1998 CHEVROLET PRIZM brake

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Lamps On Reminder
If you turn the ignition to LOCK or ACC and leave the lamps
on, you’ll hear a tone when you open the driver’s door.
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 low-beam headlamps
come on at a reduced brightness when the parking brake
is released with the engine started, even with the lamp
switch in the
OFF position. They will not go off until
the engine is turned off.
When you
turn on the headlamp switch, your DRL will go
out and your headlamps will come on. The other lamps
that come on with your headlamps will also come on.
When you turn
off the headlamp switch, the regular
lamps will go off and your low-beam headlamps come
on at the reduced brightness of DRL. DRL also comes
on if you are only using the parking lamps.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need
it.
Automatic Light Control
Your vehicle is equipped with an automatic light sensor
on top of the instrument panel, so be sure it is not
covered which will cause the nighttime lights to be
on continuously.
When
it is dark enough outside, your ALC will turn
on your low-beam headlamps at the normal brightness
along with other lamps such as the taillamps,
sidemarker, park lamps and instrument panel lights.
There is
a 20-second delay in the transition between
daytime and nighttime operation of the DRL and the
ALC systems. If the light sensor senses a reduction
in lighting that lasts longer than
20 seconds, it will
activate the nighttime lamps. If you are driving through
a parking garage, heavy overcast weather, a tunnel or
fueling your vehicle in a low light area, the ALC will
turn on your low-beam headlamps at a normal
brightness along with the taillamps, sidemarker, park
lamps and the instrument panel lights. The radio lights
will be dimmer.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine BRAKE
Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts.
If one part isn’t working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there is a brake problem.
Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come
on
when you turn the key to
START.
If it doesn’t come
on then, have it fixed
so it
will be ready to warn you
if there’s a problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully.
You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the floor.
It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on, or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light is flashing, have
the vehicle towed for service, (See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” and “Towing Your Vehicle” in
the Index.)
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is
on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident. If the light is still on or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light is flashing
after you’ve pulled
off the road and stopped
carefully, have the vehicle towed for service.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake. The
light will stay on if your parking brake doesn’t release
fully. If it stays on after your parking brake
is fully
released, it means you have a brake problem.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light (Option)
ABS
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will
come
on when you start
your engine and it will
stay on for three seconds.
That’s normal.
If the light flashes when you’re driving, you don’t have
anti-lock brakes and there could be a problem w ‘th your
regular brakes. Pull
off the road and stop carefully. You
may notice that the pedal is harder to push. Or, the pedal
may go closer to the floor. It may take longer to stop.
Have the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your
Vehicle” in the Index.)
Your regular brake system may not be working
properly if the anti-lock brake system warning
light is flashing. Driving with the anti-lock
brake system warning light flashing can lead
to an accident. After you’ve pulled
off the road
and stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed
for service.
If the anti-lock brake system warning light stays on
longer than normal after you’ve started your engine, turn
the ignition
off. Or, if the light comes on and stays on
when you’re driving, stop as soon as possible and turn
the ignition
off. Then start the engine again to reset the
system. If the light still stays
on, or comes on again
while you’re driving, your vehicle needs service. If the
light is
on but not flashing and the regular brake system
warning light isn’t
on, you still have brakes, but you
don’t have anti-lock brakes.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to ON. If the
light doesn’t come
on then, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn
you if there is a problem.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.
Please start with
a very important safety device in your
Chevrolet: Buckle up. (See “Safety Belts”
in the Index.) Defensive
driving really means
“be ready for anything,”
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.”
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going
to
be careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they
might do.
Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable
of accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough
following distance. It’s
the best defensive driving
maneuver, in both city and rural driving. You never
know when
the vehicle in front of you is going to
brake or turn suddenly.
Defensive driving requires that
a driver concentrate
on the driving task. Anything that distracts from the
driving task
-- such as concentrating on a cellular
telephone call, reading, or reaching for something on
the floor
-- makes proper defensive driving more
difficult and can even cause a collision, with resulting
injury.
Ask a passenger to help do things like this, or
pull off the road in
a safe place to do them yourself.
These simple defensive driving techniques could save
your life.
4-2

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to
go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving
on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more
of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means
you can lose control
of your vehicle.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s
perception time. Then you have to bring up
your foot and
do it. That’s reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second. But
that’s only
an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long
as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in
3/4 of a second, a vehicle
moving at
60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be a lot of distance in an emergency,
so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and others
is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface
of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition of the road (wet,
dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight
of the
vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 (Option)
Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is
an advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking slud.
ABS
If your vehicle has anti-lock
brakes, this warning light
on
the instrument panel will
come on briefly when you
start your vehicle.
When you start your engine, or when you 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, and you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.
If there’s a problem with
the anti-lock brake system, the
anti-lock brake system warning light will stay
on or
flash. See “Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light” in
the Index.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Here's how anti-lock works. Let's say the road is wet.
You're driving safely. Suddenly an animal jumps out in
front of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here's what happens with
ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If one
of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer will
separately work the brakes at each front wheel and at
both rear wheels. The
anti-lock system can change the brake pressure
faster than any driver could. The computer is
programmed to make the most
of available tire and
road conditions.
You can steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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
firmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but
this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking. If
you have anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However, if you don’t have anti-lock, your
first reaction
-- to hit the brake pedal hard and hold it
down
-- may be the wrong thing to do. Your wheels can
stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle can’t respond to
your steering. Momentum will carry it in whatever
direction it was headed when the wheels stopped rolling.
That could be off the road, into the
very thing you were
trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you don’t have anti-lock, use a “squeeze” braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking while
maintaining steering control. You do this by pushing on
the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure.
In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze
the brakes hard without locking the wheels.
If you
hear or feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal.
This will help you retain steering control.
(If you do
have anti-lock, it’s different: see “Anti-Lock Brakes”
in the Index.)
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
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