Chevrolet 1998 Express Van User manual

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The 1998 Chevrolet Express Owner’s Manual
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Seatsand Restraint Systems
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the air bag system.
Features and Controls
This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle.
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
This section tellsyou how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system.
Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpfulinformationand tips about the road andhow to drive under differentconditions.
Problemsonthe Road
This section tells what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tireor overheated engine,etc.
Service and Appearance Care
Here the manualtells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking good.
Maintenance Schedule
This section tells you when to performvehicle maintenance and whatfluids and lubricants to use.
Customer Assistance Information
This section tells you how to contact Chevrolet for assistance andhow to get serviceand 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 CHEVROLETEmblem and the
name EXPRESSare registered trademarksof General
Motors Corporation.
This manual includesthe latest informationat 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,substitutethe name
“General Motorsof Canada Limited” for Chevrolet
Motor Division whenever it appears in this manual.
Pleasekeep this manual in your vehicle,
so it will be
there if you ever needit when you’re onthe road.
If you
sell the vehicle, pleaseleave this manual in it
so the new
owner can use
it.
Litho in U.S.A.
C9814 B First Edition
WE SUPPORT
VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION THROUGH
National Institute for
AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
We support voluntary
technician certification.
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux proprietaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous
procurer un exemplairede
ce guide en franqais chez
votre concessionaire
ou au:
DGN Marketing Services Ltd.
1577 MeyersideDr.
Mississauga,Ontario
WT lB9
OCopyright General Motors Corporation 1997
All Rights Reserved
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How to Use this Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual frombeginning
to end when theyfirst receive their new vehicle.If you
do this, it willhelp you learn about the features and
controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll find
that pictures and words worktogether to explain
things quickly.
Index
A good place to look for what you needis the Index in
back ofthe 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 safetycautions in this book.
We use a boxand the word
CAUTION to tell you
about things thatcould hurt
you if you wereto ignore
the warning.
I A CAUTION: I
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 orreduce the
hazard. Please read these cautions.
If you don’t, you or
others could be hurt.
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You will also find acircle
with a slash throughit in
this book. This safety
symbolmeans “Don’t,”
“Don’t dothis” or “Don’t
In the notice area, we tell youabout somethingthat can
damageyour vehicle. Many times,this damagewould
not be coveredby your warranty,and
it could be costly.
But the notice will tell you whatto doto help avoid
the damage.
Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will findthese notices:
NOTICE:
These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
When you readother manuals, you mightsee
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in differentcolors or
in different words.
You’ll alsosee warning labelson your vehicle.They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
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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 x
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
:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
These symbols
have
to do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS e
TURN
WARNING A
HAZARD
FLASHER
FOGLAMPS $0
These symbols
are on some
of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE (a)
COOLANT
a
ENGINEOIL
PRESSURE Wh
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE -%-
I
LIGHTER
HORN b
SPEAKER
b
FUEL p3
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Model Reference
This manualcoversthese models:
PassengerVan
c
Cargo Van
Cab and Chassis
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Section 1 SeatsandRestraintSystems
Here you’llfind information about the seats in yourvehicle and how to use your safety belts properly.You can also
learn about some things you should
not do with air bagsand safety belts.
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Seatsand Seat Controls
Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
Here Are QuestionsMany People Ask About
SafetyBelts
-- and the Answers
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Driver Position
SafetyBelt Use During Pregnancy
Right Front Passenger Position
Air Bag System
Rear SeatPassengers
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Rear SafetyBelt ComfortGuides for Children
and SmallAdults
Center PassengerPosition
Children
ChildRestraints
Larger Children
SafetyBelt Extender
CheckingYour Restraint Systems
Replacing Restraint SystemParts After
a Crash
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Seats and Seat Controls
This part tells you aboutthe seats -- how to adjustthem,
take themout and put them back in. Italsotells you
about recliningfront seatbacks.
Manual Front Seats
The bucket seatscan be adjustedforward or rearward
with the lever at thefront
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 thelever and try
to move the seat with your
body, to make surethe seat
is locked into place.
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.
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Power Seat (Option)
If your vehicle hasa power seat on the driver’s or
passenger’s side,
you can adjust it with this switch at the
front center cushion of the seat.
You can use these switchesto move me seatto where
you want it. To raise the seat, move thecenter knob up.
To lower the seat,move the center knob down. To move
the seatforward, move thecenter knob toward the right.
To move the seatrearward, move thecenter knob toward
the left.
You can raise and lower the front and rearof the seat. To
raise the front of the seat, move the rightlever up. To
lower it, move the right leverdown. To raise the rear of
the seat, move the left lever up. To lower it, move the
left leverdown.
Reclining Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback, lift thefront of this lever, which
is located at the inner edge of the seatcushion.
Move the seatback with your body and release the lever
to lock
the seatback whereyou want it. Lean forward
and pull up on the front
of the lever and theseatback
will
go to an upright position.

