1997 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN Owners Manual

REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
I
I I
I
I NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your
transmission. Shift to REVERSE
(R) only after
your vehicle is stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transmission, see
“Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow” in the Index.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine doesn’t
connect with the wheels. To restart when you’re already
moving, use NEUTRAL (N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.
Shifting out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) while
your engine is “racing” (running at high speed) is
dangerous. Unless your foot is firmly on the
brake pedal, your vehicle could move very
rapidly. You could lose control and hit people or
objects. Don’t shift out of PARK
(P) or
NEUTRAL
(N) while your engine is racing.
NOTICE:
Damage to your transmission caused by shifting
out of PARK
(P) or NEUTRAL (N) with the
engine racing isn’t covered by your warranty.
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AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (03): This position is for
normal driving. If you need more power for passing,
and you’re:
Going less than about 35 mph (56 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (56 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
You’ll shift down to the next gear and have
more power.
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(0) can be used when
towing a trailer, carrying a heavy load, driving on steep
hills or for off-road driving. You may want to shift the
transmission to THIRD
(3) or, if necessary, a lower gear
selection if the transmission shifts too often.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, however, it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(0).
SECOND (2): This position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy. You can use SECOND
(2) on hills.
It can help control your speed as you go down steep
mountain roads, but then
you would also want to use
your brakes off and
on.
If you manually select SECOND (2), the transmission will
drive
in second gear. You may use this feature for reducing
torque to the rear wheels when you are trying to start
your
vehicle from a stop on slippery road surfaces.
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power
(but lower
fuel economy) than SECOND (2). You can
use it on very steep hills,
or in deep snow or mud. If the
selector lever is put in FIRST
(1) while the vehicle is
moving forward, the transmission won’t shift into first
gear until the vehicle is going slowly enough.
NOTICE:
If your rear wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if you were stuck in
very deep sand or mud or were up against a solid
object. You could damage your transmission.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transmission. Use your brakes or shift into
PARK (P) to hold your vehicle in position
on a hill.
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Locking Rear Axle (If Equipped)
If you have this feature, your rear axle can give you
additional traction
on snow, mud, ice, sand or gravel. It
works like a standard axle most of the time, but when
one of the rear wheels has no traction and the other does,
the locking feature will allow the wheel with traction to
move the vehicle.
Four-wheel Drive
If your vehicle has four-wheel drive, you can send your
engine’s driving power to all four wheels for extra
traction.
To get the most satisfaction out of four-wheel
drive, you must be familiar with its operation. Read the
part that follows before using four-wheel drive. You
should use
2-WHEEL HIGH (2H) for most normal
driving conditions.
1 NOTICE: I
Driving in the 4-WHEEL HIGH (4H) or
4-WHEEL LOW (4L) positions for a long time
on dry or wet pavement could shorten the life of
your vehicle’s drivetrain.
Front Axle Locking Feature
The front axle locks and unlocks automatically when
you shift the transfer case. Some delay for the axle to
lock or unlock
is normal. If the outside temperature is
very hot, or the vehicle has been used under hard
driving conditions, there may be a slight delay for the
axle to unlock.
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Manual Transfer Case
The transfer case shift lever is on the floor to the right of
the driver. Use this lever to shift into and out
of
four-wheel drive.
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f t I I
The front axle portion of the indicator diagram will light
up when you shift into four-wheel drive and the front
axle engages.
Some delay between shifting into four-wheel drive and
the indicator’s lighting is normal. If the front axle light
does not
go out immediately after you shift out of
four-wheel drive, have your dealer check your system.
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An indicator near the lever shows you the transfer
case settings:
2-Wheel High (2H): This setting is for driving in most
street and highway situations. Your front axle
is not
engaged in two-wheel drive.
4-Wheel High (4H): This setting engages your front
axle to help drive your vehicle. Use 4H when you need
extra traction, such as
on wet or icy roads, or in most
off-road situations.
Neutral (N): Shift to this setting only when your vehicle
needs to be towed or when using a power take-off.
4-Wheel Low (4L): This setting also engages your front
axle to give you extra power and a higher driveline ratio.
This position should be used only for off-road driving.
You can shift from 2-WHEEL HIGH (2H) to 4-WHEEL
HIGH (4H) or from 4-WHEEL HIGH (4H) to
2-WHEEL HIGH (2H) while the vehicle is moving.
