Chevrolet 1996 Astro User manual

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The 1996 Chevrolet Astro Owner’s Manual
BeatsandRestraintSystems ............................................................. 1-1
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the “SIR” system.
FeaturesandControls .................................................................. 2-1
This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle.
Bmfort ControlsandAudioSystems ..................................................... 3-1
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your
audio system.
Here
you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
This section tells you what to do
if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated
engine, etc.
Here the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking good.
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
This section tells you how to contact Chevrolet for assistance and how
to get service and owner
publications.
It also gives you infomation on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page 8-8.
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something
you want to read.
YourDrivingandtheRoad .............................................................. 4-1
Problemson theRoad .................................................................. 5-1
ServiceandAppearanceCare ............................................................ 6-1
Maintenanceschedule. ................................................................. 7-1
CustomerAssistanceInformation ........................................................ 8-1
Index ................................................................................ 9-1
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GENERALMOTORS, GM, theGM Emblem,
CHEVROLET, the CHEVROLETEmblem andthe
name ASTROare registered trademarks of General
Motors Corporation.
This manual includesthe latest information
at the time it
was printed. We reserve the right to make changes
in the
product after that time withoutfurther notice. For
vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute the name
“General Motors of CanadaLimited” for Chevrolet
Division whenever
it appears in this manual.
Please keep this manual in yourvehicle,
so it will be
there
if you ever need it whenyou’re on the road. If you
sell the vehicle, please leave this manual in
it so the new
owner can use it.
Litho in U.S.A.
C9610 B First Edition
We support voluntary
technician certification.
WE SUPPORT
VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION
THROUGH
National Institute for
AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux propridtaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous
procurer
un exemplaire de ce guideen franqaischez
votre concessionaireou au:
DGN Marketing ServicesLtd.
1500 Bonhill Rd.
Mississauga, Ontario
LST IC7
@CopyrightGeneral Motors Corporation
1995
All Rights Reserved
ii

How to Use this Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to end when they first receive their new vehicle. If you
do this, it will help you learn about thefeatures and
controls foryour vehicle. In this manual, you’ll find
that pictures and words work togetherto explain
things quickly.
Index
A good place to lookfor what you need is theIndex
in the back of the manual. It’s an alphabeticallist of
all that’sin the manual, and the page number where
you’ll find it.
Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will find a number of safety cautions in this book.
We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell you
about things that could hurt you if you were
to ignore
the warning.
b
A CAUTION:
--
These :--Jan thereis something that could hurt
you or other people.
In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then
we tell you what to do to help avoid or reducethe
hazard. Please read these cautions. If you don’t,you or
others could be
hurt.
iii

You will also find a circle
with a slash through
it in
this book. This safety
symbol means “Don’t,’’
“Don’t do this,” or “Don’t
let this happen.”
Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this bookyou will find these notices:
I NOTICE:
These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
In the notice area, we tell youabout something that can
damage your vehicle. Many times,this damage would
not be covered by your warranty, andit could
be costly.
But the notice will tell
you what to do tohelp avoid
the damage.
When you read other manuals, you might see
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in differentcolors or
in different words.
You’ll
also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use
the same words,CAUTION or NOTICE.
iv

Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT
EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD
BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
SPARK OR ,111,
COULD
FLAME
EXPLODE
BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle
is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
These symbols
have
to do with
your lights:
SIGNALS e
TURN
WARNING A
HAZARD
FLASHER
FOG LAMPS $0
These symbols
are on
some of
your controls:
WIPER w
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
VENTILATING
FAN (
-b
-J
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE (0)
COOLANT
a
ENGINE OIL w,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
I
LIGHTER n
HORN )a(
SPEAKER
b
FUEL p3
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Model Reference
This manual covers these models:
Cargo Van
Passenger Van
vi

Section 1
Seats and Restraint Systems
Here you’ll find information about the seats in your
vehicle and howto use your safety belts properly.
You
can also learn about some things you should not do with
air bags and safety belts.
Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them, take them
out and put them back in. It also tells
you about bucket and bench seats,power seats and
head restraints.
Manual Front Seat
A CAUTION:
You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to
adjust a manual driver’s seat while the vehicle
is
moving. The sudden movement could startle and
confuse you,
or make you push a pedal when you
don’t want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
the vehicle
is not moving.
1-1

2-Way Front Seat
The bucket seats can be
adjusted forward or
rearward by the lever at
the front
of the seat.
Manual Lumbar Support (Option)
Move the seatadjustment lever at thefront of the seat
toward the driver’s doorto unlock
it. Slide the seat to
where you want it. Then release the lever and try to
move the seat withyour
body, to make sure the seat is
locked
into place.
If you have this feature, there will be a knob on the
inboard side
of the driver and passenger bucket seats.
Turn the knob toward
the front of the vehicle to increase
lumbar support. Turn theknob toward the rear of the
vehicle
to decrease lumbar support.
1-2

Power Seats (Option)
If you have this feature, there will be a control pad on the
inboard sideof
the driver and passenger bucket seats.
Reclining Seatbacks
There is a lever onthe inside of the seatto adjust
the seatback.
The front control makes thefront
of the seat go up
and down.
The rear control makes the rear
of the seat go up
and down.
The center control makes the whole seat go forward
and rearward.
You can adjust the seatback
by lifting
the lever. Release
the lever
to lock the seatback
where
you want it. Pull up
on the lever and the seat will
go to an upright position.
1-3

