1999 CHEVROLET VENTURE Owners Manual

yellowblue
2-61
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the hills.
When going up steep hills, you may have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When going
downhill, you may have to brake or shift to a lower gear
to keep your speed down. Of course, applying the brake
takes you out of cruise control. Many drivers find this to
be too much trouble and don't use cruise control on
steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:

Step lightly on the brake pedal; or

Move the cruise switch to OFF.
Erasing Cruise Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory is erased.Exterior Lamps
Turning the dial to this setting turns on:

Parking Lamps

Sidemarker Lamps

Taillamps

Instrument Panel Lights

yellowblue
2-62
Turning the dial to this setting turns on the
headlamps, together with:

Parking Lamps

Sidemarker Lamps

Taillamps

Instrument Panel Lights
Turning the dial to this setting turns off all the lamps
and lights.
Lamps On Reminder
If the driver's door is opened and you turn the ignition
to OFF or LOCK while leaving the lamps on, you will
hear a warning chime.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the day.
DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel makes the
DRL work, so be sure it isn't covered. The DRL system
will make front parking and turn signal lamps come on
in daylight when:

The ignition is on,

the headlamp switch is off and

the parking brake is released.
When the DRL are on, only your front parking and turn
signal lamps will be on. Your instrument panel won't be
lit up.

yellowblue
2-63
When it's dark enough outside, the exterior lamps will
come on automatically. When it's bright enough outside,
the exterior lamps will go out and the DRL will turn on.
Of course, you may still turn on the headlamps any time
you need to.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, set the parking
brake while the ignition is in OFF or LOCK. Then start
the vehicle. The DRL will stay off until you release the
parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Intensity Control
Turn the control, located below the headlamps switch,
clockwise to increase the brightness of the instrument
panel lights, and counterclockwise to decrease the
brightness. Turn the control all the way
counterclockwise to turn them off.
Interior Lamps Control
Turn the dial all the way clockwise to turn on the
interior lamps, if the interior lamps override switch is
off. Turn the dial counterclockwise to turn the lamps off.
Interior Lamps Override Switch
This switch is located in the
overhead console
switchbank. Press the
symbol on the bottom of the
switch to override control of
the interior lamps and turn
off power to the courtesy
lamps, reading lamps and
glove box lamp.
Press the top of the interior lamps override switch to
turn power back on to the interior lamps. This will allow
the lamps to stay on when any door is open.

yellowblue
2-64Illuminated Entry
With illuminated entry, the interior of your vehicle is
illuminated so you can see inside before you enter your
vehicle. The lamps will come on for 40 seconds if you
unlock your door using your key or the remote keyless
entry transmitter (if equipped) and the ignition is in
LOCK or OFF. After 40 seconds have passed, the
interior lamps will slowly fade out. The lamps will turn
off before the 40 seconds if you:

lock all the doors using the key,

press LOCK on the power door lock switch or

press LOCK on the remote keyless entry transmitter
(if equipped).
When any door is opened, illuminated entry is cancelled.
The interior lamps will stay on while any door or the
liftgate is open, and slowly fade out when all doors and
the liftgate are closed.
The interior lamps may stay on for up to 25 seconds
after all doors have been closed if they have not been
locked. See ªDelayed Illuminationº later in this section.
To turn the exit lighting feature off or on, see
ªMultifunction Alarm Locks and Lighting Choicesº in
the Index.
Delayed Illumination
The delayed illumination feature will continue to
illuminate the interior for 25 seconds after all doors have
been closed so that you can find your ignition and
buckle your safety belt at night. Delayed illumination
will not occur while the ignition is in RUN or
ACCESSORY. After 25 seconds have passed, the
interior lamps will slowly fade out. The lamps will fade
out before the 25 seconds have passed if you:

Turn the ignition to RUN or ACCESSORY,

lock all doors using the remote keyless entry
transmitter (if equipped) or

lock all the doors using the power door lock switch
or the key.
To turn the delayed illumination feature off or on, see
ªMultifunction Alarm Locks and Lighting Choicesº in
the Index.