Your front axle may engage faster if you take your foot
off of the accelerator for
a few seconds after you shift.
In extremely cold weather, it may be necessary to stop
or slow the vehicle to shift into 4-WHEEL HIGH (4H). To
shift into or out of 4-WHEEL LOW (4L) or
N (NEUTRAL):
1. Slow the vehicle to a roll, about 1 to 3 mph
(2 to
5 km/h) and shift the transmission into
NEUTRAL (N).
2. Shift the transfer case shift lever in one quick,
continuous motion.
Don’t pause in N
(NEUTRAL) as you shift the transfer
case into 4-WHEEL LOW (4L), or the gears could clash.
Remember that driving in 4-WHEEL HIGH (4H) or
4-WHEEL LOW (4L) may reduce fuel economy. Also,
driving in four-wheel drive on dry pavement could
cause your tires to wear faster and make your transfer
case harder to shift and run noisier.
When your headlamps or parking lamps are on, rotate
the thumb wheel next to the headlamp switch up
to
brighten, and down to dim your transfer case
indicator light.
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Electronic Transfer Case (If Equipped)
If your four-wheel-drive vehicle has the electronic
transfer case, the transfer case switches are below and to
the left of the climate controls.
Use these switches to shift into and out of four-wheel
drive. You can choose among three driving settings:
2HI: This setting is for driving in most street and
highway situations. Your front axle is
not engaged in
two-wheel drive.
4HI: This setting engages your front axle to help drive
your vehicle. Use 4HI when you need extra traction,
such as
on snowy or icy roads, or in most
off-road situations.
4LO: This setting also engages your front axle to give
you extra traction. You may never need
4LO. It sends
the maximum power to all
four wheels. You might
choose
4LO if you were driving off-road in sand, mud
or deep snow and climbing or descending steep hills.
Indicator lights in the switches show
you which setting
you are in. The indicator lights will come on briefly
when you turn on the ignition and the last chosen setting
will stay on. If the lights do not come on,
you should
take your vehicle in for service. An indicator light will
flash while shifting. It will remain illuminated when the
shift is completed. If for some reason the transfer case
cannot make a requested shift, it will return to the last
chosen setting.
Shifting from 2HI to 4HI
Press and release the 4HI switch. This can be done at any
speed, and the indicator light will flash while shifting. It
will remain illuminated when the
shft is completed.
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Shifting from 4HI to 2HI
Press and release the 2HI switch. This can be done at
any speed, and the system will unlock automatically.
Shifting from 2HI or 4HI to 4LO
To shift from 2HI or 4HI to 4L0, the vehicle must be
stopped or moving less than 3 mph (4.8
km/h) with the
transmission in NEUTRAL
(N). The preferred method
for shifting into 4LO is to have your vehicle moving 1 to
2 mph (1.6 to 3.2
km/h). Press and release the 4LO
switch. You must wait for the 4LO indicator light to stop
flashing and remain illuminated before shifting your
transmission into gear.
If the 4LO switch is pressed when your vehicle is in
gear and/or moving, the 4LO indicator light will flash
for 30 seconds and not complete the shift unless your
vehicle is moving slower than 3 mph (4.8
km/h) and the
transmission is in NEUTRAL
(N).
Shifting from 4LO to 4HI or 2HI
To shift from 4LO to 4HI or 2H1, your vehicle must be
stopped
or moving less than 3 mph (4.8 km/h) with the
transmission in NEUTRAL
(N). The preferred method
for shifting out of
4LO is to have your vehicle moving
1 to 2 mph (1.6 to 3.2
km/h). Press and release the 4HI
switch. You must wait for the 4HI indicator light to stop
flashing and remain illuminated before shifting your
transmission into gear.
If the 4HI switch is pressed when your vehicle is in gear
and/or moving, the
4HI indicator light will flash for
30 seconds but will not complete the shift unless the
vehicle is moving slower than 3 mph (4.8
km/h) and the
transmission is in NEUTRAL
(N).
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Parking Brake
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot. Push down the parking brake
pedal with your left foot.
If the ignition is
on, the brake system warning light will
come on.
To release the parking
brake, hold the regular
brake pedal down. Pull the
lever, located just above the
parking brake pedal, marked
BRAKE
RELEASE, to release the
parking brake.
If the ignition is on when the parking brake is released,
the brake system warning light will
go off.
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and you could also damage other
parts
of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
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