your pass,
you need only slow down and drop back again and
wait for another opportunity.
If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care that someone isn’t trying
to
pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember
to glance over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.
’ 4-12

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A cornering skid and an acceleration slud 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 at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving.
One reason is that some drivers are likely to be
impaired
-- by alcohol or drugs, with night vision
problems, or by fatigue.
4-14

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet
road, you can’t stop, accelerate or turn as well because
your tire-to-road traction isn’t as good as on dry roads.
And, if your tires don’t have much tread left, you’ll get
even less traction. It’s always wise to go slower and be
cautious
if rain starts to fall while you are driving. The
surface may get wet suddenly when your reflexes are
tuned for driving on dry pavement.
The heavier the rain, the harder
it is to see. Even if your
windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy rain
can make it harder to see road signs and traffic signals,
pavement markings, the edge of the road and even
people walking.
It’s wise
to keep your wiping equipment in good shape
and keep your windshield washer tank filled with
washer fluid. Replace your windshield wiper inserts when they show signs of streaking or missing areas on
the windshield, or when strips
of rubber start to separate
from the inserts.
4-16

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have extra
wiring (included
in the optional trailering package).
The green arrows
on your instrument panel will flash
whenever
you signal a turn or lane change. Properly
hooked up, the trailer lamps will also flash, telling other
drivers you’re about
to turn, change lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows
on your
instrument panel will flash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned
out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signal when they are not. It’s
important to check occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down a long or steep downgrade. 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.
4-37