Chevrolet 1997 Express Van User manual

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The 1997 Chevrolet Express Owner’s Manual
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9-1
Seats and Restraint Systems
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. Italso explains the “SIR” system.
Features and Controls
This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle,
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
This section tells you how toadjust the ventilation andcomfort controls and how to operate your audio system.
Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpfulinformation 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 or overheatedengine, etc.
Service and Appearance Care
Here the manualtells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and lookinggood.
Maintenance Schedule
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenanceand what fluids and lubricantsto use.
Customer Assistance Information
This section tells you how to contact Chevrolet for assistance and how to get service and owner publications.
It
also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page 8- IO.
Index
Here’s analphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something
you want to read.
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-.Iu I
CHEVROLET
GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem,
CHEVROLET, the CHEVROLET Emblem and the
name EXPRESS
are register. -. .- ... demarks of General
Motors Corporation.
This manual includes the latest information at the time it
was printed. We reserve the right to make changes in the
product after that time without further notice.
For
vehicles first soldin Canada, substitutethe name
“General Motors
of Canada Limited” for Chevrolet
Division whenever it appears in thismanual.
Please keep this manual in your vehicle,
so it will be
there if youever need it when you’re on the road. If
you
sell the vehicle, please leave thismanual in it so the new
owner can use
it.
Litho inU.S.A.
C9714 B First Edition
ii
WE SUPPORT
VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION THROUGH
NationalInstitute for
AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
We supportvoluntary
technician certification.
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux propriktaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous
procurer
un exemplaire de ceguide en fraqaischez
votre concessionaire ou au:
DGN Marketing Services Ltd.
1500 Bonhill Rd.
Mississauga, Ontario L5T IC7
@CopyrightGeneral Motors Corporation 1996
All Rights Reserved

How to Use this Manual
Many people read theirowner’s manual from beginning
to end when they first receive theirnew vehicle. If
you
do this, itwill help you learn aboutthe features and
controls foryour vehicle. In thismanual, you’ll find
that picturesand words work together to explain
things quickly.
Index
A good place to look forwhat you need is the Index
in the back
of the manual. It’s an alphabetical list of
all that’s in themanual, and the pagenumber 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 thingsthat could hurtyou ifyou were to ignore
the warning.
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 help avoid or reduce the
hazard. Please read these cautions.
If you don’t, you or
others could be
hurt.

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:
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 helpavoid
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 orNOTICE.

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
BURNS
SPARK OR ,\I/,
COULD
FLAME
EXPLODE
BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
UNLOCK Pa
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
These symbols
have to do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS e
TURN
RUNNING * 0
DAYTIME . a
LAMPS .
FOG LAMPS # 0
These symbols
are on some
of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
VENTILATING
FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE (a)
COOLANT
a
ENGINE OIL e,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
P
LIGHTER -
HORN )tr
SPEAKER
b
FUEL m

Model Reference
This manual covers these models:
Passenger Van
Cargo Van
-l
Cab and Chassis
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vi

Section 1
Seats and Restraint Systems
Here you’ll find information about the 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’re for Everyone
Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
How to
Wear Safety Belts Properly
Driver Position
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Right Front Passenger Position
Supplemental Inflatable
Restraint (SIR) System
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1-37
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Rear Seat Passengers
Center Passenger Position
Children
Child Restraints
Larger Children
Safety Belt Extender
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash

Seatsand Seat Controls
This part tells you about the seats -- how to adjustthem,
take them out and put them back in. It also tells
you
about reclining front seatbacks.
Manual Front Seats
The buckets seatscan be adjusted forward or rearward
with the lever at
the front of the seat.
To adjust the seat, pull the lever up to release the seat
bottom
and slide the seat where you want it. Then
release the lever and try to move the seat with your
body, to make surethe seat is locked into place.
You can lose controlof the vehicle if you try to
adjust
a manual driver’s seatwhile the vehicle is
moving. The sudden movementcould startle and
confuse you,ormake you push
a pedalwhen you
don’t want to. Adjust the driver’s seatonly when
the vehicle
is not moving.

Power Seat (Option)
If your vehicle has a power seat on the driver or
passenger’s side,you can adjust it with this switch at the
front center cushionof the seat.
You can use these switches to move the seat where
you want
it.
To raise the seat, move the center knob up. To lower the
seat, move the center knobdown.
To move the seatforward,
move the centerknob toward
the right. To move the seat
rearward, move
the center knob toward the left.
You can raise and lower the front and rear of the seat.
To raise the front of the seat, move the right lever up.
To lower it, move the right lever down. To raise the rear
of the seat,move the left lever up. To lower it, move the
left lever down.
Reclining Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback,lift the front of this lever which
is located at the inner edge
of the seat cushion.
Move the seatbackwith your body and release the lever
to lock the seatback where
you want it. Lean forward
and pull
up on the front of the lever and the seatback
will go toan upright position.

