2003 CHEVROLET ASTRO warning light

Tow/HauI Mode Liaht
TOW / HAUL
J
This light should come on
when the tow/haul mode
has been selected.
For more information, see “Tow/Haul Mode” in
Towing a
Trailer on page 4-31.
Check Gages Warning Light
CHECK
GAGES
The CHECK GAGES light
will come on briefly when
you are starting the engine.
Fuel Gage
I
UNLEADED
United States Canada
The
fuel gage tells you approximately how much fuel
you have remaining when the ignition is on.
When the gage first indicates empty, you still have a
little fuel left, but you should get more fuel as soon
as possible.
If the light comes on and stays on while you are driving,
check your coolant temperature and engine oil
pressure gages to see
if they are in the warning zones.
3-36

Here are things some owners ask about. None of these
indicate a problem with your fuel gage:
0 At the gas station, the gas pump shuts off before
the gage reads full.
The fuel tank will take either a little more or a little
less fuel
to fill up than the gage shows.
0 The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
The gage doesn’t go back to empty when you turn
speed up.
off the ignition.
Low Fuel Warning Light
The LOW FUEL light will
come on briefly when you
are starting the engine.
This light comes on when the fuel tank
is low on fuel.
To turn it off, add fuel to the fuel tank. See Fuel on
page 5-5.
3-37

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts
- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster
if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes.
If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down.
If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Anti-lock Brake System
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. ABS is an advanced
electronic braking system that will help prevent a
braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while this test
is going on. This is normal.
ANTI -
LOCK
I I I I
United States Canada
If there’s a problem with the anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay on. See
Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light on page
3-29.
4-7

Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the
water. This can happen
if the road is wet enough and
you’re going fast enough. When your vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can
if
your tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in
one or more is low. It can happen
if a lot of water is
standing on the road. If you can see reflections
from trees, telephone poles or other vehicles, and
raindrops “dimple” the water’s surface, there could be
hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds.
There just isn’t a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning.
The best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
Notice: If you drive too quickly through deep
puddles or standing water, water can come
in
through your engine’s air intake and badly damage your engine. Never drive through water that
is
slightly lower than the underbody of your vehicle.
If you can’t avoid deep puddles or standing
water, drive through them very slowly.
Driving Through Flowing Water
Flo..,ng or rushing water cr,,tes strong forces.
If you try to drive through flowing water, as you
might at a low water crossing, your vehicle
can be carried away.
As little as six inches of
flowing water can carry away a smaller vehicle.
If this happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Don’t ignore police
warning signs, and otherwise be very cautious
about trying to drive through flowing water.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you
pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear
room ahead, and be prepared to have your
view restricted by road spray.
See
Tires on page 5-63.
Have good tires with proper tread depth.
4-1 8

City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount
of traffic on them. You’ll want to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention
to traffic signals. here
are ways to increase your safety in city driving:
Know the best way to get to where you are
going. Get
a city map and plan your trip into
an unknown part
of the city just as you would for a
cross-country trip.
Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross
most large cities. You’ll save time and energy.
See the next part, “Freeway Driving.”
Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic
light is there because the corner is busy enough
to need it. When a light turns green, and just before
you start to move, check both ways for vehicles
that have not cleared the intersection or may
be running the red light.
4-1 9

Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your vehicle. Include
an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a
supply of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter
outer clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight, a red
cloth and reflective warning triangles. And,
if you will be
driving under severe conditions, include a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items
in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet
the road probably have good traction.
However,
if there is snow or ice between your tires
and the road, you can have a very slippery situation.
You’ll have a lot less traction or “grip” and will need to be
very careful.
4-24

Engine Coolant
The cooling system in your vehicle is filled with
DEX-COOL@ engine coolant. This coolant is designed
to remain in your vehicle for 5 years or 150,000 miles
(240
000 km), whichever occurs first, if you add
only DEX-COOL@ extended life coolant.
The following explains your cooling system and how to
add coolant when it
is low. If you have a problem
with engine overheating, see
Engine Overheating on
page
5-3 I.
A 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and
DEX-COOL@ coolant will:
Give freezing protection down to -34°F (-37°C).
Give boiling protection up to 265°F (129°C).
Protect against rust and corrosion.
Help keep the proper engine temperature.
Let the warning lights and gages work as they
should.
Notice: When adding coolant, it is important that
you use only
DEX-COOL@ (silicate-free) coolant.
If coolant other than DEX-COOL@
is added to the
system, premature engine, heater core or radiator
corrosion may result.
In addition, the engine coolant
will require change sooner
- at 30,000 miles
(50,000 km) or 24 months, whichever occurs first. Damage
caused by the use
of coolant other than
DEX-COOL@
is not covered by your new vehicle
warranty.
What to Use
Use a mixture of one-half clean, drinkable water and
one-half DEX-COOL@ coolant which won’t damage
aluminum parts.
If you use this coolant mixture,
you don’t need to add anything else.
Adding only plain water to your cooling
system can be dangerous. Plain water, or
some other liquid such as alcohol, can boil
before the proper coolant mixture will. Your
vehicle’s coolant warning system is set for the
proper coolant mixture.
With plain water or the
wrong mixture, your engine could get too hot but you wouldn’t get the overheat warning.
Your engine could catch fire and you or others could be burned. Use a
50/50 mixture of clean,
drinkable water and the proper coolant.
5-28

Brake Wear
Your vehicle has four-wheel disc brakes,
Disc brake pads have built-in wear indicators that make
a high-pitched warning sound when the brake
pads
are worn and new pads are needed. The sound
may come and go or be heard all the time your vehicle
is moving (except when you are pushing on the
brake pedal firmly).
The brake wear warning sound means that soon
your brakes won’t work well. That could lead to
an accident. When
you hear the brake wear
Notice: Continuing to drive with worn-out brake
pads could result in costly brake repair.
Some driving conditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when the brakes are first applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean something is wrong with
your brakes.
Properly torqued wheei nuts are necessary to heip
prevent brake pulsation. When tires are rotated, inspect
brake pads for wear and evenly tighten wheel nuts in
the proper sequence to
GM torque specifications.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete
axle sets.
See
Brake System Inspection on page 6-31.
Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake pedal does not return to
normal height, or if there is a rapid increase in
pedal travel. This could be a sign of brake trouble.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you make a brake stop, your disc brakes
adjust for wear.
5-45