1998 GMC SIERRA heater

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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3
2-4 2-5
2-6
2-9
2-
10
2- 10
2-1 1
2-12
2- 14
2-15
2-18
2-2
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2-25
2-26
2-29 Keys
Tailgate
Third Door
(If Equipped)
Door Locks
Keyless Entry System (If Equipped)
Theft
PasslockTM
New Vehicle ”Break-In”
Ignition Positions
Starting Your Gasoline Engine
Engine Coolant Heater (If Equipped) Automatic Transmission Operation
Manual Transmission Operation Four-wheel Drive
(If Equipped)
Parking Brake
Shifting Into Park
(P) (Automatic
Transmission Models
Only)
Shifting Out of Park (P)
(Automatic Transmission) 2-29
2-30
2-30
2-3 1
2-32
2-32
2-34
2-35
2-4
1
2-43
2-45
2-5
1
2-60
2-62
2-64 Parking
Your Vehicle (Manual Transmission
Models
Only)
Parking Over Things That Burn
Engine Exhaust
Running Your Engine While You’re Parked
(Automatic Transmission)
Locking Rear Axle (If Equipped)
Windows
Tilt Wheel (If Equipped)
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
Exterior Lamps
Interior Lamps Mirrors
Storage Compartments
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel Cluster
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
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Engine Coolant Heater (If Equipped)
In very cold weather, 0°F (- 1 SOC) or colder, the engine
coolant heater can help. You’ll get easier starting and
better fuel economy during engine warm-up. Usually,
the coolant heater should be plugged in a minimum of
four hours prior to starting your vehicle.
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
The engine coolant heater electrical cord
is located
on the driver’s side
of the engine compartment, near
the power steering reservoir.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock.
Also, the wrong
kind
of extension cord could overheat and cause
a fire. You could be seriously injured. Plug the
cord into a properly grounded three-prong 110-volt
AC outlet. If the cord won’t reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least
15 amps.
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.
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Comfort Controls
Heater Control System
Fan Knob
The knob on the left side of the heating system control
panel controls the fan speed. The knob has four speed
positions.
To increase airflow, move the knob toward
HI. To decrease airflow, move it toward LO. To turn the
fan off, move the knob to OFF.
Temperature Knob
The middle knob on the control panel lets you select the
relative temperature
of the air flowing into the passenger
area of your vehicle. This knob will allow you to adjust
the relative air temperature independently
of the
function knob setting. Move the knob to the right,
toward the red area for warmer air. Move the knob
to the
left, toward the blue area for cooler air.
Mode Knob
The right knob on the control panel allows you to
choose the direction
of air delivery. The control knob
can be placed
in any position between two mode settings
to blend the flow of air.
/r VENT This setting directs air through the
-bo
instrument panel outlets.
.)rr VENT/HEAT Use this setting to divide ailflow
between the floor outlets and instrument panel outlets.
+/r HEATER: This setting directs air through the
floor outlets.
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+’ DEFOG: This setting directs air to the heater
outlets and toward the windshield.
DEFROST: This setting directs air toward
the windshield.
Heater and Air Conditioning Control
System
(If Equipped)
Fan Knob
The knob on the left side of the heating system control
panel controls the fan speed. The knob has four speed
positions. To increase airflow. move the knob toward
HI. To decrease airflow, move it toward LO. To turn the
fan
off, move the knob to OFF. If you have the air
conditioner
on. moving the fan knob to OFF also turns
off the
A/C compressor.
While driving
with the fan knob in OFF, ram airtlow
will vent to the
floor outlets. The mode knob will not
redirect ram airflow to other selected outlet positions.
This is
a normal operation for the OFF position.
Temperature Knob
The middle knob on the control panel lets you select the
relative temperature of the air flowing into the passenger
area of your vehicle. This knob will allow you to adjust
the relative air temperature independently
of the
function knob setting. Move the
knob to the right,
toward the red area for warmer
air. Move the knob to the
left, toward the blue area for cooler air.
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Mode Knob
The right knob on the control panel allows you to
choose the direction
of air delivery. The control knob
can be placed in any position between two mode settings
to blend the flow of air.
+e
/$ VENT This setting directs air through the
instrument panel outlets.
+’ VENT/HEAT Use this setting to divide airflow
between the floor outlets and instrument panel outlets.
+’ HEATER: This setting directs air through the
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heater floor outlets.
+’ DEFOG: This setting directs air to the heater
we
outlets and toward the windshield.
DEFROST This setting directs air toward the
windshield.
Air Conditioning
On hot days, open the windows long enough to let hot
air inside escape. This reduces the titne
it takes for your
vehicle to cool down. Then keep your windows closed
for the air conditioner to work its best. The recirculation button, between the
fan and
temperature
knobs, allows the air inside your vehicle to
be recirculated. This setting helps to maximize your air
conditioner’s performance and your vehicle’s fuel
economy. This setting also cools the air the fatest and
can be used
to keep unwanted odors and/or dust from
entering the vehicle. When using the air conditioner,
turn off recirculation after the vehicle reaches
a
comfortable interior temperature. When the right knob
on the control panel is between HEATER and
DEFROST, the recirculation feature will not function.
