User manual CHEVROLET CAVALIER - 1996

1 1 CAVALIER 0 The 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier Owner's Manual SeatsandRestraintSystems 1-1 This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the "SRS" system. .. FeaturesandControls 2-1 This section explains how to start and operate your Chevrolet. Comfort Controls and Audio Systems 3-1 This section tells how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your you audio system. YourDrivingandtheRoad 4-1 Here you'll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions. ProblemsontheRoad 5-1 This section tells you what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as tire or overheated a flat engine, etc. ServiceandAppearanceCare 6-1 Here the manual tells you how to keep your Chevrolet running properly and looking good. MaintenanceSchedule 7-1 This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use. CustomerAssistanceInformation 8-1 This section tellsyou how to contact Chevrolet for assistance and how to get service and owner publications. It also givesyou information on "Reporting Safety Defects" on page 8-8. Index 9-1 Here's an alphabetical listing almost every subject in this manual. can use it to quickly find of You something you want to read. ............................................................. ................................................................... ..................................................... .............................................................. .................................................................. ............................................................ .................................................................. ........................................................ ................................................................................ i We support voluntary technician certification. GENERAL MOTORS,GM, theGM Emblem, CHEVROLET, the Chevrolet Emblem and the name CAVALIER areregistered trademarks of General Motors Corporation. This manual includesthe latest information at the time it was printed. We reserve the right to makechanges 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 Motor Division whenever appears in this manual. it Please keepthis manual in yourChevrolet, so it will be there if you ever need it when you're on the road. you If sell the vehicle, please leave this manual init so the new owner can use it. WE SUPPORT VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION THROUGH National institutefor AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE EXCELLENCE L For Canadian OwnersWho refer a French Language Manual: Aux propriktaires canadiens:Vous pouvez vous procurer un exemplaire de ceguide en frangais chez votre concessionaire ou au: DGN Marketing Services Ltd. 1500 Bonhill Rd. Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1C7 Litho in U.S.A. Part No. 10273194 B First Edition @CopyrightGeneral Motors Corporation 1995 All Rights Reserved ii The dynamic William C . "Billy" Durant shifted gears from making carriages to making cars, forming half the team that gave birth to Chevrolet. Louis Chevrolet, the other half of the team, f at the wheel o his experimental "Classic Six," which enteredproduction in I912. That year 2999 vehicles were produced. I I In 1932 Chevrolet introduced the Synchro-Mesh transmission and . oflered a host of accessories -- including such niceties as a clock? I I The legacy o America'sfavorite sportscar f began-in 1953, when 319 hand-assembled white Corvettes launched the first use o a f fiberglass body in a production car. I I = ; I I I .I iv I The 1957 Chevy started a romance with the American public -- and was powered by an available fuel-injected V8. Your new Chevrolet continuesa tradition of quality and value. legendary 327 V8. V How to Use This Manual Many people read their owner's manual from beginning to end when they first receive their new vehicle. This will help you learnabout the features and controls for your vehicle.In this manual, you'll find that pictures and words work together to explain things quickly. These mean there something thatcould hurt is you or other people. Index A good placeto look for what you need is the Indexin the back of the manual.It's an alphabetical list of all that's in the manual, andthe page number where you'll find it. Safety Warnings and Symbols You will find a number of safety cautions in this book. We use the word CAUTION to tell you about things that could hurt you if you were ignore the warning. to - In thecaution area, we tell you what hazard is. Then the we tell you what todo to help avoid or reduce the hazard. Please read these cautions. If you don't, youor others couldbe hurt. 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.'' vi the area, about In noticewe something tell you that can damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would Also, i this n bookyouwillfindthesenotices:notbecoveredbyyourwarranty,and it could costly. be But the notice will tell you what do to help avoid to the damage. Vehicle Damage Warnings NOTICE: These mean there something that could is damage your vehicle. 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 your vehicle. They use on yellow for cautions, blue for notices and thewords CAUTION or NOTICE. vii Vehicle Symbols These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle. For example, these symbols are used on an original battery: CAUTION POSSIBLE INJURY PROTECT EYES BY SHIELDING CAUSTIC FASTEN SEAT BELTS BURNS COOLANT A These symbols are important for you and your passengers whenever your vehicle is driven: These symbols have to do with your lights: These symbols are on some of your controls: These symbols are used on warning and indicator lights: Here are some other symbols you may see: COOLANT TEMP TURN SIGNALS @ WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER I-1 FUSE BAllERY CHARGING SYSTEM BRAKE LIGHTER m (a) HORN )a( a (@) SPEAKER SPARK OR FLAME COULD EXPLODE BATTERY ,\I/, FOG LAMPS ENGINE OIL PRESSURE e , FUEL b B $0 ANTI-LOCK BRAKES viii 0 SectiOn 1 Seats and Restraint Systems Here you'll find information about the seats in your Chevrolet and howto use your safety belts properly. You can also learn about some things you shouldnot do with air bags and safety belts. Seats and Seat Controls This section tells you about seats -- how to the adjust them -- and also about reclining seatbacks and head restraints. a1 Front You can lose controlof the vehicle if you try to adjust a manual driver's seat while the vehicle is moving. The suddenmovement 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 lever on the front the driver's seat to unlock of it. Slide the seat to where you want Then release the it. lever and tryto move the seat with your body, to make sure the seatis locked into place. 