1997 GMC SIERRA wheel

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Key in the Ignition
If you leave your vehicle with the keys inside, it’s an
easy target for
joy riders or professional thieves -- so
don’t do it.
When you park your vehicle and open the driver’s door, you’ll hear a tone reminding you to remove your key
from the ignition and take it with you. Always do this.
Your steering wheel will be locked, and
so will your
ignition.
If you have an automatic transmission, taking
your key out also locks your transmission. And
remember to lock the doors.
Parking at Night
Park in a lighted spot, close all windows and lock your
vehicle. Remember
to keep your valuables out of sight.
Put them in a storage area, or take them with you.
Parking Lots
If you park in a lot where someone will be watching
your vehicle, it’s best to lock it
up and take your keys.
But what
if you have to leave your ignition key? What if
you have to leave something valuable in your vehicle?
Put your valuables in a storage area, like your
glove box.
Lock all the doors except the driver’s.
New Vehicle “Break-In”
NOTICE:
Your modern vehicle doesn’t need an elaborate
“break-in.” But it will perform better in the long
run
if you follow these guidelines:
Keep your speed at 55 mph (88 km/h) or
less for the first
500 miles (805 km).
Don’t drive at any one speed -- fast or
slow
-- for the first 500 miles (805 km).
Don’t make full-throttle starts.
200 miles (322 km) or so. During this time
your new brake linings aren’t yet broken
in. Hard stops with new linings can mean
premature wear and earlier replacement.
Follow this breaking-in guideline every
time you get new brake linings.
0 Don’t tow a trailer during break-in. See
“Towing a Trailer’’ in the Index for
more information.
a Avoid making hard stops for the first
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Ignition Positions
You can use your key to turn your ignition switch to five
different positions.
A E
ACCESSORY (A): ACCESSORY lets you use things
like the radio, power windows and the windshield
wipers when the engine
is off. Push in the key and turn
it towards you. Your steering wheel will remain locked,
just as it was before you inserted the key.
LOCK (B): This position locks your ignition, steering
wheel and transmission. It’s
a theft-deterrent feature.
You will only be able to remove your key when the
ignition is turned to
LOCK.
OFF (C): This position lets you turn off the engine but
still turn the steering wheel. It doesn’t lock the steering
wheel like
LOCK. Use OFF if you must have your
vehicle
in motion while the engine is off (for example,
your vehicle
is being pushed).
RUN (D): This is the position for driving.
START (E): This starts your engine.
I-
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I A CAUTIO1.;
if
On manual transmission vehicles, turning the key
to
LOCK will lock the steering column and result
in
a loss of ability to steer the vehicle. This could
cause
a collision. If you need to turn the engine
off while the vehicle is moving, turn the key only
to
OFF. Don’t press the key release button while
the vehicle is moving.
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I NOTICE: I
If your key seems stuck in LOCK and you can’t
turn it, be sure
you are using the correct key; if
so, is it all the way in? If it is, then turn the
steering wheel left and right while you turn the
key hard. But turn the key only with your hand.
Using
a tool to force it could break the key or the
ignition switch. If none of this works, then your
vehicle needs service.
Key Release Button
of manual transmiss~on
vehicles unless the key
release button
is used.
To remove the key on manual transmission vehicles,
turn the key to
OFF, then press the button and turn the
key to
LOCK. Do not hold the button in while turning
the key to
OFF. Keeping your finger on the button, pull
the key straight out.
On automatic transmission vehicles, turn the key to
LOCK and pull it straight out.
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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:
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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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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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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.
Manual Transfer Case (If Equipped)
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. 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 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.
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.
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