1997 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN Owners Manual

Thrn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow you
to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or down.
When the
turn is finished, the lever will return automatically.
Q
An arrow on the instrument
panel will flash in the
direction of the
turn
or lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts to flash. Hold it there until
you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by
itself when you release it. If
you move the lever all the way up or down and the
arrow flashes at twice the normal rate, a signal bulb may
be burned out and other drivers may not see your
turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an
accident. If the arrows don’t go on at all when you
signal a
turn, check for burned-out bulbs and a blown
fuse (see “Fuses” in the Index).
Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low beam to high or high
to low, pull the turn signal lever
all the way towards you.
Then release it.
When the high beams are
on, this light on the
instrument panel also will
be on.
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Windshield Wipers
You control the windshield
wipers by turning the knob
with the wiper symbol on it.
For a single wiping cycle, turn the knob to MIST. Hold
it there until the wipers start, then let go. The wipers will
stop after one cycle. If you want more cycles, hold the
knob on MIST longer.
You can set the wiper speed for a long or short delay
between wipes. This can be very useful in light rain or
snow. Turn the knob to choose the delay time. The
closer to
LOW, the shorter the delay.
For steady wiping at low speed, turn the knob to the
LOW position. For high-speed wiping, turn the knob
further, to HIGH.
To stop the wipers, move the knob
to
OFF.
Damaged wiper blades may prevent you from seeing
well enough to drive safely. To avoid damage,
be sure to
clear ice and snow from the wiper blades before using
them. If they
are frozen to the windshield, carefully
loosen or thaw them. If your blades do become
damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overload your wipers. The
windshield wiper motor is protected
from overload by a
circuit breaker and a fuse.
If the motor overheats due to
heavy snow, etc., the wiper will stop until the motor cools.
Although the circuit is protected from
electrical overload,
overload due to heavy snow, etc. may cause wiper linkage
damage. Always clear ice and heavy snow from the
windshield before using your windshield wipers.
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Rear Window Wiper and Washer
The rear window
wipedwasher switch is on
your instrument panel, to
the right of the gage cluster.
To turn the wiper on, slide the switch all the way up.
For delay wiping, slide the switch even with DELAY in
the center position of the rear wiper control. The wiper
will cycle every nine seconds.
To wash the window, push in on the switch. Window
washer fluid will continue
to spray until the switch is
released. The wiper will continue with three more wipes
and then return to the setting that was chosen before the
lever was pushed.
The rear window washer uses the same fluid bottle as
the front windshield washer. If the fluid level is low
in
the washer fluid bottle, you may not be able to wash
your rear window. If you can wash your windshield, but
not your rear window, check the fluid level.
Windshield Washer
At the top of the lever,
word
PUSH on it. To spray
washer fluid on the
windshield, push the paddle.
i there’s a paddle with the &
A CAUTION:
I
-I
In freezing weather, don’t use your washer until
the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the windshield, blocking
your vision.
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Washer fluid will spray as long as you push the paddle.
When you let
go of the paddle, the wipers will continue
to wipe for a few seconds and then either stop or return
to the preset speed.
The use of hood mounted air deflectors may adversely
affect windshield wiper and washer performance.
Cruise Control (If Equipped)
When you apply your brakes, cruise control shuts off.
0 Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can’t drive safely at a steady speed.
So,
don’t use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
slippery roads. On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control. Don’t
use cruise control on slippery roads.
0 Cruise control can be dangerous on
Setting Cruise Control
-
If you leave your cruise control switch on when
you’re not using cruise, you might hit
a button and
go into cruise when you don’t want to. You could
be startled and even lose control. Keep the cruise
control switch
OFF until you want to use it.
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1. Move the cruise control switch to ON.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Push in the SET button
at the end
of the lever
and release
it.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired speed
and then you apply the brake. This,
of course, shuts off
the cruise control. But you don’t need to reset it. Once you’re going
about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more,
you can move the cruise
control switch from
ON to
R/A (Resume/Accelerate)
for about half a second.
You’ll go right back up to your chosen speed and
stay there.
Remember,
if you hold the switch at R/A longer than
half a second, the vehicle will keep going faster until
you release the switch or apply the brake.
So unless you
want to go faster, don’t hold the switch at
R/A.
Increasing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed.
Push the SET button at the end of the lever,
then
release the button and the accelerator pedal. You’ll
now cruise at the higher speed.
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Move the cruise control switch from ON to R/A.
Hold it there until you get up to the speed you want,
and then release the switch. (To increase your speed
in very small amounts, move the switch to
R/A for
less than half a second. Each time you do this, your
vehicle will go about 1 mph (1.6
km/h) faster.)
Reducing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
Push in the SET button at the end of the lever until
you reach the lower speed
you want, then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, push the
button for less than half a second. Each time you do
this, you’ll
go 1 mph (1.6 kmk) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness
of the hills.
When going up steep hills, you may have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain your speed.
If the steepness
of the hill causes the vehicle speed
to drop
more than 15 mph
(24 kdh) below the set speed, your
cruise control will automatically disengage. When going
downhill, you may have to brake or shift to a lower gear
to keep your speed down. Of course, applying the brake
takes you out of cruise control. Many drivers find this to
be too much trouble and don’t use cruise control
on
steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
0 Step lightly on the brake pedal or
0 Move the cruise control
switch to
OFF.
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Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory is erased.
Lamps
Your parkingheadlamp knob is on the driver’s side of
your instrument panel.
Rotate the knob clockwise to the parking lamp symbol
to turn on the following:
0 Parking Lamps,
Sidemarker Lamps,
Clearance Lamps (if you have them),
0 Taillamps,
0 License Plate Lamps and
0 Instrument Panel Lights.
Rotate the knob clockwise again to the master lighting
symbol to turn on all the lamps listed as well as
the headlamps.
Rotate the knob counterclockwise to
OFF to turn off
your lamps.
Rotate the thumb wheel next to the knob up to adjust
instrument panel lights. Rotate the thumb wheel up to
the first notch to return the radio display and gearshift
indicator LED display to full intensity when the
headlamps or parking lamps are on.
To turn on the dome
lamps (with the vehicle doors closed) rotate the thumb
wheel up to the second notch position.
You can switch your headlamps from high to low beam
by pulling on the turn signal/high beam lever.
A circuit breaker protects your headlamps. If you have
an electrical overload, your headlamps will flicker
on
and off. Have your headlamp wiring checked right away
if this happens.
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Headlamps-On Reminder
A buzzer will sound when your headlamps are turned on
and your ignition is
in OFF, LOCK or ACCESSORY. If
you need to use your headlamps when the ignition
switch is in
OFF, LOCK or ACCESSORY, the buzzer
can be turned off by turning the thumb wheel next to the
parkingheadlamp switch all the way down.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the day.
DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful
in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
The DRL system will make your headlamps come on at
a reduced brightness when:
0 the ignition is on,
0 the headlamp switch is off and
the parking brake is released.
When the DRL are on, only your headlamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won’t be on.
Your instrument panel won’t be lit up either.
When it begins to get dark, your DRL indicator light is a
reminder to turn your headlamp switch on. The other
lamps that come on with your headlamps will also
come
on.
When you turn the headlamp switch off, the regular
lamps will go off, and your headlamps will change to
the reduced brightness
of DRL.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, set the parking
brake. The DRL will stay off until you release the
parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need
it.
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