1997 GMC SIERRA Owners Manual

Parking Your Vehicle (Manual
Transmission Models Only)
Before you get out of your vehicle, put your manual
transmission
in REVERSE (R), turn off the engine, and
firmly apply the parking brake.
If you have four-wheel drive, be sure your transfer case
is in a drive gear. Your vehicle could roll
if it isn’t.
If you are parking
on a hill, or if you are pulling a
trailer, see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index.
Parking Over Things That Burn
I
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Engine Exhaust
Engine exhaust can kill. It contains the gas
carbon monoxide
(CO), which you can’t see or
smell.
It can cause unconsciousness and death.
You might have exhaust coming in if:
0 Your exhaust system sounds strange
0 Your vehicle gets rusty underneath.
Your vehicle was damaged in a collision.
0 Your vehicle was damaged when driving over
high points on the road or over road debris.
0 Repairs weren’t done correctly.
0 Your vehicle or exhaust system had been
If you ever suspect exhaust is coming into
your vehicle:
Drive it only with all the windows down to
0 Have your vehicle fixed immediately,
or
different.
modified improperly.
blow out any
CO; and
Running Your Engine While You’re
Parked (Automatic Transmission)
It’s better not to park with the engine running. But if
ever have
to, here are some things to know.
I
Idling the engine with the air system control
off could allow dangerous exhaust into
your vehicle (see the earlier Caution under
‘(Engine Exhaust”).
Also, idling in a closed-in place can let deadly
carbon monoxide
(CO) into your vehicle even if
the fan switch is at the highest setting. One place
this can happen
is a garage. Exhaust -- with
CO -- can come in easily. NEVER park in a
garage with the engine running.
Another closed-in place can be a blizzard. (See
“Blizzard” in the Index.)
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A CAUTION:
It can be 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.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to.
If you’ve 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 and your transfer case is in
NEUTRAL (N), your vehicle will be free to roll, even if
your shift lever is in PARK (P).
So, be sure the transfer
case
is in a drive gear -- not in NEUTRAL (N). Always
set your parking brake. Follow the proper steps
to be
sure your vehicle won’t move. See “Shifting Into
PARK
(P)” in the Index.
If you’re pulling a trailer,
see “Towing a Trailer” in
the Index.
Windows
Manual Windows
Turn the hand crank on each door to raise or lower
manual windows.
Power Windows (If Equipped)
Regular and Extended Cab
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Crew Cab
If you have the optional power windows, the controls
are on each
of the side doors.
The driver’s door has a switch for the passenger
windows as well. Your power windows will work when
the ignition has been turned to ACCESSORY or RUN. Press the rear
of the switch with the power window
symbol on it to lower the window.
Press the front of the switch with the power window
symbol on it to raise the window.
The driver’s window also has
an express down feature
that allows the window to be lowered without holding
the switch. Press and hold the side of the window switch
marked AUTO
for one second to activate the express
down mode. The express down mode can be canceled at
any time by pressing the opposite side of the switch. To
open the window partway, lightly tap the switch until the
window is at the desired position.
Lockout Switch (Crew Cab)
If you have a Crew Cab and power windows, the power
window switch has a lockout feature. This feature
prevents the rear windows from operating when the
front driver’s side switch is
in LOCK. The windows can
still be operated using the driver’s window switch.
When the switch is moved to
NORM, the rear power
windows will operate again.
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Swing-Out Windows (Extended Cab)
To open a rear swing-out
window, just flip the
latch open and swing the
glass out.
The latch will catch when the window is fully open and
hold the window in the open position.
Sliding Rear Window (If Equipped)
To open the sliding rear window, unlock the latch lever
by moving the lever toward the driver’s side. Release
the lever from the latch plate and slide the window
toward the driver’s side
of the vehicle.
To close the window, slide the window toward the
passenger’s side of the vehicle. The latch lever will
automatically snap locked on the latch plate. Try to open
the window without releasing the latch lever to be sure
the window is in the locked position.
Horn
On air bag-equipped vehicles, press the air bag module
in the center
of the steering wheel to sound the horn.
On vehicles not equipped with an air bag,
psS the pad
in the center of the steering wheel to sound the horn.
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Tilt Wheel (If Equipped)
A tilt steering wheel allows
you to adjust the steering
wheel before you drive.
You can also raise
it to the highest level to give your
legs more room when
you enter and exit the vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever. Move the steering wheel to a comfortable level,
then release the lever to lock the wheel in place.
lhrn SignaVMultifunction Lever
I, WIPER MIST-
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes your:
Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator,
Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer,
Windshield Wipers,
Windshield Washer and
0 Cruise Control (If Equipped).
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nrn Signal and Lane Change Signals
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
tum, move the lever all the way up or down.
When the
tum is finished, the lever will return automatically.
CII
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 and Circuit Breakers” in the Index).
Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low to high beam or high
to low beam, pull the multifunction 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 eea ror
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 ice or snow 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 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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