2001 CHEVROLET ASTRO Owners Manual

2-34
All-Wheel Drive (Option)
If your vehicle has
all
-wheel drive, your
engine's driving power is
sent to all four wheels for
extra traction when needed.
This is like four
-wheel drive, but there is no separate
lever or switch to engage or disengage the front axle.
It is fully automatic, and adjusts itself as needed for
road conditions.
You may experience a brief vehicle vibration upon
acceleration when driving in slippery conditions. This is
normal and is an indication that the all
-wheel drive
system is functioning properly.
Horn
To sound the horn, press the horn symbol on the center
of the steering wheel.
Tilt Wheel (If Equipped)
A tilt steering wheel allows you to adjust the steering
wheel before you drive.
You can also raise it to the highest level to give your
legs more room when you exit and enter the vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever. Move the steering wheel to a comfortable level,
then release the lever to lock the wheel in place.

2-35
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
The lever on the driver's side of the steering column
includes the following:

Turn and Lane Change Signals

Headlamp High/Low
-Beam Changer

Flash
-to-Pass

Windshield Wipers

Windshield Washer

Cruise Control (Option)
Turn and Lane Change Signals
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow you
to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or down.
When the turn is finished, the lever will return automatically.
An arrow on the instrument
panel cluster will flash in
the direction of the turn or
lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts to flash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by
itself when you release it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the arrows flash
faster, a signal bulb may be burned out and other drivers
won't see your turn signal.

2-36
If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an
accident. If the arrows don't go on at all when you
signal a turn, check the fuse (see ªFuses and Circuit
Breakersº in the Index) and for burned
-out bulbs.
If you have a trailer towing option with added wiring for
the trailer lamps, a different turn signal flasher is used.
With this flasher installed, the signal indicator will flash
even if a turn signal bulb is burned out. Check the front
and rear turn signal lamps regularly to make sure they
are working.
Turn Signal On Chime
If your turn signal is left on for more than 3/4 of a
mile (1.2 km), a chime will sound at each flash of the
turn signal. To turn off the chime, move the turn signal
lever to the off position.
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low beam to high or high
to low, pull the multifunction lever all the way toward
you. Then release it.
When the high beams are
on, this indicator light on
the instrument panel cluster
also will be on.
Flash-to-Pass
This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps to
signal a driver in front of you that you want to pass.
It works even if your headlamps are in automatic.
To use it, pull the turn signal lever toward you, but not
so far that you hear a click.
If your headlamps are in automatic or on low beam,
your high
-beam headlamps will turn on. They'll stay on
as long as you hold the lever toward you and the
high
-beam indicator on the cluster will come on.
Release the lever to return to normal operation.

2-37 Windshield Wipers
You control the windshield
wipers by turning the band
with the wiper symbol on it.
For a single
-wiping cycle, turn the band to MIST. Hold
it there until the wipers start, then let go. The wipers will
stop after one wipe. If you want more wipes, hold the
band on MIST longer.
You can set the wiper speed for a long or short delay
between wipes. This can be very useful in light rain or
snow. Turn the band to choose the delay time. The
closer to LOW, the shorter the delay.
For steady wiping at low speed, turn the band away from
you to LOW. For high
-speed wiping, turn the band further,
to HIGH. To stop the wipers, turn the band to OFF.Be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades
before using them. If they're frozen to the windshield,
carefully loosen or thaw them. If your blades do become
worn or damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
Windshield Washer
At the top of the multifunction lever, there's a paddle
marked with the windshield washer symbol and PUSH.
To spray washer fluid on the windshield, press the paddle.
CAUTION:
In freezing weather, don't use your washer until
the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the windshield, blocking
your vision.
The wipers will clear the window and then either stop or
return to your preset speed.

2-38
Rear Window Washer/Wiper (Option)
You control the rear
window washer/wiper using
a switch located on the
instrument panel, next to
the audio system.
To turn the wiper on, slide the switch all the way up.
For delay wiping, slide the switch with the word
DELAY in the center position on the rear wiper control.
The wiper will cycle every nine seconds.
To wash the window, push in on the switch. Window
washer fluid will continue to spray until the switch is
released. The wiper will continue with three more wipes
and then return to the setting that was chosen before the
lever was pushed.The rear window washer uses the same fluid bottle as
the front windshield washer. If the fluid level is low in
the washer bottle, you may not be able to wash your rear
window. If you can wash your windshield, but not your
rear window, check the fluid level.
Cruise Control (Option)
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot on the
accelerator. This can really help on long trips. Cruise control
does not work at speeds below about 25 mph (40 km/h).
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control shuts off.
CAUTION:

Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can't drive safely at a steady speed. So,
don't use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.

Cruise control can be dangerous on
slippery roads. On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control.
Don't use cruise control on slippery roads.

2-39
Setting Cruise Control
CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control switch on when
you're not using cruise, you might hit a button
and go into cruise when you don't want to. You
could be startled and even lose control. Keep the
cruise control switch off until you want to use
cruise control.
1. Move the cruise control switch to ON.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Press in the SET button
at the end of the lever
and release it.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired speed
and then you apply the brake. This, of course, shuts off
the cruise control. But you don't need to reset it.
Once you're going about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more,
you can move the cruise
control switch from ON to
R/A briefly.
You'll go right back up to your chosen speed and
stay there.
If you hold the switch at R/A, the vehicle will keep
going faster until you release the switch or apply the
brake. So unless you want to go faster, don't hold the
switch at R/A.

2-40
Increasing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:

Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed.
Press the button at the end of the lever, then release
the button and the accelerator pedal. You'll now
cruise at the higher speed.

Move the cruise switch from ON to R/A. Hold it
there until you get up to the speed you want, and
then release the switch. To increase your speed in
very small amounts, move the switch to R/A briefly.
Each time you do this, your vehicle will go about
1 mph (1.6 km/h) faster.
Reducing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:

Press the button at the end of the lever until you
reach the lower speed you want, then release it.

To slow down in very small amounts, press the
button briefly. Each time you do this, you'll go
1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.Passing Another Vehicle While Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
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 want 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.

Move the cruise switch to OFF.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory is erased.

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Exterior Lamps
The lamp control is located on the driver's side of the
instrument panel.Turn the knob clockwise to the parking lamp symbol to
turn on the following:

Parking Lamps

Sidemarker Lamps

Taillamps

License Plate Lamps

Instrument Panel Lights
Turn the knob clockwise to the master lighting symbol
to turn on all the lamps listed as well as the headlamps.
Turn the knob all the way counterclockwise to turn off
your lamps and put the system in auto headlamp mode.