The A/C button, between the temperature and mode
knobs, allows the air coming into your vehicle to be
cooled. This setting is useful for normal cooling on hot
days. When you use
A/C with the recirculation button
pushed
in, turn off recirculation as soon as the vehicle
reaches
a comfortable interior temperature.
With the A/C
on, move the temperature knob to MAX
for maximum cooling. This setting also puts the system
in the recirculation mode and helps to maximize your air
conditioner‘s performance and your vehicle’s fuel
economy. This setting also cools the air the Fdstest. After
the vehicle‘s interior reaches
a comfortable temperature,
move the temperature knob to the right, to place the air
conditioning system
in the normal mode.
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Heating
The heater works best if you keep your windows closed
while using it. On cold days, use the
HEATER or
VENTMEAT setting with the temperature knob in the
red area.
If you use the engine coolant heater before starting your
engine in cold weather,
20” F (-8 O C) or lower, your
heating system will produce warmer air faster, to heat
the passenger compartment
in cold weather.
The use of an engine coolant heater also reduces the
time it takes for the engine to reach normal operating
temperature, and shortens the time it takes the heater to
reach full output. For more information, see “Engine
Coolant Heater” in the Index.
Ventilation System
For mild outside temperatures when little heating or
cooling is needed,
use VENT to direct outside air
through your vehicle. Air will flow through the
instrument panel outlets.
Your vehicle’s ventilation system supplies outside
air to
the inside of your vehicle when
it is moving. With the side
windows closed,
air will flow into the front air inlet grilles,
through the vehicle, and out the
air exhaust valves. Outside air
will also enter the vehicle when the heater or
the air conditioning fan is running, unless you have the
recirculation button pushed in. For more information on
the recirculation button, see “Air Conditioning’’ earlier
in this section.
Your vehicle has air outlets in the center and
on the sides
of your instrument panel. You can move the outlets from
side-to-side or up and down to direct the flow of air, or
close the outlets altogether. When you close an outlet,
it
will increase the flow of air coming out of any outlets
that are open. These outlets do not completely shut off
airflow when in the closed position.
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Ventilation Tips
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Keep the hood and front air inlet free of ice, snow or
any other obstruction (such
as leaves). The heater
and defroster will work far better, reducing the
chance
of fogging the inside of your windows.
When you enter a vehicle
in cold weather, turn the
blower fan to
HI for a few moments before driving.
This helps clear the intake ducts of snow and
moisture, and reduces the chance of fogging the
inside of your windows.
Keep
the air path under the front seats clear of
objects. This helps air
to circulate throughout
your vehicle.
The use of hood air deflectors may adversely
affect
the performance of the heating and air
conditioning system.
Defogging and Defrosting
On cool, humid days, use DEFOG to keep the
windshield and side windows clear. Use
DEFROST to
remove fog
or ice from the windshield in extremely
humid or cold conditions. Use DEFROST with the
temperature knob toward the red area and the fan control
toward
HI.
Rear Window Defogger (If Equipped)
If you see lines running across the rear window, you
have
a rear window defogger. The lines warm the glass.
To turn on the rear window
defogger, press this button
next to the fan control knob.
The rear window defogger will only work if the
ignition switch is turned to
RUN. For best results, clear
the window of as much
snow or ice
as possible first.
The defogger
will shut itself off after several minutes. If
you need additional warming time, press the button
again.
You can turn the defogger off at any time by
pressing the button.
Do not attach a temporary vehicle license, tape or decals
across the defogger grid on the rear window.
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Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle.
This can cause deadly CO (carbon monoxide) gas
to get inside.
CO could overcome you and kill
you.
You can’t see it or smell it, so you might not
know it is
in your vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base
of your vehicle, especially any
that is blocking your exhaust pipe. And check
around again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn’t collect there.
Open
a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle
that’s away from the wind. This will help
keep
CO out.
Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run
the engine, make it go a little faster
than just idle. That is, push the accelerator slightly. This
uses less fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps
the
battery (or batteries) charged. You will need a
well-charged battery
(or batteries) to restart the vehicle,
and possibly for signaling later on with your headlamps.
Let the heater run for a while.
If you have a diesel engine, you may have to run it at a
higher speed to get enough heat. Then, shut the engine
off and close the window almost all the way to preserve
the heat. Start the engine again and repeat this only
when you feel really uncomfortable from the cold. But
do it
as little as possible. Preserve the fuel as long as you
can.
To help keep warm, you can get out of the vehicle
and do some fairly vigorous exercises every half hour or
so until help comes.
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