yellowblue
2-65
Exit Lighting
With exit lighting, the interior lamps will come on for
about 25 seconds whenever you remove the key from
the ignition switch. If you turn the ignition key to RUN
or ACCESSORY, the lamps will fade out. The lamps
will also fade out if you lock the doors with the power
door lock switch or the remote keyless entry transmitter
(if equipped).
When any door is opened, exit lighting is cancelled. The
interior lamps will stay on while any door or liftgate is
open, and slowly fade out when all doors and the liftgate
are closed.
The interior lamps may stay on for up to 25 seconds
after all doors have been closed if they have not been
locked. See ªDelayed Illuminationº earlier in
this section.
To turn the exit lighting feature off or on, see
ªMultifunction Alarm Locks and Lighting Choicesº in
the Index.
Front Reading Lamps
There are two reading lamps in the overhead console.
To turn on or off either reading lamp, press the lens of
the lamp. To turn off the lamp, press the lens again.
These lamps will go on each time you open the doors,
unless you enable the interior lights override feature.

yellowblue
2-66Rear Reading Lamps
There are two reading lamps in the third row headliner,
above the outboard seating positions. If your vehicle
does not have dual sliding doors, there is also a reading
lamp in the second row on the driver's side.
To turn on either reading lamp, press the lamp lens.
Dome Lamp
This lamp is located in the center of your vehicle and
has no switch of its own. It will go on each time you
open the doors, unless you enable the interior lights
override feature.
Cargo Lamp
This lamp is located in the rear of your vehicle, above
the liftgate opening, and has no switch of its own. It will
go on each time you open the doors, unless you enable
the interior lights override.
Battery Saver
Your vehicle has a feature to help prevent you from
draining the battery, in case you accidentally leave the
interior lamps on. If you leave any interior lamps on
while the ignition is in LOCK or OFF, they will
automatically turn off after 10 minutes. The lamps won't
come back on again until you:

Turn the ignition to RUN or ACCESSORY,

turn the interior lamps dial all the way clockwise,
then slightly back counterclockwise; or

open (or close and reopen) a door that is closed.
NOTE: If your vehicle has less than 15 miles (25 km) on
the odometer, the battery saver will turn off the lamps
after only three minutes.
Mirrors
Inside Day/Night Rearview Mirror
To reduce glare from lights behind you, pull the lever
toward you (to the night position). To return the mirror
to the day position, push the lever away from you.

yellowblue
2-67
Power Remote Control Mirrors
The control on the driver's
door controls both outside
rearview mirrors.
Turn the control counterclockwise to select the driver's
side rearview mirror, or clockwise to select the passenger's
side rearview mirror. Then use the control to adjust each
mirror so that you can just see the side of your vehicle
when you are sitting in a comfortable driving position.
If you are not adjusting either mirror, leave the control
in the center off position. This prevents moving the
mirrors accidentally once you have them adjusted.
Both outside mirrors can be folded forward or rearward.
In the rearward position, they will fold almost flush with
the vehicle. This feature is particularly useful in
automatic car washes.Your mirrors have a blue tint to reduce glare while
driving at night.Convex Outside Mirror
Your passenger's side mirror is convex. A convex
mirror's surface is curved so you can see more from the
driver's seat.
CAUTION:
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.
Heated Outside Mirrors
The left and right outside mirrors are heated when you
activate the rear window defogger. See ªRear Window
Defoggerº in the Index.

yellowblue
2-68
Storage Compartments
Your vehicle's large carrying capacity can store many
items. If you have the extended wheelbase version, you
can carry things as large as a 4
x 8
piece of plywood.
You can also use the floor pins that are used to attach the
seats, to secure larger loads. This section also describes
storage areas for specific items like sunglasses and cups.
Glove Box
Your vehicle has a glove box below the instrument
panel. To open the glove box, lift the latch release. Use
the key to lock or unlock the glove box.
The glove box door has a detent to prevent the door
from lowering too far. Open the glove box until the door
is partway open, then pull the door down if you need it
fully open. To close the glove box, the door must be
pushed up past the detent.
In the door of the glove box, you will find a tissue pack
holder and clip for a pen or pencil.
Compact Overhead Console
The front overhead console includes two reading lamps,
a storage compartment and a switchbank.
The switchbank has switches for the optional Power
Sliding Door, Interior Lights Override and the Power
Quarter Windows. For information on these switches,
see each of these features in the Index.