But don’t havea seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
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Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Evenif you buckle
up, your safety belts can’t dotheir jobwhen
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t doitsjob because it
won’t be against yourbody. Instead, it
will be in
frontof you.
In a crashyou could go intoit,
receiving neckor otherinjuries.
The lapbelt 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 seriousinternalinjuries.
For proper protectionwhen the vehicle is
in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well
back
in the seat and wear your safety belt properly.

Rear Seats
Getting Into the Rear Seats
To make it easier forpassengers to get into therear
seats, use thefastener strips on the headliner and safety
belt latch.These will keep the safety belts out of the way
while people getinto the rear seats.
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Removing the Rear Seat
2. Lift the carpedmat flap at the inboard sideof the seat
base in the rear.
1. Disconnect the quick release latch platesfor the lap
shoulderbelts on thebench seat to be removed.
To
do this, press the tipof a keyinto the release hole
of the safety belt buckle while pulling upon the
safety belt.
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3. Locate the red handle on the inboard side of the seat
base and rotate it up.
4. Once the red handle is rotated up, pull the handle to
remove the locking pin.
5. Stow thelocking pin on therear of the seat base in
6. Repeat this procedure for the pin on the other
the hole that isprovided.
seat base.
7. Pull the seat rearward about twoinches (5 cm) and
then
lift the seat from the floor rails.
8. Remove the seat from the vehicle.
9. Install the trim covers to the floor rails. These are
supplied in a cardboard box at delivery.

10. For the first rear seat, stow the safety belt latch by
attachingthe fastener strip on the safety belt latch
to the trimjust inside the side door.Thereis also
a
fastener stripprovided for stowing the safety belt
latch for a four-passenger benchseat,if equipped.
For the remaining rearseats, stow the safety belt
latch plate
on the clip at the window trim.
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Replacing the Rear Seat
A CAUTION:
A seat thatisn’t locked into place properly can
move around in acollision
or sudden stop. People
in the vehicle could beinjured. Be sure tolock
the seat into place properly when installingit.
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1 A CAUTION:
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A safety belt thatis twistedor 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.
1. Remove the trim covers from the floor rails and store
for future use.
2.
3.
4.
Position theseat into the open slots in both rails.
Push the seat forward
in the rail,hooking both seat
bases onto the pinsinside
of the rails.
Both locking pins that locked theseat intoplace
must be installed before operating the vehicle.
To install thelocking pin atthe rear of the seatbase,
pull the carpet/mat flap back on the inboard side
to
locatethe hole in the rail for the pin.
5. Remove the pin from its stowedposition on the seat
base while
holding the carpedmat flapback.

6. Insert the red handled locking pin into the seat
base, lifting theseat slightly to line up the pin with
the base.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Rotate the red handle down until it
is in the
retaining clip.
Replace the carpet/matflap to its original position.
Repeat this procedure
for the other seat base.
Connectthe quick release latch plates for thelap
shoulderbelts by inserting the latch plates into the
buckles attached at the outboard positionsof the
bench seat. Do not twist the belt.

Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safetybelts
properly.It also tells you
some things you should not do
with safetybelts.
And it explains the air bag system.
Don’t let anyone ride where heor she can’t wear
a safety belt properly. If you arein a crash and
you’re notwearing a safety belt, your injuries
can be muchworse. You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected fromit.
You can beseriously
injured orkilled. In the same crash,you might
not be
if you are buckledup. Always fasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts
are fastened properlytoo.
A CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of
a vehicle. In acollision,
people riding in these areas are morelikely to be
seriously injured orkilled.
Do not allow people to
ride in any areaof your vehiclethat is not
equippedwith seats and safetybelts. Be sure
everyonein your vehicle is in
a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
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Your vehicle hasa light that
comes on asa reminder to
buckle up.(See “Safety
Belt ReminderLight” in
the Index.)
In moststatesand Canadian provinces, the law saysto
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never knowif you’ll be ina 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 buckled upa person wouldn’t survive.
But mostcrashes are in between.
In many of them,
people who buckle upcan surviveand sometimes walk
away. Withoutbelts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than
30 years of safetybelts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In mostcrashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
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Why Safety Belts Work
When youride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplestvehicle. Suppose it's just a seat
on wheels.
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Put someone on it.
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