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But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.
Sitting in
a reclined position whenyour vehicle is
in motion canbe dangerous. Evenif you buckle
up, your safety belts can’t do their jobwhen
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do its job becauseit
won’t beagainst yourbody. Instead, it
will be in
front of you. In a crashyou could go into it,
receiving neckor other injuries.
The lap belt can’t do its jobeither. In a crash the
belt couldgo up over your abdomen. The belt
forces wouldbe there, notat yourpelvic bones.
This could causeserious internal injuries.
For properprotection when the vehicle isin
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sitwell
back in the seatand wear yoursafety belt properly.
1-4

Head Restraints
Head restraints are fixed on some models and adjustable
on others. Slide an adjustable head restraint upor down
so that the top of therestraint is closest to the top of
your ears. This position reduces thechance of a neck
injury in a crash.
Seatback Latches (Non-Touring
Bench Seats)
To fold your non-touring
seatback forward, pull up
on thelatchrelease lever
while pulling theseatback
toward
you.
The lever is on the right rear
of your seat.
unlock the seat by pushing forward on the lever, while
pushing down
on the seat. Make sure the seatback is
locked when it is put back
in the upright position.
After the latch has been released, push theseatback
down until it locks
in place. To raise the seatback,
If the seatback isn't locked, it couldmove
forward
in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there.Always
press rearward on the seatback to be sure it
is locked.
Rear Seats
A seat that isn't locked into place properly can
move around in
a collision or sudden stop. People
in thevehicle could be injured.Be sure tolock
the seat into place properlywhen installingit.

1 A, CAUTION:
A safety belt thatis twisted or not properly
attached won’t provide the protection needed in
a crash. The person wearing the belt could be
seriously injured. After installing the seat, always
check to be sure that the safety belts are not
twisted and are properly attached.
Bucket Seats
If you have rear bucketseats in your vehicle, they will
recline and adjust thesame way as the front manual
bucket seats. See“Reclining Seatbacks” earlier in this
section or in the Index.
Bench Seats
If you have bench seats in your vehicle, each seat can
carry up
to three passengers. They can also be removed
to increase storage space.
The center and rear benchseats
can be adjustedforward
or rearward by
the lever at the front of the seat.
Move the seat adjustment
lever at
the front of the seat
toward the passenger’sside
to unlock
it. Slidethe seat to
where you wantit. Then
release the lever and try to
move the’seatwith your
body,
to make sure the seat
is locked into place.
The non-touring center bench seat has a pivoting
right armrest. The left armrest canalso be used as
a
storage compartment.
The optional touring benchseats come with moveable
armrests, individual reclining seatbacks, adjustable
headrests anda fold-down center console.
1-6

To adjust your seatback, pull up on the lever on the
lower outside
of the seat.
The center bench seatbacks will recline further back
than the rear bench seatbacks.
To raise or lower the center
console, press the button
between
the beverage
holders. Only sit in the
center seating position
when
the console is in
an upright position.
For details about headrests, see “Head Restraints” in
this section.
1-7

Removing the Rear Seats
To remove the rear seats, do the following:
7-7 I TO DETACH \
1 BELT FOR 1
I SEAT REMOVAL \
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1 ANDIUSH 11
1 . INSERT KEY
\ INTO HOLE
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1. If you are removing the
center seat, remove the
right lap-shoulder belt.
To do this, press the tip
of a
key into the release
hole
of the safety belt
attachmentwhile pulling
up on the safety belt.
2. If you have a safety belt
guide on your seat, pull
the safety belt all theway
out through
the guide.
3. Pull up on the seatback latch on the right rear of the
front seat. Push the seatbackdown until itlocks in
place (non-touring bench seats only).
1-8

4. Lift up on the seat release latch. The latches are near
the floor
on the rear legs of the seat. To relieve
pressure
on the latch, pull back on the seat.
5. Lift up on the rear of the seat to remove the seat
assembly from the rear latch pins.Then, pull back
and lift the seat
out of the vehicle.
1-9

Replacingthe Rear Seats
To replace the rear seats, do the following:
1. Lower the seat into position. Make sure the front
retainers are hooked onto the anchor pins.
2. Pull the seat downto latch the rear retainers. Make
sure the seat is locked in by pulling up and down on
the seat.
3. Raise the seatbackby pushing forward on the latch at
the right rear
of the seat. Pull up on the seatback
until it
is locked securely in the up position.
1-10

4. If you are replacing the centerseat, connect the right
lap-shoulder belt to
the attachmenton the seat
cushion. If you have a safety belt guide on your seat,
pull the belt through the guide before reattachingthe
lap-shoulder belt to the side of the seat. The release
hole should be facing outward.
If you installed the safety belt with the release hole
facing inward (toward the seat),slide the plastic
cov’er up
so you can see the buckle.Disconnect the
seat belt. Slide the coverback down andreinstall the
belt correctly.
NOTICE:
Be sure to put the correct seats back in the proper
positions
so the safety beltswill work properly.
Safety Belts: They’refor Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safetybelts
properly. Italso tells you some thingsyou should not
do
with safety belts.
And
it explainsthe Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (SIR),
or air bag system.
Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t wear
a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and
you’re not wearing a safety belt, your injuries
can be muchworse. You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected fromit. You can be seriously
injured orkilled. In the same crash,you might
not be if you are buckledup. Alwaysfasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts
are fastened properly
too.

Your vehicle has a light that
comes
on as a reminder to
buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light” in
the Index.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, the lawsays to
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never know if you’llbe in a crash.If you do have a
crash,
you don’t know ifit will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckledup a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashesare in between. In many
of them,
people who buckleup can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts theycould have
been badly hurt
orkilled.
After more than
25 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the factsare clear. In mostcrashes buckling updoes
matter
... a lot!
Why Safety BeltsWork
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat on wheels.
1-12
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