Chevrolet 1997 Astro User manual

The 1997 Chevrolet Astro Owner’s Manual
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Seats and Restraint Systems
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explainsthe “SIR’ system.
Features and Controls
This section explains how to start and operateyour vehicle.
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system.
Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
Problems on the Road
This section tells what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire oroverheated engine, etc.
Service and Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking good.
Maintenance Schedule
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricantsto use.
Customer Assistance Information
This section tells you how to contact Chevrolet for assistanceand how to get service and owner publications.
It also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page 8-10.
Index
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
somethingyou want to read.
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GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem,
CHEVROLET, the CHEVROLET Emblem and the
name ASTRO are registered trademarks
of General
Motors Corporation.
This manual includes the latest information at thetime it
was printed. We reserve
the right to make changes in the
product after that time without further notice. For
vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute the name
“General Motors
of Canada Limited” for Chevrolet
Division whenever it appears
in this manual.
Please keep this manual
in your vehicle, so it will be
there if
you ever need it when you’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.
C97 10 B First Edition
WE SUPPORT
VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION THROUGH
National Institute for
AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
We supportvoluntary
technician certification.
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux propri6taires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous
procurer un exemplaire de ce guideen frarqais chez
votre concessionaire
ou au:
DGN Marketing Services Ltd.
1500 Bonhill Rd.
Mississauga, OntarioL5T lC7
@CopyrightGeneral Motors Corporation
1996
All Rights Reserved
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How to Use this Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to end when
they first receive theirnew vehicle. If you
dothis, itwill help you learn about the featuresand
controls foryour vehicle.
In this manual, you’ll find
that pictures and words work together to explain
things quickly.
Index
A good place tolook for what you need is the Index
in back
of the manual. It’s an alphabetical list of what’s
in
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.
’ A CAUTION:
These mean there is 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 helpavoid or reduce the
hazard. Please read these cautions.
If you don’t, you or
others couldbe hurt.
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You will also finda 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 book you will find these notices:
I NOTICE:
These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
In the notice area, we tell you about something that can
damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would
not be covered by your warranty, and it could be costly.
But the notice will tell
you what to do to help avoid
the damage.
When
you read other manuals, you might see
CAUTION and
NOTICE warnings in different colors or -
in different words.
You’ll also see warning labels
on your vehicle. They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
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Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbolsyou may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT
EVESBY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD
BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS OR
FLAMES
SPARK OR ,111,
COULD
FLAME
EXPLODE
BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle
is
driven:
UNLOCK Esl
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
POWER
WINDOW
These symbols
have
to do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS 6 e
TURN
FOG LAMPS $0
These symbols
are
on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
These symbols
are used
on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE (0)
R.
ENGINEOIL w,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
I
LIGHTER m
HORN )a(
SPEAKER
b
FUEL e3
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Model Reference
This manual covers these models:
Cargo Van Passenger Van
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Section 1 SeatsandRestraintSystems
Here you’ll find information aboutthe seats in your vehicle and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also
learn about some things
you should not do with air bags and safety belts.
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Seats and Seat Controls
Safety Belts: They’refor Everyone
Here Are QuestionsMany People
Ask
About Safety Belts -- and the Answers
How to Wear Safety BeltsProperly
Driver Position
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Right Front Passenger Position
Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (SIR)
System
Rear Seat Passengers
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Rear Safety
Belt Comfort Guidesfor
Children and Small Adults
Center Passenger Position
(Bench Seat)
Children
Built-in Child Restraint (Option)
Child Restraints
Larger Children
Safety Belt Extender
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Replacing Restraint SystemParts After a
Crash

