2003 CHEVROLET VENTURE brake light

All-Wheel Drive Disable Warning
Message
Your vehicle may have this message. If it does, it will
come on when there is a spare tire on the vehicle,
or when the anti-lock brake system warning light
comes on, or when the rear differential ¯uid is
overheating. This message will go out when the
differential ¯uid cools.
The all-wheel drive system will be disabled until the
compact spare tire is replaced by a full-size tire. If the
warning message is still on after putting on the full-size
tire, you need to reset the warning message. To
reset the warning message, turn the ignition off and
then back on again. If the message stays on, see your
dealer right away. See
All-Wheel Drive (AWD)
System on page 4-10for more information.
Low Fuel Warning Message
If your fuel is low, the warning message will come on
and stay on until you add fuel.
If the warning message is still on after adding fuel, you
need to reset the warning message. To reset the
warning message, turn the ignition off and then back on.
If the message stays on, see your dealer. United StatesCanada
United StatesCanada
3-57

Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeandreaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That isperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That isreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 of a second. But that
is only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving
at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That
could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so keeping
enough space between your vehicle and others is
important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it is pavement
or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of
the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts Ð heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking Ð 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 pacewith 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 are driving, brake
normally but do not 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 (ABS)
Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes. ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has anti-lock
brakes, this warning light
on the instrument panel will
come on brie¯y when
you start your vehicle.
When you start your engine, or when you 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, and you may even notice that
your brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.
4-6

Remember: Anti-lock does not change the time you
need to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always
decrease stopping distance. If you get too close to
the vehicle in front of you, you will not have time to apply
your brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops.
Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal
down ®rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel
a slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise,
but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.
If you have anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However, if you do not have anti-lock, your
®rst reaction Ð to hit the brake pedal hard and hold
it down Ð may be the wrong thing to do. Your wheels
can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle can not
respond to your steering. Momentum will carry it
in whatever direction it was headed when the wheels
stopped rolling. That could be off the road, into the very
thing you were trying to avoid, or into traffic.If you do not have anti-lock, use a ªsqueezeº braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking
while maintaining steering control. You can do this by
pushing on the brake pedal with steadily increasing
pressure.
In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze the
brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear or
feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal.
This will help you retain steering control. If you
dohave
anti-lock, it is different. See ªAnti-Lock Brake Systemº
in this section.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
Traction Control System (TCS)
Your vehicle may have a traction control system that
limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in slippery
road conditions. The system operates only if it senses
that one or both of the front wheels are spinning or
beginning to lose traction. When this happens,
the system works the front brakes and reduces engine
power to limit wheel spin.
The TRACTION ACTIVE message will come on when
the traction control system is limiting wheel spin.
See
Traction Active Message on page 3-51. You may
feel or hear the system working, but this is normal.
4-8

Driving too fast through large water puddles or even
going through some car washes can cause problems,
too. The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid
puddles. But if you can't, try to slow down before you
hit them.
{CAUTION:
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They will not
work as well in a quick stop and may cause
pulling to one side. You could lose control of
the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle of water
or a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly
until your brakes work normally.
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 re¯ections
from trees, telephone poles or other vehicles, and
raindrops ªdimpleº the water's surface, there could be
hydroplaning.
4-18

When your brake ¯uid falls to a low level, your brake
warning light will come on. SeeBrake System Warning
Light on page 3-41.
What to Add
When you do need brake ¯uid, use only DOT-3 brake
¯uid. Use new brake ¯uid from a sealed container
only. See
Part D: Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
on page 6-17.
Always clean the brake ¯uid reservoir cap and the area
around the cap before removing it. This will help
keep dirt from entering the reservoir.
{CAUTION:
With the wrong kind of ¯uid in your brake
system, your brakes may not work well, or
they may not even work at all. This could
cause a crash. Always use the proper
brake ¯uid.
Notice:
·Using the wrong ¯uid can badly damage brake
system parts. For example, just a few drops of
mineral-based oil, such as engine oil, in your
brake system can damage brake system
parts so badly that they will have to be replaced.
Do not let someone put in the wrong kind of
¯uid.
·If you spill brake ¯uid on your vehicle's painted
surfaces, the paint ®nish can be damaged. Be
careful not to spill brake ¯uid on your vehicle. If
you do, wash it off immediately. See
Appearance
Care on page 5-87.
5-41