But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.
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Sitting in a reclined position whenyour vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safety belts can’tdo their jobwhen
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do itsjob because it
won’t be against your body. Instead, it will be in
front of you. In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neckor other injuries.
The lap belt can’tdo itsjobeither. In a crash the
belt could
go up over your abdomen. Thebelt
forces wouldbe there, not atyour pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protectionwhen the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sitwell
back in the seatand wear your safety belt properly.

Head Restraints
Head restraints are fixed on some models and adjustable
on others. Slide
an adjustable head restraint up or down
so that the top of the restraint is closest to the top of
your ears. This position reduces the chance of a neck
injury in a crash.
Rear Seats
I A CAUTION:
If the seatbackisn’t locked, it could move
forward
in a sudden stop or crash.That could
cause injury to the person sittingthere. Always
press rearward on the seatbackto be sure it
is locked.
A CAUTION:
-
A seat that isn’t lockedintoplace properly can
move aroundin
a collisionor sudden stop. People
in thevehicle could beinjured. Be sure tolock
the seat intoplace properlywhen installing it.
A CAUTION:
A safetybelt that is twistedor not properly
attachedwon’t provide the protectionneeded in
a crash.The person wearing the belt could be
seriouslyinjured. After installing the seat, always
check to
be sure that thesafetybelts are not
twisted and are properly attached.

Removing the Rear Seat
1. Disconnect the quick release latch plates for the lap
shoulder belts on the bench seat to be removed.
To
do this, press the tip of a key into the release hole
of the safety belt buckle while pulling up on the
safety belt.
2. Lift the carpetlmat flap at the inboard side of the seat
base in the rear.
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3. Locate the red handle on the inboard side of the seat
base, rotatethe red handle
up.
4. Once the red handle is rotated up, pull the handle
to remove the
locking pin.
5. Stow the locking pin on the rear of the seat base
in the hole that is provided.
6. Repeat this procedure for the pin on the other
seat base.
7. Remove the seat from the vehicle.
8. Install the trim covers tothe floor rails.

9. Stow the seat belt latch plate on the clip at the
window trim.
Replacing the Rear Seat
1. Remove the trim covers from the floor rails.
2. Position the seat intothe open slots in both rails.
Push the seat forward in the rail, hooking both seat
bases onto the pins inside
of the rails.
3. Both locking pins that lock the seat into place must
be installed before operatingthe vehicle.
4. To install the lockingpin at the rear of the seat base,
pull the carpetlmat flap back on the inboard side
to
locate the hole in the rail for the pin.
5. Remove the pin from its stowed position on the seat
base while holding the carpevmat flap back.

6. Insert the red handled locking pin into the seat base.
7. Rotate the red handle down until it is in the
retaining clip.
8. Replace the carpet/mat flap to its original position.
9. Repeat this procedure for the other seat base.
10. Connect the quick release latch plates for the lap
shoulderbelts by inserting
the latch plates into the
buckles attached at the outboard positions
of the
bench seat. Do not twist the belt.

SafetyBelts: 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 explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (SIR),
or air bag system.
A CAUTIOIA:
Don’t let anyone ride where he orshecan’t wear
a safety belt properly.
If you arein a crash and
you’re not wearing a safety belt, your injuries
can be much worse. You can hit things inside the
vehicleor be ejectedfrom it. You can be seriously
injured orkilled. In the same crash,you might
not be if you arebuckled up. Alwaysfasten your
safety belt,and checkthatyour passengers’ belts
arefastened properly too.
It is extremelydangerous to ride in a cargo area,
insideor outside of a vehicle. In
a collision,
peopleriding in these areas aremore likely to be
seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people
to ride in any area of your vehiclethat is not
equipped with seats and safety belts.Be sure
everyonein your vehicle isin a seat andusing
a
safety belt properly.
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Your vehicle has a lightthat
comes on as a reminder to
buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light”
in
the Index.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, thelaw says to
wear safety lbelts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash,you dlon’t know
if it will bea bad one.
A few crashes are mild, andsome crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are in between. In manyof them,
people who buckle
up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than
25 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts areclear.
In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
Why Safety Belts Work
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.

Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn't stop.
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The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In
a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
or the instrumentpanel ...