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.
Mant-1 Front Seats
You can lose control of the v icle if you try to
adjust a manual driver’s seat while the vehicleis
2-Way Front Seat
The bucket seats can be
adjusted forward or
rearward by the lever at
the
front of the seat.
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.
Move the seat adjustment lever at the front of the seat
toward
the driver’s door to unlock it. Slidethe seat to
where you want it. Then release the lever and try to
move the seat with your body, to make sure the seat is
locked into place.
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Manual Lumbar Support (If Equipped) Power Seats (If Equipped)
If you have this feature, there willbe a control padon the
inboard side
of the driver and passenger bucket seats.
If you have this feature,there will be a
knob on the
inboard side
of the driver and passengerbucket seats.
Turn the knob toward the front
of the vehicle to increase
lumbar support.Turn the knob toward the rear
of the
vehicle to decreaselumbar support.
The front controlmakes the front
of the seat go up
and down.
The rear controlmakes
the rear of the seat goup
and down.
The center control makes the whole seat
go forward,
rearward, up or down.
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Reclining Seatbacks
There is a lever on the inside of the seat to adjust the seatback.
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.
But don’t have
a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.
~
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
CAUTION: (Continued)
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up, your safety belts can’t dotheirjob when
you’re reclined like this.
Theshoulder belt can’tdo itsjob because it
won’t beagainst your body. Instead, it
will be in
front of you. In a crash you could
go into it,
receiving neckorother injuries.
The lap belt can’t
do itsjob either. In a crash the
belt could
go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, notatyour pelvic bones.
This could cause seriousinternal injuries.
For proper protectionwhen the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sitwell
back in the seat and wear your safety belt properly.
Head Restraints
Head restraints are fixed on some models and adjustable
on others. Slidean adjustable head restraint up or down
so that the top of the restraint is closest to the top of
your ears. Thisposition reduces the chance of a neck
injury
in a crash.
Seatback Latches (Non-Touring
Bench Seats)
The seatback lever is on the right rear of your seat.
To fold your non-touring
seatback forward,pull
up on
the latch release lever while
pulling the seatbacktoward
the rear of
the vehicle.

After the latch has been released, push the seatback
toward the front
of the vehicle until it locks in place. To
raise the seatback, unlock the seatback latch by pushing
up on the lever while pushing down on the upper edge
of the seatback.Move the seatback into the upright
position. Make sure
the seatback islocked when it is
bacl 1 th lpright position.
A CAUTION:
If the seatback isn’t locked,it couldmove
forward in
a sudden stop orcrash. Thatcould
causeinjury tothe person sittingthere. Always
pressrearward
on the seatback to be sureit
is locked.
Rear Seats
A CAUTION:
A seatthat isn’t lockedinto place properly can
move around
in a collision or sudden stop. People
in the vehicle could beinjured. Be sureto lock
the seat into place properly when installing it.
A CAUTION:
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A safety beltthat is twisted or not properly
attached won’t provide the protection needed in
a
crash. The person wearingthe belt couldbe
seriouslyinjured. After installingthe seat, always
check to be sure thatthe safety beltsare not
twisted and areproperly attached.
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Bucket Seats
If you have rear bucket seats in your vehicle, they will
recline and adjust the same way as the frontmanual
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 centerbench (if not equipped with
a built-in child
restraint) and rear bench seats can be adjusted forward
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’s side
to unlock it. Slidethe seat to
where
you want it. Then
release the lever and try to
move the seat with 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 can also be used as
a
storagecompartment.
The optional touring bench seats come with moveable
armrests,individual reclining seatbacks, adjustable
headrests
and a fold-down center console.
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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.
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.
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Removing the Rear Seats
To remove the rear seats, do the following:
c I TO DETACH
‘1 BELT FOR \
SEAT REMOVAL \
-9.- I
INSERT KEY ,
1
INTO HOLE
AND PUSH I
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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
attachment while pulling
up on the safety belt.
2. If you have a safety belt
guide on
your seat, pull
the
safety belt all the way
I, outthroughtheguide.
3. Pull up on the seatback latch on the right rear of the
front seat. Push the seatback
down until it locks in
place (non-touring bench seats only).
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4. Lift up on the left seat releaselever, then the right.
The latches
are near the floor on the rear legs of
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.
Your seat release latch lever
is sprung with a
two-stage mechanism.
To fully release the latch, two
levelsof lift effort will be required. First, a low effort
to overcome the first stage and then a moderate
effort to fully release the latch.
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Replacing the 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 seatdown to 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, while pushing down on the
upper edge of the seatback.Pull up on the seatback
until
it is locked securelyin the up position.
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4.
If you are replacing the center seat, connect the right
lap-shoulderbelt to
the attachment on the seat
cushion. If
you have a safety belt guide on your seat,
pull the belt through
the guide before reattaching the
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
cover up
so you can seethe buckle. Disconnect the
seat belt. Slidethe cover back down and reinstall 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’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly. It also tells
you some things you should not do
with safety belts.
And it explainsthe Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
(SIR), or airbag system.
Don’t let anyone ridewhel he or she can’t wear
a safety belt properly. If you arein 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 arebuckled up.Always fasten your
safety belt,and check that your passengers’ belts
are fastened properlytoo.
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