1998 GMC SAVANA manual transmission

Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your vehicle, and information on starting,
shifting and braking. Also explained are the instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is
working properly
-- and what to do if you have a problem.
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2-4 2-6
2-9
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2- 16
2- 17
2- 17
2- 18
2-20 2-2
1
2-24 2-25
2-28 2-29
2-29 Keys
Door Locks
Keyless Entry System
(If Equipped)
Your Doors and How They Work
Theft Passlock’
New Vehicle “Break-In’,
Ignition Positions
Starting Your Gasoline Engine
Engine Coolant Heater (If Equipped)
Automatic Transmission Operation
Parking Brake Shifting Into PARK (P)
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Parking Over Things That Burn
Engine Exhaust 2-30
2-30
2-3 1
2-33
2-34
2-34
2-40 2-43
2-45
2-48 2-48
2-49
2-50
2-5 1
2-53 Running
Your Engine While You’re Parked
Locking Rear Axle (If Equipped)
Windows
Horn
Tilt Wheel (Option)
Turn SignalMultifunction Lever
Exterior
Lamps
Interior Lamps Mirrors Storage Compartments
Cigarette LightedAshtray
Sun Visors
Instrument Panel
Instrument Cluster
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
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It can be dangerous to drive with the rear doors
open because carbon monoxide
(CO) gas can
come into your vehicle. You can’t see or smell
CO. It can cause unconsciousness and even death.
If you must drive with the rear doors open or if
electrical wiring or other cable connections must
pass through the seal between the body and the rear doors:
Make sure all windows are shut.
0 Turn the fan on your heating or cooling
system to its highest speed with the setting on VENT, HEAT,
BLEND or DEF.
Additionally, on vehicles with heatindair
conditioning systems,
NORM A/C or
BI-LEVEL
A/C can be used. That will
force outside air into your vehicle. See
“Comfort Controls’’ in the Index.
If you have air outlets on or under the
instrument panel, open them all the way.
See “Engine Exhaust” in the Index.
Theft
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your vehicle has a number of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on it can
make it
impossible to steal. However, there are ways
you can help.
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
and 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.
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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, if
your vehicle is being pushed).
RUN (I)): This is the position for driving.
START (E): This starts your engine.
I NOTICE:
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.
Starting Your Gasoline Engine
If you have a diesel engine, see “Starting Your Diesel
Engine” in
the Diesel Engine Supplement.
Move your shift lever to
PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N).
Your engine won’t start in any other position -- that’s a
safety feature.
To restart when you’re already moving,
use NEUTRAL
(N) only.
I NOTICE:
Don’t try to shift to PARK (P) if your vehicle is
moving. If you do, you could damage the
transmission. Shift to
PARK (P) only when your
vehicle is stopped.
1. Without pushing the accelerator pedal, turn your
ignition key
to START. When the engine starts, let
go of the key. The idle speed will go down as your
engine gets warm.
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4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and store
the cord
as it was before to keep it away from moving
engine parts.
If you don’t, it could be damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on
the outside temperature, the
kind of oil you have, and some other things. Instead
of
trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your dealer in the area where you’ll be parking your
vehicle. The dealer can give you the best advice for that
particular area.
Automatic Transmission Operation
There are several different positions for your shift lever.
Your vehicle is equipped with
an automatic
transmission, and it 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 the
PARK (P) position. This means
that if your key is in the
OFF position, but not locked,
there will be a small current drain on your battery which
could discharge your battery over a period of time. If
you have a need to leave your key in the ignition in the
OFF position for an extended period for any reason, 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.
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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.
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).
See “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in the Index. If
you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a Trailer” in
the Index.
Ensure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) before
starting the engine. Your vehicle has
a
brake-transmission shift interlock. With the ignition in
the RUN position, you must fully apply your regular
brakes before you can shift from PARK
(P).
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever and push the shift lever all the way into
PARK (P) as you continue pressing the brake pedal.
Then move the shift lever into
the gear you want. See
“Shifting Out
of PARK (P)” later in this section.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting into 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.
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r
I I - CAUTION:
Shifting out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) while
your engine is “racing” (running at high speed) is
1 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.
DRIVE
(D): This position is for normal driving. If you
need more power for passing, and you’re:
0 Going less than about 35 mph (55 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (55 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
You’ll shift down
to the next gear and have more power.
You should use DRIVE (D) (or, as
you need to, a lower
gear) when towing a trailer
to minimize heat build-up
and extend the life
of your transmission.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, however, it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than DRIVE (D). You should use THIRD
(3)
when carrying a heavy load or driving on steep hills.
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
(2). 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(
l), the transmission
won’t shift into first gear until the vehicle is going
slowly enough.
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NOTICE:
If your rear wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if you are stuck in very
deep sand or mud or are 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.
Parking Br ke
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot. Push down the parking brake
pedal with your left
foot.
If the ignition is on, the brake system warning light will
come
on.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down.
Pull the handle, located just above the
parking brake pedal, marked BRAKE RELEASE to
release the parking brake.
If the ignition is on when the parking brake is released,
the brake system warning light will go off.
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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).
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