1-1 Manual Lumbar Support (Convertible with White Vinyl Seats Only) The manual lumbar support control is located at the front of the driver'sseat, toward the right.Turn the knob clockwise or counterclockwise to increase or decrease the amountof support to your lower back. Reclining Front Seatbacks Pull the lever in front of the front passenger's seat up to unlock it. Slide the seat to where you wantit. Then release the lever and try to move seat with your the body, to make sure theseat is locked into place. L To adjust the seatback, lift the lever the outer side of on the seat and move the seatback where you want it. to 1-2 Release the lever to lock the seatback. f i l l up on the lever and the seat will go to an upright position. A CAUTION: Sitting ina reclined position whenyour vehicle is in motion can dangerous. Even if you buckle be up, your safety belts can't dotheir jobwhen you're reclined likethis. The shoulder belt can't its job because it do won't be against yourbody. Instead, itwill be in front of you. In a crash you could go into it, receiving neckor other injuries. The lap belt can't its job either. In a crash the do belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones. This could causeserious internal injuries. For proper protection when the vehicle i in s motion, have the seatback upright. Then well sit back in the seatand wear yoursafety belt properly. But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving. - 1-3 Head Restraints Slide the head restraint up or down so that the topof the restraint is closest to the top of your ears.This position reduces the chance a neck injury in a crash. of Easy-Entry Seat (Opti 1) Seatback Latches (2-Door Models) The front seatback folds forward to let people get into the back seat. If an easy entry right front isn't locked, it seat can move. In a sudden stop or crash, the person sitting there could be injured. After you've used it, be sureto push rearward onan easy entry seat to be sure itis locked. On two-door models, the right front seat of your vehiclc makes it easy get in and out of the rear seat. to 0 Tilt the right front seatback completely forward and the whole seat willslide forward. 0 Move the right front seatback to its original position after someone getsinto the rear seat area. Then move the seat rearward until it locks. 0 Tilt the seatback completely forward again to get out. To fold a front seatback forward, lift the latch. When you return the seatback to its original position, the seatback will lock. 1 A Rear Seats Folding the Rear Seat I To close the seat, push the seatback up to its original position. To open the fold-down rear seat, pull forward the on seat tab. Check to ensure seatback is in its original position the and securely latched pulling forward on the top by of the seatback. Move any obstructions in the trunk compartment. 1-5 Safety Belts: They're for Everyone ' : 1 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. Your vehicle hasa light that comes on as a reminder to buckle up. (See "Safety Belt ReminderLight" in the Index.) And it explains the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS), or air bag system. 1 Don't let anyone ride where or shecan't wear he a safety belt properly. you are in a crash and If you're not wearinga safety belt,your injuries can be much worse. You can hit things inside the vehicle or be ejected from You can be seriously it. injured orkilled. In the same crash, might you not be if you are buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt, and check that your passengers' belts are fastened properly too. I In most states and Canadian provinces, law says to the wear safety belts. Here's why: work. They You never know if you'll be in a crash. If you do have a crash, you don't know it will be a bad one. if A few crashes are mild, and somecrashes can beso serious that even buckled up person wouldn't survive. a But mostcrashes are in between.In many of them, people who buckle can survive and sometimes walk up away. Withoutbelts they could have been badly hurt or killed. After morethan 25 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are clear. 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. Put someone on it. Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat on wheels. 1-7 Get it up to speed. Thenstop the vehicle. The rider doesn't stop. The person keeps going until stopped something. by In a realvehicle, it could be the windshield... 1-8 I I or the instrument panel ... or the safety belts! Wia safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does. You get more timeto stop. You stop over moredistance, and your strongest bones take theforces. That's why safety belts make such good sense. 1-9 Here Are Questions Many PeopleAsk @ About Safety Belts-- and the Answers A: Won't I be trapped in the vehicle after an accident if I'm wearing a safety belt? If I'm a good driver, and I never drive far from home, why should I wear safety belts? A: You could be -- whether you're wearinga safety belt or not. But youcan unbuckle a safety belt, even if you're upside down. And your chance of being consciousduring and after an accident, so you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if you are belted. If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to wear safety belts? You may be anexcellent driver, butif you're in an accident -- even one that isn't your fault -- you and your paskengerscan be hurt. Being good driver a doesn't protect you from things beyond your control, such as bad drivers. Most accidents occur within miles (40 km) of 25 home. And the greatest numberof serious injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than 40 mph (65 b b ) . Safety belts are everyone. for Qi' A: Air bags are in many vehicles today andwill be in most of them inthe future. But they are supplemental systems only; so they work with safety belts -- not instead of them. Everyair bag system ever offered for sale has required the use of safety belts. Evenif you're in a vehicle that has air bags, you still have to buckle up to getthe most protection. That's true not only frontal collisions, in but especially in side and other collisions.