1998 GMC SAVANA mirror

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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2-24 2-25
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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
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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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Mirrors
Inside Daymight Rearview Mirror
Pull the tab under the mirror toward you to reduce glare
from headlamps behind you after dark. Push the tab
away from you to restore mirror to original position.
Outside Mirrors
Adjust your outside mirrors so you can just see the
side of your vehicle, and have a clear view
of objects
behind you. Some mirrors can be folded in to enter
narrow doorways.
Electric Outside Rearview Mirrors (Option)
If you have electric mirrors, they can be adjusted to
point where you want from inside the vehicle. Then,
adjust the mirror angle by pressing the outer
arrows
on the switch until the mirror is adjusted where
you want it.
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Your electric outside
rearview mirrors can be
defrosted by pressing the
switch next to the heater
controls. (See “Comfort
Controls” in the Index). Convex Outside Mirror
Your passenger’s side mirror may be convex. A convex
mirror’s surface is curved
so you can see more from the
driver’s seat.
A convex mirror can make things (like other
vehicles) look farther away than they really are.
If you cut too sharply into the right lane, you
could hit a vehicle on your right. Check your
inside mirror or glance over your shoulder before
changing lanes.
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Camper-vpe Mirrors (If Equipped)
If your vehicle is equipped
with the camper-type
mirrors, they can be
adjusted
so you can have
a clear view of objects
behind you.
1. To adjust the mirrors
when towing a trailer,
rotate the mirror by
pushing the mirror
head toward the front
of the vehicle.
2. Rotate the mirror
head,
so that the
mirror surface
faces the rear
of
the vehicle.
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I NOTICE:
Holding a cigarette lighter in with your hand
while it is heating can make it overload,
damaging the lighter and the heating element.
Just push the lighter all the way in and let go. When it’s done, it will pop back by itself.
To remove the front ashtray, pull up on the tab with a
key or screw driver inserted in the tab, and lift the
ashtray out.
Sun Visors
To block out glare, you can swing down the visors. You
can also swing them from side to side. Your visors have
elastic straps you
can use to hold items such as maps.
Visor Vanity Mirror (Option)
Some visors have mirrors built in, with or without
lamps. Just lift the mirror cover on each visor to turn the
lamps on, if you have them.
Lighted mirrors
also have an intensity switch to make
the mirror lamps brighter or dimmer. Just slide the
switch to the top for brighter light and to the bottom for
dimmer light.
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0 Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to
pass while you’re awaiting an opportunity. For one
thing, following too closely reduces your area
of
vision, especially if you’re following a larger
vehicle. Also,
you won’t have adequate space if the
vehicle ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a
reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start
to accelerate but stay in the right lane and don’t
get too close. Time your move
so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes
to move into the
other lane. If the way is clear to pass,
you will have a
“running start” that more than makes up for the
distance you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens
to cause you to cancel your pass,
you need only slow down and drop back again and
wait for another opportunity.
0 If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care that someone isn’t trying
to
pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember to glance over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.
0 Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
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of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead of the passed vehicle
to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just passed may seem
to be farther away from you
than it really is.)
Try
not to pass more than one vehicle at a time
on two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
Don’t overtake
a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps
are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little
to the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet
the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer and
constantly seek
an escape route or area of less danger.
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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.
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Driving at Night
A
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving.
One reason is that some drivers are likely
to be
impaired
-- by alcohol or drugs, with night vision
problems, or by fatigue.
Here are some tips on night driving.
0 Drive defensively.
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Don’t drink and drive.
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.
Since
you can’t see as well, you may need to
slow down and keep more space between
you and
other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only
so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place
and rest.
Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as
we get older these differences increase.
A 50-year-old
driver may require at least twice
as much light to see the
same thing at night
as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your night
vision. For example, if you spend
the day in bright
sunshine
you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will
have less trouble adjusting to night. But
if you’re
driving, don’t wear sunglasses at night. They may cut
down on glare from headlamps, but they also make
a lot
of things invisible.
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