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Check Gages Light Fuel Gage
CHECK GAGES
The CHECK GAGES light
will come on briefly when
you are starting the engine.
*
\\'
E-
UNLEADED
FUEL
ONLY
'
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 driving,
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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Listed are four situations you may experience with your
fuel gage:
At the gas station, the fuel pump shuts off before the
gage reads FULL (F).
0 It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the
fuel gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but
it actually took a
little more or less than half the tank’s capacity to fill
the tank.
The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
speed up.
The gage doesn’t go back to EMPTY (E) when you
None of these indicate a problem with the fuel gage.
turn off
the ignition.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
W
TEMP
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature. If the
gage pointer moves into
the red area your engine is
too
hot!
It means that your engine coolant has overheated. If
you have been operating your vehicle under normal
operating 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 what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
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Voltmeter
When your engine is not
running, but the ignition is
on (in the RUN position),
this gage shows your
battery’s state of charge in
DC volts.
When the engine is running, the gage shows the
condition
of the charging system. Readings between the
low and high warning zones indicate the normal
operating range. Readings
in the
low warning zone may occur when a
large number of electrical accessories are operating in
the vehicle and the engine is left at an idle for an
extended period. This condition is normal since the
charging system
is not able to provide full power at
engine idle.
As engine speeds are increased, this
condition should correct itself as higher engine speeds
allow the charging system to create maximum power.
You can only drive for a short time with the reading in
either warning zone. If you must drive, turn
off all
unnecessary accessories.
Readings in either warning zone indicate a possible
problem in the electrical system. Have the vehicle
serviced as soon as possible.
Electronic Road-Speed Governor
(Gasoline Engines) (Option)
This optional system automatically controls vehicle top
speed. The system controller receives a signal from
the
vehicle speed sensor and reduces power when the
vehicle speed reaches the maximum
65 mph ( 105 km/h)
governed speed.
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Air Conditioning Heating
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 performance 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. 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.
Ventilation Tips
Keep the hood and front air inlet free of ice, snow,
or any other obstruction (such as leaves). The heater
and defroster will work far better, reducing the
chance of fogging the inside of your windows.
When you enter a vehicle in cold weather, turn the
blower fan to
HI for a few moments before driving
off. This helps clear the intake ducts of snow and
moisture, and reduces the chance of fogging the
inside of your windows.
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Keep the air path under the front seats clear of
objects. This helps air to circulate throughout
your vehicle.
Your vehicle has air vents in the center and on the sides
of your instrument panel.
You can move the vents from side to side or up and
down to direct the flow
of air, or close the vents
altogether. When
you close a vent, it will increase the
flow
of air coming out of any vents that are open.
Audio Systems
Your Delco@ audio system has been designed to operate
easily and give years
of listening pleasure. You will get
the most enjoyment out of it if
you acquaint yourself
with it first. Find out what your Delco system can do
and how to operate all its controls,
to be sure you’re
getting the most out
of the advanced engineering that
went into it.
Setting the Clock for Systems without
Automatic
Tone Control
Press SET. Within five seconds, press and hold the
SEEK right arrow until the correct minute appears on
the display. Press and hold the
SEEK left arrow until
the correct hour appears on the display.
Setting the Clock for Systems with
Automatic
Tone Control
Press and hold HR until the correct hour appears on
the display. Press and hold MIN until the correct
minute appears
on the display. To display the clock
with the ignition off, press
RECALL or HFUMIN and
the time
will be displayed for a few seconds. There is
an initial two-second delay before the clock goes into
the time-set mode.
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Tips About Your Audio System
Hearing damage from loud noise is almost undetectable
until it is too late. Your hearing can adapt to higher
volumes
of sound. Sound that seems normal can be loud
and harmful to your hearing. Take precautions by
adjusting the volume control on your radio to a safe
sound level before your hearing adapts to it.
To help avoid hearing loss or damage:
Adjust the volume control to the lowest setting.
Increase volume slowly until you hear comfortably
and clearly.
NOTICE:
Before you add any sound equipment to your
vehicle
-- like a tape player, CB radio, mobile
telephone or two-way radio
-- be sure you
can add what you want.
If you can, it’s very
important to do
it properly. Added sound
equipment may interfere with the operation
of your vehicle’s engine, Delco radio or
other systems, and even damage them. Your
vehicle’s systems may interfere with the
operation of sound equipment that has
been
added improperly.
So, before adding sound equipment, check with
your dealer and be sure to check Federal rules
covering mobile radio and telephone units.
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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.
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
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Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up
to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to
the vehicle in
front of
you, you won’t have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows
or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel the brakes
vibrate, or you may notice some noise, but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system
is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves. The
traction
of the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when
you turn
the front wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia
will keep
the vehicle going in the same direction. If you’ve ever
tried to steer a vehicle
on wet ice, you’ll understand this.
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