1998 GMC SAVANA warning

Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
ANTI -
LOCK
United States Canada
With
the anti-lock brake system, this light will come on
when you start your engine and may stay on for several
seconds. That’s normal.
If the light stays on, or comes
on when you’re driving,
your vehicle needs service. If the regular brake system
warning light isn’t
on, you still have brakes, but you
don’t have anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system
warning light is also
on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes
and there’s a problem with your regular brakes. See
“Brake System Warning Light” earlier in this section.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when
you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be
ready
to warn you if there is a problem.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine
gage pointer moves into
the red area your engine is
coolant temperature.
If the
260 too
hot!
It means that your engine coolant has overheated.
If
you have been operating your vehicle under normal
operating conditions,
you should pull off the road, stop
your vehicle, and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
The “Problems on the Road’’ section of this
manual shows what
to do. See “Engine Overheating”
in the Index.
2-57
ProCarManuals.com

Daytime Running Lamps Indicator Light
You may have this light on
the instrument panel. It will
light whenever the
DRL are
on. It is also a reminder to
turn on your headlamps
when driving at night.
Check Gages Light
CHECK
GAGES
The CHECK GAGES light
will come
on briefly when
you are starting the engine.
If the light comes on and stays on while you are driving,
check your coolant temperature and engine
oil pressure
gages
to see if they are in the warning zones.
2-62
ProCarManuals.com

Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine and 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. This is normal.
ANTI -
LOCK
United States
Canada
If there’s a problem with the anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay
on. See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” in the Index. 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.
4-7
ProCarManuals.com

In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But skids
are
always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels aren’t rolling. In the steering
or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires
to slip and
lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid, too
much throttle causes the driving wheels
to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration skid
are best
handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide,
ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid if it occurs. Of
course, traction is reauced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions.
It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving
on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to a lower
gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to
slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery until
your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues
-- such as enough water, ice or packed snow on
the road to make a “mirrored surface”
-- and slow
down when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
4-13
ProCarManuals.com

City Driving One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You’ll want to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing
and pay attention to
traffic signals.
Here
are ways to increase your safety in city driving:
Know the best way to get to where you are going. Get
a city map and plan your
trip into an unknown part of
the city just as you would for a cross-country trip.
Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most
large cities. You’ll save time and energy. (See the
next part, “Freeway Driving.”)
there because the comer is busy enough to need it.
When a light turns green,
and just before you start to
move, check both ways for vehicles that have not
cleared the intersection or may
be running the red light.
Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic light is I r
4-18
ProCarManuals.com

Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your vehicle. lncluae
an ice scraper, a small brush
or broom, a supply
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing,
a small shovel, a flashlight, a red cloth and
reflective warning triangles. And,
if you will be driving
under severe conditions, include a small bag
of sand, a
piece
of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags to help
provide traction. Be sure
you properly secure these
items in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet the
road probably have good traction.
However,
if there is snow or ice between your tires and
the road, you can have a very slippery situation. You’ll
have a
lot less traction or “grip” and will need to be
very careful.
4-23
ProCarManuals.com

Making Turns
NOTICE:
Making very sharp turns while trailering could cause the trailer to come in contact with the vehicle. Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns than
normal.
Do this so your trailer won’t strike soft shoulders,
curbs, road signs, trees or other objects. Avoid jerky or
sudden maneuvers. Signal well
in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have extra
wiring and a heavy-duty turn signal flasher (included in
the optional trailering package).
The arrows on your instrument panel will flash
whenever you signal
a turn or lane change. Properly
hooked up, the trailer lamps will also flash, telling other
drivers you’re about
to turn, change lanes or stop. When towing
a trailer,
the arrows on your instrument
panel
will flash for turns even if the bulbs on the trailer
are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers behind
you are seeing your signal when they are not. It’s
important to check occasionally
to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down a long or steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have
to use your brakes so much that
they would get hot and
no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your
speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility of engine and transmission overheating.
When towing at high altitude on steep uphill grades,
consider the following: Engine coolant will boil at a lower
temperature than at normal altitudes. If you turn your
engine
off immediately after towing at high altitude on
steep uphill grades, your vehicle may show signs similar to
engine overheating.
To avoid this, let the engine run while
parked (preferably
on level ground) with the automatic
transmission
in PARK (P) for a few minutes before turning
the engine off. If you do get
the overheat warning, see
“Engine Overheating” in
the Index.
4-35
ProCarManuals.com

Section 5 Problems on the Road
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road.
5-2
5-2
5-3
5-8
5-1 1
Hazard Warning Flashers
Other Warning Devices
Jump Starting
Towing Your Vehicle
Engine Overheating (Gasoline Engine)
5- 14
5-2 1
5-2 1
5 -22
5-36
Cooling System (Gasoline Engines)
Engine Fan Noise
If a Tire Goes Flat
Changing a
Flat Tire
If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow
5-1
ProCarManuals.com