Brake Wear
Your vehicle has front disc brakes and may have rear
drum brakes or rear 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 ®rmly).
{CAUTION:
The brake wear warning sound means that
soon your brakes will not work well. That
could lead to an accident. When you hear the
brake wear warning sound, have your vehicle
serviced.
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 ®rst applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean something is wrong with
your brakes.
Properly torqued wheel nuts are necessary to help
prevent brake pulsation. When tires are rotated, inspect
brake pads for wear and evenly tighten wheel nuts in
the proper sequence to GM torque speci®cations.
If you have rear drum brakes, they do not have wear
indicators, but if you ever hear a rear brake rubbing
noise, have the rear brake linings inspected immediately.
Also, the rear brake drums should be removed and
inspected each time the tires are removed for rotation or
changing. When you have the front brake pads
replaced, have the rear brakes inspected, too.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete
axle sets.
See
Brake System Inspection on page 6-16.
5-42

Notice:Ignoring these steps could result in costly
damage to your vehicle that wouldn't be covered
by your warranty.
Trying to start your vehicle by pushing or pulling it
won't work, and it could damage your vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with a negative ground system.
Notice:If the other vehicle's system is not a 12-volt
system with a negative ground, both vehicles can
be damaged. Only use vehicles with 12-volt systems
with negative grounds to jump start your vehicle.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren't touching
each other. If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don't want. You wouldn't be able to
start your vehicle, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
the parking brake ®rmly on both vehicles involved in
the jump start procedure. Put an automatic
transaxle in PARK (P) or a manual transaxle in
NEUTRAL before setting the parking brake.
Notice:If you leave your radio or other accessories
on during the jump starting procedure, they could
be damaged. The repairs would not be covered
by your warranty. Always turn off your radio and
other accessories when jump starting your vehicle.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or in the accessory power outlet. Turn off
the radio and all lamps that aren't needed. This will
avoid sparks and help save both batteries. And it
could save your radio!
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. Find the
positive (+) and negative (-) terminal locations on
each vehicle.
You will not need to access your battery for jump
starting. Your vehicle has a remote positive (+) jump
starting terminal for that purpose.
5-45

Fuse Usage
HTD MIRROR Heated Mirrors
RH T/LP Driver's Side Taillamp (Export Only)
RR FOG LP Fog Lamps (Export Only)
CIGAR/DIC/
APO FRTCigarette Lighter, DIC, Front
Auxiliary Power Outlets, Data Link
T/SIG Turn Signal Switch
PWR QTR
VENTInterior Lamp and Multifunction
Switch (Power Vent Switch), Auto
Level
FRT/WPR/
WSHRWindshield Wiper/Washer Motor and
Switch
HAZARD Hazard Switch
RR PWR SCKTRear Electric Accessory Plug
Housing
DRLDaytime Running Lamp Control
Module
LH T/LPPassenger's Side Taillamp
(Export Only)
RR
DEFOG/HTD
MIRRORRear Window Defogger Relay,
Heated Mirrors
ON STAR OnStar
ž
Fuse Usage
SIR In¯atable Restraint Control Module
HVAC
BLOWERHeater-A/C Control
MALL
CLUSTERInstrument Cluster, Body Control
Module, Electronic Level Control
(ELC) Sensor and Relay, Theft,
Door Ajar
STOP LAMP Stoplamp Switch
CLUSTER
BATTModule/Electronic Brake Control
Module/Electronic Brake Traction
Control Module (EBCM/EBTCM)
ENHANCED
EVAP/AWDEvaporative Emissions (EVAP)
Canister Vent Solenoid Valve,
All-Wheel Drive (AWD)
Blank Not Used
ELC/TRAILERELC Air Compressor and ELC
Height Sensor, Trailer Harness
CTSY LAMP Courtesy Lamp
IGN 1BCM, Electronic Brake Control
Indicator Lamp Driver Module,
Instrument Panel Cluster, Rear Side
Door Actuator Control Module, Rear
Windows, Rear Parking Aid
RR HVAC
TEMP CONTRear HVAC-A/C Control
5-98