1997 GMC SIERRA Owners Manual

To Use the Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord,
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
I
I
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind
of extension cord could overheat and cause
a fire. You could be seriously injured. Plug the
cord into a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt
AC outlet. If the cord won’t reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least
15 amps.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends
on the outside temperature, the
kind of oil you have, and some other things. Instead
of
trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your
GM dealer in the area where you’ll be parking your
vehicle. The dealer can give you the best advice
for that
particular area.
Automatic Transmission Operation
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and store
the cord as
it was before to keep it away from moving
engine
parts. If you don’t, it could be damaged. There are
several different positions for your shift lever.
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If your vehcle is equipped with an automatic transmission,
it now features an electronic shift position indicator within
the instrument cluster. This display must be powered
anytime the
shift lever is capable of being moved out of
PARK (P). This means that if your key is in OFF, rather
than
LOCK, there will be a small current drain on your
battery which could discharge your battery over
a period
of time. If you have to leave your key in the
ignition
in OFF for an extended period, it is recommended
that you disconnect the battery cable from the battery to
prevent discharging your battery.
PARK
(P): This locks your rear wheels. It’s the best
position to use when you start your engine because your
vehicle can’t move easily.
It is 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.
CAUTION: (Continued)
I
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. 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,
always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to PARK
(P).
If you have four-wheel drive, your vehicle
will be free to roll -- even if your shift lever
is in PARK
(P) -- if your transfer case is in
NEUTRAL
(N). So, be sure the transfer case is in
a drive gear, two-wheel high
(2H) or four-wheel
high
(4H) or four-wheel low (4L) -- not in
NEUTRAL
(N). See “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in
the Index.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing
a Trailer” in the Index.
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REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
~OTICE:
r
~~
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 (@): 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
Going about 35 mph (56 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator
pedal about halfway down.
accelerator all
the way down.
You’ll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(a) 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 (a).
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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Manual Transmission Operation
5-Speed (MW3 Transmission with Low
Gear) (If Equipped)
Here’s how to operate
your transmission:
FIRST
(1) is intended only for heavy loads and is not
recommended for normal driving.
During the first
500 miles (805 km) of vehicle use, start
your vehicle moving
in FIRST (1). This allows clutch
components to break-in properly.
FIRST (1): Press the clutch pedal and shift into
FIRST
(1). Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal as
you press the accelerator pedal. Shift into FIRST
(1)
only when the vehicle speed is below 5 mph (8 km/h).
If you try to shift down into FIRST (1) at excessive
vehicle speeds, the shift lever will not move into
the
FIRST (1) position until vehicle speed is reduced.
SECOND (2): Press the clutch pedal and shift into
SECOND
(2). Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal as
you press the accelerator pedal.
You can shift into SECOND (2) when you’re going less
than 20 mph (32 km/h). If you’ve come to a complete stop
and it’s hard
to shift into SECOND (2), put the shift lever
in NEUTRAL (N) and let up on the clutch. Press the
clutch pedal back down. Then
shift into SECOND (2).
If you try to downshift into SECOND (2) at excessive
vehicle speeds, the shift lever will not move into the
SECOND (2) position
until vehicle speed is reduced.
THIRD (3): Press the clutch pedal as you let up on
the accelerator pedal and shift into THIRD (3). Then,
slowly let up on
the clutch pedal as you press the
accelerator pedal.
FOURTH (4) and FIFTH (5): Shift into the higher
forward gears the same way you do for THIRD (3).
Slowly let up on the clutch pedal as you press the
accelerator pedal.
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To stop, let up on the accelerator pedal and press the
brake pedal. Just before the vehicle stops, press the
clutch pedal and the brake pedal, and shift
to
NEUTRAL (N).
NEUTRAL (N): Use this position when you start or
idle your engine.
REVERSE (R): To back up, first press down the clutch
pedal. Wait about
five seconds for the internal parts to
stop spinning and then shift into REVERSE
(R).
Let up on the clutch pedal slowly while pressing the
accelerator pedal.
NOTICE:
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is
stopped. Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your
vehicle
is moving could damage your transmission.
Also, use REVERSE (R), along with the parking brake,
when turning off your engine and parking your vehicle.
5-Speed (MG5M50 Transmissions Without
Low Gear) (If Equipped)
Here’s how to operate your transmission:
FIRST (1): Press the clutch pedal and shift into
FIRST (1). Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal as
you press
the accelerator pedal.
You can
shift into FIRST (1) when you’re going less
than
20 mph (32 km/h). If you’ve come to a complete
stop and it’s hard to shift into FIRST
(I), put the shift
lever
in NEUTRAL (N) and let up on the clutch. Press
the clutch pedal back down. Then shift into FIRST (1).
SECOND (2): Press the clutch pedal as you let up on
the accelerator pedal and shift into
SECOND (2). Then,
slowly let up on the clutch pedal as you press the
accelerator pedal.
THIRD (3), FOURTH (4) and FIFTH (5): Shift into
THIRD
(3), FOURTH (4) and FIFTH (5) the same way
you do for
SECOND (2). Slowly let up on the clutch
pedal as you press the accelerator pedal.
To stop, let up on the accelerator pedal and press the
brake pedal. Just before the vehicle stops, press the
clutch pedal and the brake pedal, and shift to NEUTRAL
(N).
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NEUTRAL (N): Use this position when you start or
idle your engine.
Shift Speeds
REVERSE (R): To back up, first press down the clutch
pedal. Wait about five seconds for the internal parts
to
stop spinning and then, shift into REVERSE (R).
Let up on the clutch pedal slowly while pressing the
accelerator pedal.
)NOTICE:
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is
stopped. Shifting to REVERSE
(R) while your
vehicle is moving could damage your transmission.
Also, use REVERSE (R), along with the parking brake,
when turning off your engine and parking your vehicle.
A CAUTION:
If you skip more than one gear when you
downshift, you could
lose control of your vehicle.
And you could injure yourself or others. Don’t shift down more than one gear when you downshift.
~~ ~
If your speed drops below 20 mph (32 kmh), or if the
engine is not running smoothly, you should downshift to
the next lower gear.
You may have to downshift two or
more gears to keep the engine running smoothly or for
good performance.
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Up Shift Light
SHIFT
If you have a manual
transmission,
you may have
a SHIFT light. This light
will show
you when to shift
to the next higher gear for
best fuel economy.
When this light comes on, you can shift to the next
higher gear
if weather, road and traffic conditions let
you. For the best fuel economy, accelerate slowly and shift when the light comes
on.
While you accelerate, it is normal for the light to go
on and off if you quickly change the position of the
accelerator. Ignore the
SHIFT light when you downshift.
If your vehicle has four-wheel drive and is equipped
with a manual transmission, disregard the
SHIFT light
when the transfer case is in
4L.
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 Equipped)
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.
I 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.
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