1998 GMC SAVANA Owners Manual

NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause your
rear brakes to overheat. You may have to replace
them, and you could also damage other parts of
your vehicle. Always check to
be sure your parking
brake
is fully released before you drive.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
Shifting Into PARK (P)
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.
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, use the steps that
follow.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a
Trailer” in the Index.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
2-25
ProCarManuals.com

2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) like this:
Pull the lever toward you.
0 Move the lever up as far as it will go.
3. Move the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave your vehicle with the ignition key in your
hand, your vehicle
is in PARK (P).
2-26
ProCarManuals.com

Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine Running
A CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with the
engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P)
with the parking brake firmly set. And, if you
leave the vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch fire. You
or others could
be injured. Don’t leave your vehicle with the
engine running unless you have to.
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transmission into
PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transmission. You may find it difficult to pull the
shift lever out of PARK (P). This
is called “torque lock.”
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then
shift into PARK
(P) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat.
To find out how, see “Shifting Into
PARK (P)” in the Index.
When you are ready
to drive, move the shift Tever out of
PARK (P)
before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some
of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transmission,
so
you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
ProCarManuals.com

Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Your vehicle has a brake-transmission shift interlock
system. You have
to fully apply your regular brakes
before you can shift from PARK (P) when the ignition is
in RUN. See “Automatic Transmission” in the Index.
If you cannot shift out of PARK
(P), ease pressure on
the shift lever and push the shift lever all the way up
into PARK
(P) as you maintain brake application. Then,
move the shift lever into the gear you want. If you
ever hold the brake pedal down but still can’t
shift out of PARK
(P), try this:
1. Turn the key to OFF.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the drive gear
you want.
5. Have the brake-transmission shift interlock system
fixed as soon
as you can.
2-28
ProCarManuals.com

Parking Over Things That Burn
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:
Your exhaust system sounds strange
Your vehicle gets rusty underneath.
0 Your vehicle was damaged in a collision.
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:
0 Drive it only with all the windows down to
Have your vehicle fixed immediately. or
different.
modified improperly.
blow out any
CO; and
2-29
ProCarManuals.com

Running Your Engine While
You’re Parked
It’s better not to park with the engine running. But if
ever you have to, here are some things to know.
t-
Idling the engine with the air system control off
could allow dangerous exhaust into your vehicle
(see the earlier Caution under “Engine Exhaust”).
I 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.) It can
be dangerous to get out of
yvur 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).
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.
Locking Rear Axle (If Equipped)
If you have this feature, your locking 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, this feature will allow
the wheel with
traction to move the vehicle.
2-30
ProCarManuals.com

Windows
Manual Windows
To operate your manual windows, turn the hand crank
on each door to raise or lower your side door windows.
Power Windows (Option)
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 the
RUN position.
Push the rear
of the switch with the power window
symbol on it to lower the window.
Push the front of the switch with the power window
symbol
on it to raise the window.
The driver’s window switch also has an express-down
feature that allows the window to lower 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
cancelled at any time by pressing the opposite side
of
the switch. To open the window part way, lightly tap the
switch until the window is at
the desired position.
If you have the optional power windows, the controls
are
on each of the side doors.
2-31
ProCarManuals.com

Swing-Out Windows
Rear Swing-Out Window
Side Swing-Out Window
To open your side door swing-out windows, pull up on
the latch at the edge
of the window and swing the
window out and push down the latch into the locked
open position.
To close the window, pull the latch toward you and push
down on the latch
to lock it.
Your rear swing-out windows work the same way, but
the latch
is at the bottom edge of the window.
2-32
i c
ProCarManuals.com